TLDR; Extra money, tastebuds, illness recovery, sleep inertia and self pride were benefits that continued to get stronger as the years went on.

I previously gave up cigarettes for many years and made the foolish mistake of picking them back up. I'm back and determined to square up with this addiction and fight it Cold Turkey. With that--I believe in myself, so I am motivated by some of the benefits I noticed after multiple years of not smoking. They may not be the same for everyone but these 5 noticeably stood out for me..

1. The extra money. Sure we hear that a lot. You'll even notice it right off the bat in the first week. However, I'm not talking about THAT money. I'm referring to the noticeable difference after about 3 or 4 years. That moment when you as an ex-smoker can look back at the last 6 years of your life; 3 as smoker and 3 as a non-smoker. At that moment.. it's pretty sobering because you will definitely notice and feel the thousands of 'extra' dollars you've had over the last few years.

2. Tastebuds. Another one you hear fairly often but I am referring to long term smoke abstinence. I personally noticed that they (tastebuds) continued to change over the course of a few years. 3 specific foods I always hated the taste of were tomatoes, onions and guacamole. Well guess what happened next.. after a few years of not smoking I really began to love guacamole and onions. Literally. As the nerve endings in my mouth gradually repaired, I was trying many different foods. I still didn't like tomatoes but the funny thing is, even they were tolerable--go figure.

3. Illness recovery. Even with being a smoker, I was always fortunate to have somewhat decent health. At the most, I would get the one 'cold' a year that's passed around the office. I would get it, feel great in a couple weeks (besides that lingering cough--annoying as hell). Well, over the next 7 or 8 years, that 'office cold' was a walk in the park compared to when I would get sick previously. One, they were gone in half the time. Two, no more lingering 3 week cough. For me personally, this specific benefit stood out the most.

4. Sleep inertia. The transition from sleep to wakefulness. Again, I noticed a big difference in the first few months but the real benefits were clear as day after a couple years. Eventually I got to the point I could wakeup on 5 hours of sleep and the transition to being fully awake was faster than sleeping 8 hours as a smoker. Literally a night and day difference.

5. Self confidence. I took pride in the fact that I was able to stop smoking cold turkey. I got in the ring toe to toe with a Monster that is universally known to kill his opponents.. and I KICKED HIS ASS! There is a respect you can feel from both ex-smokers and life long non-smokers when you tell your story of quitting cold turkey. I began to notice my self confidence was on full display, helping me in other areas of my life. NOW--I say this in NO way to discredit those that use NRT because I have the UTMOST RESPECT for ANY ex-smoker; however you did it.. Period. But I can only speak on behalf of my story. I just want us ALL to win.

That monster doesn't discriminate. It's cunning and sly. It will whisper beautiful lies during our weakest moments. But we will turn our ears, clench our jaws and remain strong. We can and we will stop. Why? Because people like You an Me are strong by nature. We got this!

'Quality is not an act, it's a Habit' ~ Aristotle