Smoking De-addiction: Put it out, before it puts you out.
“ Ye Mukesh ki kahani hai…”
Those who never miss the beginning of any film in theatres would know Mukesh, who died of oral cancer at the age of 24, and the No Smoking and Anti-Tobacco campaign. The campaign was supposed to deliver a strong message that would urge people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and work towards a smoke-free lifestyle. Instead, it became a meme on the internet. It’s high time we actually realize how injurious smoking is to health and its fatal repercussions, instead of taking it so lightly.
As per the WHO statistics, the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 7 million people a year. More than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 8,90,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Smoking tobacco is both a physical addiction and a psychological habit. It is a serious problem which needs to be addressed and get rid of. But many people choose to ignore the hazards caused by smoking, and they continue smoking. Although some smokers are in denial about the
risks associated with smoking, the majority of smokers continue because it is difficult to stop. It is the addictive quality of nicotine that makes it hard to quit smoking.
To successfully stop smoking, one needs to not only change her/his behavior and cope with nicotine withdrawal symptoms, but also find healthier ways to manage their moods. One of the best things one can do to help themselves quit smoking is to identify the things that make them want to smoke, including specific situations, activities, feelings, and people. Once
they have identified the triggers, they can change their routine and substitute triggers with new behaviors, so they can eliminate the association between the triggers and smoking. In order to be successful, one must learn to deal with cravings and change their environment or their habits in order to avoid the triggers.
If you’re a smoker who is determined to quit smoking, you may follow certain steps:
- Set a quit date.
- Tell family, friends, and colleagues that you plan to quit.
- Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and work.
- Distract yourself in order to keep your mind off smoking.
- Remind yourself why you quit.
- Keep a craving journal.
- Reward yourself whenever you triumph over a craving.
- Indulge in physical activity such as exercise or meditation.
- Stay hydrated because it helps minimize the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
- Seek medical help. Smoking cessation medications can ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings.
In case of relapse, do not feel demotivated. Remind yourself constantly why you decided to quit initially and keep working towards quitting to smoke. It is very important to stay optimistic, be perseverant in your efforts to successfully quit smoking, and be hopeful that you will achieve this goal, throughout this process of smoking de-addiction. Counselling and medication can more than double the chance that a smoker who tries to quit will succeed.
As per the reports of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quitting smoking cuts cardiovascular risks. Just 1 year after quitting smoking, the risk for a heart attack drops sharply. Within 2 to 5 years after quitting smoking, the risk for stroke may reduce to about that of a non-smoker’s. If one quits smoking, her/his risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder drop by half within 5 years. Ten years after one quits smoking, her/his risk for lung cancer drops by half.
It is important to keep in mind that nicotine addiction should be treated as a chronic disorder which may require long-term treatment. Treatment may require persistent efforts in trying to assist tobacco users in their attempts at
quitting.
Smoking is injurious to health. Put it out, before it puts you out.
