Heart Attacks

The risk of heart attack is decreases by 50% within 24 hours of quitting smoking, due to reversal of nicotine's effects on inducing platelet aggregation and vasospasm (in other words, nicotine makes the blood clot and a blood clot in the heart's coronary arteries causes a heart attack)...

After 2 years of abstinence from tobacco, the risk of heart disease is decreased to about the level of never smokers

Stroke

The risk of having a stroke or a brain aneurysm (bleeding in the brain) go down by 30-50% in quitters.

Benefits to the Resipiratory System

Lung Cancer

The risk of lung cancer is decreased by 80-90% after 15+ years of abstinence

There is no known effective method of screening for early lung cancer in former smokers or current smokers.

Smoker's Cough

Within three months of quitting, the smokers' cough disappears in most people.

Respiratory Function

Lung capacity declines with age more rapidly in smokers than in non smokers. Quitting smoking does little to restore lost lung function however after quitting the decline in lung function tend to parallel that of non smokers. In other words, quitting helps the lungs age slower.

Quality of life and other benefits of quitting

* Smell and taste improve within days

* Alleviates harm to others from side stream smoke exposure

* Fire prevention

* Increased work productivity

* Improved self esteem

* Cost savings: The expenditure for smoking 1 ppd approximates the price of a Porsche over a 30 year period!!!

Stop Smoking Recovery Timetable

Your body's ability to mend is beauty to behold!

Within ...

# 20 minutes

Your blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of your hands and feet will all return to normal.

# 8 hours

Your blood oxygen level will have increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels will have dropped to normal.

# 24 hours

Your risk of a heart attack will have decreased by 50%.

# 48 hours

Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal.

# 72 hours

Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites will now have passed from your body via your urine. You can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. Your bronchial tubes are beginning to relax thus making it easier to breathe. Your lung capacity has also started to increase.

# 10 days to 2 weeks

Your brain and body have now physically adjusted to again functioning without nicotine and the more than 3,500 chemical particles and 500 gases present in each and every puff.

# 3 weeks to 3 months

Your circulation has substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared. Your overall lung function has improved up to thirty percent.

# 1 to 9 months

Any sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body's overall energy has increased.

# 1 year

Your excess risk of coronary heart disease has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

# 5 to 15 years

Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.

# 10 years

Your risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is now half that of a smoker's.

# 15 years

Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked. Your risk of lung cancer has decreased by 80 to 90%. Your overall risk of death has returned to near that of a person who has never smoked.