Quitting smoking at any age will result in major and immediate health benefits. Giving up smoking will:
- Reduce the risk of getting sick from cancer or heart disease
- Save you money
- Stop your hair, skin and breath smelling of smoke
- Improve your sense of taste and smell
- Improve your fitness
- Boost your confidence. Once you have quit, you will know you can succeed at a difficult job and take control of your life
- Set a great example for the children around you
- Free you from the constant craving for nicotine
You will feel some of the benefits immediately, and others after a few weeks.
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20 minutes
|
- blood pressure drops to normal
- pulse rate drops to normal
- temperature of hands and feet increase to normal
|
| 8 hours |
- carbon monoxide level in blood returns to normal
- oxygen level in blood returns to normal
|
| 24 hours |
- the immediate risk of heart attack starts to fall
|
| 48 hours |
- nerve endings start to regrow
- ability to taste and smell enhanced
|
| 14 days |
- circulation improves
- walking becomes easier
- lung function increases up to 30%
|
| 1 month |
- most nicotine withdrawal symptoms disappear
|
| 3 months |
- lung function improves
- nagging cough disappears
- cilia regrow in the lungs, increasing their ability to handle mucus, clean themselves and reduce infection
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| 9 months |
- risk of pregnancy complications and foetal death reduced to level of non-smoker
|
| 1 year |
- excess risk of coronary heart disease half that of a smoker
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| 5 years |
- risk of lung cancer decreases by half
- stroke risk same as non smoker
- risk of mouth, throat and oesophagus cancer half that of a smoker
|
| 10 years |
- lung cancer death rate same as non smoker
- pre-cancerous cells replaced
|
| 15 years |
- lung risk of coronary heart disease same as a non smoker
- if you smoked 20 a day, you've saved $49,275 (assuming $9 per
pack of 20)
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Adapted from the
Quit because you can book
See also
Health benefits of quitting handbook
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