# Quiting Smoking, health benefits **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiting-smoking-health-benefits/604017 "2011-11-25T02:40:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiting-smoking-health-benefits/604017/1 "2011-11-25T02:40:23Z")
Hello All, I just read the other post here about heart attack rates since smoking has decreased. That leads me to another question, as I have tried to find information and it is all over the place that I can’t come to a rational decision. I quite smoking 2 years ago! I am 45 now and I smoked since I was 20. So, about 22 years of smoking a pack a day of light cigs. I feel much better since I quit, my breathing is night and day different, but other than that I haven’t noticed much. I have had a chest x-ray since I have quit and it is clean, so no signs of tumors or such. Now that I have quit how healthy am I? I surely can’t be as healthy as someone that never smoked. Is my risk of cancer still elevated much more than a non-smoker? If I am cancer free now, do I still have a much increased risk? My blood pressure is outstanding and my doc says that except for my back problems I am healthy as a horse. Hopefully I have not done too much damage. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiting-smoking-health-benefits/604017/2 "2011-11-25T07:06:34Z")
[Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Quitting Smoking](http://www.everydayhealth.com/smoking-cessation/immediate-and-long-term-benefits.aspx): > [@](#): > > The benefits of your decision to quit smoking continue long after the immediate impact. You might not feel these benefits the way you felt the quick improvement in your lung function and overall health, but you’ll still enjoy them: > > ``` > * 1 year: Your excess risk of suffering coronary heart disease has decreased to half the risk of a continuing smoker. > * 5 years: Your risk of having a stroke has decreased compared to continuing smokers, and will continue to decrease over time. > * 10 years: A decade after you quit smoking, your risk of lung cancer is now half that of people who keep smoking. You've also experienced a decrease in your risk of ulcers and other cancers, including cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder. > * 15 years: Your risk of coronary heart disease is now comparable to that of people who never smoked a single cigarette. Your risk of dying also is nearly back to the same level as that of non-smokers. > > ``` Keep in mind that there are many other risk factors for cancer and heart disease, especially hereditary factors, but all doctors agree that smoking cessation always has a net positive effect on overall health. Congratulations and keep up the good work! ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiting-smoking-health-benefits/604017/3 "2011-11-25T13:34:27Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > - 15 years: Your risk of coronary heart disease is now comparable to that of people who never smoked a single cigarette. Your risk of dying also is nearly back to the same level as that of non-smokers. Wow, didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiting-smoking-health-benefits/604017/4 "2011-11-25T14:24:20Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Your risk of dying also is nearly back to the same level as that of non-smokers. Which is still 100%, if you give it a few years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quiting-smoking-health-benefits/604017/5 "2011-11-25T15:02:07Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > [Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Quitting Smoking](http://www.everydayhealth.com/smoking-cessation/immediate-and-long-term-benefits.aspx): > > Keep in mind that there are many other risk factors for cancer and heart disease, especially hereditary factors, but all doctors agree that smoking cessation always has a net positive effect on overall health. Congratulations and keep up the good work! Thanks much for the information. Good to hear the benefits continue. I am very happy that I quit and couldn’t have done it without my wife. She refused to marry me until I quit, so the decision was easier than I thought it would be. I actually quit cold turkey and it worked, this after several failed attempts using anti-smoking drugs, patches and gums. I really don’t miss it. No more smell, no more getting winded during walks etc… I suggest to everyone smoking to attempt to quit, although I understand if you want to keep smoking. I enjoyed it and hold no ill will toward those who continue. I will say that my bank account has shown benefit from my quitting. The damn things were getting expensive. One of the other reasons is that both my parents and my ex-mother in law smoked. My parents finally quit, but not before both getting COPD. It is terrible to watch them cough and struggle for breath when doing minor things. As far as my MIL, she quit but only because lung cancer took her far too young. One other question, would it be a good idea to have a chest x-ray every couple of years or so to screen for problems? I am not paranoid, but I do have quite a bit of guilt in me thinking of the damage I might have done.