{"id":10003,"date":"2014-11-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.philips.com\/resources\/blog\/2014\/11\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking.html"},"modified":"2023-10-18T09:39:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T13:39:49","slug":"its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Never Too Late: Tips to Stop Smoking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve been smoking for years but think it\u2019s too late to reap the benefits of quitting, think again. Whether you\u2019re already feeling the effects of long-term smoking or haven\u2019t noticed any yet, it\u2019s never too late to\u00a0stop smoking\u00a0and embrace healthy living. If you\u2019re finally ready, here are some tips to stop smoking.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Should I Quit?<\/h2>\n<p>Motivation is the most important key to quitting; without it, you\u2019ll find it difficult to persevere. Start by examining the facts: You probably know that smoking increases your risk of a\u00a0heart attack, stroke, or lung cancer. As devastating as these acute conditions can be, it\u2019s easy to overlook the chronic diseases that are associated with smoking. Emphysema and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease are among the respiratory conditions that can make a smoker\u2019s daily life difficult, causing her to experience severe shortness of breath with even minimal activity or creating a dependence on supplemental oxygen.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a long-term smoker, any damage won\u2019t disappear overnight; however, physical improvement may begin as soon as you quit, and your health can steadily improve with time. In as little as two weeks, the risk of a heart attack starts to drop and lung function improves, according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lung.org\/quit-smoking\/i-want-to-quit\/benefits-of-quitting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Lung Association<\/a>. The risk of coronary artery disease is cut in half after only one smoke-free year, and the risk of stroke returns to nonsmoker levels in about five years \u2014 even if you\u2019ve been smoking for decades.<\/p>\n<h2>How Should I Quit?<\/h2>\n<p>First things first: Tell your doctor about your plan to stop smoking. Aside from making your doctor happy, this enables you to request a nicotine patch, anti-smoking medication, or another aid to address your physical cravings.<\/p>\n<p>Once your aid is in place, address the behaviors and triggers that created your dependence on smoking. For years or decades, smoking may have been your escape from work, chores, or stress \u2014 to effectively quit, you\u2019ll need to learn new coping skills. One of the best tips to stop smoking is to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/smokefree.gov\/challenges-when-quitting\/stress\/stress-smoking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">avoid stress<\/a>; however, when that isn\u2019t possible, you can try\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/take-a-deep-breath\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deep-breathing exercises<\/a>\u00a0(similar to what you\u2019ve been doing with that cigarette) or listening to relaxing music. You can also try taking a walk when the urge to smoke arises. This will help improve your health and offset any potential weight gain associated with quitting smoking. Be sure to rid your home of ashtrays, cigarette butts, and odors that may trigger cravings.<\/p>\n<p>With so many bans on smoking in public places, many smokers have found gathering places outside in which they can indulge their habits and socialize with other smokers \u2014 so you may miss chatting with your smoking pals at first. There\u2019s no quick fix for the loss of this social benefit, but rest assured, your friends will make great nonsmoking companions and conversationalists as well. Plus, you\u2019ll be able to chat in the comfort of your office, home, or other space without suffering the sweltering heat of summer, pouring rain, or blustery winter chill that you may have been forced to endure in the parking lot when you used to smoke.<\/p>\n<p>Above all, remember that quitting smoking may extend your lifespan and help you avoid debilitating conditions. When you commit to quitting, you commit to enjoying a long, active,\u00a0healthy life. What cigarette could beat that?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve been smoking for years but think it\u2019s too late to reap the benefits of quitting, think again. Whether you\u2019re already feeling the effects of long-term smoking or haven\u2019t noticed any yet, it\u2019s never too late to\u00a0stop smoking\u00a0and embrace healthy living. If you\u2019re finally ready, here are some tips to stop smoking. Why Should<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\"> Read more >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>It\u2019s Never Too Late: Tips to Stop Smoking | Lifeline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s never too late to stop smoking and embrace healthy living. If you\u2019re finally ready, here are some tips to stop smoking.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It\u2019s Never Too Late: Tips to Stop Smoking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s never too late to stop smoking and embrace healthy living. If you\u2019re finally ready, here are some tips to stop smoking.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lifeline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifelineMedicalAlertService\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-11-20T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-18T13:39:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Parkinsons-1200x628-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrew Bastin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrew Bastin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Andrew Bastin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/50ab178d15853031ee06af6ad13f46e5\"},\"headline\":\"It\u2019s Never Too Late: Tips to Stop Smoking\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-11-20T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-18T13:39:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\"},\"wordCount\":576,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Parkinsons-1200x628-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health &amp; Wellness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/\",\"name\":\"It\u2019s Never Too Late: Tips to Stop Smoking | Lifeline\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/its-never-too-late-tips-to-stop-smoking\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Parkinsons-1200x628-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-11-20T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-18T13:39:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"It\u2019s never too late to stop smoking and embrace healthy living. 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