[boomboomsubban]

How long and heavy you smoked probably matters, and if you aren't expecting it you may not notice your sense of smell and taste slowly getting sharper over a few months.

Personally, quitting smoking led me to eat far less fast food, as I noticed how terrible much of it tasted.

[watwut]

Parent claimed this: Regaining sense of smell is one of the major changes that ex-smokers notice after quitting.

Slow change over course of moths that you don't notice unless you know about it is hardly that.

[boomboomsubban]

Major changes that happen gradually are incredibly hard to notice if you aren't expecting them, and even if you did notice you might just think it's because you got over a cold or spring is here or similar.

[watwut]

"ajor changes that ex-smokers notice after quitting" is something completely different then "Major changes [...] incredibly hard to notice".

If it is hard to notice, then it can't be major thing ex-smokers notice.

[boomboomsubban]

Or many ex-smokers were expecting them so did notice the change. I can't tell if you just think the poster should have qualified that not every smoker notices it or if you think it doesn't exist because you didn't notice it.

[watwut]

No I think the parent is making up "plenty smokers" and "commonly known" to describe something that exists only in minority of cases.

[boomboomsubban]

"Health benefits of quitting smoking...Within 48 hours, nerve endings and sense of smell and taste both start recovering."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_cessation#Health_benef...

Think about how the smell longer on your clothes. That smell lingering in your mouth is going to mess with your smell and taste. And that's ignoring the damage inhaling burning air does to your mouth.