Smoking / Tobacco Use
What Happens To Your Body If You Quit Smoking Right Now?
I think one of the main reasons it's so hard to quit smoking is because all the benefits of quitting (and all the dangers of continuing) seem very far away. In the heat of the moment, when every cell in your body is crying out for a cigarette, the short-term gain just seems to FAR outweigh the long-term thinking.
I'm not a smoker, but I totally get it!.... It's just like when I'm personally faced with the desert menu at our excellent local restaurant: Jeff's Maine Seafood. I know I need to slim down and should - for the long term benefit - pass on desert.... BUT... The immediate gratification of my favorite Chocolate Brownie Sunday is just too compelling.
(Maybe someone can come up with a list like the following one, that can help us curb our foodie urges! If you find one, my email address is lynda@sover.net ! )
Anyway,... Here's a little timeline about some of the more immediate effects of quitting smoking and how that will affect your body RIGHT NOW.
* In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
* In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
* In 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
* In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
* In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
* In 3 to 9 months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
* In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.
* In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
* In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
* In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
COOL~!!!
So,... Now you have more immediate things to look forward to if you quit now besides just freaking out about not being able to smoke. Quit now!
How to Quit
Here's some tips that we have heard from many patients who have successfully quit smoking:
Tips for Quitting Smoking
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Set a Date -
Get rid of your smoking materials the night before you quit -
Avoid other smokers while they are smoking -
Focus on one urge at a time -
Be ready for urges - plan what you will do when you get an urge to smoke -
Ask others for support
More information coming soon! Here are some brief comments........
Smoking has some obvious implications in dentistry - like bad breath, stained teeth, and wrinkled lips - a tendency to make your smile look 20 years older than you do!
But the serious complications created by smoking are more subtle:
Smoking makes gum disease as much as 70% worse.
If you smoke and have gum disease, your chances of heart attack are as much as 40% higher.
Smoking makes oral cancer a lot more likely in your mouth. Oral cancer is the 5th most common "killer cancer". Oral cancer is quite common and can look completely benign until it has progressed too far to be treated conservatively. In most cases, the initial signs of oral cancer can look like simple mouth sores, small ulcers, and red or white patches. In many cases, removal of oral cancer requires removing large parts of the mouth and/or face, creating very disfiguring cosmetic defects and/or speech defects.
Here's some local connections for more support:
Franklin and Grand Isle Quit Smoking Services :call 1-802-524-8484
Statewide Quit Line :Call 1-877-yes-quit (1-877-937-7848)
Here's another list ......
When Smokers Quit
Within 20 minutes of that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continues for years
20 Minutes
- Blood pressure and pulse drop to a level close to that before the last cigarette
- Body temperature of hands and feet increase to normal
8 hours
- Carbon monoxide level in blood drop to normal
- Oxygen level in blood increase to normal
24 hours
- Chance of Heart attack decreases
48 hours
- Nerve endings start regrowing
- Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
2 Weeks to 3 months
- Circulation improves
- Walking becomes easier
- Lung function increases up to 30 percent
1 to 9 months
- Coughing, fatigue, sinus congestion, shortness of breath decreases
- Cilia regrows in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, reduce infection
- Body's overall energy increases
1 year
- Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half of that of a smoker
5 Years
- Lungs cancer death rate for average former smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half
- Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is half that of a smoker
10 years
- Lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker
- Precancerous cells are replaced
- Risk of Cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
- 15 Years
- Risk of Coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker!