We don't have any second-hand smoke out here in California. If you want to smoke, you have to go to Nevada or Mexico.

Try this. It REALLY does work.
http://cigarrest.com/

Sorry to rain on the parade but thats not true. Once the lung is damaged thats it. Done. Kaput. Fuggetaboutit.

What happens when you quit smoking is the exsisting lung tissues that are not damaged return to a normal functioning capacity. Because you have been operating at a sub par capacity because of smoking it will feel great when you quit.

If you want to speed up the return of your lungs to normal have your Dr. proscribe an Incentive Spiromentry. You probably have visited people in hopitals that have them. You suck into the mouthpiece and make the ball go up. It will help you get back to normal quicker.

Actually, after you stop smoking altogether, your lungs will be, ahem, pink and healthy in just a few weeks or so. They begin repairing themselves almost immediately. Good news!

Weird, I distinctly remeber learning they regenerate in my Bio class. Some kid asked whether they eventually regenerate and he said yeah, but it takes time.

Also, my grandpa was a chain smoker until he quit cold turkey. Later when he got intestinal cancer (non related), his lungs were checked and the doctor was amazed at their condition when my grandpa said he used to smoke as much as he did.

Its damaged lung tissue thats effected. Your oxygen in your lungs goes all the way down to one cell and then jumps onto the bodys boats (hemoglobin) that carries the o2 around your body. When the cells are damaged they won't let the o2 cross over to the hemoglobin.

My roomate is quitting smoking... I should try to quit too as I heard somewhere that it helps to quit with someone else so you can keep tabs on eachother... But I'm too much of a wimp... I smoke a pack a day, Marlboro Menthol Lights... started when I was 16 and I'm 23 now...

I quit for 6 weeks once in basic training...

Get some Chewlies gum ;)


Seriously though good luck to both of you. Its really difficult whenever you drink.

Thank you Metro, I don't mean any offense here Big Red but your lungs do regenerate themselves. We could wrangle around with semantics with regards to lost lung 'capacity' but they do regenerate...
see below:

In three days cilia start to regenerate and usually within 6 months the normal cilia function is returned. Also over time, the extra layers of cells will be sloughed off and the lining tissue of the bronchus will return to normal.

Unfortunately, if a smoker waits until a malignancy has started, the outlook is grim. The overall 5 year survival rate for lung cancer is only 14%. Lung cancer, is a disease that while once uncommon, is now the leading cancer killer in both sexes.

Yeah, but what I meant is that these healthy cells eventually multiply and replace the damaged/dead cells. I'm no expert on this though.

I was at a confernce with a coworker last week. We had some down time and time to kill. I asked him what he wanted to do, to which he replied "Smoke". I really admired his sense of self-direction, the fact that he knew exact what he wanted to do. That was enough to get me to consider taking up the habit myself.

I half expected you to tell some sort of story about talking him out of having a smoke by offering him a bacon samich.

:D

ROFL

I'd rather take up smoking than ruin a good bacon sandwich with cheese.

Heh. My Dad is an old RT, managed a couple of small departments in Nebraska and new Mexico. It would (and still does) blow his mind at how many RTs smoke. He says they are the worst. He tried to hire therapists that didn't smoke, couldn't do it. Just not enough quality therapists out there who do not smoke. It's crazy.