After You Quit Smoking - One to Nine Months

Quit Smoking Benefits:

Between 1 to 9 months smoke-free:

Starting as early as a month after you quit smoking, and continuing for the next several months, you may notice significant improvements in these areas:

• coughing
• sinus congestion
• fatigue
• shortness of breath

It's important to remember that healing from nicotine addiction is a process, and while some improvements are dramatic and happen quickly, others will come more gradually. My own sense of smell took a huge jump in sensitivity 8 months after I quit smoking. It was a surprise to me, and it reinforced the truth of the gradual nature of recovery from this addiction.

And the changes don't stop with improvements to physical health, either. Your confidence will soar as you accumulate more smoke-free time. Breaking the chains of slavery to nicotine addiction is nothing short of empowering.

Motivational Reading:

• 6 Months Smoke Free!
  For a shot of inspiration, read these personal accounts from forum members here at About.com Smoking Cessation.

• The Benefits of Smoking Cessation
  We all expect our physical health to improve when we quit smoking, but that is just the beginning of the journey that smoking cessation takes us on ...

For all of the work it takes to shed the addiction to nicotine, the incredible feelings of freedom and control you'll be rewarded with when you quit smoking are just the beginning of the benefits headed your way.

Smoking cessation will change your life!

Quit Smoking Benefits: 1 to 2 Years

<sub>Source:

2004 Surgeon General's Report: Poster: Within 20 Minutes of Quitting 27 May 2004. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</sub>