So, you quit smoking! Congrats! ... Now what?

4. Get rid of the stench

You don’t want any reminders of the misery you’ve endured for years.

So, spend a little cash and get that nasty stink out of your drapes, carpet and clothes. You’re not a tobacco addict any longer – and you don’t want to smell like one!

If you’ve been smoking for years inside your home, this will be no easy task. Tobacco smoke permeates everything – including the paint on the walls. But you are saving hundreds of dollars each month. Spend a little of it on a cleaning service that restores fire-damaged homes. Get them to work up a bid. Hire them to do what you can afford. Or do it yourself a little at a time using paint like "Kilz" and odor attackers like "Febreeze." If you rent, what the heck … MOVE!

7. Give non-smoking establishments your business

One of the toughest things former smokers have to endure is the seduction of other people’s tobacco smoke.

You may find yourself casually leaning into the smoke coming from a total stranger’s Marlboro ... closing your eyes blissfully as you inhale those familiar, deadly fumes.

So, avoid any restaurant, theater or pub or other public place that permits smoking. If you walk in and smell cigarettes, don't hesitate to tell the mairtre'd that you are leaving because you see no reason to endure secondhand smoke while you're trying to enjoy your meal.

And when you find no-smoking establishments, go out of your way to thank the cashier or the manager or the owner for giving you a safe place to breathe.

8. Get ready for the unexpected

You are in for some big surprises. Within weeks, food is going to taste better. Your taste buds will take a little while to recover, but when they do - Mercy! Who'd have ever thought that fresh strawberries taste so delightful!

And fragrances! Wow! Even dandelions have their own fragrance! Roses can be downright intoxicating. And lilacs? Popcorn? Chocolate-chip cookies just out of the oven! Your lawn after a gentle rain! Amazing.

Then there are other incredible rewards, such as increased stamina. No more having to sit and recover halfway up the hill! Go ahead and take the niece and nephew fishing -- you're no longer gasping like a sun perch on the fish bank!

Life is so good! You can breathe!

11. Pass it on!

The world is filled with people who are trapped by tobacco.

When you hear that a friend is quitting, encourage them!

Tell them what tricks you pulled on yourself to kick the habit.

Alcoholics Anonymous members have “sponsors” who want to be called at all hours of the night if a fellow recovering alcoholic is about to fall off the wagon.

So, offer to be a “quitting mentor” to your friend – willing to take their phone call and talk them out of lighting up. You remember how the urgency can be so horrible. You know all the reasons to flush that cigarette down the toilet RIGHT NOW! And crumple up the pack! Instead, go for a refreshing walk. Or go cuddle with your loved one.

Let your fellow recovering tobacco junkie know you like hearing that they just passed Day 20, then Day 30 - or even Day 1! Whoop and holler! It’s a big deal! You decided to live! So have they!

So, let’s celebrate!