Smoking Timeline – Quitters Helping Quitters
Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking, and to let the Smoking Timeline website help you.
You are embarking on a journey that we hope will see you finally free of those damned cigarettes – living you with a healthy, happy, smoke-free life.
Smoking Timeline is a website of strategies to help you quit smoking. It’s about quitters helping quitters. Honest help from people who have been right where you are now.
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What Happens When You Quit Smoking?
Everyone who quits smoking goes through pretty much the same series of smoking withdrawal symptoms and quitting smoking side-effects.
This is what is known as the Smoking Timeline.
The timeframes, as you travel through the smoking timeline, may vary slightly due to the number of years of smoking, or how many cigarettes you smoked each day.
The Smoking Timeline
20 Minutes After Quitting Smoking
- Your blood pressure decreases,
- Your pulse rate decreases,
- Body temperature of hands and feet increases
8 Hours After Quitting Smoking
- Damage caused by carbon monoxide starts to reverse as the carbon monoxide level in the blood decreases to normal,
- Reduced carbon monoxide allows for an increase in blood oxygen level, back to normal levels
24 Hours After Quitting Smoking
- Your chance of having a heart attack decreases,
- You might feel strange,
- You find it difficult to stay focussed,
- You might feel restless,
- You experience strong urges for a cigarette,
- Your body is getting rid of the nicotine
2 Days After Quitting
- Your nerve endings start to re-grow,
- Your ability to taste and smell are enhanced
3 Days After Quitting
- This is the hardest – the peak of first three days,
- Your body is screaming out for a cigarette,
- Food loses taste again,
- Coughing increases,
- Constipation is a common symptom
4 Days After Quitting
- Your ability to smell and taste improves dramatically,
- Your breathing becomes easier
5 Days After Quitting
- Things get much better,
- Your taste buds come back,
- You are able to breathe much better,
- Your sanity returns
7 days After Quitting
- The good effects of not smoking start to show,
- Your teeth become brighter,
- You smell better,
- You might be craving something sweet
2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting
- Your circulation improves,
- Walking becomes easier,
- Phlegm production decreases,
- Your lungs become cleaner which reduces risk of infection
- Smoker’s cough improves and you don’t wheeze as often,
- Fatigue is reduced, giving you more energy
This short video runs for just over 1 minute and talks about the coughing you might experience while quitting. If the video doesn’t load properly, you can view it on youtube.
Several Months After Quitting (1-9 Months)
- There is significant improvement in your lung function
- There is a decrease in coughs, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath,
- Tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of lungs regain normal function – cleaning lungs and reducing infection.
- Your energy levels are greatly increased
The smoking timeline continues as your body keeps repairing itself long after you have quit smoking.
1 Year After Quitting
- Your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack is reduced by half,
- The risk of getting cancer is greatly reduced
5+ Years After Quitting
- Your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker
10 Years After Quitting
- Your chance of developing lung cancer drops,
- There is a significant decrease in your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas,
- Your risk of lung cancer is greatly reduced but remains higher than in people who have never smoked
15 Years After Quitting
- Your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack is similar to that of people who have never smoked
GET YOUR OWN COPY OF THE SMOKING TIMELINE.
See also: Why Is It So Difficult To Quit Smoking.
Smoking IS harmful to your health. Quitting smoking will have a positive impact on your health – as you can see by the above quitting smoking timeline.
Please consult your doctor for the options available to help you quit, and to monitor your health during the quitting process.
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H Gary, fantastic news. So proud of you. Well done.
xx
Today marks 2 years smoke free for me.I have had some rough moments along my journey, but for sure, very worth it.
So, my smoke journey has me set on a new journey….yup I put on a few pounds. On Easter Sunday I started my weight loss program. Today I’m 22 pounds lighter and half way to my goal.
Roger
Well done Roger. 2 years is an awesome achievement! Thanks for sticking with SmokingTimeline for your journey. And thanks for helping out other quitters along the way. What great work you’ve done on losing weight too. It takes self-control and persistence to quit smoking and to lose weight. You’ve certainly got both of those qualities. I wish I could lose some weight. Every time I start to, I have a set back, and end up starting over again. But at least I’m trying, hey!
Congratulations! Do some celebrating! Cheers, Don.
Roger that’s fantastic!!!
it feels great doesn’t it!
Sounds like you are doing really well with your new challenge too, but then we would never doubt you. Anyone that can give up the addiction of smoking has the will power to give up what ever they want. Quitting nicotine is one of the most challenging things to do and if you can do that successfully you can do anything you want to.
We’re all so proud of you Roger, keep the great news coming
Xx Fee
Thanks Don and Fee, It’s this site and the people like you that make the challenge of beating the nicotine addiction easier deal with. This site was and is an absolute lifeline for me…and I’m sure others too! I log in everyday to check on new posts and to do my part to try to help others and try to repay everyone that helped me.
Thanks all,
Roger
Great news about the weight loss roger ,can you share with us your method.Two years without nicotine is magnificent ,you have got it beat.
Like most things I do… I use a simple approach. Calories in vs calories burned. To cut calories I changed what I eat. instead of a hamburger I now have a grilled skinless chicken breast, instead of chips and crackers I have steamed veggies…I stay away from doughnuts, candy, pop, beer etc…Drink lots of water.
I also walk 4 to 6 miles everyday, that sounds like a lot of walking, but takes me about a 1 to 1 1/2 hour to do that.
Changing lifetime of habits are not much fun but when you see results of your efforts it becomes a quest!
I’m now back to my smoking wieght and I’m happy about that. I have a bit more to lose to meet my goal. Then it’s maintaining the wieght loss.
Roger
CONGRATS ROGER! I am so very proud of you =) I know how hard it is… and the weight gain. I gained 15 pounds from my smoking weight 16 months ago today… I was walking and doing water aerobics and the scales were NOT budging for me… I joined weight watchers 5 weeks ago and am down 13.8 pounds!!!!! Portion control/eating healthy PLUS exercise I found is the key for me =) I am feeling good about myself and it shows, had blood drawn last month for my routine blood work and the difference in my triglycerides and cholesterol is unbelievable…… I have joined a boot camp…. and a strength class – which both kicks my butt =)… I am exercising 4 days a week and not being idle at home.
Don… thank you so much for posting about my motto and some of my journey on the Smoking Timeline BLOG…it made me smile. I AM LOVING LIFE…breathing deep and smelling GREAT =) This site and those like you Fee, Sandy, Gary, Mary, Mums and Roger just to name a few have been THE BEST SUPPORT GROUP for me…THANKS!!!!!!!
As always… I AM keeping it real and keeping it SMOKE FREE!
-Kim
Thanks Kim, it’s nice to hear from you again as I always enjoy your posts. I’m glad to hear you have kept the monster out of your life for 16 months, along with beating the weight gain that seems to be part of the deal.
P.S. And don’t you forget for one second that you too are a very important character on this site as well…You rock, you’re real, you’re a hero!!!
Hi Roger,
I don’t post as often as I used to…I know that I should =) I used to post almost daily…you have been awesome because even though you have beat the BEAST you continue to log on here daily…I need to do the same =)
Hi ALL… today I am 16 MONTHS SMOKE FREE !!!! The nicotine monster doesn’t appear to be my challenge anymore BUT what does is the effect that that HORRIBLE poison stick has had on my hero… my SISTER who as most of you know is battling lung cancer…had a part of her lung removed, chemo was looking good and clean for a few months UNTIL they noted a spot on her spine… biopsy showed that yes IT WAS LUNG CANCER…they also noted a spot on her hip… she just completed 10 days of radiation… We wont know if it killed it until the next scan…she is 52 and is having to live with the IS IT WORTH IT… she called my little sister who continues to smoke and told her that it is NOT WORTH IT… unfortunately she continues to smoke…I am telling my story because as I look at my sister…. I think that NASTY thing that brought me such pleasure…(ouch that hurt saying) is bringing such PAIN to my family.
To all of those that have found this SITE … a saving grace for me in my time of need… PLEASE know that we all know what you are going thru…some of us had a really hard time, some found it to be easier than they thought it would be … BUT one thing that we all have in common is… WE BEAT THE BEAST…if we can do it… SO CAN YOU.
As always…I am keeping it real and thank God keeping it SMOKE FREE!
-Kim
Hi All
Hope you’re all keeping well and life is being kind to you.
Kim,
You are one of the strongest people I know. Although your little sister is finding it hard to make that choice, she will I’m sure. Seeing Sissy going through such difficult times is going to be having an impact on her. The thing with smokers (and we were all one once) is that if you try and push them in that direction, they seem to become more resistant and almost defiant.
From our own experiences we know that in order for someones quit to be successful, they have to REALLY want to quit, beyond everything else, so that no matter what life throws at them, it will not break their resolve.
State of mind is absolutely key and if Sissy’s illness is having as big an impact on your little Sister as it is having on you and Sissy she is probably really really stressed and worried. Although we all want what’s best for her and would be truly thrilled if she quit now, it may just not be the right time.
I feel I know you fairly well and know that when her time is right you will be right there at her side, supporting and coaching her through her own journey. No-one could ask for a better quit buddy than you Kim and when her time is right she will SO appreciate you being there for her
XX Fee