20 minutes: Blood pressure drops to normal; pulse rate drops to normal; body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal

8 hours: Carbon-monoxide blood level drops to normal; oxygen blood level increases to normal

24 hours: Chance of heart attack begins to decrease

48 hours: Nerve endings start to re-grow; ability to smell and taste is enhanced

½ to 3 months: Circulation improves; walking becomes easier; lung function increases up to 30%

3 to 9 months: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia re-grow in lungs, increasing ability to "clean" lungs, reducing likelihood of infection;  body's overall energy increases

1 year: Added risk of coronary heart disease is now half that of a smoker

5 years: Lung cancer death rate decreases by half

10 years: Lung cancer death rate equivalent to non-smoker; precancerous cells are replaced by healthy cells; risk of other cancers (mouth, throat, bladder) decreases

15 years: You are no more at risk of heart disease than if you never smoked!