Cessation / Treatment

Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and quality of life. Non-smokers have a much lower risk of getting dozens of smoking-related diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD, including emphysema).

Here are some other good things that happen to your body once you stop smoking:

Within 8 hours

carbon monoxide level drops in your body
oxygen level in your blood increases to normal

Within 48 hours

your chances of having a heart attack start to go down
your sense of smell and taste begin to improve

Within 72 hours

your bronchial tubes relax and make breathing easier
your lung capacity increases

Within 2 weeks to 3 months

your blood circulation improves
your lung functioning increases up to 30 percent

Within 6 months

your coughing, stuffy nose, tiredness and shortness of breath improve

Within 1 year

your risk of smoking-related heart attack is cut in half

Within 10 years

your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half

Within 15 years

your risk of dying from a heart attack is the same as a person who never smoked

There are many other good reasons to quit smoking:

You'll set a good example for your children
Your smoking will no longer affect the health of people around you
You'll pay lower life insurance premiums
You'll have more energy to do the things you love
You'll have more money to save or to spend on other things - a pack of cigarettes a day adds up to more than $3,000 a year!
Cigarettes will no longer control your life

What are your reasons to quit smoking? Write them down and share them with friends and family or post them on the fridge.

Find a tobacco intervention program near you

SMOKER'S HELPLINE: 1-877-513-5333 or www.smokershelpline.ca

The Lung Association of Nova Scotia - Smoking Cessation

To find out more about programs in HRM please call 424-2025, or visit Capital Health (click on Capital Health A – Z, then click on Tobacco Intervention Program)