I have smoked cigarettes for about fifteen years, or half of my life so far. For several years I have considered quitting. I have even tried to quit once or twice before, with little luck. Now that changes. I am done with smoking; done with constant congestion, done with compulsion, done with the whole mess.
So, now that I have smoked my last cigarette, here is what I have to look forward to:
- 20 Minutes from now my blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of my hands and feet will all return to normal.
- 8 hours from now my blood oxygen level will have increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels will have dropped to normal.
- 24 hours from now my risk of a heart attack will have decreased by 50%.
- 48 hours from now my damaged nerve endings will start to regrow and my sense of smell and taste will begin to return to normal.
- 72 hours from now my entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites will have passed from my body. My symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity and my bronchial tubes will begin to relax thus making it easier to breathe. My lung capacity will have also started to increase.
- 2 weeks from now my brain and body will have physically adjusted to again functioning without nicotine and the more than 3,500 chemical particles and 500 gases present in each and every puff.
- 1 – 3 months from now my circulation will have substantially improved, and walking will become easier. My chronic cough will have disappeared. My overall lung function will have improved around thirty percent.
- 3 – 9 months from now my sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath will have decreased. Cilia will have regrown in my lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep my lungs clean, and reduce infections. My body’s overall energy will have increased.
- 1 year from now my excess risk of coronary heart disease will have dropped to less than half that of a smoker.
- 5 years from now my risk of stroke will have declined to that of a non-smoker.
- 10 years from now my risk of stroke will have declined to that of a non-smoker.
- 15 years from now my risk of coronary heart disease will be that of a person who has never smoked. My risk of lung cancer will have decreased by 80 to 90%. My overall risk of death will have returned to near that of a person who has never smoked.
Sources for the above stop smoking recovery data include the 1990 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on the “Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation, ” U.S. National Institute of Health, Medline Plus