Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.

August 2, 2009 9:31 PM

So I quit smoking ...

11 months ago. It will be my first year being smoke free since 1986.

It's a big deal to me. I'm not a Fascist. Just looking for something fun to mark the occasion with.

posted by CoinOp to society & culture (9 comments total)

Awesome, congrats! How about having a celebratory dinner at a restaurant that's a number of stories up, and taking the stairs? That's something you probably couldn't have done a year ago.
posted by philotes at 9:42 PM on August 2

Yay! Congratulations; quitting smoking is the worst and you must be super glad to have managed it for a year.

• If it's the first year you've been smoke-free since 1986, maybe you could have a 1986 themed party? Play eighties music, dress badly (awesomely?), &c.
• Spend three hundred and sixty-five dollars on something, one dollar for every day you've avoided cigarettes, or donate that money to the American Cancer Society
• Do karaoke to celebrate how much better your voice sounds now that you quit
• Find something specific you can do each year on the appropriate day such as going hiking or taking a photograph of a special place to remind you of how much you've enjoyed quitting
• Bake something delicious and revel in how much better things taste now
• If you would really like to commemorate the day, you could get a tattoo somewhere subtle (bottom of your foot? I don't know much about tattoos) marking the date so that you could see it if you wanted to remember but other people wouldn't if you didn't want them to

Best of luck! I quit about a month ago and it is still not easy. The longest I've ever managed is about three months so I am deeply, deeply impressed that you've stopped for a year.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:42 PM on August 2

Blech, obviously I mean "how much you've enjoyed having quit" not "how much you've enjoyed quitting". There are very few people who enjoy quitting smoking.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:44 PM on August 2

Go out with your friends to a smoke free restaurant and bar.
posted by All.star at 9:45 PM on August 2

If you've got the means, it might be a nice time to estimate how much money you've saved yourself and give yourself a serious gift. Maybe something that would accentuate what I always felt were among the nicer every day benefits of quitting, the significantly enriched senses of taste and smell - a fine meal, or, if you are so inclined, an exceptional bottle of wine or fine liquor. Or maybe a short trip, something with a little physical element to remind you that you can do a whole lot more without getting winded.

Go ahead and remind people in your life of this milestone: its the kind of thing that will generate sincere congratulations and expressions of admiration, which are nice, and will help you keep your motivation to keep it up. Congratulations, you've earned a reward!
posted by nanojath at 9:50 PM on August 2

[A few comments removed. It's really not that hard not to be snarky or an asshole—please help answer the question constructively or stay out of the thread.]
posted by cortex at 10:08 PM on August 2

Eat, eat, eat. I heard about a guy whose friends threw him a "Congrats, you quit smoking party" during which he burst into tears after biting into a strawberry because he had forgotten what a strawberry tasted like. Make sure food is involved in your celebration. Your taste buds will thank you.
posted by easy_being_green at 10:47 PM on August 2

My first-year smoke-free celebration was better than my birthday that year. I was thrilled to indulge myself with a gift bought with all the money I had saved that year. Use quitmeter to help you calculate your winnings.
I'm going to agree with the above posts. I learned to love food all over again when I my sense of taste returned.
Congratulations! Everyone who's ever quit smoking is rooting for you.
posted by Jon-o at 3:49 AM on August 3

Everyone gets best answer!

Thanks so much for the ideas! Looks like it's going to be a celebration filled with tasty fruit, cheese, and beverages. Although, I still may get that discrete tattoo. :)

Also just a quick word of encouragement to any of you who may happen to be traveling down this path as well. I swear it gets easier as time passes. The rewards might be slow comming, but when they hit, it's like you just crash landed in Oz and can now see in color for the first time in your life. The tasting, the smelling, the breathing! Stick with it, it's worth it.
posted by CoinOp at 8:54 PM on August 3