Smoking: It Is Never Too Late to Stop

Although the challenge of quitting smoking seems too great for the benefits that will result, there are many short term and long-term benefits of kicking a bad habit like smoking at any point in one’s life. Many senior citizens, especially those who are life-long smokers, may not realize that they too can gain from quitting. Still, it is especially important that senior citizens try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Those who provide elder care for senior citizens should encourage them to quit smoking.

Some of the benefits of quitting smoking include:

Having a lower risk for cancer, heart attack, and lung disease
Having better blood circulation
Having no odor of smoke on your belongings and in your house
Having a better sense of taste and smell
Having healthier family members
Adding more years to your life and having more energy to do other activities that you enjoy

Smoking is bad for your health because it damages the lungs and airways, causing swelling and complications with breathing and clearing mucus from the lungs. Smokers who cannot easily clear the airways often develop a chronic cough which can lead to chronic bronchitis. Some smokers develop emphysema where the lung tissue is destroyed and makes breathing very difficult.

Life long smokers have a 50% chance of dying from a smoking related disease. Smoking does not only cause direct effects as referred to above, but it can also lead to the development of other illnesses like:

Heart disease. A combination of smoking and high cholesterol or blood pressure will increase the likelihood of heart attack.
Cancer. The risk of cancer in the lungs, larynx (voice box), esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix increases as you smoke more.
Respiratory problems. Smoking increases your susceptibility to the flu, pneumonia, and other infections that interfere with the breathing passages. This is more dangerous for senior citizens who are already at risk to the adverse affects of these diseases.
Osteoporosis. Women especially who are past menopause can experience earlier and more severe bone weakening if they smoke regularly.

Quitting smoking is beneficial for people of all ages, including senior citizens. This statement is valid in that the effects of quitting are immediate as the body begins to heal after smoking has ceased. This is evident in the following trends observed in people who have quit smoking:

The chance of heart attack and stroke drops within the first year of quitting.
You are half as likely to develop heart disease within one year of quitting.
Flow of blood to the hands and feet get stronger after quitting.
Breathing becomes easier within a few months.
The chances of cancer are decreased (within 10-15 years after quitting, your chances of developing cancer may be as low as that of a nonsmoker).
Although there may be some weight gain, your health will most likely be better regardless.

Although the negative effects of smoking are caused by the smoke being inhaled into the lungs, the addictive properties of smoking (that is, the reason that it is hard to stop smoking) are caused by a drug in the tobacco called nicotine. Nicotine causes pleasurable effects in the body which causes people to smoke more in order to sustain that pleasurable sensation. For these same reasons, quitting is difficult due to withdrawal effects that make someone feel worse when the body is cut off from a constant supply of nicotine. Some common withdrawal symptoms include feeling hungry, tired, experiencing headaches, feeling depressed, or having trouble concentrating or sleeping.

Although quitting is difficult, it is possible, and there are many resources available to help in the process of kicking this bad habit. These include:

Self-help literature
Individual and group counseling
Support groups
Quitting with others who also smoke
Taking medication that alleviates symptoms of withdrawal
Using nicotine replacement therapy

You can use any combination of these methods to quit, but the most important step involves making an active decision to quit and starting the process. Once you have resolved to quit, make a date that you will begin to quit smoking. It may help to alter your smoking habits in the mean time by either reducing the amount that you smoke or trying to abstain from smoking at certain times that you have made a ritual of smoking such as after meals or in the morning. Some people may need extra help with withdrawal by replacing nicotine in different ways by employing:

Nicotine chewing gum
Nicotine patch
Nicotine lozenge
Nicotine nasal spray (prescription required)
Nicotine inhaler (prescription required)

Replacement therapies are helpful in administering a lower dose of nicotine to the body without the harmful side effects of smoking. This way, withdrawal is curbed and health risks are still decreased.

There are also medications that do not contain nicotine and aid in withdrawal, although these may include some side effects like dry mouth, sleep problems, nausea, and headache.

Although many of the adverse effects of smoking are caused by the actual smoke entering the lungs, this does not mean that smokeless forms of tobacco use are any safer such as cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and snuff. These forms of tobacco use are linked to a higher risk of mouth cancer, pre-cancerous lesions known as oral leukoplakia, nicotine addiction, and possibly cancer of the gums, larynz, and esophagus. Pipes and cigars especially lead to increased risk of mouth, lip, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, and bladder cancers.

There are also risks associated with secondhand smoke exposure, which is caused from being around someone who is smoking tobacco products. Nonsmokers who live with smokers are more at risk for lung cancer and heart disease. People with asthma or children are more at risk to the adverse effects of secondhand smoke like increased susceptibility to bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks, and inner ear infections. Secondhand smoke has also been linked to SID (sudden infant death syndrome). It is always a better idea that smokers not use tobacco products around others of any age.