What Happens When You Quit Smoking for Good?

You may be wondering, what happens when you quit smoking permanently? Well, there are many benefits you will reap as soon as you quit smoking. Some of these benefits will affect your health and finances while others will positively affect your social being and your relationship with the community or society. Despite the fact that you know some of the common benefits you would acquire, your addiction to nicotine has blinded you of the many important benefits you may get. If you want to know what really happens when you quit smoking for good, please have an open mind and read all the benefits stated below and hopefully you will find motivation in quitting smoking.

Acquire a Longer Life

In general quitting smoking will give you a longer life by preventing dreadful diseases in your body that is caused by carbon monoxide, nicotine and other poisonous substance that smoking gives. There are many sicknesses which you can acquire from smoking, from a simple ulcer, to a severe cough or cold or worse a lung cancer. Listed below are the positive gains that will happen when you quit smoking. So let’s review the positive health benefits that will prolong the life of a smoker once he stops.

When smokers quit — What are the positive benefits over time?

• 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.(Mahmud A, Feely J. Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification. Hypertension. 2003;41:183.)
• 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1988, p. 202)
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. 193, 194, 196, 285, 323)
• 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
• 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
• 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
• 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a person who continues smoking. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease, too.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164, 166)
• 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker’s.(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)

Immediate rewards of quitting

• Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you’ll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal:
• your breath smells better
• stained teeth get whiter
• bad smelling clothes and hair go away
• your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
• food tastes better
• your sense of smell returns to normal
• everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (such as climbing stairs or light housework)

This excerpt was taken from an article provided by American Cancer Society, you may read the full article following this link Guide to Quitting Smoking

So keep in mind those benefits. By the way clear your mind of the fallacies and myths that you will acquire several sicknesses after quitting smoking like colds, fever, cough etc. It’s NOT true, it’s actually the opposite. Even if you get those kind of diseases within the withdrawal stage, keep it up it’s just your body trying to heal itself.

Now that you know what happens when you quit smoking, don’t get hooked with a great lie that you will get sick when you quit, it’s a false belief!

You Save a Lot of Money

Effective July 1 this year, a pack of cigarette in New York will cost 11.00. Here at my place, a pack of cigarette costs 4.00. So how much does a pack of cigarette costs in your place? If you are smoking a pack a day, do your math, compute how much you are spending a year for your vice, and I know, you might be surprised how much money you are shoving for your addiction. This was one of the reasons why I quit, although it gave me the least motivation in quitting, I really regret the money being wasted each time bought those filthy cigarettes.

There were times when I was borrowing money from my co-workers or acquaintances so I could buy a pack of cigarette, how shameful those moments were. There were also times, especially if the store nearby does not accept credit cards, when I was searching and counting pennies and dimes just to buy a pack of cigarette, and how pitiful those times were. I am pretty sure some of you have experienced or are experiencing those sad moments.

But now being an ex-smoker and once again a non-smoker, things are different. I could always see coins lying around, in my car, on top of my drawer, in my coin purse, inside my office drawer and inside the pockets of my pants in the laundry. I am no longer stressed even if I don’t have a dollar in my wallet, because I know I won’t be needing it to satisfy my addiction. So what happens when you quit smoking, you will save a lot of money.

Earn Social Respect

Most countries now have laws limiting the smoking area in public places. Most common places are public transportations, restaurants, malls and airports. The world of smokers is getting smaller. Some countries that are still being lax in giving freedom to smokers are doing it because of the huge amount of tax they are generating from tobacco companies. But generally, smokers are losing a place in this world (I could get some wild reactions here LOL).

Honestly, non-smokers detest the bad and awful smell that smoking brings. I myself never liked the taste and smell of smoke when I was still smoking. Your fingers stink, your clothes stink, your mouth smells like a smoke pit and your hair and skin smells like cigarettes, disgusting I tell you. You could see people covering their nose when they talk to a smoker or avoid conversing with them just to avoid the foul smell of cigarette.

This was another motivating factor that pushed me in quitting smoking. I recall how people would cover their noses each time I ride an elevator with them; how people would look at me like a cockroach when, after smoking, I would enter the conference room for a meeting. But after I quit smoking, things have gone different, I became a part of society. I could speak with my co-workers with confidence, felt the difference with the people around me whenever I ride a bus or an elevator. I could talk and play with kids or carry babies without the worry of passing second hand smoke.

Smell good and look good, enjoy the benefits of becoming an ex-smoker by quitting smoking today.

Find Peace of Mind

Smokers often say that smoking give them  peace of mind, well that’s a lie and you know it. You feel that peace when you smoke because you’re calming yourself from withdrawal symptoms. How many times have you felt irritated because circumstances won’t allow you to smoke or you have ran out of cigarettes? How many times have you panicked when you see that you only got 2 or 3 sticks of cigarettes left? How many times have you gone out in the middle of the night just to satisfy your cravings of nicotine? And how many times have you been borrowing money or searching for coins just to buy a pack? Now, tell me, which of these circumstances or situations have given you peace of mind?

A non-smoker does not need nicotine to calm himself because he’s not an addict. A nicotine addict was made to believe a lie that he will find bliss when he puffs those cigarettes. But the truth is, the smoker is just trying to calm down his withdrawal symptoms by supplying his body with nicotine and the culprit that causes these withdrawal symptoms is of course nicotine itself. It’s a merry-go-round, you smoke to get nicotine, you feel peaceful and when the substance leaves your body, you feel awful, again you smoke to calm yourself. You will never attain peace of mind as long as your life is dictated by addiction and you will find this peaceful state once you quit smoking.

Gain the Freedom from the Slavery of Smoking

Freedom is priceless! Being a slave is the worst experience that a person can suffer. Believe it or not but nicotine have been dictating your life since you started buying those cigarettes. This is a fact and the sooner you can accept this reality the better it would help you when you decide to quit smoking. Every smoker is a slave and I have to admit I was also one of them as well for 22 years. Sustaining this vice and addiction is very costly, it makes us blind to the truth and discards in our mind the negative things that it is doing in our life.

When I finally succeeded in quitting smoking, life has never been better. I started running, I started saving money, I regained back my confidence to mingle with non-smokers and I never felt so free in my whole entire life. The foul odor and filth of cigarettes became a memory of the past and how I regret waiting for 22 years before I finally quit and regain my freedom. Aside from the health benefits, I think being free is the second most important experience that will happen when smokers quit smoking for good.

So now you know what happens to you when you quit smoking permanently and I hope you have already made the decision to quit smoking today.

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