Did you make a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking? Some of the latest study data may help to shore up your resolve. The numbers are stark and sobering. Every cigarette smoked shortens life expectancy by an average of 20 minutes. Pack a day smoker? An entire pack costs your life span nearly seven hours. Over the course of a year, that multiplies out to 106.17 days of your life each year cut short.
On average, smokers lose about 10 years of life compared to non-smokers. More concerning, this loss isn’t confined to the twilight years. Smoking erodes relatively healthy years in the prime of life. For example, a 60-year-old smoker typically has the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.
For Canadians, the stakes are particularly high, with tobacco use accounting for approximately 48,000 deaths annually. That’s about 125 lives lost every single day to smoking-related illnesses – more than deaths caused by alcohol, opioids, suicides, murders, and traffic collisions combined.
The good news is that quitting smoking offers immediate and measurable benefits. For example, someone who smokes 10 cigarettes daily and quits on January 1 can avoid losing a full day of life by January 8, a week by February 20, and a month by August 5. By the end of the year, they could save 50 days of life expectancy.
While the earlier someone quits, the greater the recovery of lost life expectancy, stopping at any age brings significant benefits. Quitting before age 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by about 90%. Even later in life, cessation can slow the decline in health, adding years and vitality to life.
The dangers of smoking extend beyond the smoker. Second-hand smoke caused nearly 1,000 deaths in Canada in 2012, including 612 from heart disease and 373 from lung cancer. Second hand smoke is also a participant in children’s breathing problems, SIDS, ear infections and the development of the heart and lungs in utero. This underscores the importance of creating smoke-free environments to protect loved ones, particularly children and the elderly, who are most vulnerable to these effects.
Need more convincing in those weak moments? Keep this calculator handy to see how much money you could save by quitting.
If you haven’t yet spoken to your doctor about cessation aids, consider nicotine replacement products like gum or patches which can be accessed without a prescription. If you’ve never heard of Cytisine, it’s a plant-based compound that’s been helping people quit smoking for decades in Eastern Europe. Products like nicotine inhalers or nasal sprays require a prescription.
Trying but fell off the wagon? Try again. Don’t give up. Keep trying until you win because the number of years of life you gain are worth it.
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