The Good and the Bad: What Happens When You Stop Smoking
When you are deciding to quit smoking you will probably weigh up the pros and cons of the situation. The pros would be all the health benefits that quitting smoking will give you. The cons would be the struggle that is quitting.
A lot of the time people put off quitting smoking because they never think that they will be the one to suffer the consequences of smoking. So exactly what happens when you stop smoking? There are both good and bad things that will happen when you decide to quit smoking.
Withdrawal Symptoms
The physical withdrawal symptoms that you experience when you decide to stop smoking are the result of nicotine residue in your body. A lot of the urges that make you want to light up are psychological. You feel compelled to smoke even though you don't really need to.
You associate smoking with pleasant things such as having a drink with your friends or relaxing after work. These associations will make you want to smoke more when you have given up smoking. What happens when you stop smoking is an increase in irritability and anxiety.
The worst of it will soon be over however. Once your body gets rid of the nicotine residue you will stop feeling the physical withdrawal symptoms as much. This can take as little as two days. It depends on how much you smoke. The rest of the battle is purely psychological.
The Benefits
What happens when you stop smoking is not all bad. There are benefits that you feel almost immediately. What happens when you stop smoking is an increase in oxygen levels in your body, in eight hours you will find that the oxygen levels in your body have returned to normal and all the carbon monoxide has left your blood stream.
You will be amazed at what happens when you stop smoking in a relatively short time. Your energy levels will increase after about three days as your bronchial tubes relax and you can breathe more easily. All the breathing problems you experience due to your smoking will clear up in about three to nine months.
In the long term your health will also be benefit. A smoker's risk of heart attack is higher than a non-smoker, a year after quitting you will reduce your risk of heart attack by half. After five years of being smoke free you will now have the same risk of stoke as a non-smoker. The road to recovery may be long but it's worth it.
