Quitting Smoking - The Rewards

Hopefully you have already quit or are in the process of quitting, but if you are still smoking, the rewards of quitting set out below may give you the motivation and encouragement to quit.

Health Benefits

There are many health benefits of stopping smoking. Initially you may have a tough time in the first few weeks and actually feel you were healthier when you were actually smoking. Sometimes in the early stages of stopping you may develop a cough as your body rids itself of the tar and toxins in your lungs, and you may feel awful, but don’t despair, once you have stopped smoking you’ll be on your way to feeling better than you have in years.

After your last cigarette,

After 20 minutes – Blood-pressure and pulse return to normal
After 8 hours – Nicotine & carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal
After 24 hours – Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body
After 48 hours – There is no nicotine left in the body
After 3 days – Your sense of smell and taste are as sharp as a non smoker’s
After 3- 9 months – Coughs, wheezing & breathing problems improve as lung function increases
After 1 year – Risk of heart attack falls to half that of a smoker
After 10years – Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker

Financial/Lifestyle Benefits

Hopefully the above health benefits will be sufficient to encourage you to give up. However you should also consider the amount of money you will save by stopping smoking and what this money will enable you to do in other aspects of your life e.g. you could take a well earned holiday.