How Do You Prepare for a Quit Date? The Week Before a Smoking Cessation Program Starts

The pack is still in the kitchen drawer. The quit date is circled on the calendar, seven days out, and every cigarette this week has started to feel like a small farewell. Some people find this stretch harder than the quit itself: the waiting, the second-guessing, the quiet worry that they have signed up for something they cannot finish.

That worry is worth taking seriously, because the week before a smoking cessation program starts is not dead time. Knowing how to prepare for quit date week is what turns a good intention into a workable plan. Nicotine has been shaping your mornings, your commute and your coffee breaks for years, and it does not step aside just because a date has been chosen.

What follows is the honest version of that week: what the evidence supports, what it does not, and what to hand over to your care team rather than carry alone.

How to prepare for quit date week: why the seven days before matter

A quit date does one job well. It draws a line between “someday” and a specific morning, and that line changes how people behave in the days leading up to it. Guideline groups including the CDC and the NHS build their quit plans around a chosen date for exactly this reason: preparation only happens when there is something to prepare for.

Think of the week before as rehearsal rather than countdown. Smoking is partly a chemical dependence and partly a set of habits welded to specific moments, such as the first coffee, the drive home, the pause after a meal. The chemical part is handled by time and, for many people, medicine. The habit part needs mapping while you are still smoking, because that is when the patterns are easiest to see.

Preparation also front-loads the decisions you will not want to make on a hard day. Where will you be at 7 a.m. on the quit morning? What will you hold in your hand during the phone call that usually comes with a cigarette? Who will you text when a craving lands at 9 p.m.? Answering those in advance means the first week runs on a script rather than on improvisation.

Preparation works best when it is concrete, small and specific to your own smoking pattern. Broad resolve, such as “I’ll just be strong”, tends to buckle under the ordinary weight of a Tuesday. Written plans, named supporters and a cleared environment hold up better, which is why they appear in every mainstream cessation resource.

One caveat runs through this article. Everything here is general, guideline-level information. A stop-smoking adviser or prescribing clinician who knows your health history is the person who tailors it.

What actually happens in your body when you stop smoking

Nicotine reaches the brain within seconds of a puff and attaches to receptors, the tiny docking sites on nerve cells, triggering a release of dopamine, a brain chemical tied to reward and attention. Repeated exposure changes the number and sensitivity of those receptors, so the brain comes to expect regular nicotine simply to feel normal. That expectation is what dependence means in plain terms.

Remove the nicotine and the receptors do not adjust instantly. For a period of days to weeks they signal that something is missing. People experience that signal as withdrawal: irritability, restlessness, low mood, trouble concentrating, disturbed sleep, increased appetite and, most of all, the urge to smoke. The CDC describes these as common, temporary and strongest in the first days after quitting.

A craving itself is shorter than most people expect. The Mayo Clinic notes that individual urges typically pass within about 5 to 10 minutes whether or not you act on them. That single fact reshapes the task: you are not being asked to resist for a month, you are being asked to get through ten-minute windows, many of which will be far shorter.

Alongside withdrawal, recovery starts quickly. According to the WHO, heart rate begins to settle within about 20 minutes of the last cigarette, and carbon monoxide levels in the blood fall to normal within about 12 hours. Carbon monoxide is the odorless gas in smoke that crowds oxygen out of red blood cells, so its clearance is one of the first measurable gains.

Stop-smoking medicines work on the receptor side of this picture. Nicotine replacement gives the receptors a controlled supply without smoke; other prescription classes reduce how strongly the receptors respond or ease the reward loop. Behavioral support works on the habit side. The evidence consistently favors using both, which is why cessation programs typically offer both.

Does setting a quit date work?

Yes, with a nuance worth understanding. A fixed date is a core element of the quit plans published by the CDC, the NHS and the National Cancer Institute’s Smokefree.gov, all of which advise choosing a day within roughly the next two weeks. The reasoning is practical: near enough to keep momentum, far enough to prepare.

Where the evidence gets more interesting is the comparison between planned quits and spontaneous ones. Some people do stop successfully on impulse, and surveys of former smokers include plenty of them. What the research does not support is the idea that spontaneous quitting is superior for everyone. What it does support, repeatedly, is that support and medicine improve outcomes regardless of how the decision was made. The NHS states that people are up to three times more likely to stop for good with the right support than by going it alone.

A quit date earns its keep in three ways. It creates a deadline for logistics such as clearing the house and booking a first support session. It allows prescribed medicines that need a run-in period to be timed correctly by the prescriber. And it gives you a clear before-and-after, which makes it easier to notice early gains.

The nuance is that the date is a tool, not a test of character. A quit date that slips because of an illness or a family crisis is not a failure; it is a plan being adjusted. Cessation advisers routinely reset dates. The pattern to avoid is the endless slide, where the date moves every week because the moment never feels quite right. If that is happening, the more useful conversation is about what feels unmanageable, not about picking yet another date.

What is the best day to quit smoking?

There is no clinically proven best weekday, and no major guideline names one. What the guidelines do say is that the day should be soon, realistic and reasonably free of predictable stress. Beyond that, the choice is personal, and that is fine.

Some people choose a Monday because it feels like a clean start and lines up with routines. Others deliberately pick a Saturday so the first 48 hours happen away from work triggers, or a workday because their weekends revolve around social smoking. Each of these can be a sound choice for the person making it. The question to ask is not “which day is lucky” but “on which day can I most easily avoid my heaviest triggers and reach my supporters?”

A few practical filters help. Avoid a quit date that lands in the middle of a major deadline, a move, or a family event where alcohol will flow, since alcohol lowers resolve and is a well-recognized trigger in cessation resources from the CDC and the NHS. Choose a day when you can control your schedule for the first morning. If you smoke most heavily in the car, a day you will not be driving much gives you an easier start.

Anniversaries and birthdays carry meaning for some people and pressure for others. If a symbolic date is two months away, the evidence-based advice is to quit sooner and let the anniversary become a milestone instead of a starting line. Waiting for a perfect day tends to become a way of not starting at all.

Two more points. If you are enrolled in a program, the program may set or suggest a date, and coordinating with it usually matters more than the weekday. And if a prescribed medicine has a run-in period, the prescriber’s timing takes priority over calendar preferences.

Who a smoking cessation program is usually for, and who may be asked to wait

Structured cessation programs, whether delivered by a stop-smoking service, a pharmacy, a primary care practice or a hospital clinic, are designed for anyone who smokes and wants to stop. There is no minimum number of cigarettes, no age cut-off and no requirement to have failed before. People who smoke lightly, people who use other tobacco products, and people who have tried many times all fall within scope.

Programs are particularly encouraged for groups where the stakes are highest: people with heart or lung disease, people preparing for surgery, people living with diabetes, and people who are pregnant or planning pregnancy. In these groups, the treating team often brings the subject up first.

“Asked to wait” is rarely about the quit itself. Almost no one is told that stopping smoking is unsafe. What may be delayed or modified is a particular medicine. Prescription options such as varenicline, a partial receptor agonist that dampens nicotine’s effect, or bupropion, originally an antidepressant, have specific cautions. Bupropion is generally avoided in people with a history of seizures or certain eating disorders. Both classes call for a conversation about mental health history, kidney function and other medicines. Nicotine replacement in pregnancy is a shared decision between the person and their clinician; the NHS notes it may be used when the benefits outweigh continued smoking, but that judgment belongs to the prescriber.

Some people are also encouraged to hold the date briefly for practical reasons: a hospital admission that is already scheduled, an acute mental health crisis, or a bereavement in the same week. That is sequencing, not refusal.

Readiness matters too, but cessation advisers no longer wait for someone to be perfectly ready. Ambivalence is normal. If you are unsure whether now is the moment, that uncertainty is itself something to bring to the first appointment rather than a reason to skip it.

A quit smoking plan for the seven days before your date

No two plans look identical, but the elements below appear across the CDC, NHS and Smokefree.gov materials. Spreading them across a week keeps any single day from feeling overloaded.

Days 7 to 6. Write the date down where you will see it. Book or confirm your first program session and any clinician appointment about medicine. Start a simple smoking diary: time, place, mood, and how much you wanted each cigarette on a scale of one to five. The diary is the most underrated preparation tool because it turns vague habits into a list you can work from.

Days 5 to 4. Read back the diary and mark your three strongest triggers. For each, write one substitute action and one escape route. Tell at least two people your date and what kind of support you want, since “check in by text each evening” is more useful to a friend than “be supportive”.

Days 3 to 2. Clear the environment: cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, the emergency pack in the glove box. Wash the coat that smells of smoke. Stock the kitchen with the things you have chosen to reach for instead, such as sugar-free gum, carrot sticks, sparkling water, a puzzle app, a book. If a medicine has been prescribed with a run-in period, this is often when it has already begun; follow the prescriber’s instructions exactly.

Day 1. Confirm your first-morning routine, minute by minute, from waking to leaving the house. Charge your phone. Write yourself a short note about why you are doing this and put it where you will find it at your hardest hour.

Two things this plan deliberately omits. It does not ask you to cut down first unless your adviser suggests it, because for many people gradual reduction simply prolongs the hardest phase. And it does not ask you to overhaul diet, exercise and sleep in the same week. One major change at a time.

Mapping triggers, rewriting routines and clearing your environment

A trigger is anything that reliably brings on the urge to smoke: a place, a time, a feeling, a person, a drink. The smoking diary from earlier in the week reveals yours. Most people find they have two kinds. Some are chemical, driven by falling nicotine levels, and cluster in the morning and at regular intervals. Others are situational and would exist even without dependence, such as stepping outside on a break or finishing a meal.

Chemical triggers respond to time and, where prescribed, to medicine. Situational triggers respond to redesign. The principle is substitution, not subtraction. Removing the after-dinner cigarette leaves a hole; filling it with clearing the table, a short walk or brushing your teeth gives the moment somewhere to go. The Mayo Clinic’s list of craving strategies is built on this idea: delay, distract, change location, keep the mouth and hands busy.

Routines can be rearranged more than people expect. If coffee and a cigarette are welded together, some find that switching to tea for the first two weeks breaks the pairing more easily than trying to drink coffee without smoking. If the smoking break at work is really a social break, plan to take the break anyway and stand somewhere different. If driving is the trigger, remove the lighter from the car and put something in the cup holder to hold.

Environment is the easiest lever and the most often skipped. Cessation resources from the CDC and NHS consistently advise removing every cigarette, lighter and ashtray from home, car and workplace before the quit date, and cleaning surfaces and fabrics that hold the smell. Keeping “just one pack in case” is one of the most common features of relapse stories. The pack is not insurance; it is a decision deferred to the worst possible moment.

Alcohol deserves its own note. It weakens resolve and is tightly paired with smoking for many people. Planning a low-alcohol first fortnight is not moralizing; it is removing a known hazard while the ground is unstable.

Building a support team and telling the right people

Support is the part of preparation with the strongest evidence and the weakest follow-through. People tend to keep quit attempts private, often out of embarrassment about earlier attempts. Yet counseling, quitlines, text programs and group sessions are exactly the elements that the NHS credits with making a quit up to three times more likely to succeed than going it alone.

Professional support comes in several forms. A stop-smoking adviser or program counselor offers structured sessions, usually weekly at first. Telephone quitlines, available in many countries, provide trained coaching without an appointment. Text-based programs send prompts and craving tips at scheduled times. Your primary care clinician or pharmacist can manage medicine questions. None of these excludes the others, and programs often combine them.

Personal support is different in kind. The most useful friend is not the one who says “you can do it” but the one who agrees to a specific role: a nightly check-in message, a walk on the third evening, a standing offer to take a call during a craving. Specific requests get honored; vague ones evaporate.

People who still smoke need a considered conversation. Some become excellent allies, especially if asked not to smoke around you for the first weeks. Others, without meaning harm, will offer cigarettes or test your resolve. Deciding in advance how to handle them, including a rehearsed line such as “not for me, I’ve stopped”, removes the awkward pause in which many relapses happen.

Online communities can help, with the caution that they mix lived experience with strong opinions, and advice about medicines or gadgets found there should be checked with a clinician. Finally, tell your care team you are quitting even if they are not running the program. Stopping smoking can change how the body handles certain other medicines, and clinicians managing conditions such as asthma, diabetes or mental health need to know.

Quit-smoking medicines: what to understand before the date arrives

Medicines are not compulsory, and plenty of people quit without them. The evidence, summarized by the NHS and the CDC, is that they roughly double or better the chance of a successful quit when combined with behavioral support, which is why cessation programs discuss them early. What follows describes the main classes in general terms; every choice, timing and dose is the prescribing clinician’s decision.

Nicotine replacement therapy supplies nicotine without smoke through patches, gum, lozenges, inhalators, nasal or mouth sprays. It eases withdrawal by keeping receptors partially occupied while you break the behavioral habits. Some forms act slowly and steadily; others act quickly for breakthrough cravings. Programs often use a combination, and the mix is matched to your smoking pattern by the adviser or pharmacist. It is typically started on the quit date itself.

Varenicline is a prescription tablet that partly stimulates nicotine receptors while blocking cigarette nicotine from attaching fully, so cravings soften and smoking becomes less rewarding. It is generally started before the quit date so it has built up by the time you stop; the prescriber sets that run-in.

Bupropion is a prescription medicine originally developed as an antidepressant that reduces cravings and withdrawal through effects on brain chemistry. It also has a run-in period before the quit date and carries specific cautions, notably around seizure history.

Cytisine, a plant-derived partial agonist available in some countries, works in a similar way to varenicline. Availability varies by region.

What to raise with the prescriber during the preparation week: every other medicine and supplement you take, any history of seizures, mental health conditions, pregnancy or breastfeeding, kidney problems, and what happened with any medicine you used in previous attempts. Ask what side effects to expect, how long the course usually runs, and what to do if you slip. Never adjust or stop a prescribed medicine on your own; changes belong in that same conversation.

Nicotine withdrawal timeline versus recovery timeline

Two clocks start when you put out the last cigarette. One measures withdrawal, which is unpleasant and temporary. The other measures recovery, which is quiet and permanent for as long as you stay stopped. Seeing them side by side is one of the more motivating things a person can do in the preparation week, because the recovery clock is already well ahead by the time withdrawal peaks.

Time since last cigarette	What withdrawal commonly feels like	What the body is doing (WHO)
20 minutes	Little or nothing yet	Heart rate begins to drop toward normal
12 hours	First cravings, restlessness	Blood carbon monoxide falls to normal
2 to 3 days	Usually the peak: irritability, poor concentration, strong urges, disturbed sleep	Nicotine has largely cleared the body
1 to 4 weeks	Symptoms ease steadily; appetite and mood changes may linger	Breathing and circulation start to improve
2 to 12 weeks	Occasional situational cravings rather than constant urges	Circulation improves and lung function increases
1 to 9 months	Habit-based urges fade further	Coughing and shortness of breath decrease
1 year	Most people no longer describe themselves as “in withdrawal”	Risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a continuing smoker

The withdrawal column reflects typical patterns described by the CDC and NHS; individuals vary, and people who smoked heavily or for decades may find some symptoms last longer. The recovery column comes from the WHO’s published summary of the health benefits of stopping. Neither column is a promise. Both are averages drawn from large populations, and both point the same direction: the hardest stretch is early and short, and the benefits keep compounding for years.

Keeping a copy of this table on the fridge during the first week is a low-tech, evidence-based form of encouragement.

What the first week after quitting smoking usually looks like

The quit morning tends to be easier than people fear. Adrenaline and novelty carry the first hours, and the cleared environment removes the reflexive reach. The difficulty typically builds through the first and second day as nicotine leaves the body, and most people report that the second and third days are the hardest. Cessation resources from the CDC describe withdrawal as strongest in the first few days and easing over the following weeks.

Expect the ordinary symptoms: a short temper, a foggy head, trouble settling to sleep, hunger that arrives in odd waves, and a cough that may briefly worsen as the airways start to clear. None of these is a sign that something has gone wrong. Sleep disturbance and low mood deserve watching, particularly in anyone with a history of depression, and should be mentioned to your adviser or clinician rather than endured silently.

Cravings in this week come in two shapes. Background restlessness is chemical and responds to nicotine replacement where prescribed, to water, to movement and to time. Sharp, specific urges are situational and are best handled with the substitutes you prepared. The Mayo Clinic’s advice to delay for ten minutes, then reassess, works because most urges will have passed by then.

Social moments are the ambush points. A colleague’s invitation to step outside, a drink after work, a stressful phone call. The prepared line, the changed break location and the low-alcohol fortnight earn their value here.

A slip, meaning a single cigarette, is common in the first week and does not undo the quit. The evidence-based response is to treat it as information: what was the trigger, and what will you do differently tomorrow? A slip becomes a relapse only when it is followed by a return to regular smoking, and that transition is a choice you can decline. Programs plan for slips; tell your adviser rather than hiding it.

What people often get wrong about preparing for a quit date

“I’ll cut down gradually first.” For some people, structured reduction with an adviser works. For many, unassisted cutting down stretches the hardest phase over weeks and increases how deeply each remaining cigarette is smoked. Guidelines do not favor it over a clean quit date for most people; ask your adviser which suits you.

“I need to feel completely ready.” Ambivalence on the eve of a quit is normal and is not a predictor of failure. Waiting for certainty postpones the start indefinitely.

“Medicines are cheating, or they just replace one addiction with another.” Nicotine replacement delivers nicotine slowly and without the roughly 7,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke described by the CDC. The dependence risk of clean nicotine is far lower than that of smoked tobacco, and the medicines are designed to be tapered off under supervision.

“One slip means I’ve failed.” A single cigarette is a setback, not a verdict. Most successful long-term quitters have slipped at some point.

“There is a magic 3-3-3 rule.” The phrase circulates widely online with several conflicting meanings, most often that the first three days, three weeks and three months are checkpoints, or that a craving can be managed with three minutes of slow breathing. No major guideline defines or endorses a 3-3-3 rule. The kernel of truth is that withdrawal peaks early and cravings are brief; the numbers are folklore.

“Vaping is a harmless swap.” The NHS notes that e-cigarettes are considerably less harmful than smoking and can help some people stop, while the CDC stresses they are not risk-free and are not approved cessation aids in the United States. This is a nuanced, evolving area. Bring it to your care team rather than settling it on a forum.

“I’ll fix diet, exercise and sleep in the same week.” Quitting is enough. Layering other overhauls on top raises the chance that all of them fail. One change at a time.

Questions to ask your care team before you start

The first program session or clinician visit goes better with a list. These questions are the ones cessation advisers report hearing most, and the ones people most often regret not asking.

• Given my health history and the medicines I already take, which stop-smoking options are open to me, and which would you suggest I avoid?
• If a medicine is prescribed, when does it start relative to my quit date, how long does the course usually run, and what side effects should I watch for?
• How will we handle a slip? Should I contact you the same day?
• What support does the program include between sessions, and is there a number or text line I can use during a craving?
• How often will we meet in the first month, and can appointments be by phone?
• Are there other medicines I take whose levels may change once I stop smoking, and does anything need monitoring?
• I have a history of depression or anxiety. How should that shape the plan, and what mood changes should prompt a call?
• I am pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy. Which options are appropriate for me?
• What should I expect to feel in the first three days, and what is not normal?
• How will we know the plan is working, and at what point would we change approach?

Bring the smoking diary from your preparation week. A clinician who can see that you smoke most heavily between waking and leaving the house, or that your cravings cluster around a specific stressor, can match the plan to your pattern far more precisely than one working from “about a pack a day”.

Ask, too, about what happens after the program ends. Relapse risk falls over time but does not vanish, and knowing how to re-engage with support months later is part of a complete plan.

Every one of these questions has an answer that depends on you. That is the point of asking them of a person rather than a search engine.

When to call your doctor

Ordinary withdrawal is uncomfortable but not dangerous, and most of what the first week brings is expected. A few situations are different and warrant a prompt call to your clinician or program adviser rather than waiting for the next session.

• Mood changes that feel out of proportion or frightening: persistent low mood, agitation, hopelessness, or any thoughts of self-harm. These need same-day contact, and if there is immediate danger, emergency services.
• Chest pain, pressure or tightness, especially with breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back. Do not attribute this to withdrawal; seek emergency care.
• Sudden severe shortness of breath, coughing up blood, or a cough that produces increasing amounts of discolored sputum with fever. A mild clearing cough is expected; these are not.
• A seizure, fainting, or a severe allergic reaction such as facial swelling, widespread rash or difficulty breathing after starting any new medicine.
• Palpitations, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or dizziness that does not settle.
• Vivid nightmares, confusion or unusual behavior that others notice, particularly in someone taking a prescription cessation medicine.
• Withdrawal symptoms so intense that you cannot function at work or at home despite using the plan. This is not weakness; it is a signal that the plan needs adjusting.

Less urgent, but still worth a call within a day or two: a slip you are struggling to recover from, side effects that make you want to abandon a prescribed medicine, sleep disturbance lasting more than a couple of weeks, or symptoms of another condition such as asthma or diabetes behaving differently since you stopped.

Do not change, pause or stop a prescribed medicine without speaking to the person who prescribed it, even if you suspect it is causing a symptom. They can adjust the plan safely; guessing alone can leave you without support at the hardest moment.

Your care team expects these calls. Making one is part of the program working as intended, not a sign that it has failed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 3-3-3 rule for nicotine?

No major guideline defines a 3-3-3 rule; it is an informal internet phrase with several conflicting meanings. The most common versions treat three days, three weeks and three months as withdrawal checkpoints, or suggest three minutes of slow breathing during a craving. The kernel of truth is that withdrawal peaks early and urges are brief. Treat the numbers as folklore and the underlying advice, wait it out and breathe, as reasonable.

Does setting a quit date work?

A quit date is a core element of the plans published by the CDC, NHS and Smokefree.gov, and it works by forcing preparation: clearing the house, lining up support and timing any prescribed medicine. Spontaneous quits also succeed for some people. What the evidence most strongly supports is that support and medicine improve outcomes however the decision was made, so the date is a tool for organizing those, not a guarantee in itself.

What day is the hardest when quitting nicotine?

Most people find the second and third days the hardest, because nicotine has largely cleared the body by then and receptors are signaling loudly that it is missing. The CDC describes withdrawal as strongest in the first few days and easing over the following weeks. Individuals vary, and heavier or longer-term smokers may find the peak lasts longer. Knowing the worst is early and short helps people plan their support around it.

What day is the best day to quit smoking?

There is no clinically proven best weekday. Guidelines simply advise a date that is soon, realistic and free of predictable stress. Choose the day on which you can most easily avoid your heaviest triggers and reach your supporters. Avoid deadlines, moves and alcohol-heavy events, and if a symbolic date is far off, quit sooner and let the anniversary become a milestone rather than a starting line.

Should I cut down gradually before my quit date?

Not necessarily. Structured reduction guided by an adviser suits some people, but unassisted cutting down often stretches the hardest phase over weeks and leads to smoking each remaining cigarette more deeply. Most guidelines do not favor it over a clean quit date for the average person. Ask your program adviser which approach fits your pattern, and follow their plan rather than improvising a taper.

How long does nicotine withdrawal last after the quit date?

The CDC and NHS describe withdrawal as strongest in the first few days and easing over roughly two to four weeks, with occasional situational cravings persisting longer. Symptoms include irritability, poor concentration, disturbed sleep and increased appetite. Individual cravings usually last only 5 to 10 minutes. People who smoked heavily may notice a longer tail, and mood changes should be mentioned to a clinician rather than endured.

When should stop-smoking medicine be started relative to the quit date?

It depends on the medicine, and the timing is the prescriber’s decision. Nicotine replacement products are typically started on the quit date itself. Prescription options such as varenicline and bupropion generally have a run-in period, so they are started before the date so they have built up by the time you stop. Discuss timing during the preparation week and follow the prescriber’s instructions exactly.

What should I remove from my home before quitting?

Every cigarette, lighter, match and ashtray, including the emergency pack in a drawer or glove box, and ideally the smell as well: wash coats, bedding and car interiors. The CDC and NHS both include this step in their quit plans because keeping “just one pack” is a recurring feature of relapse stories. Replace what you remove with the substitutes you have chosen, so the cleared space does not feel empty.

What if I smoke one cigarette in the first week after quitting smoking?

A single cigarette is a slip, not a relapse, and it is common in the first week. The useful response is to treat it as information: identify the trigger, decide what you will do differently tomorrow, and tell your adviser. A slip becomes a relapse only if you return to regular smoking, and that is a choice you can decline. Programs expect slips and plan for them.

How quickly does my body start to recover after I stop?

According to the WHO, heart rate begins to drop within about 20 minutes and blood carbon monoxide returns to normal within about 12 hours. Circulation and lung function improve over two to twelve weeks, coughing and breathlessness decrease over one to nine months, and after a year the risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a continuing smoker. These are population averages, not personal promises.

References

• CDC: Tips From Former Smokers, Quit Smoking
• NHS: 10 self-help tips to stop smoking
• NHS: Stop smoking treatments
• WHO: Tobacco, health benefits of smoking cessation

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.