What Happens When You Stop Smoking or Using Nicotine
January 15, 2025
Choosing to break free from smoking and nicotine use is the first step towards a healthier, more independent future. From the moment you stop, you’ll notice the positive effects of your choice.
Quitting tobacco and nicotine in all forms – whether through smoking, vaping or using smokeless tobacco – has tremendous health benefits. Not only does quitting improve your health immediately, if you’re a long-term smoker or nicotine user, you could reap the benefits of quitting for several decades.
A CDC chart shows the benefits you receive from almost instantly after you quit up to 20 years after quitting.
| Length of time after quitting | Benefits |
| Minutes | Heart rate drops. |
| 24 hours | Nicotine level in the blood drops to zero. |
| Several days | Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to the level of someone who does not smoke. |
| 1 to 12 months | Coughing and shortness of breath |
| 1 to 2 years | Risk of heart attack drops sharply. |
| 3 to 6 years | Added risk of coronary heart disease drops by half. |
| 5 to 10 years | Added risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and vice box drops by half. Risk of stroke decreases. |
| 10 years | Added risk of lung cancer drops by half after 10 to 15 years. Risk of cancers of the bladder, esophagus and kidney decreases. |
| 15 years | Risk of coronary heart disease drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke. |
| 20 years | Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and vouce box drops to close to that of someone who does no smoke. Risk of pancreatic cancer drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke. Added risk of cervical cancer drops by about half. |
Source: CDC
Quitting Reduces Your Risk of Cancer
Nicotine use – especially tobacco use – is strongly linked to an increased risk of cancer and is a leading causes of both cancer cases and cancer-related deaths. One out of every three cancer deaths in the United States are attributed to cigarette smoking, as cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when you quit smoking, you lower the risk for 12 different types of cancers specifically:
- Bladder cancer
- Blood cancer (acute myeloid leukemia)
- Cervical cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Kidney and renal pelvis cancer
- Larynx cancer
- Liver cancer
- Thoracic cancer (Lung, bronchus and trachea)
- Mouth and throat cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stomach cancer
Additionally, there may be dozens or hundreds of other types of cancers linked to smoking or nicotine use, as it can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco, snuff, snus and dip is also linked to esophageal, mouth, throat and pancreatic cancer.
While it may take decades to understand the full link between vaping and cancer, early studies have found that vaping are not a safe alternative to smoking – in fact, studies have found that those who both smoke and vape are four times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who only smoke.
Quitting Helps You (and Others) Breathe Easier
When you stop smoking and using nicotine products, your lungs begin to clear out toxins and mucus. Within days of quitting, your cilia – which are tiny hair-like structures in your airways – start to recover and you begin to improve your overall lung function. You’ll notice a reduction in coughing and shortness of breath.
Long-term, when you quit you drastically reduce your risk of developing chronic respiratory conditions, namely chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. Over time, as your lungs continue to heal and recover, you’ll notice you have increased energy and stamina.
Additionally, smoking doesn’t just hurt your lungs, it also affects the people around you. The CDC estimates that each year more than 7,300 non-smokers in the U.S. die from lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke. This includes both the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette as well as the smoke breathed out from someone who is smoking.
You Can Do It
Quitting isn’t easy, but finding help is. There are a wealth of resources available to help you on your journey to quit smoking. If you’re ready to quit but unsure where to start, talk with your doctor about creating a personalized plan that’s right for you and your lifestyle.
In additional to your care provider(s), there are other resources available, including Tobacco Free Florida, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, your local Area Health Education Center (AHEC) or your local health department.
Additionally, if you are a current or former smoker, lung cancer screening could save your life. The USPSTF recommends everyone 50-to-80 years old with at least a 20-pack-year smoking history (averaging a pack per day over 20 years) and either currently smokes or has quit within the past 15 years should speak with their primary care provider about lung cancer screening.
Physicians at TMH can now detect lung cancer earlier than ever using the MONARCH™ Robotic Bronchoscopy Platform. The Tallahassee Memorial Thoracic Oncology Clinic is also the region’s only multidisciplinary collaborative care team that aims to expedite care for patients with suspected lung cancer or other thoracic cancers.
Each patient is invited to meet with our Thoracic Oncology Clinic team to discuss and learn about their proposed care plan. This condenses weeks of appointments and planning into one day, at one location.
If a patient chooses to move forward with their care plan at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, our Thoracic Oncology Navigator will coordinate appointments, diagnostics and procedures for the patient, creating a seamless experience for the patient and caregivers alike.
