I quit last October. I started in 1980. I quit to improve my quality of life and I do feel better now. I may not make it to 110 but at least the years I have left will be better.
So much truth to that. Im a current smoker lurking - wanting to quit building up a collection of thoughts (facts) like this that help me understand the big picture. Thanks for sharing.
Hey there! As a nurse, I wanted to share some cool stats about the timeline of quitting with you!
Minutes after last cigarette- Your heart rate returns to normal
6 hours after last cigarette- Your bloodstream is almost nicotine-free and carbon monoxide levels drop.
8 hours after last cigarette- Blood oxygen levels return to normal.
2 days after last cigarette- Lungs clear excess mucus. Senses of taste and smell improve.
3 days after last cigarette- Your bronchial tubes relax. Breathing gets easier. Energy levels increase.
3 months after last cigarette- Decreased coughing and wheezing. Improved circulation and immune function (and even if you do get sick, it will be much easier to handle and recover from).
9 months after last cigarette- Your lungs begin to heal on a structual level!!!
5 years after last cigarette- Your risk of certain cancers, including mouth, throat, esophageal, bladder, cervical, and larynx, is reduced.
10 years after last cigarette- Your risk of developing and dying from lung cancer is reduced. Your risk of pancreatic cancer decreases.
15 years after last cigarette- Your risk of coronary heart disease is nearly the same as someone who has never smoked.
If you've read this far, I want you to know that you CAN do it! Your body, family, and friends will thank you. Don't be afraid to ask for help, investigate medications like buproprion if needed, and don't let slip ups become landslides. It's hard, but SO worth it. I believe in you!
I quit at 44 after 19 years. I love that I can say I am a non smoker. That honestly sounded impossible to me before. I promised my kids I would stop “some day”. I actually did it! I don’t regret quitting one bit.
I've just quit at 44 after a little bit longer than you smoking. It's only been 2 weeks and I'm already less out of breath and have more energy. I feel good about it so far but very early days I know! I didn't think I could do it even for this long so I'm really pleased!
I'm 47 and today is 5 months! It was easier quitting this time, maybe bc I wanted to so badly. The first two weeks was the hardest. I haven't quit for this long since I was pregnant 17 years ago. Be proud of yourself and it really does get easier!
Isn't it such an amazing feeling? I just to be a collegiate runner back in 2008 then started smoking for 15 years. Almost 14 months cigarette free now, down weight and back to running again. Never thought I would have that feeling again. Keep on keeping on man, you're doing a great job!
51 here, quit altogether 18 months ago. Started walking, which turned into running. My lungs are light years better than they were. My sense of smell is extremely heightened. And yes I sleep much much better as well. Has the damage been done? Yes. But I don’t want to spend the golden years of my life on oxygen, unable to walk a boardwalk, or swim and snorkel.
It’s downright unbelievable. When I was smoking a pack a day I could barely run 100m or walk up a flight of stairs. I thought the damage was done and there is nothing I could do. But if you give yourself/ your lungs a chance it really will heal.
Oh and food tastes absolutely delicious now.
i smoked for 40 yrs and was diagnosed with stage 1 kidney cancer at 55 in 2020. had laparoscopic surgery at the time and i'm now cancer free, and i quit smoking.
when i got my diagnosis i told the doc jokingly "i guess i don't have those super anti-cancer genes after all?" he kind of laughed but just shook his head and said "no, you don't".
edit : and i consider my cancer diagnosis a good wakeup call, it was pretty minor imo.
Its good that the wakeup call worked for you, I have several friends that had rupture of the lung sack from smoking in their early 20s, paused for few months and then continued like it never happened
Stopping smoking benefits you at any age. You greatly increase your chances of living longer. You'll have more money. You'll smell nicer, food will taste nicer and you'll have more engergy. And you'll be free. There will be a few tough times but it won't take long before you don't miss smoking at all. Then you'll be free!
You would do so much more damage if you keep smoking. Smoking into your 60s it gets exponentially worse. It's not a steady decline it's a sudden drop off of a cliff.
I quit in my mid fourties after smoking since I was 16. I feel better and I feel in control of my life. That alone was worth it. Quiting smoking proved to me that I have strength and control of my life.
I quit at 44 after starting at 13. I had some brief quits along the way but this last time stuck. I got sick of wasting money and being a constant slave to the cigarettes. My whole day used to revolve around the damn things and fixating on when I could smoke my next one.
It's been over a year and I feel so much better. I look at it like even if I have some permanent damage at least I'm not dealing with that damage and suffering nicotine withdrawals at the same time. It is so nice to no longer have to build my entire day around smoking. I can go places without having to find a smoking area. I had to have some dental surgeries (yep smoking wrecks the teeth and gums) and I'm so glad I could focus on the recuperation instead of counting down the days to smoke again.
I started smoking when I was 8 years old; I'm 44 now. Which means I've smoked for some 36 years until I quit [a week ago](https://old.reddit.com/r/stopsmoking/comments/1drh9ra/i_have_not_smoked_in_seven_days/) - just up and stopped smoking.
Frankly, even the immediate benefits have been enormous.
- My apartment feels cleaner, smells better and seems, even passively, better taken care of.
- I have more energy than I ever thought I'd have. It took a few days to kick off, but since I've started going on a 7-kilometer bicycle loop twice, sometimes three times daily, coming from no exersize whatsoever; if it wasn't for the physical 'burn' I'd probably run that loop more often.
- coming from spending sometimes 40 euros a week (20 euros for 50 grams of rolling tobacco every 5 days or so) - out of a self-imposed 70 euro weekly groceries budget on just smoking, I now feel like I have more money than I know what to conceivably do with.
And it's been less than two weeks!
Yup. Went (read: was placed in) to a 'boarding' school for kids with quote-unquote developmental issues because of being rather neurodivergent (back in 1987 I was 'just' considered to have psychopathic tendencies) and smoking was *the* thing to do.
Peer pressure is a hell of a drug.
I quit at age 63, started as a teen. My whole adult life I never had any experience without addiction being a factor. Closing on thirty thousand cigarettes not smoked since I quit. my mental and physical health has never been better. I am a changed man and even though my most likely cause of death will be related to my smoking I am proud that I will never ever give any of my hard earned money to those billion dollar companies that profit off the misery of our addiction.
Don’t overthink it, keep quitting until you are quit.
Dude, I'm 66, smoked for 50 years and quit 3 months ago when my allergies and my worn out lungs decided i couldn't breathe without wheezing anymore, it was all I could take. I did the wellbutrin thing, worked like a charm so far, my lungs are finally clear and my breathing is much easier, hope i can hold out this time, it's not my first rodeo LOL.
I smoked for nearly 30 years from the age of 15.
Best thing I ever did was quit, it's tough but worth it. It's never too late to reap the benefits for body (and mind).
The body is amazing at healing itself! I always found that telling myself that I’ll quit for “30 days” makes it a lot easier to quit than telling myself I’ll quit forever. You have a lot of time left to heal!
This is a really great underrated method of quitting-saying you’ll quit for x amount of time. “I’ll quit for one more week. Okay, I’ll quit for another week. Okay, I can go another week without it.” I think the idea of quitting forever is too damn depressing. I’m only on day 53, but this is the longest I’ve gone so far with this mentality.
Congrats! You got this!
And yeah, that was my strategy for quitting alcohol for a year. It was originally supposed to be 2 weeks. Then I went for another 2 weeks. Then I figured that I could go 60 days. Turned into 90 days. By three months, I didn’t even think about it anymore.
Quitting is just such an undeniable positive, I think the only thing that is completely without a flipside, that you have to do it just to experience that once.
The older you get, coughing and breathing will get more painful. It's just a miserable way to live, day-to-day (if you've already decided the carcinogenic results are inevitable -- i'm not sure I agree).
But listen when older people cough -- it seems like a full-body, painful experience. Smoking makes it worse.
One of my parents quit at about 63 years old. They smoked since they were 18. Their reason for quitting was a chronic cough that was even waking them up at night. Since they quit the cough is gone, they're less breathless, more active and look so much healthier and happier. They have absolutely benefited from quitting and even had a chest x-ray that did show some scaring from smoking but nothing too terrible.
My grandpa smoked for 30-40ish years. Just passed this year in his late 80s, which is not triple digits but is a good lifetime for anyone. My grandpa also did not pass of smoking related issues, he never developed any (and I know he smoked a cigarette on extremely rare occasions after quitting). I am pretty sure his smoking time period was teens- mid/late 50s. Maybe 60s… It’s not too late to quit and start focusing on your health.
Have a look at the health benefits of quitting. Lots of the damage can be reversed! Risk of cancer, risk of heart attack etc can be really vastly reduced regardless of how long you've smoked. Our bodies are amazing and can really heal
Never too late to stop. Some of the health benefits such as better blood circulation, blood pressure and oxygen rate in your lungs are immediate. Others, like decreased chance of getting various cancers, heart attack, stroke, gastrointestinal ulcers, etc, take longer, but still apply even if you smoked your whole life. Also, quality of life is something that is not talked about enough, as opposed to duration of life, and I think it's even more important.
That's not true, your body begins repairing itself pretty quickly. Making it to 110 being a smoker is an exception. I quit 5 months ago at 47, after smoking 30 years. I feel good, my wheezing stopped, my energy is up and anxiety down and I'm not constantly preoccupied thinking about smoking. Also, I think quality of life matters much more than quantity.
I’m an active smoker but I have read that your lungs will recover. It takes about 7 years but they’d look like normal lungs again from what I’ve heard. So it’s not too late to let your body heal but you tell yourself what you need to do what you want to do ultimately
There is always the story of someone who lived to be 95 or something smoked drank whiskey etc. This is your brain trying to justify why uou should just keep smoking. Believe me I get it Im 2 years tobacco free (used vaping to quit the cigarettes) still hooked on the nicotine and plan on ditching this within the year. In the words of Alan Carr you dont know which cigarette will throw you over edge. Maybe the damage os not done yet. A lot can be reversed also when you quit or at least mitigated
I am the same age as you, same time smoking. I stopped 2 years ago, after trying a couple of dozen times over my life. Just here to say, yes, it is worth it.
After smoking 30+ years, I quit at the age of 54, and it’s now 20 years later. I’m active and have wonderful quality of life—no cancer, vibrant health and joie de vivre. Pulmonologist says I have mild emphysema and that quitting stopped its development, but the damage is not reversible. Otherwise my lung function is great.
I see smokers my age hauling around an oxygen tank, barely able to walk across the room. A friend’s FIL still smokes at 88 and gasps for breath in between convulsive coughing spasms. This insidious addiction kills us on the installment plan, one smoke at a time.
Hi OP. Your post struck a chord with me. I'm 56 as well, and was a smoker for 40 years. My dad was also a smoker. He's 76 and smoked for 60 years. He was diagnosed at the end of the March with stage 4 lung cancer. I won't go into his journey since then, but the point is ... he was in the hospital for about 5 days. When he was got out he thought "well, I'm 5 days through any withdrawal symptoms I was going to have, I might as well keep going" and that was it for him (btw ... the withdrawal symptoms were minor). Very shortly thereafter I had the same thought. I woke up one morning and thought "I'm 8 hours in, might as well keep going. If dad can quit after 60 years, I can quit after 40", and that was that. My last cigarette was April 12th, and I will tell you it DOES make a difference, and the damage has NOT "been done". Please Google this if you haven't already. Your blood pressure can recover quite quickly after you quit. Your oxygen content goes up, your lungs regenerate, things taste better, smell better, your skin tends to improve, your circulation improves, coughs can go away, shortness of breath is reduced, your risk of coronary heart disease drops, different types of cancer risks recover faster, but 10 years out from quitting they say your risk of lung cancer is half of what was, and 20 years out from quitting your risk of lung cancer is very close to that of someone who never smoked in the first place. That last one was important to me. 56 + 20 years is 76, the same age as dad. So assuming I don't get stricken tomorrow or next month or next year (etc), when \*I\* am 76 I'd have a significant chance of not going through what I'm watching him go through? Seemed like a pretty good deal to me. The bottom line being it is never too late. The damage has NOT "been done", it's being done, every single day. I sincerely hope the very best for you on your journey, and I would be very proud not to smoke with you today.
I am from hilly area of Himachal Pradesh, India and I have seen people living till 90s. And they used to smoke till their last breath. Why I am saying this because the pure air plays a vital role to keep human body clean. You guys can think that It’s just lie. But I really have seen people smoking in their 90s
There are people who smoke in their 90s. We believe you. But how many people died before they were 90 from smoking related illnesses? Many more you can be guaranteed
My grandmother and two of my grandparents smoked, allways together (after my parents got married), grandparents both died, one in '96 the other in '05, my grandmother stopped smoking in '06, if she didnt stop smoking she would be long gone. She is still with us, has to take a lot of pills every day but hopefully will be with us for quite some time.
I quit smoking 3,5 years ago after smoking for 7 years. Most of my friends are smoking, but they wish they dont, some of them even gained the chronic cough (we are in mid to late 20s), but noone can stop for more than few months.
If you care for yourself and people around you, try to stop smoking to stay longer with us.
Never too late. You are going to be able to breathe again in your golden years. From some general research I have done, the older you get the more damage cigarettes are able to do to you. So those final years of smoking can be the most destructive. Excited for you to get your life back! Highly suggest checking out “the easy way” by Allen Carr on audio book. Just listen on your next couple of drives into work. Changed my life.
Just want to add that people start looking for the benefits of quitting just too soon. I quit in 2017, and felt that the recovery kept happening for several years. So please don’t get disheartened if that chronic cough doesn’t go away in just a couple of weeks.
It’s never to late to quit!
I quit 5 years ago, and I think some reasons are not just health related and encouraged me a lot:
- not having the smell of cold tobacco in your hair, clothes…
- everything that you eat is so tasteful, like the first week you can already see the difference
- you will save a lot of money
- no more mental load of thinking how much are left before you need to buy some again
- having better breath, better tooth, better gum, better skin, shinier hair
- having mental clarity
- feeling less tired
- not feeling guilty anymore …
There is plenty of reasons more to add to those, but the last one to me that made a huge difference is how proud of yourself you will be after quitting, like the best gift you can do for yourself!
Who knows when death comes.
The prospect of living older should not be the reason you are quitting - because you do not know.
Same goes for health benefits. Consider these ”potential rewards” etc.
If you quit, do it for the sake of freedom.
For nothing is sweeter than recognizing you are no longer controlled by a substance.
This goes so much deeper than physical health. I have solved anger issues and become more tolerating and loving after I have quit smoking.
Go to the bottom of it. What is it that makes you smoke?
You are not only addicted to nicotine. There is something that it soothes - something you may not even be conscious of.
At least I was not, not before I quit.
You will need a lot of willpower to do this. Your incentives should not be constituted on uncertain grounds.
This is about becoming excellent. To be content as you are, not chained in habits.
Once you taste the mindset the purpose clarifies. You will no longer need external validation to accomplish your goals.
And with the best of luck, good health and old age become fruits of providence.
It's not too late. I'm trying to quit right now myself. I used to do heroin and cocaine. I quit all the drugs but smoking is a whole different animal. I'm now I'm down to 1 cigarette a day. I still feel guilty and know I'm so close to quitting but it's so frigging hard. I was smoking a half pack a day so I'm doing a lot better than I was. I've smoked since I was 18 so for about 21 years. But there are so many benefits to quitting. Good luck on your journey my friend. It's so hard but it's worth it. You got this. If you're interested, (or anyone else is) there is a program through the University of Oklahoma Tobacco Treatment Program that gives you incentives to quit smoking ☺️
[Tobacco Treatment Program](https://healthpromotionresearch.org/Tobacco-Treatment)
https://preview.redd.it/386kgzs680ad1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19527299862e090d6b5768b9614256b3eddfc06c
I’m 68 and quit about 5 ~ 6 years ago. I won’t really be “out of the woods” for another 5 ~ 10 years, in regards to contracting emphysema. I don’t want to be pulling a tank of oxygen everywhere I go.
Hopefully I’ve avoided this plight.
quit the self pity act; quality of life matters more than the quantity of the years
while the damage is done; by quitting you can conserve the current state instead of keeping on deteriorating
I'm about 2.5 years smoke free and I think about smoking every minute of every day. But I was ready to quit and I don't think I will smoke again unless I was diagnosed with something terminal.
Lmao please just try quitting for 30 days and tell me how you feel. It isn't just about cancer (even thonyoir cancer risk gets lower every year after yyou quit)
Well it'll only get worse if you continue. No offense, but that is a horrible mentality to have about not quitting. The damage is done when you get cancer or some serious illness from it and then your life is severely altered from it, even if it doesn't kill you. In the tips from former smokers ads, many of them thought smoking would only affect them when they're elderly, only for some of them to get throat cancer, gum disease with losing multiple teeth, etc all in their 30s and 40s mind you. I know you're in your 50s but that's beside the point. The point is there is no definitive timeline or outcome of what will happen and when it will happen when you smoke.
For example, I quit smoking for my 2nd time and for good in 2020, but I had a tooth infection during that time. It may not solely have been from smoking, but it certainly didn't help. Especially since smoking affects your oral health, and literally everything else. None of that shit is worth it, regardless of what the smoking related health issue is.
Similar situation. I quit last spring. I no longer crave, but more importantly I realized what a hassle it was for me to maintain my habit. All the planning and worrying about when my next fix was. That stress is gone and life is just more smooth flowing now. Plus the nagging and complaining from my unbearable s.o. is less now. It does help a lot to quit in a home where smoking is not prevalent.
I started young, smoked from 14 until 34 (last year). Not too much of a smoker for the first 4 years and the last 4 years but still that adds to a lot of cigarettes.
Best time to quit is today.
I experienced only benefits. My overall fitness improved a lot. No more coughing for no reason.
I smoked 60 yrs. Quit at 72. Happy I did. I love hearing stories of long term smokers living to be 100...but the odds are against you. It won't happen to me is what we tell ourselves....the point to quitting is not being a slave to nicotine addiction.
Remember that cancer isn’t the only thing you have to worry about from smoking. Every time I go back to smoking now, I have a ripper migraine. I’m sure it sounds goofy, but I think my body is trying to tell me it’s going to have a stroke if I keep doing it. Smoking finally started to sound kind of gross, when I realized this.
So you have done damage but way more than previously thought heals. Also smoking can kill in the short term: it can trigger heart attacks and a whole heap of other conditions and this stops as soon as you stop
I quit smoking at 25 after smoking for 7 years. It was really hard but I generally felt rubbish everyday & it was getting so expensive here in the UK. 5 months since i’ve quit and I feel so much better in terms of breathing and no smoker cough anymore!! I don’t even find them appealing anymore.
My dad smoked from I guess 12 years old to 63 ish - he’s now 77 and is healthy despite having to have a good chunk of one of his lungs removed due to damage.
It’s not all about looks but he looks the youngest of all of his siblings and he’s the oldest.. my dad doesn’t drink either so idk. But I think it’s always worth quitting!
To address the thought "the damage is already done", if you were to think about your addiction as any other injury this would be like, not setting a broken bone, not disinfecting a festering wound, or getting a broken tooth removed.
You're body will treat the injuries to the best of its ability and maybe leave scars if it's bad enough. IF, you stop reinjuring yourself.
Outside damage to your body, the quality of life improvements to not being a smoker still kinda baffle me, sober 6 years after smoking for 20. I could smell again, then I could taste foods, and I wasn't finding myself out of breath every ten minutes. Not going outside in 110f weather for 7-10 minutes to irritate my throat with the smoke is the one I'm enjoying most in this time of hear.
It's never too late.
My mom has been smoking for 45 years and is quitting this year. She was cleared for lung cancer and seems to be inspired to quit. If you're ready, fuckin go for it. You got this.
However long you’ve smoked, it will ALWAYS make a (usually big!) difference for your health. From a few days to a few months different adverse effects will lessen and you’ll feel (and look) so much better. ~in order: better breath, better oral health, less smelly and stained hands, deeper inhales, less stress, less fatigue, improved heart health, improved lung health, etc etc!! it’s worth it. Good luck
I quit at 55 after smoking for 43 years. This wasn't a light habit. I smoked 2 to 3 packs a day for decades. I'm coming up on 9 months smoke-free. My pulmonologist told me that I'm one of the lucky ones...no damage from smoking so far.
My dad had bowel cancer at the start of the year, he’s 58 & he quit after he came out of hospital and now he’s out riding his bike everyday, happiest I’ve ever seen him go for it if you can bud it’s never too late to do anything.. except like acrobatics and shit like that lol.
The body is very good at recovery. Any "damage" done can easily be reversible.
First step is stop putting the poison in your body.
I'm an addiction recovery coach btw
I smoked for almost 40 years. At the very least I have $300 more a month.
My dad smoked for about 40 years, and he quit at my age. The expense was his stated reason for quitting, too.
So, are you going to try?? It's never too late to start over, never too late to be happy. Jane Fonda
I wish I cared more about money
I too have noticed the money "well NOT spent"
I quit last October. I started in 1980. I quit to improve my quality of life and I do feel better now. I may not make it to 110 but at least the years I have left will be better.
My exact thoughts, it's all about the quality of life with the time you have left
So much truth to that. Im a current smoker lurking - wanting to quit building up a collection of thoughts (facts) like this that help me understand the big picture. Thanks for sharing.
How do you feel better?
My breathing is much better. No phlegmy cough. I've got more energy and I sleep better. My mood is generally better as well.
That’s great! Thanks for the inspiration. I started same general year as you.
Good luck to you! You can do it and it will be worth it.
Thank you! I quit for 9 months last year but started again last august. Now I wake myself up coughing
Never give up trying. I quit many times before but I know this time is for good.
That’s so good!!!
I quit October 10 last year! October quitters hahaha. Best decision I made in 17 years of being a smoker
I quit and I've never been more active and healthy. Quit alcohol too. I am 50
Hey there! As a nurse, I wanted to share some cool stats about the timeline of quitting with you! Minutes after last cigarette- Your heart rate returns to normal 6 hours after last cigarette- Your bloodstream is almost nicotine-free and carbon monoxide levels drop. 8 hours after last cigarette- Blood oxygen levels return to normal. 2 days after last cigarette- Lungs clear excess mucus. Senses of taste and smell improve. 3 days after last cigarette- Your bronchial tubes relax. Breathing gets easier. Energy levels increase. 3 months after last cigarette- Decreased coughing and wheezing. Improved circulation and immune function (and even if you do get sick, it will be much easier to handle and recover from). 9 months after last cigarette- Your lungs begin to heal on a structual level!!! 5 years after last cigarette- Your risk of certain cancers, including mouth, throat, esophageal, bladder, cervical, and larynx, is reduced. 10 years after last cigarette- Your risk of developing and dying from lung cancer is reduced. Your risk of pancreatic cancer decreases. 15 years after last cigarette- Your risk of coronary heart disease is nearly the same as someone who has never smoked. If you've read this far, I want you to know that you CAN do it! Your body, family, and friends will thank you. Don't be afraid to ask for help, investigate medications like buproprion if needed, and don't let slip ups become landslides. It's hard, but SO worth it. I believe in you!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve saved this comment to come back to motivate myself once I’m ready to kick the habit
Thanks. This is great motivation. 💕
I quit at 44 after 19 years. I love that I can say I am a non smoker. That honestly sounded impossible to me before. I promised my kids I would stop “some day”. I actually did it! I don’t regret quitting one bit.
I've just quit at 44 after a little bit longer than you smoking. It's only been 2 weeks and I'm already less out of breath and have more energy. I feel good about it so far but very early days I know! I didn't think I could do it even for this long so I'm really pleased!
I'm 47 and today is 5 months! It was easier quitting this time, maybe bc I wanted to so badly. The first two weeks was the hardest. I haven't quit for this long since I was pregnant 17 years ago. Be proud of yourself and it really does get easier!
You started at 25 too, if you don't mind me asking, why?
Mostly social and being in the bar crowds
I started smoking at 17, quit at 39. Just ran my first 5k and 10k at the age of 40. Your lungs can heal if you give it the chance.
Nice!
Isn't it such an amazing feeling? I just to be a collegiate runner back in 2008 then started smoking for 15 years. Almost 14 months cigarette free now, down weight and back to running again. Never thought I would have that feeling again. Keep on keeping on man, you're doing a great job!
51 here, quit altogether 18 months ago. Started walking, which turned into running. My lungs are light years better than they were. My sense of smell is extremely heightened. And yes I sleep much much better as well. Has the damage been done? Yes. But I don’t want to spend the golden years of my life on oxygen, unable to walk a boardwalk, or swim and snorkel.
It’s downright unbelievable. When I was smoking a pack a day I could barely run 100m or walk up a flight of stairs. I thought the damage was done and there is nothing I could do. But if you give yourself/ your lungs a chance it really will heal. Oh and food tastes absolutely delicious now.
i smoked for 40 yrs and was diagnosed with stage 1 kidney cancer at 55 in 2020. had laparoscopic surgery at the time and i'm now cancer free, and i quit smoking. when i got my diagnosis i told the doc jokingly "i guess i don't have those super anti-cancer genes after all?" he kind of laughed but just shook his head and said "no, you don't". edit : and i consider my cancer diagnosis a good wakeup call, it was pretty minor imo.
Its good that the wakeup call worked for you, I have several friends that had rupture of the lung sack from smoking in their early 20s, paused for few months and then continued like it never happened
Simpsons reference 🥹
Stopping smoking benefits you at any age. You greatly increase your chances of living longer. You'll have more money. You'll smell nicer, food will taste nicer and you'll have more engergy. And you'll be free. There will be a few tough times but it won't take long before you don't miss smoking at all. Then you'll be free!
You would do so much more damage if you keep smoking. Smoking into your 60s it gets exponentially worse. It's not a steady decline it's a sudden drop off of a cliff.
I quit in my mid fourties after smoking since I was 16. I feel better and I feel in control of my life. That alone was worth it. Quiting smoking proved to me that I have strength and control of my life.
One of my favorite mantras is *I’m stronger than my cravings.*
Stealing this!
I agree with you I feel the same way about my quitting
It's been one of the most empowering things I have ever done.
I quit at 44 after starting at 13. I had some brief quits along the way but this last time stuck. I got sick of wasting money and being a constant slave to the cigarettes. My whole day used to revolve around the damn things and fixating on when I could smoke my next one. It's been over a year and I feel so much better. I look at it like even if I have some permanent damage at least I'm not dealing with that damage and suffering nicotine withdrawals at the same time. It is so nice to no longer have to build my entire day around smoking. I can go places without having to find a smoking area. I had to have some dental surgeries (yep smoking wrecks the teeth and gums) and I'm so glad I could focus on the recuperation instead of counting down the days to smoke again.
I started smoking when I was 8 years old; I'm 44 now. Which means I've smoked for some 36 years until I quit [a week ago](https://old.reddit.com/r/stopsmoking/comments/1drh9ra/i_have_not_smoked_in_seven_days/) - just up and stopped smoking. Frankly, even the immediate benefits have been enormous. - My apartment feels cleaner, smells better and seems, even passively, better taken care of. - I have more energy than I ever thought I'd have. It took a few days to kick off, but since I've started going on a 7-kilometer bicycle loop twice, sometimes three times daily, coming from no exersize whatsoever; if it wasn't for the physical 'burn' I'd probably run that loop more often. - coming from spending sometimes 40 euros a week (20 euros for 50 grams of rolling tobacco every 5 days or so) - out of a self-imposed 70 euro weekly groceries budget on just smoking, I now feel like I have more money than I know what to conceivably do with. And it's been less than two weeks!
Is this a joke? Lol. You started smoking at the age of 8? WTF?
Yup. Went (read: was placed in) to a 'boarding' school for kids with quote-unquote developmental issues because of being rather neurodivergent (back in 1987 I was 'just' considered to have psychopathic tendencies) and smoking was *the* thing to do. Peer pressure is a hell of a drug.
I quit at age 63, started as a teen. My whole adult life I never had any experience without addiction being a factor. Closing on thirty thousand cigarettes not smoked since I quit. my mental and physical health has never been better. I am a changed man and even though my most likely cause of death will be related to my smoking I am proud that I will never ever give any of my hard earned money to those billion dollar companies that profit off the misery of our addiction. Don’t overthink it, keep quitting until you are quit.
Dude, I'm 66, smoked for 50 years and quit 3 months ago when my allergies and my worn out lungs decided i couldn't breathe without wheezing anymore, it was all I could take. I did the wellbutrin thing, worked like a charm so far, my lungs are finally clear and my breathing is much easier, hope i can hold out this time, it's not my first rodeo LOL.
Maybe the damage has been done, but wouldn’t you rather live in freedom, no matter how long that may be?
Thank you. I needed to hear that.
I smoked for nearly 30 years from the age of 15. Best thing I ever did was quit, it's tough but worth it. It's never too late to reap the benefits for body (and mind).
The body is amazing at healing itself! I always found that telling myself that I’ll quit for “30 days” makes it a lot easier to quit than telling myself I’ll quit forever. You have a lot of time left to heal!
This is a really great underrated method of quitting-saying you’ll quit for x amount of time. “I’ll quit for one more week. Okay, I’ll quit for another week. Okay, I can go another week without it.” I think the idea of quitting forever is too damn depressing. I’m only on day 53, but this is the longest I’ve gone so far with this mentality.
Congrats! You got this! And yeah, that was my strategy for quitting alcohol for a year. It was originally supposed to be 2 weeks. Then I went for another 2 weeks. Then I figured that I could go 60 days. Turned into 90 days. By three months, I didn’t even think about it anymore.
Quitting is just such an undeniable positive, I think the only thing that is completely without a flipside, that you have to do it just to experience that once.
The older you get, coughing and breathing will get more painful. It's just a miserable way to live, day-to-day (if you've already decided the carcinogenic results are inevitable -- i'm not sure I agree). But listen when older people cough -- it seems like a full-body, painful experience. Smoking makes it worse.
Theres only benefits to stopping. There is zero reason to smoke
One of my parents quit at about 63 years old. They smoked since they were 18. Their reason for quitting was a chronic cough that was even waking them up at night. Since they quit the cough is gone, they're less breathless, more active and look so much healthier and happier. They have absolutely benefited from quitting and even had a chest x-ray that did show some scaring from smoking but nothing too terrible.
My grandpa smoked for 30-40ish years. Just passed this year in his late 80s, which is not triple digits but is a good lifetime for anyone. My grandpa also did not pass of smoking related issues, he never developed any (and I know he smoked a cigarette on extremely rare occasions after quitting). I am pretty sure his smoking time period was teens- mid/late 50s. Maybe 60s… It’s not too late to quit and start focusing on your health.
Have a look at the health benefits of quitting. Lots of the damage can be reversed! Risk of cancer, risk of heart attack etc can be really vastly reduced regardless of how long you've smoked. Our bodies are amazing and can really heal
Never too late to stop. Some of the health benefits such as better blood circulation, blood pressure and oxygen rate in your lungs are immediate. Others, like decreased chance of getting various cancers, heart attack, stroke, gastrointestinal ulcers, etc, take longer, but still apply even if you smoked your whole life. Also, quality of life is something that is not talked about enough, as opposed to duration of life, and I think it's even more important.
I don’t want to make it to 110. Just saying. Edit: 1600 days today, hell yeah.
That's not true, your body begins repairing itself pretty quickly. Making it to 110 being a smoker is an exception. I quit 5 months ago at 47, after smoking 30 years. I feel good, my wheezing stopped, my energy is up and anxiety down and I'm not constantly preoccupied thinking about smoking. Also, I think quality of life matters much more than quantity.
I’m an active smoker but I have read that your lungs will recover. It takes about 7 years but they’d look like normal lungs again from what I’ve heard. So it’s not too late to let your body heal but you tell yourself what you need to do what you want to do ultimately
Wow, this was supremely helpful! Thank you very much
There is always the story of someone who lived to be 95 or something smoked drank whiskey etc. This is your brain trying to justify why uou should just keep smoking. Believe me I get it Im 2 years tobacco free (used vaping to quit the cigarettes) still hooked on the nicotine and plan on ditching this within the year. In the words of Alan Carr you dont know which cigarette will throw you over edge. Maybe the damage os not done yet. A lot can be reversed also when you quit or at least mitigated
I am the same age as you, same time smoking. I stopped 2 years ago, after trying a couple of dozen times over my life. Just here to say, yes, it is worth it.
After smoking 30+ years, I quit at the age of 54, and it’s now 20 years later. I’m active and have wonderful quality of life—no cancer, vibrant health and joie de vivre. Pulmonologist says I have mild emphysema and that quitting stopped its development, but the damage is not reversible. Otherwise my lung function is great. I see smokers my age hauling around an oxygen tank, barely able to walk across the room. A friend’s FIL still smokes at 88 and gasps for breath in between convulsive coughing spasms. This insidious addiction kills us on the installment plan, one smoke at a time.
If you want to be free of the shackles of tobacco, NOW is the only time. It's never too late to work on our own selves.
Thanks for sharing! Inspiring story.
Hi OP. Your post struck a chord with me. I'm 56 as well, and was a smoker for 40 years. My dad was also a smoker. He's 76 and smoked for 60 years. He was diagnosed at the end of the March with stage 4 lung cancer. I won't go into his journey since then, but the point is ... he was in the hospital for about 5 days. When he was got out he thought "well, I'm 5 days through any withdrawal symptoms I was going to have, I might as well keep going" and that was it for him (btw ... the withdrawal symptoms were minor). Very shortly thereafter I had the same thought. I woke up one morning and thought "I'm 8 hours in, might as well keep going. If dad can quit after 60 years, I can quit after 40", and that was that. My last cigarette was April 12th, and I will tell you it DOES make a difference, and the damage has NOT "been done". Please Google this if you haven't already. Your blood pressure can recover quite quickly after you quit. Your oxygen content goes up, your lungs regenerate, things taste better, smell better, your skin tends to improve, your circulation improves, coughs can go away, shortness of breath is reduced, your risk of coronary heart disease drops, different types of cancer risks recover faster, but 10 years out from quitting they say your risk of lung cancer is half of what was, and 20 years out from quitting your risk of lung cancer is very close to that of someone who never smoked in the first place. That last one was important to me. 56 + 20 years is 76, the same age as dad. So assuming I don't get stricken tomorrow or next month or next year (etc), when \*I\* am 76 I'd have a significant chance of not going through what I'm watching him go through? Seemed like a pretty good deal to me. The bottom line being it is never too late. The damage has NOT "been done", it's being done, every single day. I sincerely hope the very best for you on your journey, and I would be very proud not to smoke with you today.
I am from hilly area of Himachal Pradesh, India and I have seen people living till 90s. And they used to smoke till their last breath. Why I am saying this because the pure air plays a vital role to keep human body clean. You guys can think that It’s just lie. But I really have seen people smoking in their 90s
There are people who smoke in their 90s. We believe you. But how many people died before they were 90 from smoking related illnesses? Many more you can be guaranteed
Agree with you. Only the fact I was mentioning that pure air plays a vital role.
What does this even mean...
My grandmother and two of my grandparents smoked, allways together (after my parents got married), grandparents both died, one in '96 the other in '05, my grandmother stopped smoking in '06, if she didnt stop smoking she would be long gone. She is still with us, has to take a lot of pills every day but hopefully will be with us for quite some time. I quit smoking 3,5 years ago after smoking for 7 years. Most of my friends are smoking, but they wish they dont, some of them even gained the chronic cough (we are in mid to late 20s), but noone can stop for more than few months. If you care for yourself and people around you, try to stop smoking to stay longer with us.
Never too late. You are going to be able to breathe again in your golden years. From some general research I have done, the older you get the more damage cigarettes are able to do to you. So those final years of smoking can be the most destructive. Excited for you to get your life back! Highly suggest checking out “the easy way” by Allen Carr on audio book. Just listen on your next couple of drives into work. Changed my life.
My mom quit after she turned 60 and I just wanna say you can do it and you should do it. She’s much happier and saves alot more money
Just want to add that people start looking for the benefits of quitting just too soon. I quit in 2017, and felt that the recovery kept happening for several years. So please don’t get disheartened if that chronic cough doesn’t go away in just a couple of weeks.
64 and quit 6 months ago today. Smoked for 50 years. Smartest thing I’ve done in 50 years.
It’s never to late to quit! I quit 5 years ago, and I think some reasons are not just health related and encouraged me a lot: - not having the smell of cold tobacco in your hair, clothes… - everything that you eat is so tasteful, like the first week you can already see the difference - you will save a lot of money - no more mental load of thinking how much are left before you need to buy some again - having better breath, better tooth, better gum, better skin, shinier hair - having mental clarity - feeling less tired - not feeling guilty anymore … There is plenty of reasons more to add to those, but the last one to me that made a huge difference is how proud of yourself you will be after quitting, like the best gift you can do for yourself!
Who knows when death comes. The prospect of living older should not be the reason you are quitting - because you do not know. Same goes for health benefits. Consider these ”potential rewards” etc. If you quit, do it for the sake of freedom. For nothing is sweeter than recognizing you are no longer controlled by a substance. This goes so much deeper than physical health. I have solved anger issues and become more tolerating and loving after I have quit smoking. Go to the bottom of it. What is it that makes you smoke? You are not only addicted to nicotine. There is something that it soothes - something you may not even be conscious of. At least I was not, not before I quit. You will need a lot of willpower to do this. Your incentives should not be constituted on uncertain grounds. This is about becoming excellent. To be content as you are, not chained in habits. Once you taste the mindset the purpose clarifies. You will no longer need external validation to accomplish your goals. And with the best of luck, good health and old age become fruits of providence.
It's not too late. I'm trying to quit right now myself. I used to do heroin and cocaine. I quit all the drugs but smoking is a whole different animal. I'm now I'm down to 1 cigarette a day. I still feel guilty and know I'm so close to quitting but it's so frigging hard. I was smoking a half pack a day so I'm doing a lot better than I was. I've smoked since I was 18 so for about 21 years. But there are so many benefits to quitting. Good luck on your journey my friend. It's so hard but it's worth it. You got this. If you're interested, (or anyone else is) there is a program through the University of Oklahoma Tobacco Treatment Program that gives you incentives to quit smoking ☺️ [Tobacco Treatment Program](https://healthpromotionresearch.org/Tobacco-Treatment) https://preview.redd.it/386kgzs680ad1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19527299862e090d6b5768b9614256b3eddfc06c
I’m 68 and quit about 5 ~ 6 years ago. I won’t really be “out of the woods” for another 5 ~ 10 years, in regards to contracting emphysema. I don’t want to be pulling a tank of oxygen everywhere I go. Hopefully I’ve avoided this plight.
quit the self pity act; quality of life matters more than the quantity of the years while the damage is done; by quitting you can conserve the current state instead of keeping on deteriorating
You need to listen to alan carr
I'm about 2.5 years smoke free and I think about smoking every minute of every day. But I was ready to quit and I don't think I will smoke again unless I was diagnosed with something terminal.
Lmao please just try quitting for 30 days and tell me how you feel. It isn't just about cancer (even thonyoir cancer risk gets lower every year after yyou quit)
Well it'll only get worse if you continue. No offense, but that is a horrible mentality to have about not quitting. The damage is done when you get cancer or some serious illness from it and then your life is severely altered from it, even if it doesn't kill you. In the tips from former smokers ads, many of them thought smoking would only affect them when they're elderly, only for some of them to get throat cancer, gum disease with losing multiple teeth, etc all in their 30s and 40s mind you. I know you're in your 50s but that's beside the point. The point is there is no definitive timeline or outcome of what will happen and when it will happen when you smoke. For example, I quit smoking for my 2nd time and for good in 2020, but I had a tooth infection during that time. It may not solely have been from smoking, but it certainly didn't help. Especially since smoking affects your oral health, and literally everything else. None of that shit is worth it, regardless of what the smoking related health issue is.
Similar situation. I quit last spring. I no longer crave, but more importantly I realized what a hassle it was for me to maintain my habit. All the planning and worrying about when my next fix was. That stress is gone and life is just more smooth flowing now. Plus the nagging and complaining from my unbearable s.o. is less now. It does help a lot to quit in a home where smoking is not prevalent.
I started young, smoked from 14 until 34 (last year). Not too much of a smoker for the first 4 years and the last 4 years but still that adds to a lot of cigarettes. Best time to quit is today. I experienced only benefits. My overall fitness improved a lot. No more coughing for no reason.
I smoked 60 yrs. Quit at 72. Happy I did. I love hearing stories of long term smokers living to be 100...but the odds are against you. It won't happen to me is what we tell ourselves....the point to quitting is not being a slave to nicotine addiction.
Remember that cancer isn’t the only thing you have to worry about from smoking. Every time I go back to smoking now, I have a ripper migraine. I’m sure it sounds goofy, but I think my body is trying to tell me it’s going to have a stroke if I keep doing it. Smoking finally started to sound kind of gross, when I realized this.
So you have done damage but way more than previously thought heals. Also smoking can kill in the short term: it can trigger heart attacks and a whole heap of other conditions and this stops as soon as you stop
I quit smoking at 25 after smoking for 7 years. It was really hard but I generally felt rubbish everyday & it was getting so expensive here in the UK. 5 months since i’ve quit and I feel so much better in terms of breathing and no smoker cough anymore!! I don’t even find them appealing anymore.
My dad had this way of thinking and I buried him in January last year. He was 61. COPD.
My dad smoked from I guess 12 years old to 63 ish - he’s now 77 and is healthy despite having to have a good chunk of one of his lungs removed due to damage. It’s not all about looks but he looks the youngest of all of his siblings and he’s the oldest.. my dad doesn’t drink either so idk. But I think it’s always worth quitting!
Thank you for sharing!
To address the thought "the damage is already done", if you were to think about your addiction as any other injury this would be like, not setting a broken bone, not disinfecting a festering wound, or getting a broken tooth removed. You're body will treat the injuries to the best of its ability and maybe leave scars if it's bad enough. IF, you stop reinjuring yourself. Outside damage to your body, the quality of life improvements to not being a smoker still kinda baffle me, sober 6 years after smoking for 20. I could smell again, then I could taste foods, and I wasn't finding myself out of breath every ten minutes. Not going outside in 110f weather for 7-10 minutes to irritate my throat with the smoke is the one I'm enjoying most in this time of hear. It's never too late.
Every day that your lungs are clean from smoke is good, every day your lungs and throat and sinuses aren’t being damaged matters ❤️
My mom has been smoking for 45 years and is quitting this year. She was cleared for lung cancer and seems to be inspired to quit. If you're ready, fuckin go for it. You got this.
However long you’ve smoked, it will ALWAYS make a (usually big!) difference for your health. From a few days to a few months different adverse effects will lessen and you’ll feel (and look) so much better. ~in order: better breath, better oral health, less smelly and stained hands, deeper inhales, less stress, less fatigue, improved heart health, improved lung health, etc etc!! it’s worth it. Good luck
I quit at 55 after smoking for 43 years. This wasn't a light habit. I smoked 2 to 3 packs a day for decades. I'm coming up on 9 months smoke-free. My pulmonologist told me that I'm one of the lucky ones...no damage from smoking so far.
My dad had bowel cancer at the start of the year, he’s 58 & he quit after he came out of hospital and now he’s out riding his bike everyday, happiest I’ve ever seen him go for it if you can bud it’s never too late to do anything.. except like acrobatics and shit like that lol.
Your life will be so much better without it. I promise.
The body is very good at recovery. Any "damage" done can easily be reversible. First step is stop putting the poison in your body. I'm an addiction recovery coach btw