Quit Smoking Help

The quit smoking timeline shows the positive results of quitting smoking on the person’s health and well being. Even if quitting poses so many challenges, the benefits are immediate and noticeable in as little of 20 minutes. The timeline below will help you understand the transformations that occur in the body after you quit smoking.

In 20 minutes the heart rate decreases and so does the blood pressure. More blood is pumped towards the extremities, so that your hands and feet become warmer.

In 8 hours the carbon monoxide level in the blood gets to normal. Carbon monoxide interferes with the blood’s ability to transport oxygen. Once there is less carbon monoxide, the oxygenation of the cells improves all over the body system.

After 24 hours of quitting smoking, the risk of suffering a heart attack drops.

After 48 hours, the sense of taste and smell improves.

Between 2 weeks and 3 months, the blood circulation improves and so does the energy level. You’ll be walking without panting or feeling exhausted. The lung functions change for the better, and by now the phlegm production will have dropped.  Coughing and wheezing gradually go away.  The improvement continues for the following nine months as the lungs regain normal function.

After 1 year of staying nicotine-free, the quit smoking timeline looks even more promising. The risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack is 50% lower than that of a smoker.

Between 5 and 15 years after quitting, the risk of stroke lowers to that of a non-smoker.

In 10 years, the risk of lung, mouth, throat, bladder, kidney and pancreas cancer decreases considerably. Nevertheless, for lung cancer the risk still remains higher than for people who have never smoked.

In 15 years, a former smoker has almost the same life expectancy as a non-smoker.

What does this quit smoking timeline mean to you?

It is difficult for a heavy smoker to quit because of the physical addiction on nicotine and the psychological dependency on the smoking habit. This is probably the reason why so many people don’t pay too much attention to the above mentioned benefits resulting from a cigarette-free life.

Unless you have the desire to quit and you act on it RIGHT NOW chances of actually quitting smoking are really low. Only someone who’s become convinced that his/her life is not going in the right direction and that personal health is decaying with every single cigarette will be strong enough to quit.

It’s not going to be easy, but it’s doable. There are millions of people who’ve succeeded to quit smoking successfully, and have significantly improved their health condition.

How to succeed in the Quit Smoking Timeline

There is not one single success formula. Yet, what seems to be of paramount importance is that you get psychological and emotional support from your therapist, your family and a therapy group eventually.

The struggle is difficult but there are lots of aids along the way that you can make good use of. Then, you’ll start experiencing on your own the benefits in the above quit smoking timeline.