Most people thinking about quitting can only focus on the problems they expect to experience. But virtually from the moment you quit your body will be letting out a huge sigh of relief.
Then it is all uphill from there. Within 24 hours your nicotine levels will be close to zero and you will be transporting more oxygen and much less carbon monoxide.
In just seven days your breathing will have dramatically improved and the small hairs will have begun to recover.
This knowledge alone can give you comfort and convince you that you have made the right decision.
After two weeks your throat will be feeling better, you will be losing that classic smoking discomfort.
Three weeks in and your body could cope with surgery, your immune system is making a recovery and therefore wound healing will be much improved.
Six weeks on and your circulation will improve.
Around two months your insulin resistance will be subsiding, basically this allows you to feel well, plus a host of improved physical functions.
Around nine months your sinus and lungs will be better than they have in years.
Inside just a year your risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke are less than half of that of a smoker.
It does take fifteen years for your risk of stroke to fall to that of someone who has never smoked. But don’t let this be an excuse if you are an older smoker. The benefits flow quickly to every part of your body, plus to your pocket through significant weekly savings, and your lifestyle, I.e. not smelling like an ashtray or having to stand outside in the cold to smoke, or skulk off to smoke so no one will know.
Your body has a remarkable capacity to tolerate various kinds of insult. Smoking thousands of cigarettes proves this. If your body immediately went into shock with your first smoke it would have done you a big favour.
But unfortunately you did tolerate the thousands of cigarettes you had, but only on the surface. All along, your cells and organs and every part of you has been suffering slowly, bit by bit, until you notice a lack of energy or breathing difficulties on exertion.
How long can you continue to fool yourself, to deny the obvious, you can’t just bury your head in the sand and cross your fingers hoping that you will be spared from the same diseases which have taken so many lives.
