Between 2 weeks and 3 months after that last puff, your circulation improves, walking becomes easier and your lung functions increase. After a year of being a non-smoker, you’ll lessen your chances of coronary heart disease by 50 percent, compared to smokers.
And the long term benefits are just as remarkable - after quitting for 5 to 15 years, you cut your risk of suffering a stroke to that of people who have never smoked. At 10 years your chances of contracting a multitude of cancers decreases to levels similar in non-smokers. At 15 years your risk of developing coronary heart disease drops to non-smoker levels.
Eight hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal, and your oxygen level in your bloodstream increases to normal. At 24 hours your chances of suffering a heart attack decrease. At 48 hours nerve endings start to re-grow, and taste and smell sensations return to almost normal levels.
Tell your family and friends that you’re quitting, and ask them for their help. They can assist you by not smoking around you, not leaving cigarettes out in your presence (out of sight, out of mind), and giving you encouragement as you work your way through withdrawal.
Another key point in quitting smoking is to get a support system around you. Although the bulk of the effort at quitting smoking must come from you - no one else can do it for you - you can surround yourself with people that can help you achieve your goal. Studies have shown that those people who have a strong support system are far more likely to succeed at quitting than those who try to go it alone.
The first step in quitting is not simply throwing out that pack of cigarettes, but preparing yourself mentally to quit. You must begin to think of yourself as a non-smoker, rather than someone who’s kicking the nicotine habit. What’s the difference? By stating that you’re a non-smoker, you’re announcing it as an established fact; it’s a statement of who you are, similar to saying “I’m a banker,” or “I own my own company.” It’s all about mindset.
But smoking doesn’t just affect the heart and lungs - it affects the entire body system from head to toe. If you’re a smoker, smoking will have a destructive effect on your health - there’s simply no way around it.