The other day I was shaving and I noticed my teeth in the mirror. They were so white. I was used to them always having a slightly yellow tint, so I was surprised, especially as I hadn’t changed my brushing routine. Then the actual reason for it struck me: it had been almost a year since I quit smoking.

On the 22nd July, 2024, I made a decision I had made several times before. I was going to quit smoking. Only this time, I was going to make it stick.

A couple of months later I was on a hike and I noticed I wasn’t stopping every five minutes to catch my breath. I actually had energy to climb. The effects of not smoking were becoming clearer. I noticed that I smelled better – both in that I didn’t smell like cigarettes, and I could actually smell things again.

I still drink, so I have to deal with hangovers from time to time. But they didn’t come with the horrible taste in my mouth, the clothes reeking of cigarette smoke, the queasiness in my stomach from swallowing nicotine. Smoking would often make me feel sick – and would make my motion sickness feel worse. No longer.

Then, on the 22nd July, 2025, after 365 days of not smoking, after avoiding 7,125 cigarettes, after saving around $495 (cigarettes are stupid cheap in Asia), and saving around 30 days worth of smoking breaks, I took this picture:

On the 1 year anniversary of not smoking I reached the highest point I’ve ever been to in my life, in the middle of a four day trek through the mountains. I don’t know if I would have been able to do this if I was still a smoker. But it felt like the best way to celebrate a year without cigarettes.