It Is Never Too Late To Quit Smoking!

With the motive of pushing the smokers to quit their habit, the second Wednesday of March each year is observed as No Smoking Day. This year, the day will be observed on 10th March.

The main purpose of No Smoking Day is top spread awareness about the hazardous effects of smoking on health. This is important because every year, a large number of people all over the world become victims of serious diseases like cancer due to smoking and lose their lives. Also, not just the smokers' life is affected, he/she also affects the lives of non-smokers/passive smokers around them.

Dr. Phani Prasant, consultant Psychiatrist at Chetana Hospital, Hyderabad says, “Smoking is like driving without any protection. Unlike alcohol, which if taken in a small amount might be healthier for some people, there is nothing like a safe limit in a cigarette. Even one cigarette is very harmful”.

Fast Facts About Smoking

Experts and doctors say that about 4000 toxic chemicals are used in cigarettes, which not only causes cancer, but also damages many vital organs causing certain serious illnesses.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

WHO also states that cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks.

Effects Of Smoking On Health

Smoking is addictive and along with causing many diseases, it can also worsen them. Various types of cancer and some other diseases and conditions caused by smoking are as follows:

• Heart attack and stroke
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Respiratory diseases and lung cancer
• Smoking is also a major cause of cancer associated with the mouth, nose, throat, pancreas, bladder, servix, kidney, blood and other systems.
• Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
• Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Poor vision
• Anxiety and irritability
• Persistent coughing
• Sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction and infertility
• Pregnancy related issues such as trouble getting pregnant and smoking during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, etc. and a child may have certain birth defects. The baby is also prone to die from Sudden Infant death Syndrome (SIDS).

There are many other health complications that can occur. The person who smokes is also at a higher risk of having comorbid diseases such as diabetes, lowered immune functions in the body, premature aging of the skin, etc.

Tips To Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking all of a sudden, in one go is not a simple task. Therefore, Dr. Phani Prasant says that the first thing that a smoker must do is realize the risk they are taking and they should not justify their practices. Other tips include:

1. Try to quit completely at once. If that is not possible, decrease the frequency of smoking gradually. For example, if you smoke 6 cigarettes a day, reduce them to 3, then 2 and the only 1 cigarette a day. Once you are down to one cigarette a day, further reduce it to only one in two days and keep increasing the gap and then stop it completely.
2. Avoid meeting friends who are likely to offer you a smoke once you have quit smoking. There is a high possibility you may start it again in such a situation.
3. Our expert suggests that to deal with the withdrawal symptoms by changing your daily routine. Try to keep yourself busy throughout the day.
4. Seek cooperation from your family and friends.
5. People have the urge to smoke under stress. Therefore, to deal with stress, you can practice yoga, meditation and other exercises to feel relaxed and calm.
6. Dr. Prashant says that one can also go for Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) like gums or patches.
7. If you are unable to do so and are smoking high amounts of cigarettes, consult a psychiatrist. He/she may suggest you some medication that will help you quit smoking.

Quitting smoking may not be easy, but it is also not impossible. Along with protecting yourself, you can also save the people who surround you from its extremely harmful effects. You do not need a single day to take this step, it can be done any day. Always remember that it is never too late to quit smoking. Instead of knocking the doors of death, knock the ones of a brighter and healthier future. Quit Smoking Today!

Also, currently, while the world is under the global COVID-19 pandemic, WHO says that smokers are at a high risk of getting infected. “Tobacco smokers (cigarettes, water pipes, bidis, cigars, heated tobacco products) may be more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, as the act of smoking involves contact of fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) with the lips, which increases the possibility of transmission of viruses from hand to mouth.

Smoking water pipes, also known as shisha or hookah, often involves the sharing of mouth pieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of the COVID-19 virus in communal and social settings”. Hence, it is better to quit than to worsen the respiratory health by continuing its consumption.