Stop Smoking - VOXPO - Virtual Online Exhibitions

Stopping smoking is without doubt the most thoughtful present you can give to yourself and your family.

When you stop smoking, your health will thank you. As this will give your lungs the chance to mend themselves, giving you a new lease of life. When you begin the process of stopping smoking, you’ll also gain numerous other benefits that you may start to feel right away.

Have you heard?: 49% of pregnant women who set a quit date successfully stopped (NHS, 2020)

Ways to quit:

You are here because you want to quit smoking. You are not alone. Some people tend to try quitting through willpower alone, but we have found through our clients and customers that using the available help gives you a much greater chance of success.

Discover stop
smoking aids

One reason why people struggle to quit smoking is due to the nicotine addiction. However, there are numerous alternative methods to feed your nicotine craving without inhaling toxic chemicals. Some enable you to reduce the quantity of nicotine that you consume to help you give up for good.

Find your local stop smoking service:

In the UK, you can get expert assistance for FREE from a local Stop Smoking Service.

Attend VOXPO

At VOXPO, we are determined to help smokers take the life-changing decision to switch to a stop smoking aid. At VOXPO, you can discover more about the most popular and most effective way to quit.

Have you heard?: On average, smokers lose 20 years of productive life (WHO, 2019)

What happens to your body after your last cigarette?

The journey to a healthier lifestyle for you and your family starts as quickly as 20 minutes after your last cigarette. Fibers that are present in your bronchial tubes will start to function more effectively. Constant exposure to smoke meant that these fibers couldn’t move irritants and bacteria out of the lungs, making you more at risk of experiencing an infection. Additionally, you will notice that your blood pressure and pulse will return to a more normal level.

20 minutes after your last cigarette

The journey to a healthier lifestyle for you and your family starts as quickly as 20 minutes after your last cigarette. Fibers that are present in your bronchial tubes will start to function more effectively. Constant exposure to smoke meant that these fibers couldn’t move irritants and bacteria out of the lungs, making you more at risk of experiencing an infection. Additionally, you will notice that your blood pressure and pulse will return to a more normal level.

8 hours after your last cigarette

When you reach this milestone, the carbon monoxide levels within your body will return to a more normal level. You may or may not know, carbon monoxide is present within cigarette smoke in very high quantities. As such, carbon monoxide subsequently replaces the oxygen that can be found in your blood. Once the carbon monoxide is removed from blood, increased oxygen levels will help to maintain tissues and blood vessels that were deprived of oxygen throughout the duration of your smoking.

24 hours after your last cigarette

Once you hit the one-day period, you are already on the right track to reducing the risk of experiencing a heart attack. The reasoning behind this is simple. When you reach this level, your veins and arteries become less restricted, allowing your heart to function more effectively.

48 hours after your last cigarette

Looking forward to enriching your taste buds and sense of smell? Well, after 48 hours this can be attained as nerve endings that were damaged by smoking begin to repair.

72 hours after your last cigarette:

Always wanted to get back into shape? Well, after 72 hours you’ll find yourself being able to breathe a lot easier. This is due to the bronchial tubes inside your body becoming more relaxed and opening up more freely.

One week after your last cigarette

Well done! You have reached one week without a cigarette. Your body and family are thanking you. However, don’t stop now, there are many other health benefits to come.

Two weeks after your last cigarette

You’re breathing better and you are a lot more mobile, thanks to circulation and oxygenation improving inside your body.

One month after your last cigarette

It may feel like a lifetime ago now since your last cigarette, but that’s good. You have lasted this long, just remember the reasons why you want to smoke, keeping smoke-free will be worth it!

Three months after your last cigarette

You’ve reached the three month mark. Have you found carrying the groceries into the house easier? That's because your lung function may have improved as much as 30%! (AMA Journal of Ethics, 2011)

Six months after your last cigarette

Now that you've reached six months smoke-free, you may notice that the urge to smoke during stressful situations has died down. You may also notice that you're coughing up less mucus and phlegm.

One year after your last cigarette

One year without cigarettes is a massive achievement. You might have noticed how much money you have saved since you quit. That’s motivation enough to keep going!

Three years after your last cigarette

Great news! After three years, your risk of a heart attack has decreased to that of a nonsmoker.

Five years after your last cigarette

Making it to five years means that your risk of death from lung cancer has dropped by half compared to when you were a smoker.

Ten years after your last cigarette

At the 10 year point, the cells that were previously precancerous have been replaced with healthy cells. This means that your risk of developing smoking-related illnesses such as throat or lung cancer has decreased to the same level of a non-smoker.

Fifteen years after your last cigarette

This is a huge milestone. Once you’ve reached 15 years smoke-free, the risk of a heart attack or stroke decreases to that of a person who has never smoked before.

Have you heard?: Smokers who make it to a week without a cigarette are 9 times more likely to successfully quit.

Quitting tips:

Have you heard?: In 2020, e-cigarettes containing nicotine were the most popular stop smoking aid. (PHE, 2021)