Stoptober - Diary of a Quitter: Day 31

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.

I did it. I made it to the end of the month without smoking a single cigarette.

So how does it feel?

Well, it feels strangely normal, to be honest. The longer I've gone without, the more alien smoking seems.

I had expected to feel pretty emotional by the time Stoptober came to end. A month is a pretty big milestone. But really, so too is an hour, a day, a week. Any moment when I'm not smoking is a moment in which I'm winning. So why should it feel any different now?

The other day, I bumped into a colleague who was smoking outside work. As he puffed away - his second-hand smoke neither alluring nor bothersome to me - we talked about how my quitting was going. Would I backtrack once the month, and this diary, came to an end?

I was proud to be able to reply that no, I wouldn't backtrack. I was doing this for real. I told him that I know, now, that I can't smoke a single cigarette ever again. Otherwise I'd be straight back into it. And that was the point of this whole exercise - I don't ever want to smoke again.

Yes, I will probably still get the odd craving for the rest of my life - feedback from numerous ex-quitters has assured me of that. But will I give in to them? At this point, I can gladly say it is extremely, extremely unlikely. I'm a lifer, now, and the lifer's mantra is: "Never again."

I've said it numerous times, and I'll say it again - thank you. My friends, colleagues and you, my readers, have all been a tremendous inspiration and source of support. It was incredibly encouraging to quit so publicly - you kept me on the straight and narrow. And the act of writing down my thoughts each day was cathartic, too. But now it's time to move on.

If you've been taking part in Stoptober too, well done. You've made it. I've heard from a few Stobtoberites over the last few weeks, and I have to say - you're all doing great. Now please keep it up.

I've also heard from plenty of ex-smokers - some recent, some who quit decades ago - and I reckon you're all doing great, too. Thanks for all the advice.

If you're still a smoker, I have but a simple message for you - it's never too late. Never. You can do it. You just have to want to do it. And you'll get plenty of support. Why not try Stopvember? Sure, it's not such a catchy title, but it'll do. Go on. Try it.

Well, that's the end of that. Thanks for joining me on this journey. I might pen the odd follow-up entry here and there as the months drag on - smoking pun intended. But otherwise, as my toddler likes to say: "All done now."

All done for good.

To take part in Stoptober, visit www.stoptober.nz

For help quitting, visit Quitline at www.quit.org.nz or phone 0800 778 778