As any smoker can verify, giving up - and staying
 
smoke-free - is one of the most difficult things to do.
 
But if you are successful in giving up smoking, it is
 
not only one of the healthiest steps you can take, it
 
also decreases your chances of dying from smoking or any
 
related diseases. Just twenty minutes or so after
 
smoking their last cigarette, a person's blood pressure
 
will return to normal and after just two days of being
 
smoke-free, the chances of having a heart attack will be
 
reduced. The heart and lungs will begin to repair the
 
damage caused to them by smoking. And after two days, a
 
person who has just stopped smoking may also notice that
 
their sense of smell and taste is more heightened - and
 
may want to eat more, as food tastes better. Immediately
 
after quitting, a smoker may also experience some
 
unpleasant symptoms which are perfectly normal - sore
 
gums, coughing, irregularity and a temporary weight
 
gain, which is caused by the body retaining fluids. Many
 
ex-smokers also feel irritable or tired or find it
 
difficult to sleep. It might make you feel better to
 
know that these are all signs of nicotine being removed
 
from your body - most of it will have gone completely
 
within several days.
 
 
You will also have nicotine withdrawal symptoms and it's
 
during the first few days and weeks after quitting that
 
you will have to fight the urge not to smoke. Symptoms
 
of nicotine withdrawal often resemble a mild dose of the
 
flu and can include any or all of the following -
 
irritability, insomnia or fatigue, headache, sore
 
throat, tightness in the chest, dry mouth and lack of
 
concentration. These symptoms can be unpleasant - but
 
they will pass. After a few weeks, the worst symptoms of
 
nicotine withdrawal will start to diminish and the whole
 
process should become easier. You will find that
 
circulation improves and you may also find that walking
 
and exercising are easier as your body readjusts to its
 
new and healthier state. You will still probably have
 
the occasional craving for a cigarette, but after a few
 
weeks, it is a little bit easier not to give in.
 
 
Of course, the longer you are smoke-free, the easier it
 
is to stay that way. After a few months or so, the
 
physical longings for a cigarette will have diminished
 
to a large extent, although you need to be careful not
 
to lapse and have just one cigarette, which may then
 
lead to another. And the long term effects of giving up
 
smoking are something that shouldn't be taken for
 
granted - a far lower chance of getting cancer or heart
 
disease and perhaps just as importantly, a feeling of
 
accomplishment and pride.