Healthbolt Graphics #1: What Happens to Your Body if You Stop Smoking Right Now
June 11, 2007 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Addiction, Announcements, Blogosphere, Cancer, Healthbolt Gear, Healthbolt Graphics, Paper, Science, Smoking, Treatment, Your Mind
(Click for high-res)
On July 19th, 2006, I published a post called “What happens to Your Body if You Stop Smoking Right Now?” It received 1/4 million hits within 24 hours, and a handful of comments. Since that date it has gained a life of it’s own, as it accumulates millions of views as well as pages and pages of responses from readers. With people either detailing their own successes/failures to put down the puff, or offering advice for those of us wanting to do the same, the comments section has turned into an impromptu support group, and forum for, discussing nicotine addiction.
I’m now pleased to offer this 18″X24″ graphic representation of the post, and the conversation it inspired. It includes the time line, detailing the physiological changes your body starts to experience the moment you stop smoking. The graphic in the center is made up of some of (they wouldn’t all fit) the reader comments on the article. I am selling a high-quality print. I’m also offering a free, print-quality, zipped .pdf file for download for the next 30 days.
Each poster is printed on 18″x24″ heavy semi-gloss paper using a roll-fed Xeikon 5000 with LED array-based dry toner electrophotography at 600 DPI with variable dot density (4 bit). This provides for exceptional print quality and much more reliable colorfastness than traditional offset printing.
Shipping is free within North America; allow two-weeks for delivery. If you’d like to receive these elsewhere in the world, or if you work for a university or other institution, and want a larger bulk discount (50 or more), please contact me here.
Free print-quality .pdf – 18mb download; unzips to 54mb .pdf (This link will work for 30 Days)
This work is published under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Nila I have stopped 2 years and a bit and I listened to allen carrs easy way to stop smoking ,it helped me to change my perception about smoking and helped me to see that the cigarette I had just smoked was putting the drug in me ,the nicotine to make me want the next cigarette in an hours time,so all I had to do was not have the next cig and that would become the one I just didn’t smoke and so no more drug (nicotine) to make me want the next one.
I think youre better off with no nicotine in chewing gum or patches as it is still giving you the craving for the next cigarette!.
Stop the nicotine and you will have no major symptoms of withdrawal after 24-48 hours and in that time keep remembering your escaping from a drug that you dont need!
good luck
Ask God to help too! I did-He answered
I quit 3 days ago.. cold turkey.. I woke up Sunday morning, and threw the last of my pack away. The past 2 days were horrible.. Crazy mood swings, intense anxiety, and chills/sweats. But, today, it doesn’t seem as bad. I still feel bad, but, I’m not going nuts like I have been over the past few days.
What a great place!
Smoked for 40+ years, 1-1.5 packs/day, quit many times, longest 4 months. Tried everything out there. Strangely enough the anti depression drug wellbutron worked well. Quit July 4th, 2008 taking Chantex. (Took it in May and again in June also but went back to smoking.) It is now working wonderfully and I can finally breathe again. Not taking Chantex now, just on wellbutron for angsiety and it also helps me stay calm. Will be off this next week. Going on 4 months and feeling great! Could not have done this without Chantex. Also stopped drinking coffee at first. Now only have 1 cup in the AM. Used to wait till I had coffee in the morning before I would have a Cig. Now my teeth are allmost white again!
Don’t give up! The great thing about Chantex is you are not putting nicotine in your body and if you do mess up and have a cig or two it’s OK. You just try it again, and eventually it WILL WORK! Good luck to everyone out there. Bob
It has been 29 hours without smoking, me to have tried everything on the counter, then I started in Canada called Champix, which is Chantex in the U.S. It really works the feeling you get after eating is gone I only have to deal with the habit, the what to do after eating. usually I would smoke, but now I go for a walk around the block, today I got into the halloween candies, and ate too much for dinner, so I told my husband that I needed at least three rounds around the block and after the second round my stomach started to feel better, less stuffed and more relaxed. I too have noticed that coffee does not smell and taste as good as it use to. I hope I can make it to 48 hours.congrats to everyone who quit and hang in there for the beginners.Catherine Ottawa Ontario
I have been smoking for 10 years and It has been 3 days since i stopped smoking..this is the first time I have tried to give up. I decied that I would go cold turkey and the effects have been amazing..yesterday I cleaned the house in 10mins.. before it would of taken me over a hour.. oxygen levels are back to normal and Im glad lol… my smell and taste has come back to normal..I urge anyone whos comtemplating on giving upDO IT..its worth it.. the benefits out weigh the effects of that feeling when you light up and inhale 4000 different chemicals..
I have been smoke free for 14 days after 22 years of 1-2ppd. I have tried to quit smoking before with no success. First time was about 2 years ago on a cruise and I did well until I got home.
This time I quit when I moved. Both times I found it easiest to quit when there was a change in my daily routine to help break the habit. I was going to use the gum and at the time had a sore throat and found that it added a tickle so each time I went for a piece of gum I decided to go for a Halls throat drop instead. I tried to stay fully aware that the nicotine would be out of my system if I could just get through the first 3 days.
As far as the leg pains mentioned above, I have had those as well. I am borderline overweight and when I was pregnant with my son, I had problems with restless leg syndrome. Occassionally when I have gained weight, I have noticed the same problems but they go away when I lose the weight. I have not stepped on a scale lately but thought that maybe I had gained that extra 5 pounds that seems to cause those problems. Maybe it is just the restlessness that is part of the withdrawal symptoms. Either way I am working on the diet and excercise but am glad to finally be free of the addiction.
I have not smoked for 12 DAYS!!! I have been taking Chantix and am AMAZED at how well it works. I started smoking at 15 and smoked for 36 years. I smoked a pack a day-sometimes more. Over the last twenty years I tried to stop many times-patch-gum-hypnosis-acupuncture-cold turkey-etc. I’ve gained some weight with Chantix (not worried-that will come off) due to a slight increase in appetite, and like some, the coffee I used to enjoy is no longer appealing, I now prefer tea. What I find interesting here is the way people who have used Chantix describe the ease of not smoking and having to deal with the “habit” of smoking. I understand. For me, it was strange to realize that most of my smoking was a response to something else. Get up in the morning-have a cigarette. Cup of coffee-have a cigarette. Finish a meal-have a cigarette. Get in the car-have a cigarette. Over the years I had trained myself to reach for a cigarette on cue. I’m feeling no desire to smoke. I am tremendously grateful for this medication. I truly believe I would not have been able to quit otherwise. I recommend Chantix to anyone wanting to quit smoking.
i just quit smoking and its been 18 days and i feel great i got up one morning and said no more and have not smoked since its hard at times but im doing very good
I quit smoking in 1975 whilst serving in the Army. That lasted 11 years and then inexplicably I started again when I left the Army in 1986. Now 22 years later I have stopped again…only been 5 days so far but I feel a million times better already. I just used will power but it is really hard especially more so this time (I think). I keep thinking of the £150.00 per month I am going to save and that keeps me on track.
I used to smoke for 7 years since i was 17 years old.My advice is cold turkey the only realistic way,cause it will come a time for you to deal with the effects of nicorette,patch etc.I had legs pain for two days,very nervous for one week,and now im in my second week without smoking.For a 1 pack and half per day,it hard to deal with cold turkey,but its something that really will help you for your life in the future.
I smoked for 31 years aand on average 1 pack a day. I gave gone cold turkey, but do have an nicorette inhaler, into which I put one cartridge aday. It keeps my fingers busy and when i get close to wanting a smoke out it comes and it helps. After 31 years of smoking, 5days and not one smoke.
Smoked since before birth, my dad was a chain smoker of sorts and mother smoked too. I took up first hand smoke at age 12 and have smoked for at least 33 years, 1 pack a day minimum. I have tried several methods incl. chantix and welbutrin – just did not work for me. With chantix, I actually doubled my regular daily dose of cigarettes, so I quit chantix quickly.
Effective the 1st of the new year, I went cold turkey. Threw away all of the smoking paraphenalia, including anything that is associated to cigarettes and smoking just to eliminate any triggers. The first 2 days were spent in bed, the only reason for getting out of bed were to eat, drink and use the bathroom.
I’ve been smoke free for 2 weeks now – I realize the withdrawal symptoms are my cells healing from the hurt I put them through via smoking and I realize that I must experience the withdrawal symptoms in order to heal. I do desire cigarettes occasionally and I catch myself. I remind myself that if I smoked a cigarette now I could make the healing symptom go away but it will return again requiring me to smoke more to be suppressed. I am not willing to around in circles with this most dangerous habit! I am not giving in even when I cry out of frustration (which is happening less often now), I know why I am crying and I tell myself that I am healing and this is part of the healing process.
I am trying to quit smoking. I hear people talk about their breathing problems. I wonder if anyone has problems with legs and/or arms hurting from bad circulation
Hi,I am in Autstralia and we call it Champix – I am 45 ,started smoking when i was 19,also a pack a day – my wife and I both stopped with Champix last year for 9 weeks,no problem – then we started again,due to being moody etc and taking it out on the kids.So this time I am stopping as well,into my 3′rd day now and going strong..I found it is good to stay away from other friends that smoke,parties,socialising etc.I also stopped drinking my morning coffee and switched to tea -I agree,this medication is top class,but your mind needs to be in control..
hi
i just quit 30 hours ago i have to say the first 24 hours where the easiest i am now craving but i have to say i just think of the reasons that i wanted to quit it is very hard but i kow i can do it and just writing this is helping me, i have been a smoker for 30 years. if anyone has any resources or anything that can keep me on track please help.
thanks
I HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS THIS MONTH INSPITE OF IT ALL I HAVE STOPPED SMOKING FOR 38 DAYS AFTER SMOKING PACK A DAY FOR 20 YEARS.
A CIGARETTE WONT HELP ANY OF THIS!
What about the quest zero nicotine. it still has the tar- but, if nicotine is not present could i try one of those every now and then.
and to TAMMY MURPHY- you have to keep yourself on track.
You can’t do this for anyone but you- YOU CAN DO IT. Of course I want a cigarette after not smoking for over a month. my boyfriend left me, my sister has lung cancer, i feel all alone- BUT I WILL NOT SMOKE.
stay strong and try taking it a day at a time. sometimes an hour at a time. just breath in and count past 3 minutes- your cravings should be gone.
NOT ANOTHE PUFF!!!!!!!!
Obviously one of the first steps that you will need to take is to remove all possibilities of having access to cigarettes from the day you start your program. You need to get rid of all the cigarettes you have in your possession. Many people like to retain one pack of cigarettes as something to fall back on ‘just in case they need one’ but this is setting yourself up for failure before you start
Im 21 and been smoking for 4-5 years. It helped me get through some things that I would have had a lot more trouble with otherwise. I just got my wisdom teeth out 6 days ago and haven’t been able to smoke as there are open wounds in my mouth. I knew before hand that it was going to be a difficult situation to get through but the vicodin they gave me helped. What really sucks now is that Im moving into a house with some friends that all smoke like its their job(not to mention my prescription just ran out). I wasn’t sure if I necessarily wanted to quit just now, but I feel like I already made it this far(its far for me) and I really should just quit. Im aware of all the benefits but Im worried that Ill slide back into smoking soon and won’t quit until I have a serious disease and its too late.
i have been smoke free for 5 weeks 2day!i started using the patches which were great but i havent used them for a week now. i decided that i was only replacing the nicotine when i really wanted to get off it. you have to be ready in your mind to quit smoking. i tried a few times before without success but i didnt really want to quit!!allen carrs book is amazing, it changes your whole outlook on smoking and was a great help. dont do it for someone else, do it for yourself. its not “cool” anymore!!!! and dont make excuses for yourself such as, everyone does it, or everything we enjoy is bad for us!!you no that a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine is a little different fom inhaling countless amounts of chemicals. if u injected what is in a cigarette into your bloodstream it WOULD kill you!!think about it!!!
Great chart, thanks!
“What Happens to Your body if you stop smoking Right now”, originally published by Wade Meredith, HealthBolt creator, has no accreditation by Liz. Pretty sloppy Journalism, plus Wade is brilliant! Download the Poster!
Hey iDoctor, I agree. I’ve never intentionally laid claim to any of the posts that I didn’t write. I think that when they (b5Media) changed the template and structure of the blog that these posts somehow ended up looking like I wrote them. No idea if it can even be fixed. But will mention it to the editors. Thanks for the heads up on this.
Cheers,
Liz
its been 8 days since ive smoked a cig. ive been a smoker for over ten years and ive stopped a few times along the way, but ive never been able to make it last. I turn 30 this month and I feel old. I owe it to myself and my family to quit before its too late. I feel the phys effects of smoking all the time…..winded, coughing, high bld pressure, stinky, $$. But the worst part is (and it really makes me sick) is that if I continue, I will be an old man looking back on my adult life with regret……regret that I was so selfish and weak that i couldnt just man-up and quit cigarettes altogether. I hate druggies, theives, lazy people, and junkies……but im starting to realize that ive been a junkie to Phillip Morris for ten years!!…A selfish coward that has become the very thing that i despise. ITS MY TIME NOW!!!! Im proud of my first week, and im looking forawrd to my clean/smoke-free future.
Its great that this has got people talking and sharing experiences – support like this can help people stick with it and focus on quitting. Having worked with many people quitting smoking via hypnotherapy, its a very individual process – in part influenced by the reasons why someone smokes (which can be very entrenched) and also by how badly they want to quit.
For many people hypnotherapy can really help them – its a tough challenge and you need all the help you can get.
Good luck everyone!!