Giving up the weed? It's easier in retirement!

18/03/2008

Anyone who had tried and failed knows just how hard kicking the nicotine habit can be - but new research from the Peninsula Medical School in South West England has shown that the point of retirement is one of the most effective times to quit. So it's never too late ...

A study by Dr. Iain Lang and colleagues followed 1,712 smokers aged 50 years and older over a six-year period, taking into account whether they were working or retired, and a non-smoker or smoker. Amazingly, 42.5% of those who had recently retired had quit smoking - compared with 29.3% of those in employment and 30.2% for those who were already retired.

Said Dr. Lang: “Retirement is one of the great transitions in life, which is why a greater proportion of people may find it easier to make significant changes in other habits. We are excited at the possibility that what we have seen with smoking may also apply to other aspects of lifestyle, like eating more healthily and doing more exercise.

“However, anyone who isn’t planning to retire just yet shouldn’t put off quitting. The sooner you quit the sooner you will experience the benefits - and when it comes to stopping smoking there’s no time like the present!”

Cynically, one wonders whether it really is easier to quit - or whether the state pension is so low that no-one can afford to smoke in retirement ....