How can past substance use affect aging?

Q. I used to smoke, drink heavily, and do drugs in a major way. I am now 42. I have an occasional glass of wine (no more than a three or four per week). I quit smoking and do not do drugs anymore. Will my past behavior affect how I age?

A. It is never too late to make healthier lifestyle choices.

The health risks of using tobacco and overusing alcohol and illicit drugs begin to drop within days after you stop using them. How your past use will affect how long you live or the quality of your life is very difficult to predict. Much of it depends on genetics and whether you have also started making healthier choices. For example, follow a Mediterranean style diet, stay physically active as much as possible, schedule time most days for dedicated aerobic exercise and strength training, and try to manage stress.

If you currently have no damage to your liver, lungs, or other organs from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and continue to do so, then you likely can limit future health problems related to these past behaviors.

Cigarette smoking is not so straightforward. Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of heart disease back to baseline after five years. The risks of chronic lung disease and smoking-related cancers, especially lung cancer, have already gone down since you quit. And your risk will continue to lower with each passing year. However, the increased cancer risk never goes away if a person has smoked regularly for many years.

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