Thanks Scarface, it's great to know that whatever I decide to do with the beard there's always this awesome board to turn to for advice and a morale boost!

The quitting is going ok, haven't relapsed once… nights out are the worst, a few drinks in and I'm literally crawling up the walls with the cravings - nicotine mints come in handy then! So yeah, I'm smoke-free but alas not nicotine-free yet. It's a big improvement anyway, I'm getting my sense of smell and taste back and having a much easier time when training. Sometimes I also get the feeling that my beard is more manageable and healthy-looking since I stopped… for one it definitely feels less unruly than the first time I grew it out last year, when I was on 20 a day.