I've Quit Smoking

Time Smoke-Free: 13 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 7
Lifetime Saved: 1 hour
Money Saved: $3.30

I'm feeling good. I've posted a few threads onto quitnet.com, I've started a buddy list on there, have already gotten some great feedback, GREAT resource if your looking to quit smoking, I get daily email stats like the one's above, which really help put things in perspective and keep you motivated. I have a good network to lean on if I get desperate or am having trouble. Thanks to Brian, Eddie, and Joey and everyone else who I've talked to about quitting and are there for me. I am ready, I am determined, I will succeed! I am going to the pharmacy at lunch to get some Nicotine replacement gum. I am going to try and keep the use of those to a minimum, but I think at least for the first few weeks, it will be very helpful to have some around. I've started a section in my personal journal to track my cravings and what triggered them, and how I feel about it and what I did to get over it. I think this will help me to pinpoint where I need help on and what I need to work on. Driving today was not too shabby, I LOVE my new stereo and I'm soo glad to have some distractions in the car, thats where I've always had the most trouble with smoking. Joey sent me this article earlier, and I think its another great way to put thing into perspective. I'll be posting here everyday during my quitting time. Thanks for the love and support!

Omar

What Happens to Your body if you stop smoking Right now?

I think one of the main reasons it’s so hard to quit smoking is because all the benefits of quitting and all the dangers of continuing seem very far away. Well, here’s a little timeline about some of the more immediate effects of quitting smoking and how that will affect your body 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.

So, you have more immediate things to look forward to if you quit now besides just freaking out about not being able to smoke.