It's been at least two weeks since I quit smoking and, all in all, it's been a tolerable experience. The physical benefits have not proved quite so dramatic as I had hoped, but they are undeniably there and accruing with every day. My lung capacity seems to have improved most dramatically, but I am not expectorating nearly as much as I had expected. Hopefully, that will change ---and on my own terms.
Based on the rate of usage at the time I quit (something just over a half a pack a day) and on the cost of cartons (they seem, diabolically, to be getting cheaper), I figure I'll be saving myself at least $40 a month. That's a utility bill right there.
I don't suppose it's possible that I will never smoke again. I may bum a smoke off a friend at a party just to see what I'm missing, but it really comes down to individual will. Who, after all, would choose to draw carbon monoxide, sulfur, and tar (among many other chemicals) into his own delicate lungs? And to pay good money for the privilege? It's barbaric, frankly. It's something that a slave would do.