Stopping smoking increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life. You’ll feel the benefits from the day you quit. Not only will you to start to save money but you’ll experience a reduced risk of:
Your life expectancy will be greater, and you’ll notice an improvement in the symptoms of smoking related diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Stopping smoking can help you live life to the full. You’ll feel fitter and more able to take part in physical activity. This in turn can benefit your mental health and wellbeing.
Smoking is expensive and prices will continue to rise. If you’re smoking 20 cigarettes a day, you’re likely to be spending about £3,500 a year, based on the average cost of £9.60 for a pack of 20 cigarettes.
By stopping smoking, you could spend the money you save on a:
Try our cost calculator, to see how much you spend on smoking, and what you could save by stopping.
Although smoking seriously harms your health, once you stop, your body starts to repair itself.
Within days you’ll experience:
Within weeks you’ll benefit from:
Within a few months you’ll experience:
Benefits within a year of having quit include:
As well as the immediate and long-term benefits to your health, there are many other good reasons to stop smoking.
Stopping smoking can also help the health of your friends and family.
Stopping smoking means that you’re no longer harming others through second-hand smoke (passive smoking). This benefits babies and children in particular, who are at risk of:
Read more about second-hand smoke
Stopping smoking means it’s less likely that your children will become smokers. Children living with parents or others who smoke are much more likely to start smoking themselves.
Smoking harms your unborn baby. Stopping smoking will reduce the risk of harm during pregnancy.
Read more about smoking and pregnancy
These are just some of the benefits of stopping smoking. Contact Quit Your Way Scotland for more information on how giving up smoking could change your life.
Last updated:
20 December 2022