re: after 24 years.........i've decided to quit smoking.

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It's the actual nicotine in your system that causes a lot of the problems.

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No, its not the nicotine. The nicotine is what gets you addicted, the thousands of other chemicals in tobacco is what causes the negative side effects.

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The main way that smoking causes cancer is by damaging our DNA, including key genes that protect us against cancer. Many of the chemicals found in cigarettes have been shown to cause DNA damage, including benzene, polonium-210, benzo(a)pyrene and nitrosamines.

This is already bad news, but it’s made worse by other chemicals in cigarettes. For example chromium makes poisons like benzo(a)pyrene stick more strongly to DNA, increasing the chances of serious damage. And chemicals like arsenic and nickel interfere with pathways for repairing damaged DNA. This makes it even more likely that damaged cells will eventually turn cancerous.

Smokers are also less able to handle toxic chemicals than those with healthy lungs and blood. Chemicals in cigarette smoke make it harder for smokers to neutralise or remove toxins, and can make their immune systems less effective too.

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The general medical position is that nicotine itself poses few health risks, except among certain vulnerable groups.

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it's the breathing that I want to get better.

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You should really consider switching to vape, gum, or patch as your source of nicotine. It is the tobacco that will kill you, not just the cigarettes.

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I'm in the exact same boat. I turn 40 Saturday and I've smoked 25 years. My mom was recently diagnosed with cancer so I'm putting the cigarettes away tomorrow. My wife is happy. My boys are happy. Me not so much.

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I loved smoking. it's just that I'm tired of getting short of breath when doing the simplest tasks.

The breathing is an issue for me also. Had to take a timeout during sex last week. First time in 22 years of marriage. I decided then it was time

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read motherfricker.

I want to breath better.

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You should try Snus for real. I can legit dip anywhere I want with no need to spit or leave bottles all over the house. Also, from personal experience, its not horrible for your teeth. 3 years straight with 0 cavities.

I tried to read it but all it says is "I'm a pussy that wants to quit". Motherfricker.

My point was, is that's dumb as shite to quit smoking but then start dipping. You're trading a nasty habit for an even nastier habit. One addiction for another. At least the guy who recommended vaping gave you a real scenario in which you can work yourself off nicotine slowly and when down far enough you can quit without detoxing. You won't be able to do that dipping and now you're just going to look like trash with dip in your mouth. You're probably the type that spits it in clear water bottles and has them all over too.

ETA - Also, the actual smoke becomes somewhat of an addiction itself. Especially, if you're one of those smokers who smokes a lot when (if) you drink. And also, those times that it's like a routine, like after eating, with coffee, after sex, etc etc.

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how long does it take to stop being short of breath

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Maybe never? You might have COPD.

My dad smoked heavily for over 50 years. Dementia, can't walk, is now blind, COPD and in a nursing home waiting to die. If that won't make you stop cold turkey I don't know what else to tell you.

VABuckeye is right, but everyone can sit here and tell you what the right thing to do is, but shite, they dont need to. YOU know what it is, you just have to be willing to act. No one can do it for you. My mother is proof of that, just got out of the hospital after 22 days, COPD, Pneumonia, Pulmonary Fibrosis, less than a week later she is smoking again. I've literally gotten to the point of giving up on even trying. Cant help anyone who wont help themselves.

ETA: Good luck!

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You will notice a major difference like 3 weeks to a month after you quit.

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One of the things my wife noticed after a month or so was how much she could smell when other people were smoking or had been smoking. And how intolerable it was to her after she quit.

Many ex smokers find themselves much more sensitive to second hand smoke and the smell that lingers on smokers.

ETA: Good Luck to the OP.