Many hardened smokers who have smoked for a long time, perhaps even decades, and usually smoke a lot (over a pack a day) will say "oh, I've smoked for so long, there's no point in stopping now".
Even my own father used to say this to me whenever we discussed smoking and stopping.
Does this sound like you? Do you ever think to yourself - "oh well, the damage has been done, there's no point in stopping".
I'll bet that you have even read in the newspaper or on the internet that your body will repair itself from the damages of cigarettes from the day that you stop.
But you are choosing to ignore these facts, aren't you? The simple truth is, your body will start to recover immediately.
We have known this for years but it continues to be reinforced by every study since.
Here are some findings from recent studies: -> after 48 hours, your ability to smell and taste are vastly improved -> after 1 year, your risk of a heart attack is half that of a smoker.
-> 42% of the benefit of quitting for strokes happens within only 5 years -> after 15 years, your risk of a heart attack is the same as a non-smoker.
-> after 20 years, a smoker has no greater risk of death than a non-smoker So, let me ask you, do you plan to be alive in 20 years? Even if you have a death wish, the chances are that you will still be alive in 20 years time, given the ever increasing average age of death.
If the answer is yes, then in 20 years time your risk due to your smoking so far will be eliminated.
And, even if you are 90 years old today and figure you don't have long left, the benefits of stopping today are immediate.
Your fitness levels will increase, you will be less out of breath, your lungs will work more efficiently, you will have better circulation, your skin will start to recover and you will regain your sense of smell.
Let me give you an example - when I was a kid in school, one of my teachers, Dr.
Jensen, announced to the class that he had stopped smoking.
This guy was in his 50s with grey hair.
I remember that he used to stink of cigarettes.
One day, he announced to the class that he had stopped smoking several weeks ago.
I still recall how he remarked how surprised he was at how much better he felt.
This was a guy telling us how much better he felt for stopping smoking only a few weeks ago, despite being just a few years away from being a senior.
If Dr.
Jensen can stop and feel better for it, then so can you.
Age is no reason not to quit.
In fact, the older you are and longer that you have been smoking, the more you will know how much sense it makes to quit, unlike perhaps the dashing youth who thinks he chooses to smoke and "it'll never happen to me"!