Matthew Backhouse smokes his last cigarette before starting Stoptober. Photo / Nick Reed
Matthew Backhouse smokes his last cigarette before starting Stoptober. Photo / Nick Reed
Journalist Matthew Backhouse chronicles his efforts to quit smoking for Stoptober in a daily diary.
What a debacle. I should be the healthiest I've been in years. Instead, I've suffered through a series of mundane maladies that make smoker's cough seem not so bad.
My latest and most high-profile affliction is a pair of ridiculously red, gummy, weepy, inflamed eyes. They hurt like hell. Maybeit's hayfever, or an infection, or a symptom of a zombie/vampire/werewolf bite. I'm yet to see my GP, so I consider each equally as likely.
Regardless of the cause, the end result is the same - I look like a cartoonish stoner in a suit.
If you're of the "pics or it didn't happen" persuasion, then here you go. But a quick warning - it isn't pretty.
I've also suffered a virus, terrible sleep, a possible sinus infection and yes, more hayfever. October has been a fun month for me.
I'm not saying it's all linked to quitting. I have no way of knowing that. But health experts do say that nicotine withdrawal can cause symptoms that, for some people at least, are pretty similar to having a cold.
It's not just me. Start typing "does quitting" into Google, and the third auto-suggestion is "does quitting smoking make you sick". I ignored most of the results because, well, internet. But you get the picture.
If there's one silver lining, though, it's this - smoker's cough costs a lot of money, but zombie eyes are totally free. Go zombie eyes.
