According to the World Health Organization, there are immediate and long-term health benefits of quitting for all smokers. Beneficial health changes that take place:
- Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- 2-12 weeks, your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
- 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
- 1 year, your risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker.
- 5 years, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
- 10 years, your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker, and your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix and pancreas decreases.
- 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker.
If you want to know more about the benefits, read this page from the W.H.O.