Never Too Old To Quit

When people try to stop smoking, about 35% to 45% of them relapse, and have to start all over again. However, in people over 65 who quit the relapse rate is much lower – about 15%, according to a study done at Duke University. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the 500-people study didn’t demonstrate a decreased death rate in the quitters. Well, that’s the trouble with studying old folk; they often don’t live long enough to show the effect you want to demonstrate. (And, of course, a number of old people quit when they are diagnosed with an oft-fatal condition, like lung cancer.)

There’s no doubt that quitting smoking, even when you’re over 65, is a difficult step. Of course, by the time you’re 65 you’ve probably tried several (or many) times before. But the clear-cut early benefits of stopping smoking should make the effort worthwhile, even at a more advanced age. One idea is that, when you are old, you just forget to smoke, so quitting becomes easier . . .