I grew up in a house with smokers, picked it up as a teenager and smoked a pack a day for 20 years after that. Now I can smell someone lighting up 2 blocks away.
It’s kind of crazy. As time passed without smoking, I noticed many things smelled differently to me. For example, I was repulsed by the smell of cheddar cheese the first time I smelled it after quitting. I can’t put it into words properly but it smelled so different from what I was expecting that the thought of taking a bite made my stomach turn.
That’s interesting! My uninformed guess: since smoke is such a powerful smell, smoking constantly probably suppresses one‘s ability to smell other things - so after 20 years you’re probably accustomed to things smelling less strong and more smokey than they actually do. So I can see why smelling something very strong like cheese with your full sense of smell restored would be quite a shock!
I grew up in a house with smokers, picked it up as a teenager and smoked a pack a day for 20 years after that. Now I can smell someone lighting up 2 blocks away.
It’s kind of crazy. As time passed without smoking, I noticed many things smelled differently to me. For example, I was repulsed by the smell of cheddar cheese the first time I smelled it after quitting. I can’t put it into words properly but it smelled so different from what I was expecting that the thought of taking a bite made my stomach turn.
That’s interesting! My uninformed guess: since smoke is such a powerful smell, smoking constantly probably suppresses one‘s ability to smell other things - so after 20 years you’re probably accustomed to things smelling less strong and more smokey than they actually do. So I can see why smelling something very strong like cheese with your full sense of smell restored would be quite a shock!
This was my experience too. Now I can’t stand the smell of cigarrettes at all.
I wish I couldn’t stand the smell. It’s been a few years now but I still get regular cravings.