Smoking – A Grave Craving

 In The Words Of A Smoker… 

 

“Everything was just so perfect. Nice job, great salary, amazing house, awesome social life, perfect health…until recently when I started getting bad headaches. They were so bad that I could not concentrate on my work. Everyday now turned out to be a bad day. I woke up with a headache and slept with a headache. Not just this, I was repeatedly getting nasal and throat infections which made my bad days worst.

 

I went to my doctor, and after general examination and a battery of tests performed, I was diagnosed as a hypertensive with high cholesterol levels. I took the prescribed medicines but the prescription just worked temporarily. Now I wasn’t getting enough sleep either. So, my doctor  added a low dose of sleeping pills to an already-lengthy-prescription.

 

Physically I am absolutely fit, perfect weight for my height. My diet is just right for my age, weight and lifestyle. I still could not believe for what I was diagnosed of at a young age of 29. I thought I had the perfect lifestyle until my BP read 160/130 mmHg.

 

One evening I sat down to figure out what has gone wrong where. While thinking the cause for this ill health, the smoke from my cigarette made me cough. I stopped smoking to drink water only to realize what the much-hunted cause. I am a smoker for the past 7 years. This is the greatest flaw in my lifestyle which is now taking a toll on my health, my work, my career and my life.

 

So now after much thinking and suffering, I have decided to give up smoking because I want my beautiful and perfect life back. I know it is going to be difficult but to live happily and healthily I will take up this challenge of giving up on my seven years of this killing addiction. I have already started staying without smoking and I am praying hard that I should succeed in my purpose.”

 

Smoking Is Injurious To Health

 

We all are aware that smoking is injurious to health. Although statement is printed on the cigarette packs, they are still sold. The increase in the sales of these cigarette packs is primarily because smoking is addictive. Some common reasons for getting involved in smoking are peer pressure or following examples of siblings and parents, employment outside the house, stress, homesickness or just as a fashion. There may be many reasons for smoking but the bottom line – ‘Smoking Is Injurious To Health’ always remains the same.

 

Tobacco Ill Effects

 

According to the World Health Organization, about 4 million deaths occur in a year from tobacco that is expected to rise to about 10 million by 2030. Tobacco is responsible for about 30% of all cancer deaths in the developed countries. Other ill effects are diseases like stroke, myocardial infarction, aortic aneurysm and peptic ulcer. Smoking is also a known cause for infertility. Smoking is extremely harmful during pregnancy too. The babies of mothers who smoke weigh on an average 200 grams less at birth than those of non-smokersThere is evidence that the sooner a person begins to smoke, the greater is the risk for any life threatening disease to develop, and hence, the life expectancy reduces by almost 25 years as compared to a non-smoker. Smoking brings environmental pollution and the smoke causes diseases even amongst the non-smokers, also called as passive smokers.

 

Government Initiatives

 

WHO has organized a “Tobacco Free Initiative Programme” to galvanize global support for tobacco control, and to heighten the awareness of social, human and economic harm caused by tobacco consumption. But no program can be a complete success without mass participation.

 

The government is trying its best by imposing rules like no smoking in public areas and smoking only in zones meant for smokers. These rules may reduce the ill effects of passive smoking but are they going to help the smoker. He will now be in a zone where he will be smoking along with other smokers. So, in turn he becomes a smoker as well as a passive smoker.

 

Smoking – A Suicide & A Homicide

 

Tobacco is a killer and it should not be advertised, subsidized or glamourized. Smoking is suicidal and homicidal. Suicidal because smoking will leave a smoker vulnerable to several life-threatening diseases, and homicidal as by polluting the environment, a smoker threatens the health of others around him. If thought this way then no one will want to be a criminal.

 

It is high time that every individual realises the ill effects of this grave habit. Stress is no reason for getting addicted to smoking as you are giving yourself a painful life and death. There are times when a doctor advices his patient not to smoke when he smokes himself. It is important to practice before you preach or else your preaching just becomes noise which is heard and then forgotten very easily.

 

 So, Dear Smokers…

 

Anyone who is a non smoker then he or she should never fall prey to this addiction anytime in their lives. And if a person is a smoker then he or she should quit smoking. It is normal that smokers will find it difficult to stay away from cigarettes during the initial days of withdrawal. But once they overcome this period, they will soon realize the life-long benefits of giving up smoking.

 

Withdrawal sounds scary and difficult but it is not impossible. Remember that even an impossible says ‘I-M-POSSIBLE.’ Anyone doing so is not just helping himself but also the nation and the world. Smokers should not lose hope and stay firm during the phase of withdrawal to achieve their purpose. There should be lot of motivation and support from family and friends along with strong individual will power. And yes, where there is a will there is always a way!

…Ashu Bolar