In many cases it is very difficult for someone who is addicted to smoking to simply stop. Fortunately, quitting smoking provides many benefits to the human body. These benefits can be a great motivation to quit smoking. Did you know that the risk of developing a serious disease can be as small as for someone who has never smoked? For that reason alone, it is always worth a try to quit smoking.
Physical consequences of quitting smoking
When you stop smoking, the body immediately starts removing harmful substances. This can be very difficult in the beginning, because you will have to deal with withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, quitting smoking actually provides many health benefits.Physical consequences of quitting smoking
| Time | Physical consequences |
| 8 o’clock | The oxygen concentration in the blood increases. This reduces the risk of a thrombosis or heart attack. |
| 24 hours | All carbon monoxide is out of the body. The lungs are immediately cleaning themselves up. This can cause you to cough a lot. Blood pressure and the risk of a heart attack decrease. |
| 48 hours | All nicotine is out of the body. The sense of taste and smell has already greatly improved. |
| 72 hours | Breathing becomes easier. You notice that you have more energy than before. |
| 1 week | Around this time you may experience strong withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches and sore throat. Lung function has already improved compared to a smoker. |
| 1 month | Blood circulation is greatly improved. This also applies to the condition. Around this period, people often feel the need to snack more to replace smoking. If you have this need, eat something healthy. Otherwise, you run the risk of a large gain in weight. |
| 2 months | The need to smoke will become much less from now on. Physically you will hardly suffer from withdrawal symptoms anymore. However, mentally it will still be very difficult. |
| 3 to 9 months | During this period you will notice major physical benefits from quitting smoking. The condition has improved greatly, and breathing problems will virtually disappear. You will catch colds less often. If you do have a cold, it is less severe and shorter than for a smoker. |
| 1 year | The risk of cardiovascular disease is halved after one year. |
| 5 years | The risk of mouth and esophageal cancer is halved. |
| 5 to 15 years | The risk of a stroke is now just as small as for someone who has never smoked. |
| 10 years | The risk of lung cancer is now twice as high as for someone who has never smoked. |
| 20 years | After 20 years, the risk of lung cancer is the same as for someone who has never smoked. |
Fertility
Smoking has a negative effect on the fertility of both men and women. By quitting smoking you reduce the risk of fertility problems. Men who quit smoking also have a lower risk of impotence.
Miscarriage
People who smoke are three times more likely to have a miscarriage than people who do not smoke. When you stop smoking you reduce the chance of having a miscarriage. This applies to men and women! The advice is therefore to first stop smoking before you stop taking the pill (or other contraception). You often only find out that you are pregnant after a few weeks. If you smoke, you are already damaging your baby in the first weeks of your pregnancy. During this period his vital organs are being constructed. All reasons to stop!
Cancer
Most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer. In 86% of cases, lung cancer is caused by smoking. What fewer people know is that smoking also greatly increases the risk of other types of cancer. For example, women who smoke have a greater chance of developing breast cancer. Cancer in the mouth, throat and esophagus is also much more common in smokers than in non-smokers.
Heart and vascular disease
Smokers have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and heart failure. Smokers also suffer from claudication more often. All this is caused by smoking narrowing the blood vessels. There will then be more pressure from within.
Damage
Furthermore, smoking can cause minor damage to the inside of the blood vessels. These then become rough. To repair this, a kind of crusts are formed on the inside of the blood vessels. This can lead to blockage of the blood vessels.