Some people were often confused when they found out that I smoked around a pack of cigarettes a day. They would ask, “Why are you running every day and still smoking?” This question didn’t bother me because I started smoking long before I engaged in high-intensity sports. To be precise, I began smoking occasionally at the age of 11 and became a full-time smoker by 18. Thus, I had been smoking for most of my life and never tried to quit. When I started increasing my workout routine, I didn’t know the difference between working out while smoking and not smoking. My “normal” was an intense workout followed by a cigarette 30 minutes later, and I felt good.
The Decision to Quit
So why bother to quit? I used to say that I would quit by the age of 28. I read that if you quit before 30, your body can regain all the life expectancy lost to smoking. However, around that time, I switched to IQOS (heated tobacco, electronic cigarette). I felt better almost instantly. Breathing while running became noticeably easier, and I stopped coughing. There was no bad smell. Sounds like an ad for IQOS. It truly made me feel healthier, so I extended my quitting deadline indefinitely. However, IQOS had a downside: since it didn’t have a bad smell, I could smoke it everywhere, leading to an increase in my smoking habit, consuming too much of my time. I enjoyed smoking, but I was irritated by how addicted I was. Everything in my day revolved around a cigarette. I became anxious to end business meetings sooner just to take a smoke. When the flight lands, the first thing I do is look for a spot to smoke. This dependency started to bother me too much.
The Trigger
The trigger to quit came from my wife. She was also a heavy smoker but decided to read a book on quitting smoking. I told her, “If you quit, I’ll quit.” One day, I returned from a business trip and offered her a smoke. She declined, saying, “You go alone.” And that’s it. I quit smoking for the first time in my life.
The Experience
First Day
I was strangely excited about quitting. One day I smoked 20-30 cigarettes, and the next day, none. I didn’t know what to expect and prepared for the worst—maybe physical pain or something—but it was rather uneventful. My head was a bit of a mess, and every 20-30 minutes, I thought, “I need to go for a smoke.” My vision went blurry for a moment, and it was hard to concentrate, even to read a simple article. I was sad that I couldn’t smoke when I got into my car or after putting my kid to sleep. Yes, everything I did revolved around smoking.
First Week
Every day got a bit easier. By the end of the first week, the thought of smoking occurred every 1-2 hours or at critical times (putting the kid to sleep, morning coffee, etc.). Most notably, I hadn’t really talked to my wife the whole week. I was fine with everyone else but couldn’t stop arguing with her.
First Month
After two weeks of quitting, I attended a friend’s bachelor party at a cigar house—an ideal situation for a relapse with alcohol, cigars, good friends, and poker. However, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to completely stop smoking. I decided to gamble and smoked a cigar, almost expecting to relapse. But, to my surprise, I didn’t smoke anything else that evening, or the next day, or to this day. The first month was challenging—daily routine, bachelor party, wedding, summer get-togethers—but the hardest part was not physical. It was breaking the deep-seated habit and resisting the constant thought, “Oh, what a perfect occasion for a smoke.”
Second Month
Now at the end of my second month, it’s pretty much the same—every day, I still feel nostalgic about smoking. This thought crosses my mind probably 1-2 times a day or when someone around me is smoking or drinking. So it’s just that – every day you have to fight it off. It’s not pleasant, but not too hard either.
Side Effects
I started snacking more, which I anticipated and somewhat embraced. I try to limit sweets, but I probably consume an additional 300-500 calories a day on average. The same goes for my wife. My workout routine remained the same, but since I was usually running a calorie deficit before and needed to eat more, it isn’t a big problem. I may have gained a couple of unwanted kilograms, but it doesn’t concern me yet. Another side effect is sadness from losing something I enjoyed. This is the most difficult part, but I hope it will pass in a few months.
What’s Next
I haven’t decided what’s next. This is kind of an experiment for me. I like not having a bad habit, but I wish I felt more positive effects. When I switched from ordinary cigarettes to IQOS, I felt great. Now, after quitting IQOS, the only change is financial. Running hasn’t become easier, and my sense of smell, which was always good, remained the same. It’s disappointing that there is no clear motivation right after quitting. I would guess it might be easier to quit ordinary cigarettes, although the idea behind IQOS is theoretically the opposite. Yet I don’t feel like starting smoking again. At least for now. I’m waiting for the sadness of losing an enjoyable but harmful habit to go away. Some say it will take up to a year, so that’s probably my goal.
Advice
This article isn’t meant to be specifically helpful but to share my story of how and why I quit smoking. My experience shows that, like with any major change, you need a strong “why.” After that, it’s about discipline. Remind yourself that you are strong enough to quit for at least 3-4 months and then reconsider. It’s best to figure out your “why” sooner because, in the end, it will be your health. We all know that, of course.
I’ll give you some updates once in a while.
JG/xLongRun