SMOKING
Everyone knows smoking is bad but still very few try the tips to quit smoking, there are many active smokers in the world and daily many smokers are added to this list. The list of smokers keeps growing and with this, the list of people suffering from smoking-related diseases also increases.
Smoking is also a global issue and the problem with it is that there is no medicine that can help a person to stop smoking.
WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY – 31st MAY.
So if we know smoking is bad for health then why do many people keep smoking?
Let us start from the beginning.
HOW SOMEONE STARTS SMOKING:
Mostly when a person is asked how you started smoking then the most common answer is “FRIENDS FORCED ME FOR ONE SMOKE AS NOTHING HAPPENS FROM ONE SMOKE OR ANOTHER ANSWER IS THAT MY FRIENDS USE TO SMOKE TOGETHER AND HAD A GOOD TIME AND I FELT LEFT OUT SO I STARTED TO SMOKE SO THAT I CAN BE WITH FRIENDS”.
Another reason for starting smoking which people say is that they are influenced by the “MOVIE OR SOCIAL MEDIA STARS “ as they looked cool and stylish when they smoked.
These two are the most common reasons why people start smoking and slowly years pass by and it becomes a habit.
Some other reasons that make someone start smoking or smoke more are :
Stress can be related to the extra pressure of work or study.
Family or personal life-related stress.
WHY PEOPLE CONTINUE TO SMOKE :
What started as one cigarette when it became a habit a person will never know. one common thought with every person is that I can stop smoking whenever I want but the problem is that it’s an addiction and it is difficult to stop.
When the person starts to smoke then NICOTINE RECEPTORS develop in the brain and with continuous smoking the receptors increase in number and these receptors make the person smoke again and again.
Some occasions or places that can be linked to smoking are:
A social gathering like parties where alcohol and smoking are available can make someone drink and smoke some more.
Colleges are the place where some students get into this habit of smoking as students stay away from their parents and try out new things.
A person often links smoking to stress buster and he or she smokes more while working on some stressful work in the office.
Some people find it difficult to have normal bowel movements without morning smoke which is mostly seen in chain smokers.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SMOKING :
Health: Smokers or non-smoker knows smoking is injurious to health as it damages the lungs and heart. It can cause emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke, myocardial infarction, and cancer.
The health impact is a bigger concern as many people lose their lives because of smoking-related diseases.
Other negative impacts of smoking on the person is:
Family life: Young smokers will always try to hide and smoke outside so that his or her family don’t know about this habit and if a person smokes in his or her home in the presence of the family member, then it gets dangerous as the family will get exposed to smoke and family member will inhale the smoke from a cigarette which is known as passive smoking. This can cause respiratory problems for the family members who are exposed to cigarettes.
Financial impact: The money spent on buying a pack of cigarettes is an unnecessary burden on the financial status of the person.
Social life: Sometimes it gets difficult for smokers to be around people who don’t smoke as most people don’t like to inhale cigarette smoke and they have to find a separate place to smoke.
Facial and skin changes:
Cigarette contains many chemicals and constant smoking, these chemicals can make the skin look dull, can cause whitening of hairs, and nicotine stains on teeth and fingernails
Reproductive life
Smoking can cause a decrease in sperm count and motility too and in females can lead to early menopause.
HOW TO QUIT SMOKING:
This is a very important part and the problem is that there is no magic medicine available to help someone to quit smoking.
A few tips which can help someone quit smoking are :
MINDSET: Many people quit smoking but end up starting again. So the first thing about quitting smoking is to find a strong motive for it. Staying healthy for yourself and your family is one of the strong motivations.
SLOWLY REDUCING THE NUMBER: If someone is a chain smoker and smokes one packet in a day then it’s not easy to just stop smoking .so it’s better to reduce the number of cigarettes first.
Set a goal such as every day you will reduce one or two cigarettes and in a maximum of 2 weeks, you should stop smoking.
Every day when you are reducing the number of cigarettes then your body will want nicotine and you should be strong enough to stop yourself from smoking again.
Nicotine gums and patches are available and they can be used when trying to quit smoking.
CLEAN THE SMOKING AREA OF THE HOME: Throw away the ashtray, lighters, and cigarette packets from the home so that these things are not available easily and you don’t start smoking again.
CIGARETTE SHOP: cigarette shops are present nearly everywhere and here it’s important for the person to not stop there for one cigarette also. You should motivate yourself to never hold that cigarette in your hand again.
MAKE A LIST: A list of all the activities which you associate with smoking should be made such as many people smoking while drinking tea or smoking after food and you should be extra careful in this time and keep motivating yourself to not start smoking again.
TAKE IT AS A CHALLENGE: Mark the day from when you stopped the cigarette completely, and give yourself a challenge about passing the day without smoking and work hard to complete the challenge.
FRUITS: It has been seen that many people eat too many fried foods when they feel the need to smoke and this increases the chances of increasing weight. So it is better to keep some fruits that you like and if you feel the urge to smoke then eat the fruit slowly and keep yourself busy with some work till that urge to smoke passes.
PARTIES: Try to avoid parties for starting one month maybe when you quit smoking because if someone offers you a cigarette then maybe you will end up smoking once again and then all the hard work done till now will be lost.
OFFICE: Parties you can avoid but the office can’t be stopped so it is important to say “NO”.If someone offers you cigarettes then you should say no and try to focus on passing every day without even a single cigarette.
PHYSICAL TRAINING
Starting leading a healthy life and do regular physical training as it will improve your overall health and will also give you a positive outlook towards your life.
Don’t get demotivated if you end up smoking after stopping for a few days start again with more determination and make it a mission of your life to completely stop smoking and never fail in this mission again.
Starting one or two months can be difficult but after that, the nicotine receptors in the brain decrease in number, and the urge to smoke will decrease, and then it will be much easier to avoid smoking even when you see someone smoking.
Once you stop smoking you will see positive changes in your body with improvement in skin texture, improvement in stamina, no more coughing and feeling of heaviness in the lungs, improvement in heart rate, and many more positive effects.
Always remember that SMOKING IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH.
START FROM TODAY AND BE STRONG.
STAY HEALTHY AND STAY SAFE.
