Lu Lu, I'm a looong time smoker myself, and I think the reason Dr's want us to quit before surgery is because anytime you have a general anestheia, they have to put a tube down your throat to "breath" for you. This tube is pulled out before you go to the recovery room. IF a person is a smoker, it COULD lead to problems when its time to breathe on your own after the tube is removed. I hope this helps.