What happens to your body when you quit
Twenty minutes to fifteen years — your body begins healing the moment you put out your last cigarette.
A timeline of recovery, drawn from the world's leading health agencies.
The milestones below come from CDC, WHO, and NHS research — the same sources your doctor would consult.
Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your heart rate drops. Twelve hours later, carbon monoxide levels in your blood normalize. Twenty-four hours in, your heart attack risk begins to fall. The timeline tracks these milestones so you can see exactly where you are — and what comes next.
The numbers are not promises. They are probabilities, drawn from population-level research. Your individual recovery will vary based on how long you smoked, how heavily, and your baseline health. But the direction is always the same: forward.
More tools & FAQ
Other ways to look at the same numbers.
More tools for your journey
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Cost Calculator
See how much smoking really costs you.
Life Expectancy
How many days has smoking cost you so far?
Pack Years
Medical-standard risk assessment.
Lung Age
The NHS concept that measures your real lung age.
Smoking Cost
Per week, month, year, and lifetime cost breakdown.
Vaping Cost
Disposable, pod, or refillable — see your real number.
Leaderboard
See how other quitters are doing.
Blog
Tips, research, and real experiences.