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How long does it take for your body to heal/recover after smoking cigarettes?

By February 13, 2009 - 2:19pm
 
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I quit smoking nearly 10 years ago after nearly 20 years of smoking almost a pack a day.

I read somewhere that it takes the body a very long time to "heal" itself after all that poison in the system which is a bit disappointing after all the work it takes to quit.

does anyone know if the body ever really recovers from a 20 year smoking habit? I was under 35 when I quit.

thank you

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I Don't know if this will help anyone or not, but it really has helped me.
Since smoking is 2 things (habit and addiction). You have to stop both. Breaking the habit before attempting to quit may be a good idea. For me and many others, smoking was very ritualistic. So changing how we smoke and changing up the routine making it not so easy, may help. If you smoke indoors, start going outside. If you smoke as soon as you awake, try waiting as long as you can before smoking. If you smoke after meals try to wait. Also, change to a brand you do not like. Making smoking less enjoyable will make what you are giving up not seem so huge. Try to de-smoke your house. This way you are not around the smell of smoke all the time. And coming back inside from smoking you will be in more of a smoke-free place. Also, using the nico-stop filters or some similar type will help cut out some of the tar and nico. out of the cigarettes, so when your big day comes to finally quit it may be a little easier.
In the event you can not quit. Please do some research online and look up FSC(fire safe cigarettes). This is terrible. As if smoking is not bad enough but putting this into cigarettes makes breathing way worse. And is causing even more health problems and even deaths. My mom refuses to stop smoking. And you can not make someone quit they have to want to. But after the FSC was added her breathing went from bad to so bad she was on oxygen all the time. I encouraged her to stop smoking but as you probably guessed she wouldn't. I did lots of research into this FSC and found out it is a wide spread problem. I ask my Mom to at least try something with out plastic if she HAD to keep smoking. So she agreed to try home-made cigarettes that do not have the FSC .(The kind you use tobacco and an injector) She went from being on oxygen almost all the time to hardly needing it at all. Only on very humid or stressful days. She is still smoking the same amount. While I hope she does decide to quit. I am glad she can breathe better.
SO please, look into the FSC. Even if you don't smoke now people really need to know about this!
I hope this helps someone.

April 14, 2012 - 1:34pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I've actually heard that no single cell in your body last for more than seven years, new cells are created from the old and the old ones die, hair, skin, lung tissue. So I would assume that on the cellular level that any cell you damaged by smoking 10 years ago is no longer even apart of you. But I'm no doctor so take that with a grain of salt.

April 1, 2012 - 8:56pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

All,

I was a smoker for 34 years and i just quit smoking. I haven't had a cigarette in 4 days and counting. I didn't want to take any chemicals so i just stopped. I feel a lot better now. Actullay I have started walking and jogging to stay fit. if you are trying to quit good job and do not get discourage.

March 26, 2012 - 9:23am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I have to be honest, I'm a smoker of 20yrs, 35yrs old,father of 2, happily married & have a 70yr old mother who is Still smoking since she is 11. I am stopping this cold turkey or I should say because I have Pneumonia from a normal chest infection that most could manage but not us lengthy smokers! My Grandmother, Moms mom... Died of Ephasema at 55. She died due to a silly cold or chest infection & I Fucking KILLED HER! All the things in my Life that should make me wanna or I should feel responsible for quitting don't! Kids, family, LIVING, these should make people say: I Am Human in simply put - ingesting smoke into your lungs like when your house burning down & you crawl cause of FUCKING SMOKE!?!?!?! But every day, 20 times a day I put a small fire with my kids, wife, family, house, cars, ect. RIGHT IN MY MOUTH! DIDN'T STOP ME! Had other chest colds, not Pneumonia, but felt shitty enough to say I would quit but just slowed down for a few days to a week. I've talked the talk about quitting for this or that day, holiday, New years, Birthday, ect... In fact, this past February was my 35th birthday & I had 'that talk' with myself that 'this was the End' & EVEN Looked my 7yr old in the Eyes & said I Love You! I'm Quitting!!!! FAILED & Ashamed! Now approx. 1 month after that day in Feb where I talked with myself stating I'm Done but knowing how Flimsy the Statement Truly Was, I Sit here 7 FULL DAYS OF NOT SMOKING & IT IS LIBERATING TO KNOW HOW STRONG I TRULY AM!!! FUCK CIGARETTES & ALL THOSE YEARS OF TORTURE, LIES, SCANDAL, WASTED MONEY THEY'VE CAUSE ME!!!!!! Do you all know why I've stopped smokin Cigarettes??? It's My Mom!!!!! Smoking almost 60yrs, raised 4 children on her own, worked her Blessed heals off All her God Given Days to better herself FOR ME!!! Her child!! There's Something that has just clicked for me.... Maybe if I make a deal with the MAN ABOVE He'll Grace My Mother with a peacefully remaining on this Earth for as many years as he body can provide! I gave him my Promise for his! Im not a deeply religious man but feel there has got to be someone to take of my mother when I Can't! She is turning 71 in May & strong like bull but we know how the circle of life goes.... This Is My Statement of how I stopped Smoking & why... Hope it Helps Some, I know it has Me! I Love You Mom & I Cannot imagine a day you are not here! Clayt(LiL Guy)

March 25, 2012 - 8:28pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

i was a smoker for 35 started age of 12 now i am 47 ,i noticed within 14 days of quitting the quality life coming back and smells of food and outdoor smells quickly returned,but my addiction to it was not nicotine. it was the habit .the motions of the hand and mental parts of it ,i got on Chantix and it really worked for me made cigs taste like crap the first day i used it 5 days later i was done the smell and the taste really was gross. so it made it so easy to turn the smoking habit off.and yes the lungs do repair them selfs but any damage done such as scaring etc will never go away.so to quit before that happens. it`s a big plus in making a 100% recovery.its never to late to quit!!!

March 14, 2012 - 3:10pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I Smoked for last 15 years and currently trying to quit. Am sure i will be able to quit this time!
It is never too late to quit smoking, of all the ill that you could od to your body like bad food, no exercise , alcohol etc etc i think smoking is the worst and has no cure if you are hit by it.
So if you failed last time please try again NOW because for a smoker you can never be sure of tomorrow and your dear ones will be the one facing the consequences.

February 21, 2012 - 8:11pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

It took me 20 tries to quit smoking trying everything. I would not use chantix due to its very nasty side effects. A friend of mine said try taking. Vit 12 and the anti depressant med called welbutrine. In 3 weeks I'm smoke free and not tied or taking any meds. I also feel great. Most anti smoking meds use nicotine. Which is pointless. And they all require months tied to meds. I also as a side effect lost 15lbs. I'd fat because I refused to gain weight. So I drank a ton of coffee, water and ate carrots as if they cookies. Always had a fistfull if them..best of luck to all those trying

February 22, 2012 - 10:46pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I've been office cigs for almost two years now using Chantix. I quit in the first 10 days or so. I am still looking for my facial skin to be as plump as it once was. I am a 51-year-old black female with wonderful genes but the skin on my face definitely shows the 30 years of smoking; still. Everything I read says to drink lots of water, take vitamins A, E and C.

January 29, 2012 - 7:22pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

and it's not even that much fun!

January 26, 2012 - 9:07am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

After 15 yrs of quitting. we doctors will not consider smoking as a risk factor..!!!

January 18, 2012 - 11:18pm
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