One of the most common New Year's resolutions is quitting smoking. If you're one of the millions trying to live up to that resolution, you'll soon find it's not easy.
And the odds aren't good that you'll succeed, experts say, unless you are truly motivated.
Molly Fontana started smoking at the age of 18. In the 10 years after that, her habit had grown to three packs a day. It was only after she was diagnosed with cancer that she quit.
Fontana is now 50, and said that the only way she could have quit was cold turkey.
"At that time, you didn't have the drugs you have now, you didn't have the patches, you really didn't have the cessation programs that you have now," she said.
Said Hope Tzagournis of James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University, "The patient has to actually come on their own free will and want to do this."
According to Tzagournis, it is never too soon or too late to quit. The recovery timeline is approximately this:
In one day, chances of having a heart attack drop and the oxygen levels in the blood return to normal.
In one year, lung function increases by 30 percent and the risk of heart disease is cut in half.
In one decade, risk of lung cancer will be as low as non-smokers.
"It's really important that the patient understands that smoking is a damaging behavior to health," Tzagournis said. "Until people really realize that, they're not what we call ready."
Health concerns such as cancer often force people to be ready. Money, though, is another motivating factor.
A person who smokes two packs a day for 10 years will spend approximately $25,000 in that time.
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