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The American Cancer Society says that when smokers quit: Twenty minutes after the last cigarette, blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette. Eight hours later, carbon monoxide levels in the blood drop to normal. Twenty-four hours later, the chance of heart attack decreases.
After one to nine months, coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease, and cilia regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce infection. One year later, excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
After five years, stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker. After 10 years, the lung-cancer fatality rate is about half that of a smoker's, and the risk of oral, throat, esophageal, bladder, kidney and pancreatic cancer decreases. Fifteen years later, the risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker's.

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