If I quit smoking now what are my chances of getting a smoke related illness?

If you quit smoking right now…
• In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
• In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
• In 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
• In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
• In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
• In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
• In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.
• In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
• In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
• In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.

(source)

I’m trying to quit too, so thanks for the great question! And thanks for the excellent answer jonno! I’m gonna cut and paste it to my forehead or something!!!

Quitting has to be good for your body. However there is some irreparable damage done. While in the University I helped dissect out, freeze dry amd make thin slices of human lungs. Some of the lung owners were exhaling when they died, others had not smoked for years. All had damage. Some just a lot worse then others. If you, jonno and iSteve could stand beside me for an hour looking at what I was looking at, you wouldn’t need a note of your forehead. You would just quit.

What about smokers of other things,...pot for example. Same risks? Same effects when getting off? I have lots of students who thought pot was an altogether different situation from tobacco. Is it?

there are different additional risks from smoking cannabis for example there is no risk of tobacco smokers suffering from cannabis induced psychosis. It has been linked to an increase in depression and schizophrenia.

As for lung disease I have read at least on study that found smoking one joint a day did more damage to the lungs than 20 cigarettes. It was speculated the heightened risk may be connected to the fact that cannabis smokers inhale more deeply and for longer. In some cases canabis users are being diagnosed with bullous disease – a form of emphysema 20 years earlier than would be expected.

Anyhoo good luck quitting. One benefit I found was my sense of taste improved no end and unfortunately my sense of smell (the London underground is overcrouded and is gets very hot!)

I just had a friend diagnosed w. stage IV lung cancer. That is, most probably, a death sentence. She smoked all her adult life (she is in mid 60’s) stopped about 11 years ago.. Not soon enough apparently. When one is young, you feel immortal, I know. Good luck, however, on a wise decision.