The Brain
The brain is your body’s center for mood and conscious thought. It controls most of your voluntary movements and makes thinking and feeling possible. It also regulates unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing. Arteries leading from the heart and lungs carry oxygen and other chemicals to the brain. Smoking a cigarette sends chemicals to the brain, changing its chemistry, and affecting a smoker’s mood. Nicotine reaches the brain ten seconds after smoke is inhaled.

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Health Effects of Smoking
Smoking is a major cause of strokes.

Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. About 600,000 strokes occur in the United States each year, and about 30% of those strokes cause death.

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Benefits of Quitting
The risk of stroke decreases steadily after a smoker quits. Five to 15 years after quitting, the risk of stroke is reduced to that of someone who has never smoked.