Quit Before it is Too Late

Let’s face it quitting smoking at any stage in the smoker’s life is going to be hard. If you have smoked for many decades then the smoking habit is deeply engrained in your daily life and it becomes difficult to envisage life without it. As we age we tend to become creatures of habit and old age is not necessarily associated with wisdom. Although it is certainly true that nicotine addiction is no respecter of intellect; it is not just the stupid who smoke. Many older smokers rationalise their smoking habit by thinking that it is too late to stop smoking. The damage is already done so why bother to quit. Why suffer the pain of quitting when there are no positive health benefits to be achieved at their age. Others may be consoled by the fact that they have lived thus far in spite of their dangerous life choice. Not everyone is killed by smoking; maybe they are one of the lucky ones. It has been estimated that about half of smokers will be ultimately killed by their habit. Of course this bald statistic doesn’t tell the whole story. Few smokers, especially if they have been smoking a long time, will remain untouched by smoking. Death is the ultimate measure of the health affects of tobacco use, but it is not the only measure. Long term smoking will damage the health of all users. Some health affects may be apparent, such as heart disease and cancer while some are subtle and may not be obvious especially if long standing. Some aged smokers become fatalistic and acknowledge the harm done by their smoking but are willing to accept the consequence and no sound argument will convince them to quit. For this group of smokers there really is no hope.

New Research on Smoking

In the light of a new study it’s probably time for old smokers to reconsider their deadly habit. A German study, which gathered data from a number of previous studies, made a number of illuminating conclusions from investigations spread over 17 countries. In summary, the Heidelberg researchers found that smokers over 60 were 83% more likely to die as a consequence of their habit in comparison to people who had never smoked. Furthermore, ex-smokers in their 60’s were 34% more likely to die than those who had never taken up the habit. This represents a significant drop in mortality for ex-smokers compared to those who continue to smoke. This study offers convincing evidence that ex-smokers obtain real health benefits measured by the ultimate health indicator, survival.

This study should dispel the notion that it is never too late to quit. Older smokers are well advised to take note and heart from this data. It also removes one of the hoary old excuses advanced by older smokers for not quitting, ‘that it is too late’. And hopefully it will act as a spur for at least some older smokers to quit, before it really is too late.