Select a Medical Service | Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

There are many reasons to quit smoking. Better health is one of the most important. If you quit smoking, you will:

live longer
have fewer health problems
recover quicker when you are sick
lower the chance of being hospitalized
have fewer complications if you are hospitalized

Quitting smoking will lower your risk of these diseases:

Cancer. There are over 50 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer. If you quit smoking, you will reduce your risk of lung, throat, bladder and many other cancers. If you have lung cancer, quitting will lower your chances of developing another cancer.

Lung Diseases. By giving up smoking, you will decrease your risk of pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma combined. It can cause serious health problems and even death.

Heart Attacks, Stroke and Diseases of Blood Vessels. Quitting smoking will cut your risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes (or brain attacks) and erectile dysfunction (impotence). These conditions can happen when your blood vessels tighten, which can result from smoking. If you have had a heart attack, quitting will lower your chances of having another one. If you have congestive heart failure, quitting will lower your chances of being hospitalized.

Diabetes. If you stop smoking, you will reduce your risk of diabetes and problems related to diabetes, like nerve problems, kidney disease and blindness. If you have diabetes, quitting smoking will help you manage it. Quitting may even help you get rid of your diabetes for good.

Here are the health benefits you will gain in the minutes, hours, months and years after you stop smoking:

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
12 hours after quitting: The amount of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves, and your lungs work better.
1 to 9 months after quitting: Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease. Your lungs are clearer.
1 year after quitting: Your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who smokes.
5 to 15 years after quitting: Your risk of stroke is the same as someone's who does not smoke.
10 years after quitting: Your risk of death from lung cancer is about half that of someone who smokes. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix and pancreas decreases.
15 years after quitting: Your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as someone's who does not smoke.
20 years after quitting: Your risk of lung cancer is the same as someone's who never smoked.

Along with improving your health, quitting smoking will:

protect your children from health problems caused by secondhand smoke
improve your chances of having a healthy baby (if you are pregnant)
let you have extra money to spend on things other than cigarettes
prevent your chances of early wrinkles, bad breath, bad smelling clothes and hair, and yellow fingernails

Content adapted from the American Cancer Society’s Guide to Quitting.
Available at www.cancer.org

Reasons to Quit