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The first noticeable effect of quitting smoking is the increase in your self-esteem. You did it! After all these years, you were able to take the step that so many could not. Congratulations.

The next effect is that people around you begin to see you differently. You've got will power; you've got respect for yourself and for those around you. You care about the environment, about children and pregnant women, about those with asthma and other lung issues. You're a person who is really part of the crowd, now, instead of having to stand out in the cold alone. You're a better person because you took the step.

The physical effects are almost as immediate. You begin to cough up the muck that clogged your lungs, cough up the mucus and the poisons. And then - the coughing finishes. You can take a deep breath, you can breathe without fearing it will be followed by a cough. There's a lightness about you, because your lungs are no longer heavy with dirt, and your lungs can really begin to do their work. You can breathe.

And somehow the world seems different. It's not just because you can see it clearly, without your constant companion of smoke; it's because you can smell it, too, and taste it. It's like you're a child again, it's like you've entered a new world. It's brighter, richer, stronger, and you're there, no longer a spectator.

You can run up those stairs without your heart complaining, you can stay in bed with your partner without ending up exhausted, you can walk up the mountain-side and enjoy the view, rather than bent over in a paroxym of pain. Within twenty-four hours your heart-rate has decreased and your carbon monoxide levels have gone back to normal.

You now have money in the bank account at the end of the week, instead of a deficit. It's like you're being paid to look after yourself!

Quitting smoking has so many long-term benefits, with a decrease in cancer and heart-disease, but the most immediate one is the best - you'll feel better about yourself, and so will everyone else.

Learn more about this author, Carly Braith.
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