[BENEFITS OF QUITTING]

Two Hours After Quitting

  • Nicotine begins to leave your system. Some people may feel withdrawal pangs. This is a good sign. Your body is cleaning itself out. Hang in there. Within about two days all the nicotine by-products will be gone.

After Six Hours

  • Heart rate and blood pressure decrease (although it may take up to a month for them to return to their normal rates).

After Twelve Hours

  • The carbon monoxide is completely out of your system.
  • Your lungs work more efficiently and you can do more without becoming short of breath.

After Two Days

  • Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
  • Your breath, hair, fingers, and teeth will be cleaner.
  • Chance of a heart attack decreases.

After Seventy Two Hours

  • Bronchial tubes relax making it easier to breathe.
  • Lung capacity increases making it easier to do physical activities.

After Two Weeks

  • Your circulation improves, so does your confidence level because you feel good about your progress. You begin to think of yourself as a non-smoker.
  • Many withdrawal symptoms are gone.

One To Nine Months

  • Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease.
  • Body's overall energy level increases.

Within Two Months

  • Blood flow to your hands and feet improves, keeping them warmer.
  • Your skin looks healthier.

Within Three Months

  • The cilia (a hair-like cleaning system in the lungs) begin to recover and remove the mucous, so you can cough it up, cleaning your lungs and reducing the chance of infection.

After A Year

  • Your risk of lung cancer is reduced and you have less of a risk of heart disease.
  • In as little as five years, the risk of stroke can return to the level of a person who has never smoked.

Appearance.
Not only will you feel better, but you'll also look better. Since smoking stains your teeth, gives you stale breath and causes wrinkles around the eyes and mouth to appear earlier, the sooner you quit the better.

Your Bank Account Also Gets Healthier.
Giving up cigarettes is like giving yourself a raise. Think about it. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you could save around $1800 a year. Imagine what you could do with that money. Non-smokers also pay much less for life insurance premiums.

Your Confidence Soars.
Few things compare to the sense of satisfaction you get when you quit smoking. If you can handle quitting smoking, you can handle just about anything.

Adapted from: Life After Cigarettes. Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

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