I was stupid for smoking at all b/c I have asthma as well as scar tissue in my lungs. But I did smoke for over 25 years. Since I was a child, I've had several pulmonary function tests done. My small airway (where O2 exchange takes place) function was usually in the 20-30% of predicted. Less than a year after quitting smoking, I started blowing in the 40-60% range. So there was definitely objective evidence that I didn't just not get worse, I actually got better. I was able to do alot more, even though I was still exposed to a significant amount of secondhand smoke.

My mom smoked for over 50 years. She still smoked after she went on O2. It got to the point where she would take a breathing treatment, wear her O2 till she got back to her bedroom, take it off, go in the bathroom and smoke a cigarette, put her O2 back on and come back to the living room, gasping for air. It drove nuts (well, nuttier ) I would get so upset and frustrated. It was so hard to watch. I tried to remember that I am not so innocent myself. I knew a little of what she was feeling physically b/c my own breathing issues were fairly severe.

I tried to get her to quit smoking several times over the years, but she just couldn't understand that her smoking was causing her breathing issues. She'd say that she had developed asthma. (Denial is a huge medical issue for all of my family, myself included.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, while it is incredibly difficult to quit smoking, slowly suffocating to death is harder.