Countdown to Good Health
What Happens After you Quit
Did you know the health benefits of quitting start as soon as you stop?
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Your heart rate drops to a normal level.
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The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
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Your risk of having a heart attack begins to drop.
Your lung function begins to improve.
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Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
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Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
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Your risk of having a stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's.
Your risk of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, or esophagus is half that of a smoker's.
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Your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a smoker's.
Your risk of getting bladder cancer is half that of a smoker's.
Your risk of getting cervical cancer or cancer of the larynx, kidney or pancreas decreases.
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Your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a nonsmoker.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004.
