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There are other things besides lung cancer. Both of my parents died of emphysema. Dad quit smoking at 50, lived to be 79. Mom never quit, lived to be 81. Something will get you eventually... but I think both could have lived another 5-10 yrs and enjoyed a better quality of life if they'd never smoked.
And yeah, I'm 48 now and I still struggle with it. I'm trying the e-cig thing in my latest efforts to quit the real deal. I wish I'd never lit the first one too.
yep... my grandfather smoked at least two packs a day for as long as I can remember and cigars to boot. according to his story he started smoking at age 14 and never quit. never had any health issues, healthy as a horse, tripped and fell down a flight of stairs at age 93 and broke his neck.
something will always get you.
I think genetics plays a big part in it. most of my family (aunts, uncles, cousins) smokes, none of them have ever had any issues. I have been smoking for 35 years and I have no smoking related health issues. Hell, I once quit for 8 years and I had more health issues in those 8 years than I've had the rest of my life combined.
and then again I've seen smokers with all kinds of medical issues from it.
and then I've seen people who never smoked that have the same kinds of issues that many smokers have. My mother-in-law never smoked, was never around people who smoked and she died of lung cancer when she was 59
maybe it's luck, maybe it's genetics. but I do know it is not as simple as "smoking causes xyz"