Within 20 minutes ………… you can expect……..

... your blood pressure and pulse rate to return to normal. The temperature of your hands and feet will also have returned to normal.

Within 8 hours ………… you can expect………….

......your blood oxygen levels to have increased to normal limits and carbon monoxide levels to have dropped to normal.

Within 24 hours ………… you can expect…………

...your risk of sudden heart attack to have substantially decreased

Within 48 hours ………… you can expect……..

.... nerve endings to start re-growing and your sense of smell and taste to begin returning to normal.

Within 72 hours ………… you can expect…………

......your entire body to test 100% nicotine-free with over 90% of all nicotine metabolites to have now passed through your urine. You can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. Your bronchial tubes will begin relaxing and thus make breathing easier, and your lung capacity will also begin to increase.

Within 10 days to two weeks.....………… you can expect……..

...your body to have adjusted to the physical functioning without nicotine and the 3,500 particles and more than 500 gases present in each puff.

Within 3 weeks to 3 months ………… you can expect……….

.....your circulation to have improved substantially, for walking to have become easier, and your overall lung function to have shown an amazing increase of up to thirty percent.

Within 1 to 9 months………… you can expect……..

.......any sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath to have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body's overall energy will have increased.

Within 1 year……… you can expect………………….

......your excess risk of coronary heart disease to drop to less than half that of a smoker

Within 5 year……… you can expect………………….

... your risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker at 5-15 years after quitting.

Within 10 year……… you can expect………………….

... your risk of death from lung cancer to have decreased by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack a day). Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is now half that of a smoker's.

Within 15 year……… you can expect………………….

.. your risk of coronary heart disease to now be that of a person who has never smoked. Your overall risk of death has returned to nearly that of a person who has never smoked.

Many thanks to the National Cancer Institute's "Smoking: Facts and Tips for Quitting" for their help in compiling this article.

Sean O 'Riain is also the author of the Bliss of meditation.

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