"Quitting helps"

35 people die every day as a result of smoking

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

On average, more than 35 people die every day in Austria as a result of smoking, resulting in around 13,000 deaths per year. On average, every smoker loses around five to nine years of their life. "However, this is not an unalterable fate," emphasized Austria's lung specialists on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. Quitting smoking always pays off.

According to the Austrian Society of Pneumology (ÖGP), people who smoke more than ten cigarettes a day lose an average of seven to nine years of life. However, giving up smoking quickly increases life expectancy again, with a gain of around five years after just three smoke-free years.

"Gain ten years of life"
"Statistically speaking, ten years after quitting smoking, you have already regained ten years of your life. And if you stop smoking before the age of 40, you can expect to have almost the same life expectancy as someone who has never smoked," said the ÖGP in a press release.

(Bild: AFP)

Quitting smoking not only prolongs life, but is immediately associated with an immediately noticeable gain in quality of life: "Those who give up cigarettes don't have to wait years to experience the benefits of not smoking. The so-called quick wins occur immediately or within a few days and weeks and contribute to a massive improvement in quality of life," emphasized Bernd Lamprecht, President of the ÖGP and Head of the University Clinic for Internal Medicine with a focus on Pneumology at the Kepler University Hospital in Linz.

Recovery starts after just 20 minutes
Not only are the long-term consequences of giving up cigarettes impressive, the positive effect is noticeable much earlier. "Within just 20 minutes after the last cigarette, the body begins to recover, blood pressure and heart rate normalize. After eight hours, the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops and oxygen levels rise to a normal level. Two days after quitting smoking, the body is already free of nicotine and the sense of taste and smell improve," explained lung expert Lamprecht.

But quitting smoking also has a positive effect on other cancers that are promoted by smoking, such as bladder cancer, as well as on the broad field of cardiovascular diseases. Lamprecht: "After just one year, the risk of a heart attack is only half that of a smoker."

You save money
In addition to the many health benefits, there is also a financial benefit that should not be underestimated: you save a lot of money. At five to six euros a day, you save around 2,000 euros a year. For those who want to stop smoking, there is a wide range of support available. From nicotine replacement therapies to counseling services and self-help groups. The ÖGP recommends that quitting smoking should be tackled with professional support: Ideally in the form of inpatient smoking cessation or during a rehabilitation program.