Smoking increases your chance of stroke 2 1/2 times more than none smokers:
How Can You Quit?
Smokers have more help than ever before to help
them quit successfully. Talk with your doctor
about the best way for you to quit smoking. It is
common for people to use a combination of the
following: medication, replacing unhealthy habits
with healthy habits, and emotional support. The
following sections describe these tools and how
they may be helpful for you. Remember: The urge to
smoke a cigarette will pass in three short
minutes.
20 minutes after quitting Your blood pressure drops to the level it was before the last cigarette
8 hours after quitting The carbon monoxide in your blood drops to normal.
24 hours after quitting Your chance of a heart attack decreases.
2 weeks to 3 months
after quitting Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
1 to 9 months Your lungs regain normal function to clean the lungs and to reduce
after quitting infection.
1 year after quitting Your risk of heart disease is cut in half.
5-15 years after quitting Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker.
10 years after quitting Your risk of lung cancer is about one-half that of a smoker. Your risk for
cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas
decreases.
15 years after quitting Your risk of heart disease is that of a non-smoker.
