Significance

• Smokers have a higher incidence of lung disease, lung cancer, emphysema and heart artery disease, as well as increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, potential for blood clots and impaired lining of the blood vessels.
  
  

Bodily repairs

• The body starts to repair itself if you don't smoke for 20 minutes. Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal after eight hours, as do carbon monoxide levels. After 24 hours of no smoking, the potential for a heart attack is reduced by 50 percent.
  
  

Longer-Term Effects

• Lung function improves by 30 percent in two weeks. It takes nine months to relieve shortness of breath and improve lung resistance to infection. The potential for a coronary is cut in half after a year of no smoking.
  
  

Lung Disease

• After five to 10 years without smoking, your risk for lung cancer goes back to that of a nonsmoker.
  
  

Tobacco-Free Year

• Insurance companies know these statistics too. People who quit smoking need to go at least a year without tobacco before they pay the same rates as nonsmokers.
  
  

Lower Premiums

• If you quit smoking for more than a year, request a lower premium on your current policy.