As well as a whole host of life threatening illnesses, lung cancer is the then most common and serious illness caused by smoking. Although it can be contracted by non smokers, it is almost exclusively smoking related and in fact 9 out of 10 fatalities from lung cancer are smokers. Although stopping smoking does have a beneficial effect against getting lung cancer it does not completely eradicate the chances of an ex smoker dying from the illness. Unfortunately for the ex smoker, the harmful toxins that are released into the lung tissue through smoking can in fact remain present for between 10 and 15 years after the last cigarette and although the body will eventually break them down it can be a very slow process.
This was the worry for me when I quit after 25 years of heavy smoking. As happy as I was at managing to stop, I was more than aware of the damage I must have already caused to my lungs and so at the back of my mind I just had this fear that I was still at high risk of dying of lung cancer. So much so that I almost began to think ‘well what’s the point. It’s probably too late for me now.’ I almost started smoking again after a few weeks.
