Hi! I quit cold turkey over 3 years ago.
I must say, I am amazed at the changes in my body and emotions as each year as a nonsmoker passes by. I can say unequivocally that smoking created a lot of anxiety and stress. One source was obviously the cravings, which then I lit a cigarette to alleviate, which just induced the next episode of anxiety when the cravings hit again. My cravings constantly made me on edge and moody, and I only felt at peace for maybe 20 minutes after I'd taken the last drag. Then another 40 minutes or so of wanting the next cigarette. As you can see, it's just a self-sustaining, vicious cycle.
The second source was my actual anxiety, which cigarettes fed. I can see now that I smoked to cope with the circumstantial depression I was experiencing, as well as the anxiety I was dealing with when interacting with my friends. Not social anxiety per se; just that instead of speaking up, being assertive, and saying (nicely) what was on mind when I was with my friends, I just seethed with resentment and literally smoked away my feelings. Of course, this did not dissapate my negative emotions; it just repressed them. I now no longer have a cigarette as crutch, but it's good, because I've had to learn to deal with my emotions. I won't lie--I believe I experienced 6 months of anger and depression following my quit. But now I feel better than ever (except for PMS).
As for my quitting process, after 4 years of genuinely enjoying smoking while living in Europe, I spent the next 7 years trying to kick my nearly pack a day habit. A month did not go by without trying to quit. Several times I made it to the 3rd day without a cigarette...until I'd cave in and buy a pack. But I just kept trying and trying and trying... and eventually I was able to get through. Two reasons why I'm 99.9% sure I'll never pick up a cigarette again is one, the cold turkey symptoms effectively traumatized me. I don't want to re-live them again. The second is I do not think my quit can be replicated again if I start up. Looking back, I marvel at how much willpower and luck created that unique situation. Past quit attempts demonstrated that willpower alone was not enough. I still cannot explain how and why my last attempt was successful, just that it happened, and I don't want to play wirh fate.
Whenever I thought about being a nonsmoker, I feared suffering from cravings for the rest of my life. But I haven't had any physical cravings at all after the 4-5 day of my quit, except for a sudden and swift craving a year or so later. It went as quickly as it came. I do not miss craving a cigarette first thing in the morning. I get hit with the odor smokers carry, and I'm hoping I never smelled that way, because it's really strong and foul. Hanging out with smokers, I notice that they literally cannot focus or sit still for more than an hour because they need a regular fix. And as a smoker, you know how much socializing goes on when you're outside having a cigarette, but my socializing hasn't in fact taken a dive; smokers just invite me to accompany them. I definitely enjoy smelling a cigarette being smoked, that's for sure.
As for dating: I've never lacked attention from men, but it exponentially spiked after I quit. I met more people than ever, and never went on so many dates (all formed in real life; OLD has never worked for me). I had everything to gain and nothing to lose in this department by quitting.
I hope my comment was helpful to you in some way. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.