There are many benefits to those who have quit smoking. Some benefits are gained within minutes while other benefits will not happen for years. These benefits range from fresh breath to decreases in chances of getting certain cancers. Please keep in mind that many benefits after quit smoking cannot be put on a time line, such as the lack of smell on clothes, in your vehicle, house and other areas. The below paragraphs are general measurements, it may take more or less time for a specific person, that apply to people who quit smoking without the aid of cessation products.

Plan for the symptoms to continue for about 8 - 12 weeks after you quit smoking before you a really start to think and feel as an ex-smoker. The normal conditions that you can expect to experience are nausea, headaches, short temperedness and thirst, which your body actually often confuses with hunger. These symptoms will peak at about 48 hours after you last puff of smoke, and will dissipate over time. Some side effects, however, may linger as long as 6 months, but generally not nearly at the level you experience right after you quit smoking.

Almost immediately after your last cigarette your blood pressure will start to decrease, your hear rate slows, ad your hands and feet may start to feel warmer. As a result, you may start sweating more and may even feel slight tingling in your hands and feet as well.

After about 8 hours of your last cigarette, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal and the oxygen that flows through your blood also returns to a stable level.

When you make it past the 48 hour mark, your nerve endings in your lungs actually start to heal and reproduce, and your senses come alive as your ability to taste and smell improves tremendously. As the lungs start to repair themselves, you may experience some cold-like symptoms. Your throat could become soar, and might cough up some heavy mucus or have other respiratory problems. This is completely normal.

Withdrawal symptoms may also include restlessness or insomnia, a felling of being in a state of confusion, irritability, short-temperedness, anxiety and irritability. Studies show that people tend to go through a period of depression and can have extreme mood swings when they quit smoking and suffer from nicotine withdrawal as well.

As to feeling as if you've really really quit? It depends on the person. I quit once for over a year and then went back when I was in a very stressful situation. Now I've been smoke free for nearly 4 years. It probably took me about 6 months this time to really feel like a nonsmoker and know that I wasn't going back.

What you're going to experience after stopping smoking is going to vary from person to person depending on what smoking cessation therapy you're using, how you cope with stress, how your body reacts, etc. I can't give you a carved in stone example of how you're going to feel, but these are some general guidelines of what you can expect to feel after quitting cigarettes.