Ever since I was 15 years old, people have told me to quit smoking cigarettes so that I don’t get cancer. However, smoking probably won’t give you cancer. Yes, relative risk is higher, but the absolute risk is still low, about one in 10. I took the risk.

My eyes went from gray to blue again. I suspect it has something to do with oxygenation of the blood and cell growth.

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Health was not enough of a concern to me, and smoking was such a pleasure that I never considered it a habit. There are actually far better reasons to quit right now. I quit about three months ago, and it has changed my life in ways I never expected. Here are 10:

  1. No more coughing and periodic sickness. I was in denial about this for years, but it is true that smoking makes you more vulnerable to every disease. I had a cough that just wouldn’t leave me alone. I finally left cigarettes, and voila, my cough is gone and so are my bouts of sinus infections and bronchitis.
  2. Nails grow longer and stronger.  We need our fingernails, and use them throughout our entire lives. So, when mine began to grow faster and maintain rigidity, I was startled! Others have reported the same: harder nails, growing faster.
  3. Hair grows faster. I could hardly believe that my balding had not only stopped, but reversed! I’m surprised each time I look in the mirror. My hair is thicker, shinier, and generally more healthy. The downside is that I spend more on haircuts. Although, I’m saving about 10 times as much by not buying a pack a day.LZ-info-thumb_Gray Eyes Blue (3934)
  4. Skin looks younger and healthier. All over my body, skin tone has rejuvenated. People around me say that I look 10 years younger.
  5. Eye color is more vibrant. They went from gray to blue again. I suspect it has something to do with oxygenation of the blood and cell growth. By the same token my teeth are much whiter.
  6. Fewer medications needed. I had taken the same medication since I was 15 that stops the tremors in my hand. Since I stopped smoking, though, I don’t need the stuff anymore. That’s a dollar a day saved, and less medication in my body is always good.
  7. More energy. This one is a no-brainer, but I breathe better, get more oxygen, and generally have more endurance in all life activities.
  8. No longer self-conscious about bad breath. I carried gum, mouthwash, and all sort of things to disguise my smoker’s breath. It’s liberating going without them.
  9. Life is cleaner. About 60 days after I quit smoking, I began to feel hypersensitive to the smell of cigarettes. I realized that all of my clothes smelled like smoke. I washed everything and took the suits the dry cleaners.
  10. Food tastes better. My sense of taste and smell have returned, and in ways that I had not experienced in my adult life. Now, vegetables taste delicious, and the subtlety of a Pinot Noir is touching.

Giving up cigarettes has changed my life. I thought I loved smoking, but I like living a good, healthier life even more. I feel bad for people who continue to smoke. I’m not on a crusade, but I want them to know how much better life can be without smoking.

The side-effects of smoking gradually crept up on me. It took some 30 years for it to happen to me. Yet, it took only two months for me to regain my losses in health. Since I have quit, I fell in love with life all over again.

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