As many people quit smoking for their New Year’s resolution, here’s a breakdown of what happens to your body As 2017 gets under way, many smokers will have taken their last puff – and there’s no doubt that quitting smoking is the best thing they can do for their health. We know that we all die eventually, but smokers die on average 10 years earlier and tragically from much more painful and debilitating illnesses, such as lung cancer, heart attacks and strokes.