20 Minutes After You Quit Smoking...

 I have seen this posted in my Doctor's office several times, and I always thought it was really nice to be able to see the progress you are making when doing something as monumental as quitting smoking. (I myself smoked, and quit cold-turkey when I found out I was pregnant with my first son, and haven't had one since). I think this can be really encouraging, so I wanted to share it with others who have quit, or are quitting, or are thinking about quitting.

Also, I wanted to let everybody know who fits into one of the categories above, that there is a new group for supporting you on Gather here http://nomorebutts.gather.com/ , please join and share your success stories, or tips and hints, or venting etc. every little bit of support helps.

20 minutes after your last cigarette- your blood pressure and pulse rate return to what they were just before your last cigarette, and your hands and feet warm up to the temperature they were before smoking.

8 hours after your last cigarette- the carbon monoxide level in you blood falls, and the oxygen level increases, so that both become normal.

24 hours after your last cigarette- the chance of your having a heart attack is lessened

48 hours after your last cigarette- your nerve endings start regrowing, so your senses of both smell and taste improve. Walking becomes easier.

By 3 months after your last cigarette- your circulation has improved, and your lung function has increased by up to 30%.

By 9 months after your last cigarette- the cells lining your airways have fully recovered, so that they remove mucus better, you cough less, have less sinus congestion, and your shortness of breath has gone.

1 year after your last cigarette- your risk of coronary heart disease is now half that of a smoker's.

5 years after your last cigarette- your risk of having a stroke is now greatly reduced, approaching that of someone who has never smoked.

10 years after your last cigarette- your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of someone still smoking. Your chances of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, gullet, pancreas, kidney, and bladder are greatly reduced, compared with a smoker's.

15 years after your last cigarette- your risk of having coronary heart disease is no greater then that of someone who has never smoked. Congratulations!