Addiction Nicotine Use After You Quit Health Benefits During the Months of Smoking Cessation By Terry Martin facebook twitter Terry Martin quit smoking after 26 years and is now an advocate for those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction. Learn about our editorial process Terry Martin Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Armeen Poor, MD on August 02, 2020 Armeen Poor, MD, is a board-certified pulmonologist and intensivist. He specializes in pulmonary health, critical care, and sleep medicine. Learn about our Review Board Armeen Poor, MD on August 02, 2020 Print Thomas Northcut/Digital Vision/Getty Images As of Dec. 20, 2019, the new legal age limit is 21 years old for purchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco products in the U.S. Smoking cessation is hard work for most new ex-smokers, so it is helpful to know that the fruits of your labor will not take long to start showing up. Let's take a look at what you can expect during the first nine months of smoking cessation. Physical Improvements Starting as early as a month after you quit smoking and continuing for the next several months, you may notice significant improvements in your respiratory health. You will probably experience some or all of the following: less coughingless shortness of breathfewer issues with sinus pain and congestion New Cough Once the assault of cigarette smoke exposure to delicate lung tissue stops, cilia in the lungs begin to regrow. This sometimes causes a new cough to temporarily emerge because the job of cilia is to move particulates we breathe in back out of the lungs. Cilia get "stuck" when they are clogged with tar, but begin to function again after smoking cessation, helping to remove cigarette tar and other toxins from cigarette smoke that are in the lungs. Why Coughing May Occur After You Quit Smoking Breathing Improvements Likewise, breathing often improves once we quit smoking. Shortness of breath is a sign of COPD, a progressive lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. It is primarily a smoker's disease, and quitting tobacco is the best way to halt further damage. The toxins in cigarette smoke also irritate the sinuses, cause congestion and dull our sense of smell, which can lead to longterm chronic issues. Ex-smokers often notice improvements with this as well during the first year of smoking cessation. It's important to remember that healing from nicotine addiction is a process, and while some improvements happen quickly, others will come more gradually. For instance, you may notice that a habitual cough you've carried with you for years is much reduced (or gone) within weeks of quitting, but your sense of smell hasn't improved. Then, months into cessation, you suddenly realize you can smell subtle scents that have evaded you for a long time. This is not uncommon, so don't despair if some of the benefits don't manifest on the timeline you expect. Nicotine: Everything You've Been Afraid to Ask Psychological Improvements You will feel increasingly empowered as the months go by and you are still smoke-free. Quitting tobacco is a confidence booster, and that has the potential to bring positive change to other areas of your life as well. Stay the course. While noticeable benefits begin to emerge during this time period, your smoke-free life is still new and fragile. Protect and nurture your quit program through education about what to expect as you recover from nicotine addiction. For all of the work it takes to clear the many associations we've built up between smoking and our daily lives, it is a must. Breaking those connections and replacing them with healthy responses is part of the process of recovery from nicotine addiction. Smoking cessation takes time, so settle in and let the smoke-free days pile up. Soon enough you'll be noticing the improvements listed above and so much more. Health benefits continue after a year of smoking cessation. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! So you're ready to finally quit smoking? Our free guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get yours today. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Johnson TT. Orlando Health. How the Lungs Heal After Quitting Smoking. November 16, 2017. Utiyama DM, Yoshida CT, Goto DM, et al. The effects of smoking and smoking cessation on nasal mucociliary clearance, mucus properties and inflammation. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2016;71(6):344-50. doi:10.6061/clinics/2016(06)10 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and COPD. Reh DD, Higgins TS, Smith TL. Impact of tobacco smoke on chronic rhinosinusitis: a review of the literature. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2012;2(5):362-9. doi:10.1002/alr.21054 Ajmani GS, Suh HH, Wroblewski KE, Pinto JM. Smoking and olfactory dysfunction: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Laryngoscope. 2017;127(8):1753-1761. doi:10.1002/lary.26558 Muraven M. Practicing self-control lowers the risk of smoking lapse. Psychol Addict Behav. 2010;24(3):446-52. doi:10.1037/a0018545 Williams JM, Zimmermann MH, Steinberg ML, et al. A comprehensive model for mental health tobacco recovery in new jersey. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2011;38(5):368-83. doi:10.1007/s10488-010-0324-x World Health Organization. Fact sheet about health benefits of smoking cessation. Additional Reading Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2004 Surgeon General's Report: Poster: Within 20 Minutes of Quitting. Reviewed July 15, 2015. National Institutes of Health. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. What Is COPD?. Updated July 31, 2013.