Can I Quit Smoking After 30 Years? Will My Body Recover?

Can I Quit Smoking After 30 Years? Will My Body Recover?Wu, a heavy smoker for 30 years, has traversed a long and arduous journey, with smoking being a constant companion through thick and thin. However, this journey has not been without its toll

Can I Quit Smoking After 30 Years? Will My Body Recover?

Wu, a heavy smoker for 30 years, has traversed a long and arduous journey, with smoking being a constant companion through thick and thin. However, this journey has not been without its toll. With time, the gifts of tobacco have started to manifest. Struggling to climb stairs, persistent coughing, and even blood-tinged phlegm have filled Wu with anxiety, prompting him to contemplate whether he can still quit and if his body can recover.

I. The Miracle of Quitting: Your Life Back on Track After 10 Years!

For seasoned smokers like Wu, quitting is undeniably a tough decision. The internet is rife with claims that quitting can increase cancer risk, further fueling his doubts. However, scientific research has definitively proven that quitting not only doesnt increase cancer risk but significantly reduces the mortality rate associated with various smoking-related ailments, even enabling life to get back on track!

Researchers at the University of Toronto published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, tracking four national cohorts of smokers, former smokers, and never-smokers for 15 years. The results were encouraging: Those who quit smoking for 10 years or more have a mortality rate close to those who have never smoked!

1. Quitting, Reclaiming Life Expectancy!

This study encompassed data from 1.48 million adults, including over 120,000 participants who unfortunately passed away during the research period. Researchers discovered that current smokers have a significantly higher risk of mortality compared to non-smokers. Male smokers aged 40 to 79 have an average lifespan 12 years shorter than non-smokers; for female smokers, the difference is 13 years.

More importantly, quitters have a significantly longer survival time compared to smokers! The longer the duration of abstinence, the greater the benefit, particularly for those who quit before the age of 40.

Quitting smoking for 3 years can reverse 5 years of life damage; quitting for 10 years or more can avoid 10 years of life loss!

2. Quitting, Reducing the Risk of Multiple Diseases!

Smoking is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide, claiming approximately 5 to 7 million lives annually. Quitting not only extends lifespan but also significantly reduces the mortality rate associated with various smoking-related diseases.

Yu Jingxian, Director of the TCM Department at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, states that quitting smoking leads to a series of positive changes in the body:

• After 20 minutes: Heart rate gradually returns to normal, blood pressure starts to decline.

• After 2 hours: Heart rate and blood pressure normalize, nicotine is eliminated from the body.

• After 12 hours: The body experiences withdrawal symptoms due to nicotine elimination, but this is a necessary step towards recovery.

• After 3 days: Withdrawal symptoms like nausea, headache, and irritability emerge, but carbon monoxide levels in the body return to normal, and taste and smell begin to recover.

• After 2-3 weeks: Lung function and circulatory function improve.

• After 1 month: Skin appears more rosy.

• After 3 to 9 months: The likelihood of lung infections decreases.

• After 1 year: The risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by 50% compared to smokers.

• After 2-5 years: The incidence of coronary heart disease drops to a level similar to non-smokers.

• After 5 years: The risk of oral, esophageal, and laryngeal cancers decreases by 50%.

• After 15 years: The incidence of coronary heart disease becomes comparable to non-smokers.

II. Withdrawal Symptoms, the "Pain" of a Path to Health

While quitting smoking offers significant health benefits, many people are deterred by the fear of withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are the bodys normal response to nicotine dependence, not a sickness, but a pain signifying recovery. The smokers body has grown reliant on nicotine, and when smoking stops, it takes time to adapt to the absence of nicotine stimulation.

1. Manifestations of Withdrawal Symptoms:

Withdrawal symptoms typically include mental tension, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are most prominent in the first 14 days after quitting and gradually lessen, generally lasting around a month. For heavy smokers, they could persist for over a year.

2. Withdrawal Symptoms, Not Disease, but a Sign of Recovery:

Xiao Dan, a senior researcher and director of the Smoking Control and Respiratory Disease Prevention Department at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, emphasizes that withdrawal symptoms are a necessary part of the bodys recovery during the quitting process and do not harm health! As long as you persevere through this period, the symptoms will gradually vanish, and your body will progressively regain its health.

3. Seeking Professional Assistance, Reducing the Burden of Withdrawal Symptoms:

Yang Qing, director of cardiology at West China Hospital of Sichuan University, points out that approximately 80% of smokers want to quit, but only 3 to 5% succeed. This is because the burden of withdrawal symptoms causes many to give up halfway through.

If you are apprehensive about withdrawal symptoms, consider seeking help from a smoking cessation clinic. Under a doctors guidance, medication can effectively reduce withdrawal symptoms and significantly increase the success rate of quitting.

III. Quitting, Choosing One-Time Abstinence, Rejecting Chronic Suicide

Many smokers struggle with the choice between quitting all at once or gradually reducing their smoking. In response, Wang Xiaodan, director of the respiratory department at Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, clarifies that one-time abstinence is the best method for quitting; gradual reduction is not suitable for quitting!

1. Gradual Reduction Fails to Break Psychological Dependence:

Quitting smoking primarily involves breaking the bodys dependence on tobacco. Gradually reducing smoking merely decreases tobacco intake, not truly eliminating dependence. Many people, after reducing their consumption, quickly find themselves craving a smoke, returning to their previous smoking habits, essentially remaining trapped in a smoking mindset.

2. Gradual Reduction Erodes Willpower, Increasing the Risk of Failure:

Gradual reduction methods can gradually erode the quitters willpower, eventually leading to quitting failure. Some believe that gradual reduction can lessen the intensity of withdrawal symptoms; however, this is not the case. The intensity of withdrawal symptoms depends on the bodys level of dependence on nicotine, not the amount smoked.

3. Rejecting Chronic Suicide, One-Time Abstinence, Rejuvenation:

Smoking is harmful to health in all its forms; any level of smoking is detrimental. Stop making excuses for yourself, stop torturing yourself with chronic suicide!

IV. E-Cigarettes, Not a Quitting Remedy, but Another Form of Chronic Suicide

In recent years, some have touted e-cigarettes as a miracle cure for quitting. However, this is far from the truth. The China Smoking Harm Health Report 2020, jointly released by the WHOs country office in China and the National Health Commission, clearly states that e-cigarettes are not safe and pose threats to health.

1. E-Cigarettes Contain Nicotine, Equally Addictive:

E-cigarettes contain nicotine, which makes them equally addictive. Furthermore, the nicotine content of e-cigarettes is not fixed and can even be higher than traditional cigarettes.

2. E-Cigarettes Contain Other Harmful Substances, Hazards More Concealed:

Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes contain flavorings, aerosols, glycerin, propylene glycol, and other substances. The impact of these substances on human health is not yet fully understood, but they may pose even greater risks than cigarettes!

3. E-Cigarettes, Not a Quitting Method:

E-cigarettes are not a method of quitting but another form of tobacco product. Dont believe that e-cigarettes can help you quit, and dont use them as a substitute for traditional cigarettes.

V. Quitting, Starting Now, for a Brighter Future!

Wu, your 30 years of smoking have taken a heavy toll on your body. Now is the time for change.

1. Quitting, You Deserve a Better Future:

Quitting can reduce the risk of various diseases, extend your lifespan, and make your life healthier and happier. You deserve a brighter future!

2. Quitting, You Are Not Alone:

Quitting is not easy, but you are not alone. Family, friends, and doctors will all support you, help you overcome challenges, and fight withdrawal symptoms.

3. Quitting, Starting Now, Never Giving Up:

Dont wait until you have health problems to regret it; it will be too late then! Quitting, starting now, never giving up!

Wu, you still have a chance to regain your health, to be reborn! Believe in yourself, you can quit!

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