Smoking is addictive. While it may have not taken long to become addicted to smoking, it takes time and effort to stop. That’s because tobacco products contain nicotine, a naturally occurring substance that can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Nicotine withdrawal causes uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms that last several weeks.
While this may seem discouraging, there’s good news. Withdrawal symptoms improve every day you stay tobacco-free. Not only that, but quitting smoking reduces your risk for several fatal conditions and diseases the longer you stick to it. As a general timeline:
- 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops
- 12 hours after quitting, carbon monoxide levels in the body reduce and vital organs receive more oxygen
- 1 year after quitting, your risk of heart attack is reduced
- 2–5 years after quitting, your risk of stroke may be no greater than that of a nonsmoker
- 5 years after quitting, your risk of mouth, throat, bladder and esophagus cancers is reduced by half
- 10 years after quitting, your risk of death from lung cancer is reduced by half
The journey isn’t easy, but worth taking. Don’t wait until the perfect time to quit—that perfect time is now!
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