Have another hit... of fresh air

I'm stealing this post from Guinevere over at Guinevere Gets Sober. She found a calculator for figuring out how many years you've shaved off your life by smoking. Oh, lord. I did the calculator, and apparently I've taken off two years. I feel like Wesley in the Princess Bride when he goes through "the machine" and it takes off ten years.

But you can do some good by quitting. Amazing things happen to the body if you just let it rest from cigarettes. I need to quit smoking, soon. Maybe once I get home I won't have the triggers that I do now, and I'll be able to quit. I can't smoke if I'm driving cross-country with my dad (he wants to do it now, and that's cool cause he'll pay for hotels). He doesn't "know" I smoke. We don't talk about it, and I don't do it in front of him.

So here's what you can expect when you quit:

What happens when you quit smoking
(Source: Cleveland Clinic)

After 20 minutes
You stop polluting the air
Your blood pressure and pulse decrease
The temperature of your hands and feet increases

After 8 hours
The carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal
Oxygen levels in your blood increase

After 24 hours
Your risk of heart attack decreases

After 48 hours
Nerve endings adjust to the absence of nicotine
Your ability to taste and smell begins to return

After 2 weeks to 3 months
Your circulation improves
Your exercise tolerance improves

After 1 to 9 months
Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease
Your overall energy level increases

After 1 year
Your risk of heart disease decreases to half that of a current smoker

After 5 to 15 years
Your risk of stroke is reduced to that of people who have never smoked

After 10 years
Your risk of dying from lung cancer drops to almost the same rate as a lifelong NON-smoker.
You decrease the incidence of other cancers – of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas

After 15 years
Your risk of heart disease is reduced to that of people who have never smoked