Smoking increases the risk of a huge number of illnesses and diseases, many of them life threatening, but as this new infographic from Nicotine shows, most of that damage can be reversed by quitting. And the good news is that within 10-15 years, an ex-smoker’s risk of even the most serious diseases (such as lung cancer, strokes and heart attacks) will fall to a similar level to those of someone who has never smoked.
Also encouraging for anyone thinking about stopping is the fact that they will start to feel the benefits literally within half an hour of their last cigarette.
While the initial benefits are more minor (such as improved senses of taste and smell), the longer they refrain from smoking, the more and more benefits they will feel to their health and within a year their risk of having a heart attack will be halved.
Check out the infographic below to see the full timeline of health benefits and if you are a smoker yourself, perhaps this will give you the motivation you need to kick the habit.
