Hello. My name is Scott and I’m an ex smoker. I smoked since the age of 15 or 16, really it’s been along enough ago that I started I haven’t a clue what the exact age I was when I did. But that’s all behind me now.

It’s behind me because I quit smoking. An event that still amazes me. I didn’t quit for myself, well, not totally. I ended up quitting shortly before my son was born. You see, I didn’t want him growing up with the constant smell of smoke on me bothering him. It’s not good for the health.

Today my wife was digging through the closet and cleaning it out. She pulled out a Marlboro lunchbox cooler and asked what to do with it. I jokingly said that I got it for free; it only cost me a year of my life. Funny thing is I’m probably right on that point. However many “miles” it cost me was truer than I thought at the time. It cost me miles of life that I could have walked.

Happily however I’m no longer smoking. It’s been over six months. On occasion I’d still kill for one, but the physical addiction is well over. It’s just the psychological that lingers and shows its evil head from time to time.

I still end up being a grouch some times when I’m really stressing over something or have issues lingering in my mind. Sometimes I wonder about starting back up, but that wouldn’t be a wise choice would it… So I trudge onward.

Really it wasn’t as hard as I thought. You see, with all the goings on and having a newborn to care for you don’t have much time to think about “relaxing” with a cigarette. I did however sneak one and as a result almost backslid, but I managed to brush that off in favor of making the right choice.

I feel great now and can easily walk around the block several times over without loosing breath. In fact, I jogged around it once and didn’t end up dying from lack of oxygen. That for me is amazing. I’m not up to full health though, not yet.

So what’s next? Well, with seven years at a desk job I’ve worked up quite the gut. I’ve gone from a size 29 to a size 34, which is quite a shock to the system and has done nothing to improve my self-esteem.

As for you smokers though, consider quitting. You really won’t regret it, over time.