Smoke Gets in Your Lungs

You've decided to give up cigarettes. Good for you! You already know about all the things that smoking does to your body, like lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and heart disease. No need to re-invent the wheel. But if you stop smoking, will your lungs recover from the damage already done?

The answer is yes, maybe no, or it depends. On average, when you stop inhaling the tar and toxic poisons the little hairs on your airway begin to function again. You'll probably cough a lot more because the lungs are cleaning house. But through all the coughing spasms, you'll notice you are breathing a lot easier, and exercising does not leave you gasping for air.

But, for the ones who developed emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the lungs will not recover. The airways have become permanently inflamed, and although they can improve somewhat, most of the damage cannot be reversed. With emphysema, the little balloons in the lungs that exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide have been ruined. They cannot be repaired and they do not replace themselves.

Stopping the smoking habit is as hard to break as getting off heroine or crack. Cigarettes have become a part of your entire life. No matter that you had to stand out in the rain or freezing cold to grab a few puffs, it's a love affair and one you enjoy. Every part of smoking has something you love, from flicking the lighter, the feel of a new pack, to the captivating smoke that billows from your mouth. You love how a cigarette looks in your hand, why it's almost a status symbol.

So, packing your best friend's bags and telling them to hit the road is not easy, no matter how bad the relationship. Once the cigarettes are deemed off-limits, your work really begins. Taking it one day at a time is crap! It's going to be more like taking it one minute at a time, even a few seconds!

You can do it, but be prepared to be sabotaged by your own brain. You're going to remember how you loved to smoke, how it was so comforting and enjoyable. Don't be surprised if you dream about cigarettes, the mind can work in devious ways! You'll remember only the good things about cigarettes and completely forget why you stopped smoking.

Everywhere you go you'll be reminded that you want to smoke. Paying for a tank of gas, you'll notice only the rows and rows of delicious cigarettes above the cashier's head. You'll notice every person who is enjoying a cigarette. You might even slow down when passing someone who is smoking just to sniff the aroma.

You are in for the fight of your life! Then one day you'll notice how bad someone smells when they come back from a smoke break. You'll begin to dislike the odor and think you've succeeded. Wrong! A bout with anger or stress can cause you to reach in your pocket and buy a pack of your friends. In a flash, everything you tried to do is lost, and you're back to square one.