Immediate Benefits of Quitting Smoking

While some benefits of quitting may take 10 years or more to be realized, there are some immediate benefits of quitting smoking. Here is a list of some the good things to expect immediately after kicking the habit:

• More Money in Your Pocket
  When you stop buying cigarettes you’ll have money for other things. Depending on how much you smoke and how much cigarettes cost where you live, this savings could add up. Even with a conservative $5 a pack price and a one pack a day habit, it would be enough to pay for a monthly gym membership or a one week stay at a nice vacation home.
• Less Nicotine in Your System
  The nicotine in the system is metabolized in the first 72 hours or so. While your body is removing this nicotine, and the levels of the drug drop in your system, the constricted blood vessels begin to relax and blood pressure begins to drop. This is only true if you are quitting without nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as the nicotine patch, gum, spray or lozenge.
• More Oxygen for Your Brain
  At about the 12 hour mark, the oxygen levels to your brain, as well as your other tissues will have returned to normal. If you have a chronic disease such as emphysema, these oxygen levels may improve but not be what they were pre-smoking.
• Less Bad Breath
  Smokers notoriously have a bad mouth odor. Stopping will cure this bad breath, unless there is some oral disease as well. Smoke odors on clothes and hair are gone as well.
• More Life
  After the initial 2 weeks or so of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, you’ll begin to appreciate more. Your sense of smell returns, your cigarette stained teeth and fingers clears and food tastes better.

  Resources:
  http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0207.pdf
  http://whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksAAddiction.html
  http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GuidetoQuittingSmoking...
  http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Benefits_Time_Table.html

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