It’s not too late to quit smoking

It’s that time to make your New Year’s resolution, and now might be the best time if your goal is to quit smoking.

Though smoking can cut your lifespan by at least ten years, newer research found that people who quit before they turn 40 can recover all of those years. Smokers who kick the habit by then can expect to live as long as non-smokers.

“Quitting smoking before age 40, and preferably well before 40, gives back almost all of the decade of lost life from continued smoking,” said study leader Dr. Prabhat Jha, in a news release.

Each year, smoking causes the early deaths of about 443,000 people in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). And half of all smokers who keep smoking will end up dying from a smoking-related illness such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Dr. Tony Hampton, a family medicine physician with Advocate Medical Group in Chicago, says it’s never too late to ditch the smoking habit.

“No matter how long you have been smoking, instant and long-term benefits begin the moment you stop,” he says. “Cessation can have an immediate positive impact on your blood pressure, heart rate, circulation and sense of smell. In the long run, quitting will reduce your risk of getting a host of life-threatening diseases.”

But quitting can be a daunting proposition especially when we’re bombarded with messages that encourage the habit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), $1 million per hour is spent marketing cigarettes every day, and smokers are regularly portrayed in movies and TV as well. But, 70 percent of smokers have a desire to quit, according to the CDC.

There are four critical strategies that can help you stop for good, according to the ACS.

• Making the decision to quit
• Picking a ‘Quit Day’ and making a plan
• Dealing with withdrawal
• Staying tobacco-free (maintenance)

The ACS website offers comprehensive information on how and why to quit smoking.

In addition to the available resources at the ACS, health systems across the country, including Downers Grove, Ill.- based Advocate Health Care, offer non-smoking incentive programs to help employees and community members kick their smoking habits. Click here to view locations for Advocate’s Courage to Quit Tobacco classes.