From Health Canada’s quit smoking website:
Rewards of Quitting
Almost everyone knows that smoking is bad for you but do you know all the benefits of quitting? For the vast majority of smokers, quitting smoking is the best single thing they can do to improve the length and quality of their lives. Persons who quit smoking immediately begin to reduce their chances of developing heart disease, cancer, breathing problems, infections, or being in an accident.
Former smokers also live longer than those who continue to smoke. For example, those who quit before age 50 have only half the chances of dying in the next 15 years compared with those who continue to smoke.
Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or early in their pregnancy reduce their chances of having a low birth weight baby. Quitting can also reduce the chances of stillbirth, early infant death, and improve the health of the woman.
Within 8 hours – carbon monoxide level drops in your body oxygen level in your blood increases to normal
Within 48 hours – your chances of having a heart attack start to go down sense of smell and taste begin to improve
Within 72 hours – bronchial tubes relax making breathing easier lung capacity increases
Within 2 weeks to 3 months – circulation improves lung functioning increases up to 30 percent
Within 6 months – coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath improve
Within 1 year – risk of smoking-related heart attack is cut in half
Within 10 years – risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half
Within 15 years – risk of dying from a heart attack is equal to a person who never smoked.
Go circulation, go! Go lung capacity, go!
i make squee noises when you tell me stuff.