Benefits of Quitting Smoking

It's never too late to quit. Quit smoking now to start feeling these benefits.

20 minutes after quitting:

• Your blood pressure drops back to normal.
• The temperature in your hands and feet returns to normal.

8 hours after quitting:

• The carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in your blood drops to normal.

24 hours after quitting:

• Your chance of having a heart attack goes down.

2 days after quitting:

• You can taste and smell things better.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting:

• You have better blood flow.
• Your lungs are working better.

1 to 9 months after quitting:

• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease.
• Your lungs start to function better, lowering your risk of lung infections.

1 year after quitting:

• You reduce your risk for heart disease by half.

5 to 15 years after quitting:

• Your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who never smoked.

10 years after quitting:

• Your risk of lung cancer is nearly the same as someone who never smoked.
• Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decrease.

15 years after quitting:

• Your risk of heart disease is now the same as someone who has never smoked.

If you or someone you know has smoked for a long time, it's still important to quit.