Missed anniversary

Well, I totally forgot to mark an anniversary last month. Luckily, the only person who could get pissed at me about forgetting is me, and I'm pretty forgiving.

January 2000 - I quit smoking.

January 2005 - I'm still not smoking.

So I'm 5 years clean and sober (err..."sober" might be a bit strong of a word) and I'm really very happy about it.

According to Healthecommunities.org the timeline for post-smoking recovery goes something like this:

After:
20 MINUTES
• Blood pressure drops to normal
• Pulse rate drops to normal
• Body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal

8 HOURS
• Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
• Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

24 HOURS
• Chance of heart attack decreases

48 HOURS
• Nerve endings start regrowing
• Ability to smell and taste is enhanced

2 WEEKS TO 3 MONTHS
• Circulation improves
• Walking becomes easier
• Lung function increases up to 30 percent

1 TO 9 MONTHS
• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease
• Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing their ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection
• Body's overall energy increases

1 YEAR
• Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

5 YEARS
• Lung cancer death rate for an average former smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half
• Stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker five to 15 years after quitting
• Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is half that of a smoker's

My future milestones include:

After:
10 YEARS
• Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of a non-smoker
• Precancerous cells are replaced
• Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, cervix, and pancreas decreases

15 YEARS
• Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker

Yay for me! Ok, enough self-serving babble.