Statistics show that if time can be turned back, 82% of smokers wish they never have started the habit. Everyone knows that it’s obviously healthier for you to quit smoking as soon as possible, but there are more than just long-term health benefits from it.

Psychologically you gain better self-esteem and hence leaving space for career improvements, socially you will never feel like an outcast again in public places such as shopping malls and restaurants, and financially you may get to save more money which, when added up may amount to the price tag of a nice home!

Think the damages done by smoking irreversible? Not really. Your body loves you, and just within the first 20 minutes after you quit smoking, it initiates an auto-healing process to restore your heart rate and blood pressure to normal. Oxygen levels return to normal after 8 hours. Your lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris, while carbon monoxide will be completely purged out from the body on the next day.

Shortly after quitting smoking you will suffer from nicotine withdrawal and an intense craving for cigarettes, which reach a peak on the third day. This is the most crucial time for your smoking cessation efforts, and will determine its success or failure. Only strong will power and determination can effectively curb this irritation. Once you overcome it, nicotine is permanently out of your body in Day 4 (though nicotine addiction may still persist for years)

Just a couple of months after you quit smoking, you’ll notice your lung function increases. Perhaps you can now walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air. Nine months later you'll no longer cough as much and you’re capable of taking deep breaths. This is because the cilia in your lungs are able to move the mucus out so they function better to clean them and to clear out infections.

Over the course of time, you'll find yourself getting along with more people. Foul odor no longer clings to your hair and clothes, your yellowish nails and teeth will be something in the past, and no one will ever shun you again out of fear for the consequences of second-hand smoke. Your skin will now have ample of room to repair itself (tobacco damaged your physical appearance and caused premature aging), and without doubt you will be much more pleasant to look at than before.

When you’re celebrating your first year after quitting smoking, you should toast the fact that your risk of coronary heart disease, lung and pancreatic cancer are cut in half from what it was when you were labeled a smoker - and that your lifespan can perhaps be extended by 20% under normal circumstances.

Your reasons to quit smoking may be listed within this article, or you may have your own personal reasons to do so. Either way, you’ll reap the rewards of your efforts once you say goodbye to tobacco for good. It's definitely a decision you will never look back and regret.