Looking for yet another reason to stop smoking? This may just be the best one yet (besides the fact that it can save your life, that is): Giving up cigarettes might improve your chance of recovering from substance use disorder, according to researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the City University of New York.

The study, which was published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, found that daily smokers as well as nondaily smokers in recovery from SUD were twice as likely to relapse at the end of the three-year period compared with nonsmokers.

“Quitting smoking will improve anyone’s health,” said lead author Andrea Weinberger, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “But our study shows that giving up cigarettes may be even more important for adults in recovery from illicit substance use disorders since it may help them stay sober.”

More Reasons to Quit Smoking
Good news: The sooner you quit cigarettes, the sooner you can begin to heal from the thousands of toxic substances you’re putting into it by smoking. It’s pretty amazing how quickly your body recovers. Here’s a quick timeline:

• Your risk of a heart attack diminishes 24 hours later.
• Your sense of smell and taste come back two days later.
• Your breathing improves after three days.
• Your blood pressure falls within one week.
• Your skin tone improves after three months.
• Your risk of cardiovascular disease is cut in half after one year.
• Your risk of stomach, mouth, throat, esophageal, and lung cancer is halved after five years.
• Your risk of lung, mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, and kidney cancer drops even further after 10 years.
• Your risk of cancer rivals that of a non-smoker after 15 years.

Addiction Treatment for Adults
At Seabrook ®, we are committed to providing quality addiction treatment for the physical, emotional and spiritual illness of chemical dependency. Our structured, nurturing programs can help you make lasting changes for a sober, healthy life. To learn more, call: (888) 223-0298.