What withdrawal symptoms can I expect?

Nicotine causes both physical and psychological addiction. Smokers often continue smoking because of the difficulty coping with the withdrawal symptoms.

It is worth remembering that nicotine is eliminated from your body as quickly as 48 hours after your last cigarette. Withdrawal symptoms are most intense for the first two or three days. These symptoms should reduce over the next two to three weeks.

20 minutes after stopping	Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
Eight hours after stopping	Oxygen levels in the blood return to normal.
24 hours after stopping	There is no carbon-monoxide left in the body and your lungs start to clear.
48 hours after stopping	There is no nicotine left in your body, and your senses of taste and smell are greatly improved.
72 hours after stopping	Breathing becomes easier as your airways start to relax.
Two to 12 weeks after stopping	Your circulation improves, making walking and running easier.
Three to nine months after stopping	Coughs lessen as lung function improves by up to 10%.
A year after stopping	Your risk of heart disease falls to about half that of a smoker.
Two years after stopping	Your risk of heart attack falls to virtually the same level as someone who has never smoked.
Ten years after stopping	Your risk of lung cancer has fallen to about half that of a smoker.
15 years after stopping	Your risk of a stroke is similar to that of someone who has never smoked.

The most common withdrawal symptoms include:

Cravings;
Difficulty concentrating;
Increased appetite; and
Irritability.