There are quite a few things that happen to a long-term smoker like myself when we decide to butt out of the habit. My least favorite is what I refer to as "rainbow phlegm." Rainbow phlegm is the colorfully unpleasant stuff I've been coughing up intermittently for the past two weeks as my body fights to clear my lungs of all the tar and dead tissue that's built up over the years. It's actually a good sign because it means my body is healing.
I'm producing a bit more phlegm than is (probably) normal, partly because of what led up to my decision to quit smoking: I caught the flu.
I actually think that getting sick is the best time to quit. When anyone comes down with a cold or the flu, it can get uncomfortable... for a smoker who needs a nicotine fix, it can be hell. My throat was sore and I had a cough, so smoke was the last thing I wanted in my system -- just a couple puffs off a cigarette sent me into a fit of coughs that made me think a lung was going to come up.
After a few days of torturing myself by smoking while sick, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to stop. I just wanted to sleep, anyway, so I figured the nicotine withdrawals everyone gets the 2-3 days after quitting would happen while in the care of Nyquil Cold & Flu Relief... and it did help. I spent most of the time in bed, drinking lots of fluids, and doing my best to avoid smoking. I don't think I felt the impact of the withdrawals so much, because the flu was far worse. Then I got a touch of bronchitis, and that sealed the deal... no more smoking for me.
Lesson learned? If you need to quit, try catching the flu? No... nobody wants the flu. If you happen to get sick, though, it's a good time to consider throwing out the rest of the pack you bought earlier. Your body will thank you by healing both your sickness and the withdrawals at the same time.
Here are some other statistics that I learned about the body's healing process after quitting smoking:
- Just 20 minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal and the body temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
- A mere 8 hours after your last smoke, the carbon monoxide level decreases and the oxygen level in your blood increases to normal.
- Just 24 hours after your last cigarette, you substantially lessen your chances of having a heart attack.
- Two days after your last cigarette, you will notice that your ability to taste and smell is enhanced.
- Three days later, your breathing should be noticeably better because your lung capacity will be greater.
- Your circulation will improve and your lung functioning will increase up to 30% within two weeks to three months after quitting.
- Between one month and nine months, the cilia in your lungs will regenerate, allowing your body to clean your lungs and reduce infection.
- One year after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.
- Five years after quitting, your risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.
- Ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smokers. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.
- Fifteen years after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmokers.
(U.S. Surgeon General's Reports (1988, 1990)
In 30 more minutes, I will hit the week mark of my quit. My lung capacity is increasing and my circulation is improving. I do notice the results... I'm glad I'm sticking to it.
Alcohol is one of my triggers... it's the devil. Whenever I drink, my cravings for a cigarette go buck-wild. Caffeine is another trigger... for some reason I've got it in my head that nothing goes better with coffee than a cigarette. I have other (less severe) triggers like boredom, driving, stress -- but I find those to be much more manageable.
