Stop Smoking Service

Giving up smoking can be very beneficial for your health and others around you.

Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK. Smoking kills around five times more people in the UK than road traffic accidents.

Smoking is known to cause lung cancer and heart disease, and it contributes to a range of other diseases and conditions. Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, responsible for 90% of all lung cancer cases. It is estimated that each year over 120,000 people in the UK die from smoking related causes, constituting around a fifth of all deaths.

In 2002/03, 26% of adults aged 16 and over in Great Britain were cigarette smokers. In the 2003/05 Welsh Health Survey more than a quarter of all adults (27.1%) across Wales reported being smokers and 30.9% of people in Blaenau Gwent reported being smokers

 

Give up smoking, and see the benefits, after:

20 Minutes

 Your blood pressure and pulse return to normal

1 Hour

 Your body starts to get rid of tobacco toxins

8 Hours

 Your levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine in the blood are cut in half

24 Hours

 Carbon monoxide is eliminated from your body, your lungs start to clear and your chance of a heart attack starts to decrease

48 Hours

 There is no nicotine left in your body. Your taste and smell start to improve and your nerve endings begin to re-grow walking becomes easier

72 Hours

 Your breathing becomes easier and energy levels increase

2 - 12 Weeks

 Your circulation improves throughout your whole body making walking easier

 

What happens When You Stop Smoking

Stop smoking and the body will begin to repair the damage done almost immediately, kick-starting a series of beneficial health changes that continue for years. Within 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal. After 8 hours nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce by half and oxygen levels return to normal. At 24 hours carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body and the lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris.

Long term benefits to your health after stopping smoking include:

  • after 3 months you will not cough as much and there will be a decrease in sinus congestion, tiredness and a decrease in shortness of breath and chest infections.
  • after 1 year of stopping the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.
  • after 2 years of stopping the risk of having a heart attack is halved.
  • after 10 years of stopping the risk of getting lung cancer is halved, and
  • after 15 years the risk of having a stroke is reduced to that of a non smoker.

For more information, contact the Stop Smoking Wales:

NPHS
South East Wales
Block A Mamhilad House
Mamhilad Park Estate
Pontypool
Torfaen
NP4 0YP

Tel.: (01495) 332289 / 0800 085 2219

Or Visit www.stopsmokingwales.com