Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions a person can make for their health. When someone quits smoking, their body begins to heal and they reduce their risk of developing smoking-related diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, and COPD. But when exactly can you consider yourself an “ex-smoker”? There are a few factors to consider when determining if you’ve fully quit smoking for good.
How Long You’ve Been Cigarette-Free
One of the most obvious metrics is how long it’s been since you last smoked a cigarette. Health organizations like the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association generally consider someone an ex-smoker if they have abstained from smoking for at least one year. The timeline looks something like this:
Time Since Last Cigarette | Smoking Status |
---|---|
Less than 1 month | Current smoker |
1-11 months | Recent quitter |
12+ months | Ex-smoker |
After making it through the first year smoke-free, your risk of smoking-related diseases drops significantly. But health risks continue declining the longer you stay away from cigarettes.
According to one long-term study, it takes about 5 to 15 years after quitting for your risk of stroke to return to that of a non-smoker. For lung cancer, it can take up to 20 years. So although you’re considered an “ex-smoker” after one year, your health continues to improve with time.
How Often You Previously Smoked
The length of time it takes your body to heal and your risks to decrease depends partially on how much and how long you smoked previously. Heavy smokers naturally have more accumulated damage that takes longer to reverse.
Someone who smoked a pack a day for 40 years will take longer to become a “healthy” ex-smoker compared to someone who smoked lightly for just a few years. But regardless of how long you smoked, quitting at any point is beneficial.
Pack Years
Doctors sometimes calculate a metric called “pack years” to quantify a person’s historical smoking level. It’s calculated by multiplying the number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years smoked. So someone who smoked 2 packs per day for 10 years has 20 pack years of smoking history.
Studies show the more pack years you accumulated, the higher your risks of smoking-related cancers and heart disease, even after you quit. For example:
Pack Years | Risk of Lung Cancer After Quitting |
---|---|
Less than 10 | Risk decreases to that of a never-smoker 15 years after quitting |
10-20 | Risk remains moderately elevated compared to never-smokers after 15 years |
More than 30 | Risk remains high compared to never-smokers even 25+ years after quitting |
So the more pack years accrued, the longer it will take before risks revert to a never-smoker level after quitting. But regardless of smoking history, quitting is the biggest step towards improving long-term health.
Craving Frequency After Quitting
Cravings for cigarettes are a normal part of the quitting process. When you first quit smoking, cravings may be frequent and intense. But over time, both the intensity and frequency should steadily decline.
As long as you abstain from smoking and avoid triggers, cravings will become less bothersome. In general:
– During the first 1-3 weeks after quitting, cravings are most intense and frequent, lasting from 3-5 minutes on average.
– From 1-3 months after quitting, cravings become less intense and happen less often.
– After 6 months smoke-free, cravings happen sporadically and are typically easily managed.
If you find yourself frequently craving cigarettes months or years after quitting, it may be a sign you haven’t fully committed to being smoke-free. Lingering intense cravings can lead to relapse. But with time, most ex-smokers find cravings subside and smoking fades from their day-to-day thoughts.
Coping with Cravings
Some tactics to deal with cigarette cravings after quitting include:
– Delaying: Tell yourself you’ll wait 5 minutes, and keep postponing smoking to let the craving pass.
– Deep breathing: Take slow, deep breaths to relax until the craving fades.
– Going for a walk: Physical activity can relieve cravings.
– Drinking water: Dehydration can exacerbate cravings.
– Chewing gum: This provides oral satisfaction.
– Avoiding triggers: Steer clear of people, places, or things that make you want to smoke.
With practice, you can gain control over cravings. If they’re persistent and overwhelming, don’t hesitate to seek support from resources like smoke-free hotlines, support groups, or your doctor.
How You View Yourself
In addition to timelines and craving frequency, your own self-identity plays a role in determining if you’re truly an ex-smoker. To be a true ex-smoker, you need to:
– Fully commit to living smoke-free. Half-hearted efforts lead to relapse.
– Reframe your identity from “smoker” to “non-smoker.” Don’t keep glorifying or romanticizing smoking.
– Build a smoke-free lifestyle. Adopt new healthy habits and find non-smoking friends/social groups.
– Change your attitude to cigarettes. View smoking as an unhealthy addiction you’re glad to break free from.
– Believe in yourself. Have confidence you can persevere and triumph over smoking for good.
If you remain conflicted about quitting or skeptical of your ability to succeed, you’re unlikely to completely embrace an ex-smoker identity, raising relapse risk. But with self-determination, you can make the mental shift to considering yourself a non-smoker.
Dealing With Relapse
It’s not uncommon for smokers to relapse at some point during their quit attempt. In fact, people make an average of 30 quit attempts before finally quitting for good. But the goal remains stopping smoking permanently.
If you do light up a cigarette weeks, months or even years after quitting, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re a smoker again. The CDC considers having up to 5 cigarettes in your lifetime after quitting as abstinence from smoking.
But beware the slippery slope. Having “just one” cigarette can quickly escalate back to regular smoking. The best plan is to get right back on the wagon after a slip and learn how to avoid triggers in the future. Stay strong in your ex-smoker identity and commitment to being smoke-free.
Health Changes After Quitting Smoking
One of the best motivators to remain smoke-free is realizing how much your health improves after ditching cigarettes. Some of the timeline for health changes include:
After 20 Minutes
– Blood pressure and pulse return to normal.
After 8 Hours
– Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce by more than half.
– Oxygen levels return to normal.
After 24 Hours
– Chance of heart attack already begins decreasing.
After 48 Hours
– Nerve endings start regrowing.
– Ability to smell and taste improves.
After 72 Hours
– Breathing becomes easier as bronchial tubes relax.
– Lung capacity increases.
After 2 Weeks to 3 Months
– Circulation and lung function improve significantly.
– Walking and exercise becomes easier.
– Coughing, congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease.
After 1 to 9 Months
– Sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath are further reduced.
– Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection risk.
– Overall energy levels increase.
After 1 Year
– Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
After 5 Years
– Risk of stroke reverts to that of a non-smoker.
– Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder are halved compared to smokers.
After 10 Years
– Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of non-smokers.
– Risk of death returns to nearly the same as someone who never smoked.
After 15 Years
– Risk of coronary heart disease reverts to that of a non-smoker.
Looking at this timeline helps visualize the dramatic health improvements that taking place. Remaining smoke-free ensures you’ll experience the full benefits.
Support for Staying Smoke-Free
While cigarette cravings do fade over time, some ex-smokers may continue having sporadic urges to smoke even years later. So staying vigilant about relapse prevention is important.
Some strategies that help sustain ex-smoker status include:
– Avoid triggers like alcohol or other smokers.
– Keep your hands and mind occupied. Try toothpicks, straws, sunflower seeds, puzzles, or squeezing a stress ball.
– Remind yourself of health benefits and reasons you quit whenever you get an urge.
– Join a support group to connect with other ex-smokers.
– Consider nicotine replacement options like gum, patches or lozenges during intense cravings.
– Talk to your doctor about prescription cessation medication if cravings remain extremely bothersome.
– Practice stress management and self-care, as stress can increase relapse risk.
With some discipline and a sustained commitment to living smoke-free, anyone can achieve ex-smoker status and reap the health rewards.
Conclusion
There is no definitive timeline dictating when someone transitions from being a former smoker to a true ex-smoker. But after remaining completely cigarette-free for around 1 year, overcoming cravings, embracing a smoke-free identity, and realizing health improvements like reduced heart disease and cancer risk, most people can consider themselves to have achieved ex-smoker status. Avoiding relapse and staying vigilant about cigarette triggers will help sustain being an ex-smoker in the long-term. The rewards of improved health and quality of life make ex-smoker status well worth striving for.