Anyone who does not get cancer,or some other smoking related health problem, from smoking that heavily and for that long of a time is considerably lucky in my opinion....and just because THEY haven't gotten cancer doesn't mean it wont happen eventually and certainly doesn't mean it wont happen to you...

but to answer your question..yes the lungs can repair themselves if you quit smoking however it does take years for them to get back to the way they were before smoking...

IMO smoking is a bad expensive habit, I think its ignorant for people in todays society, knowing the health risks, to do it anyway and think that cancer wont happen to them....pick up a healthier habit and try giving up smoking..ask yourself why you do it..you dont seem to smoke alot...is it just for social reasons? The longer you wait to quit..the longer it will take for your lungs to repair themselves bc of tar buildup

hope i answered your question

Hi there, I have been quit now since 1991. Hardest thing I ever did. I smoked a pack a day for years............I wish I'd never had the first one. I can tell from trying to walk, run, swim, any form of exercise....I have done damage to my lungs. I do feel better than I did 17 years ago. Unless someone has smoked and been adddicted to nicotine, they will never understand how hard it is to quit. I went to a Wellness Program. More like Boot Camp for smokers.......but it worked. I wanted to quit so bad. Smoking also causes your gums to receed. This sometimes requires gum replacement surgery..........OUCH. Had to do it to save my teeth. Look at people who smoke, their hairand skin, their teeth......now that I've quit, I never realized how BAD cigarette smoke smells. It REEKS in smokers clothes, their vehicles, its horrid. You are YOUNG.....and as little as you smoke, this should be easy for you. Its all a matter of WHO HAS THE CONTROL......are you going ot allow those cigarettes to rule your life? OR are you gonna take charge and kick them to the curb? I hope you are smart and quit NOW! We have so many friends that still smoke, but when we are around them, they don't "have it in our face" and we ALWAYS go outside! Not about to go that second hand smoke passaage!

I'm not addicted, I've smoked this little for the past year and a half. It's more of a social thing.

I was wondering how bad 2-4 a week is for you.

There are tiny fibers in your lungs that are there to catch dust and things. When you smoke, you damage these fibers to the point they die, In saying this, when you stop smoking, some of these fibers will come back but, unfortunatly from what I have learned, the ones that are damaged never come back so the damage is done to your lungs but may not get worse once you quite. Could save you a few years.

Interesting,

No doubt, there are many different thoughts on smoking and the impact on our health, but cancer is only the most common disease to hit smokers, but what about heart disease and empysema?

You say your family smokes and do not have cancer, yet how do you know, are they 90 plus years old? Cancer can strike at any time, and there are millions walking around with cancer who don't know about it yet, so never assume you are safe by your parents health at this moment in time, diagnosis of cancer is often times too late, and it is one of the most cruel of all diseases as it can be slow to progress.

Heart disease is another health issue which can go undetected until you drop dead of a heart attack. Look at Tim Russert of meet the press fame, he had a complete stress test examination a couple weeks before he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. So again, don't assume you are not prone to smoking related diseases just because your parents seem healthy, you never know.

In my opinion, emphysema is the one that scared me into stopping. The reason was, I watched my Mother sufficate every day for three years until she finally gave up with no cure, and she never smoked a day in her life, but my Father did, so talk about the dangers of second hand smoke, it is not something you want to be around if you want to live a long life. She descibed it as drowing every day, and as a kid, I did drown, but fortunately was brought back by lifeguard, but I will never forget that feeling when you gasp for air and there was none, then total blank, sort of a silent peace, and I imagine that is what death is like.

Simply put, cancer is the least of my worry, drowning every day would be a living hell, and since you can live with cancers and heart disease for many years, the pain can be handled with drugs, but with emphysema, there is nothing you can do other than suck on an oxygen tank extending your total misery, as was the case with my Mother. My Father died of heart attack at 46, so my Mother was only exposed to second hand smoke for 25 years, yet look what it did to her.

Bottom line, your body is telling you it does not want your to smoke, pain is the signal, so don't ignore it. Everyone can remember their first drag on a cancer stick like it was yesterday, the pain, the choking and coughing, and yet almost everyone will ignore this and keep smoking. Sad, but true, I did, and most I know did. I was talking with a friend yesterday and he found a black spot on lung xrays, and he never smoked either, yet subjected to second hand smoke much of his life, so never say never, you never know when cancer, heart disease or emphysema will stike.

As one who tried everything to stop over the years, I finally kicked nicotine addiction with new electronic cigarettes, so if you feel you must smoke, switch to a non tobacco no second hand smoke alternative, and dial down your nicotine level and in two months you can kick it, and if those who feel they need to continue smoking, you can, without the cacinogens or nicotine, so the best of both worlds is now a reality, safe cigarettes, so no more excuses that you can't quite, I did.

Remember, Wealth Without Health is Worthless

hi there i wouldnt worry too much 4 ciggarettes a week is nothing .people smoke 4cigs in 1 hour
but then again smoking is bad altogether its not reccommended to any1
i doubt you have done any damage at all really
its heavy smokers who do the most damage to themselfs
just as a guess id say you will recover fine but im not a professional lol

Take a fools advice, quit while you can!! I smoked anywhere from 1/2 pack to 2 packs a day for 30 years. I'm now 3 days smoke free. I put them down cold turkey and can ALREADY tell the difference in my health. I can breath better, I can taste food again, I can even smell true smells again. My mind was made up to quit, so I'm praying that the habit won't come back to haunt me. However, this has been a long and winding road to get to where I am. I cannot think of one good thing to say about smoking, not ONE. I can think of many things to say about quitting: save money, stop hummiliating yourself by stinking so badly everywhere you go, keep from harming your loved ones with second hand smoke, breath better, sleep better, function better, walking without wheezing and becoming breathless, able to inhale all the way without coughing up half a lung, I could go on and on...SMOKING is a disease, a horrible controlling habit. Give it up while you still can. If you can. It's not an easy thing to do. The damage it does is real and takes a long time to reverse, if it reverses at all.

it is medically proved that having a maximum of 5 cigarettes a day is not damaging your lungs. however, for those who have more, lungs do eventually cure, of course depending on the damage that's been done to them.

i have been smoking 20-30 cigs a day for 7 years and on the lungs x-ray there's no evidence of any damage that would look worst then having caught a plain old cold.

i am sure of that, cos i am forced to do a lot of medical tests every 2-6 months cos im a program because i suffer from arthritis.

also, because of the treatment i take for arthritis, i have almost no immune system left..

look for those of you who smoke and think just a few or once in awhile doesn't hurt anything...you are only fooling yourself!!!.
I have smoked for over thirty years. it started as a cool thing / part of the cool group/ I liked the high..blah blah blah. I am now on my second week of no cigs..not one...for the efirst time in over thirty years...I feel better about myself then I ever have.. No longer do I smell of that rancid odor...and believe me. once you have truly stopped for just a few days. you know what that smell is....for those of you thata only have a couple a day or a couple a week... I have one question......WHY?????? the risk is not worth the reward.. be smarter then that!! when I was a kid we didn't know of all the issues like we do today. If you think your a smart person / strong person/ or just one that wants to live...just hang it up now...your choice...cigs? or life?....I'm going with the life...Yea, I've only gone a week and 1/2...I have a long way to go...count on me making it....I've never gone more then a day or a few hours....if any of you need help or a support person....I will be willing...

All you can do is hope. Every body is different, and it is encouraging to think about how good you feel when you don't have smoke in your body. Exercise will surely help. As far as damage, I think some is reversible. Some probably isn't. The alveoli are air filled sacs and they become damaged from smoke and I doubt they have the ability to repair. I once did a report on lungs and they are a beautiful organ and I said I would never smoke. Unfortunately, I've smoked weed for 6 years and cigarettes for 9 months. I think the damage from the 9 months of cigs is far worse than the 6 years of weed. I probably smoked 10 cigs a day on average for the last 9 months, and believe me, I have no grip in my lungs right now and it is hard for me to play basketball or ice skate. I am quitting TODAY and I can only pray to God things get better. I have heard the lungs will completely repair themselves in 10 years, but I don't know how accurate that is. I want to consult an expert. It's funny, WebMD is awful in the explanations of what smoking does. I think that's because it is different for everyone. The rejuvenation of my lungs is my focus now.

Ive smoked between 2-4 packs a day for over 50 years... started at 14, i'm 65 now. I quit 5 days ago and now when i get up in the morning guess what....... NO COUGH !! It's wonderful... yes i crave having a cig, but there is NO WAY im putting those things back in my mouth again. I cleaned my vehicle, my house, and all my clothes... after smelling people who smoke now, all i can say is, I must have smelled horrible.. how embarassing.
Please.. if you are young.... dont start, and if you already smoke..... quit quit quit !! God bless and good luck to all

Wow, talk about cold turkey, this is a great example of determination to stop smoking. I congratulate you for committing to stop, it is not easy, but you know you have to do it, and each day you will feel better and better, so stick with it.

I stopped smoking 3 months ago. Previously I quit 3 times for 6 months (was up to 2 packs a da) and 3 years ago I quit for 11 months (never over 3/4 pack a day- see tip below). This time it is for real. I am 56, started when I was 19. Father-in-law is dying- hospice comes in now. He can't get enough oxygen to remain fully awake anymmore. I have a tip for stopping that helped me eveytime. Keep a small rectangle of paper inside the cellepane wrapper-new one each day. Write down the time everytime you light one up. It will decrease your smoking in half right away. After a few weeks try to wait an hour between light ups. Try to extend the or to decrease the number smoked by one a day. Doctor told me once you get to 6 or less a day- you are no longer hooked on the nicotene-it is habit only. I quit cold turkey when I got to 10. Feeling much better but not like I did when I quit for 11 months- hope my lungs can repair but can't be worse than not quitting. Good luck to anyone who quits.

Hey All,
In my 3rd month thought I would post an update.
NO GIGS!!! after 30 years. I am now running..up to 2.25 miles per day. feeling like i'm in my 20's again!...
OH, What a great feeling of strength, self esteem,

You can recover 23 years 3 packs aday
Now ive been racing cross ccountry mountainbikes and 24hr endurance races
for about 5 years, plan on doing 3 24hr solo races this year . Im 45. Life is good now.
I want to incourage all you smokers out there
Just find away to take back control of your life. I used actupunture and made it work!
GOD BLESS ALL

Hello, I am 19 and started smoking when I was 17. I just quit but was up to almost two packs a day. Now that I've quit I DO worrie about the damage I caused myself. I have been struggeling on and off with this for about three weeks. Typicall medications to help me quit, well then scare me. I hate medication. I wont even take a tylenol for a headache and when I'm sick I have to be dragged to the docters.
Since I'm so young, and haven't been smoking all that long, are my chances of healing higher? Or does it not matter? I mean, I don't know what I'm really asking. Guess its just nice to find an online community full of fellow supporters. Reading what everyone has to say has really blessed my heart and helped me keep on the road to quiting. I am four days smoke free and feel better then I have in a while. Thanks for all the adivce you guys give out and the support!

WOW!!!!! i quit smoking after 16,002 years..smoking at least 7 packs a day..thats 112,014 PACKS!!!! i've been smoke free for just 5 minutes and NOW I CAN RUN 16,000!!! I CAN FLY AROUND LIKE SPACE JAM!!! WOWOWOWOOWOWOWHOOOAAA

there is always a wise acer in the pack and you fit it to a tee. Proably never smoked in his life.

I used an electronic cigarette to quit.