Smoking Cessation
Ways To Enhance Smoking Cessation

• Get rid of all ashtrays
• Drink lots of water
• Avoid places with smoke filled air
• Keep track of how much money is saved
• Avoid boredom- read a book, see a movie, etc.
• Get teeth cleaned
• Reflect on reason(s) you are stopping
• Exercise regularly
• Call friends for encouragement
• Think of yourself as a non-smoker
• Each morning tell yourself that you will not smoke
• Eat a balanced breakfast
• Talk on the phone with a pencil in your hand
• Think about how much better food will taste

Quitting Timeline

20 Minutes After

• Blood pressure drops to normal
• Pulse rate drops to normal
• Temperature of hands and feet return to normal

8 Hours After

Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal

Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

24 Hours After

• Chances of heart attack decreases

48 Hours After

• Nerve endings start to return to normal
• Ability to smell and taste is enhanced

2 Weeks to 3 Months After

• Circulation improves
• Walking improves and Lung function increases up to 30%

1 to 9 Months After

• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
• Cilia regain normal function in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce infections
• The body’s overall energy increases

1 Year After

• Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s

5 Years After

• Stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker’s 5-15 years after quitting
• Lung cancer death rate for an average one pack per day smoker decreases by almost half

10 Years After

• Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of a non-smoker
• Precancerous cells are replaced
• Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidneys and pancrease decreases

• 15 Years After
• Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s

Benefits of Smoking Cessation

• Improved health
• Improved sense of taste
• Improved sense of smell
• Saving money
• Improved self image
• Better smelling home, car and breath
• Freedom from worrying about quitting
• Setting good examples for children
• Having healthy infants and children
• Freedom from worrying about exposing others to smoke
• Feeling better physically
• Freedom from addiction
• Improved physical capabilities

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