Quitting smoking is one of the kindest things you can do for your body. Cigarettes contain approximately 7,000 toxic chemicals and compounds, which find their way into your system every time you inhale! Smoking damages your lungs, brain, heart and all other vital organs. The good news is a lot of this damage can be reversed. Within 24 hours of quitting, your risk of heart disease will decline. Within two weeks, your lung capacity will improve, and within a month, the number of nicotine receptors in your brain will return to normal.

Smokers should be aware that their habit doesn’t only affect them, but also those they love and live with. Smokers produce second-hand smoke, via exhaled mainstream (active) smoke, as well as side-stream smoke from the cigarettes themselves. Non-smokers inhale this second-hand smoke, and this ‘passive smoking’ has harmful effects on the lungs and heart. If you’re a smoker, be careful not to smoke around your children and other non-smoking family members. Or better yet, ditch the horrible habit, and enjoy a longer, healthier life with your loved ones.