9 ms·

Regardless of age, quitting cigarette smoking will add years to your life

29 points by yusufaytas 2y ago

InDubioProRubio 2y ago
But why would you want that? The state of the world is about to get news banned as tabbaco advertisement.
stavros 2y ago
This is great news, now I can start smoking so I can quit it and add years to my life.
- skylurk 2y ago
  I've got a perpetual motion machine to sell you.
- sokoloff 2y ago
  Just start smoking in your early or mid 80s and then immediately quit. (Repeat as needed.)
- bluGill 2y ago
  How many times should I do this? What is the optimum time between smokes to get the maximum life?
  - stavros 2y ago
    Just do it once a year, you'll be immortal.
testmasterflex 2y ago
I _think_ that as long as I’m working out, I’m in better health than an _inactive_ non smoker. I bicycle everyday, a few gym sessions a week and smoke half a pack every weekend or so.
- onli 2y ago
  Does not seem to be true. See https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/08/15/is-being-inactive-really-as-bad-as-smoking/ https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/08/15/is-being-inacti...
  - testmasterflex 2y ago
    Doesn’t mention how much smoking is worse.
    - onli 2y ago
      Not with clear numbers, but with clear qualifiers: > But to an individual, inactivity is certainly _not_ worse than smoking. > Being inactive increases the risk of a number of diseases, including a several types of cancer. Smoking _massively_ increases the risk of over a dozen types of cancer, as well as causing emphysema, heart disease, stroke and other diseases.
- martin_a 2y ago
  > I _think_ that as long as I’m working out, I’m in better health than an _inactive_ non smoker. Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
- justinmarsan 2y ago
  I wouldn't be so sure... Or rather I'm not sure it's that simple. If you compare yourself with someone that's sedentary but also not eating right, than yeah, possibly you're even with an overweight non-smoker, overweight being linked to so many diseases... But if you compare yourself to someone sedentary that eats properly, or let's say as well as you do, for the sake of good comparaison... I wouldn't be so sure... The damage you do to your lungs and heart tissues are unlikely to be offset by the little time that you spend at the gym or on your bike... This coming from an also fairly active smoker (now vaper).
- delegate 2y ago
  Quit smoking, gained 30+ kg of weight, was a cardiology patient, high bp, kidney issues, depression, etc. It was horrible. Restarted smoking, lost the kilos in several months, started hiking and biking. Ended up climbing lots of mountains and now practicing endurance sports and alpinism, doing things which were unimaginable 10 years ago. Haven't seen a doctor in years. Still 'pack a day' smoker. Not condoning or recommending, just my story for perspective.
grahamj 2y ago
Going on 13 years without a smoke, since my kid was on the way. Now I wonder how I ever started that dumb habit in the first place. Can’t stand to be anywhere near it anymore.
- melling 2y ago
  Yeah, the human race is truly stupid. I can’t believe we’re still having these conversations. Warnings went on cigarettes in 1964. I was born in 1966. I’ve watched people develop COPD, etc Someone in the family needing oxygen in their 50s wasn’t enough to scare the few remaining smokers. Remember when people were going to stop going to bars when smoking was banned indoors? Now take something that’s not as obvious as smoking and try to convince people they’re wrong.
  - inglor_cz 2y ago
    "Stupid" is a bad description. First, addictions are a terrifyingly complicated health problem. They involve and hijack ancient reward paths in our brain. Stop breathing for 30 seconds and watch your reactions. Some people react in the same way to withdrawals. Are you weak-willed or stupid if you cannot hold your breath for a minute? Second, some people make money on addictions. That is where "stupid" definitely leaves the conversation and "evil" enters it. And it is not just stereotypical mafiosi peddling fentanyl. How many HNers spend their working hours making some app slightly more addictive to the users? Do they consider themselves evil? These people have an enormous incentive to play down the risks and try to hook up new users to their products. Be it tobacco, gin, Facebook... If no one made money on smoking, it would be a niche activity by now.
    - s1artibartfast 2y ago
      >If no one made money on smoking, it would be a niche activity by now. That is an interesting thought and I'm not so sure. Some things are self sustaining cultural practices. Maybe it depends on how you scope the idea. If the companies went non-profit and taxes were cut, it would be very cheap and I don't think advertising does anything anymore. I think the same is largely true for alcohol as well Advertising seems more about market share than converting users.
lawgimenez 2y ago
Quitting smoking is hard though, remembering I was going through a severe withdrawal phase. Don’t know why but maybe I quit cold turkey as a chainsmoker.
- AnimalMuppet 2y ago
  Yeah. One day I found a sign outside a co-worker's cubicle. It said: "I am attempting to quit smoking. I am a Vietnam vet and I have worked at the Post Office. All that stands between you and sudden death is this silly little patch I am wearing. Be very kind to me." He successfully quit. Didn't kill anyone, either - at least, not at work...
Freak_NL 2y ago
Smoking is one of the nastiest habits society has acquired. Twenty years ago it looked like smoking was on the way out, but recent trends are troubling and show how weak we are in the face of determined actors with financial motives. Facts like these are good to see, because every little bit of incentive to help people stop smoking is needed. The trouble however is not getting people started in the first place… The downwards trend of the percentage of people who smoke is stagnating, and recent research has shown that the way people pick up smoking is, predictably and indeed, by stepping up from vaping. The short summary is that for susceptible young teenagers vaping is cool, and then when they turn 15 or 16, vaping is too childish, and 'real' smoking is where it's at. Smoking is still 'cool', and now even 'retro-cool'. By that time they are quite addicted to nicotine, so it's either vaping, tobacco smoking, or quitting. The latter of course being really hard at that age. Big tobacco won this round. It's not all bad of course. Smoking has been successfully banished from lots of places. This varies by country, but I for one really appreciate not having to breath smoke in public transport, offices, shops, restaurants, and bars, and not having to see parents smoke on the school grounds (thereby denormalizing smoking for children). I saw society change in that regard, and it is positive. But I loathe the people who kept delaying acting on vapes taking over part of our youth and keeping them smoking for the foreseeable future.
- Clubber 2y ago
  >predictably and indeed, by stepping up from vaping. Do you have any citations for this? I don't know any vapers in the younger generation who switched to cigarettes who hadn't already picked up the cigarette habit. Looking further, I don't see any uptick in cigarette smoking rates. https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/tobacco-trends-brief/overall-smoking-trends#:~:text=Trends%20in%20Cigarette%20Smoking%20Rates,-Created%20with%20Highcharts&text=Long%20term%2C%20smoking%20rates%20have,1965%20to%2011.6%25%20in%202022 https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/tobacco....
  - Freak_NL 2y ago
    It was reported this month in a national Dutch newspaper: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/10/01/beginnen-met-een-sigaretje-daarna-elke-dag-een-nicokick-jongeren-blijven-sigaretten-en-vapes-roken-a4867791 https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/10/01/beginnen-met-een-sigare... I'm not sure if any specific scientific research points out this link, but it has been suspected for a while based on anecdotal evidence. The interviews in the newspaper article are examples of that (and not limited to this one news source). The stagnation of the downward trend has been documented though: https://www.vzinfo.nl/roken/jongeren#elektro-roken-scholieren https://www.vzinfo.nl/roken/jongeren#elektro-roken-scholiere...
knodi123 2y ago
I'll start smoking every december, and quit as a new years resolution. I'm going to live forever!!
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
mannyv 2y ago
I smoked for 15 years, 2-3 packs a day. Smoking is fun. Nicotine is great. People who say otherwise are lying. I miss smoking, but it's not something I think about a lot. Let's put it this way. People do things because they get something out of it, and they stop when the cost is too high for the benefit they get. Saying addiction is terrible, well, it's not terrible for the person doing it. It's great. Addiction is just a word for "behavior we don't like."
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  I was a heavy smoker for the better part of two decades and I agree with half of what you said. Parts of smoking were great, and I miss them dearly. I quit because the totality wasn't great for me, and I felt like it hadn't been in a long time. Where I disagree is the part about quitting and addiction. The best definition of addiction I ever received was from psychologist friend who said addiction is when a behavior is in conflict with you and your life goals. As such, it is really only a judgment someone can make about themselves. It is "a personal behavior that I don't like". I don't think outsiders have standing to decide what is best for others.
- grahamj 2y ago
  Smoking is bad for your health. The only reason people keep doing it is addiction. I would not call that great.
Eddy_Viscosity2 2y ago
This seems good but also bad. Like its great that quitting will always give you extra years, but it also means if you delay quitting, you still get those extra years. So why not delay a bit longer... (I know why this is bad logic, but to a nicotine-addicted mind, this reasoning could be very tempting)
ddmf 2y ago
I started at 12 - my newspaper delivery colleague had pinched some from his newsagent and offered me one. 19 years later, after the birth of my last child, I finally stopped - i'd tried everything but slowly reverted back to it. A two week intro course of champix - Varenicline - enabled me to quit it finally, and for good. I've been stopped over 16 years now and even smelling second-hand smoke makes me feel physically sick.

29 points by yusufaytas 2y ago

InDubioProRubio 2y ago

But why would you want that? The state of the world is about to get news banned as tabbaco advertisement.

stavros 2y ago

This is great news, now I can start smoking so I can quit it and add years to my life.

skylurk 2y ago
I've got a perpetual motion machine to sell you.
sokoloff 2y ago
Just start smoking in your early or mid 80s and then immediately quit. (Repeat as needed.)
bluGill 2y ago
How many times should I do this? What is the optimum time between smokes to get the maximum life?
- stavros 2y ago
  Just do it once a year, you'll be immortal.

testmasterflex 2y ago

I _think_ that as long as I’m working out, I’m in better health than an _inactive_ non smoker. I bicycle everyday, a few gym sessions a week and smoke half a pack every weekend or so.

onli 2y ago
Does not seem to be true. See https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/08/15/is-being-inactive-really-as-bad-as-smoking/ https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/08/15/is-being-inacti...
- testmasterflex 2y ago
  Doesn’t mention how much smoking is worse.
  - onli 2y ago
    Not with clear numbers, but with clear qualifiers: > But to an individual, inactivity is certainly _not_ worse than smoking. > Being inactive increases the risk of a number of diseases, including a several types of cancer. Smoking _massively_ increases the risk of over a dozen types of cancer, as well as causing emphysema, heart disease, stroke and other diseases.
martin_a 2y ago
> I _think_ that as long as I’m working out, I’m in better health than an _inactive_ non smoker. Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
justinmarsan 2y ago
I wouldn't be so sure... Or rather I'm not sure it's that simple. If you compare yourself with someone that's sedentary but also not eating right, than yeah, possibly you're even with an overweight non-smoker, overweight being linked to so many diseases... But if you compare yourself to someone sedentary that eats properly, or let's say as well as you do, for the sake of good comparaison... I wouldn't be so sure... The damage you do to your lungs and heart tissues are unlikely to be offset by the little time that you spend at the gym or on your bike... This coming from an also fairly active smoker (now vaper).
delegate 2y ago
Quit smoking, gained 30+ kg of weight, was a cardiology patient, high bp, kidney issues, depression, etc. It was horrible. Restarted smoking, lost the kilos in several months, started hiking and biking. Ended up climbing lots of mountains and now practicing endurance sports and alpinism, doing things which were unimaginable 10 years ago. Haven't seen a doctor in years. Still 'pack a day' smoker. Not condoning or recommending, just my story for perspective.

grahamj 2y ago

Going on 13 years without a smoke, since my kid was on the way. Now I wonder how I ever started that dumb habit in the first place. Can’t stand to be anywhere near it anymore.

melling 2y ago
Yeah, the human race is truly stupid. I can’t believe we’re still having these conversations. Warnings went on cigarettes in 1964. I was born in 1966. I’ve watched people develop COPD, etc Someone in the family needing oxygen in their 50s wasn’t enough to scare the few remaining smokers. Remember when people were going to stop going to bars when smoking was banned indoors? Now take something that’s not as obvious as smoking and try to convince people they’re wrong.
- inglor_cz 2y ago
  "Stupid" is a bad description. First, addictions are a terrifyingly complicated health problem. They involve and hijack ancient reward paths in our brain. Stop breathing for 30 seconds and watch your reactions. Some people react in the same way to withdrawals. Are you weak-willed or stupid if you cannot hold your breath for a minute? Second, some people make money on addictions. That is where "stupid" definitely leaves the conversation and "evil" enters it. And it is not just stereotypical mafiosi peddling fentanyl. How many HNers spend their working hours making some app slightly more addictive to the users? Do they consider themselves evil? These people have an enormous incentive to play down the risks and try to hook up new users to their products. Be it tobacco, gin, Facebook... If no one made money on smoking, it would be a niche activity by now.
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    >If no one made money on smoking, it would be a niche activity by now. That is an interesting thought and I'm not so sure. Some things are self sustaining cultural practices. Maybe it depends on how you scope the idea. If the companies went non-profit and taxes were cut, it would be very cheap and I don't think advertising does anything anymore. I think the same is largely true for alcohol as well Advertising seems more about market share than converting users.

lawgimenez 2y ago

Quitting smoking is hard though, remembering I was going through a severe withdrawal phase. Don’t know why but maybe I quit cold turkey as a chainsmoker.

AnimalMuppet 2y ago
Yeah. One day I found a sign outside a co-worker's cubicle. It said: "I am attempting to quit smoking. I am a Vietnam vet and I have worked at the Post Office. All that stands between you and sudden death is this silly little patch I am wearing. Be very kind to me." He successfully quit. Didn't kill anyone, either - at least, not at work...

Freak_NL 2y ago

Smoking is one of the nastiest habits society has acquired. Twenty years ago it looked like smoking was on the way out, but recent trends are troubling and show how weak we are in the face of determined actors with financial motives. Facts like these are good to see, because every little bit of incentive to help people stop smoking is needed. The trouble however is not getting people started in the first place… The downwards trend of the percentage of people who smoke is stagnating, and recent research has shown that the way people pick up smoking is, predictably and indeed, by stepping up from vaping. The short summary is that for susceptible young teenagers vaping is cool, and then when they turn 15 or 16, vaping is too childish, and 'real' smoking is where it's at. Smoking is still 'cool', and now even 'retro-cool'. By that time they are quite addicted to nicotine, so it's either vaping, tobacco smoking, or quitting. The latter of course being really hard at that age. Big tobacco won this round. It's not all bad of course. Smoking has been successfully banished from lots of places. This varies by country, but I for one really appreciate not having to breath smoke in public transport, offices, shops, restaurants, and bars, and not having to see parents smoke on the school grounds (thereby denormalizing smoking for children). I saw society change in that regard, and it is positive. But I loathe the people who kept delaying acting on vapes taking over part of our youth and keeping them smoking for the foreseeable future.

Clubber 2y ago
>predictably and indeed, by stepping up from vaping. Do you have any citations for this? I don't know any vapers in the younger generation who switched to cigarettes who hadn't already picked up the cigarette habit. Looking further, I don't see any uptick in cigarette smoking rates. https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/tobacco-trends-brief/overall-smoking-trends#:~:text=Trends%20in%20Cigarette%20Smoking%20Rates,-Created%20with%20Highcharts&text=Long%20term%2C%20smoking%20rates%20have,1965%20to%2011.6%25%20in%202022 https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/tobacco....
- Freak_NL 2y ago
  It was reported this month in a national Dutch newspaper: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/10/01/beginnen-met-een-sigaretje-daarna-elke-dag-een-nicokick-jongeren-blijven-sigaretten-en-vapes-roken-a4867791 https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/10/01/beginnen-met-een-sigare... I'm not sure if any specific scientific research points out this link, but it has been suspected for a while based on anecdotal evidence. The interviews in the newspaper article are examples of that (and not limited to this one news source). The stagnation of the downward trend has been documented though: https://www.vzinfo.nl/roken/jongeren#elektro-roken-scholieren https://www.vzinfo.nl/roken/jongeren#elektro-roken-scholiere...

knodi123 2y ago

I'll start smoking every december, and quit as a new years resolution. I'm going to live forever!!

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

mannyv 2y ago

I smoked for 15 years, 2-3 packs a day. Smoking is fun. Nicotine is great. People who say otherwise are lying. I miss smoking, but it's not something I think about a lot. Let's put it this way. People do things because they get something out of it, and they stop when the cost is too high for the benefit they get. Saying addiction is terrible, well, it's not terrible for the person doing it. It's great. Addiction is just a word for "behavior we don't like."

s1artibartfast 2y ago
I was a heavy smoker for the better part of two decades and I agree with half of what you said. Parts of smoking were great, and I miss them dearly. I quit because the totality wasn't great for me, and I felt like it hadn't been in a long time. Where I disagree is the part about quitting and addiction. The best definition of addiction I ever received was from psychologist friend who said addiction is when a behavior is in conflict with you and your life goals. As such, it is really only a judgment someone can make about themselves. It is "a personal behavior that I don't like". I don't think outsiders have standing to decide what is best for others.
grahamj 2y ago
Smoking is bad for your health. The only reason people keep doing it is addiction. I would not call that great.

Eddy_Viscosity2 2y ago

This seems good but also bad. Like its great that quitting will always give you extra years, but it also means if you delay quitting, you still get those extra years. So why not delay a bit longer... (I know why this is bad logic, but to a nicotine-addicted mind, this reasoning could be very tempting)

ddmf 2y ago

I started at 12 - my newspaper delivery colleague had pinched some from his newsagent and offered me one. 19 years later, after the birth of my last child, I finally stopped - i'd tried everything but slowly reverted back to it. A two week intro course of champix - Varenicline - enabled me to quit it finally, and for good. I've been stopped over 16 years now and even smelling second-hand smoke makes me feel physically sick.