Quitting smoking is the most important step you can take to improve your health. Stopping at any age will increase your life expectancy, provided that you stop before you develop cancer or another serious disease. Only 18.1% of the Devon adult population still smoke, and evidence shows that over 60% of smokers would like to quit.
Health benefits
- Within the first 24 hours your blood pressure and lungs will be showing improvement.
- After three months your circulation and breathing should have improved noticeably.
- After five years, your risk of having a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
- After ten years, your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker.
- You will reduce your risk of developing illness, disability or death caused by cancer, heart or lung disease.
- You will reduce your risk of gangrene or amputation caused by circulatory problems.
- You will protect the health of those around you by not exposing them to secondhand smoke.
- You will reduce the chances of your children suffering from bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks, meningitis and ear infections.
- You will improve your fertility levels and your chance of a healthy pregnancy and baby.
- You will improve your breathing and general fitness.
- You will enjoy the taste of food more.
Other benefits
- You will save money – as much as several hundred pounds a month, if you’re a heavy smoker. You will no longer smell of stale tobacco.
- The appearance of your skin and teeth will improve.
- You will feel more confident in social situations – you won’t be worrying about the secondhand smoke you create anymore.
- As a non-smoker, you may even find you get approached more often by potential new friends and partners when out socialising.
- Your home and car will smell fresh and is likely to maintain its value for a longer time.
- You will reduce the risk of fire in your home and may pay lower insurance premiums.
If you’ve tried before and it didn’t work out don’t worry. You haven’t failed, you have just given yourself more practice for the next time you quit.
Research has shown that the more attempts you have made in the past, the more likely you are to succeed in the future. This is because every time you are getting more experienced in how to quit.Next time you quit spend a little longer planning. The preparation you do up front can make all the difference.
