Cigarette smoking is one of the most common and regular habit of people around the world. About 1.3 billion are addicted to cigarette which is one of the most important concern this time . Nearly 5 trillion cigarettes are consumed each year. Every almost 5 million people starts smoking which is increasing every year.
Tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year. About 7 million people die due to direct consumption while other 1 million people die due to indirect consumption.
How Smoking Affects Your Health:
The harmful effects on the body due to smoking can be seen in many areas of the body :
Lungs: It damages the cells of lungs and fills the lungs with tar . It increases the risk of lung cancer, COPD and other respiratory diseases.
Heart : It damages the blood vessels and reduces the blow flow to the heart. This causes the risk of heart diseases including heart attacks and strokes.
Mouth and Throat: It increases the risk of oral, throat and other types of cancer as it destroys the cells . It leads growth of cancer cells in mouth.
Skin: It also causes premature aging of your skin. Wrinkles and dark circles making you age more and may look you old.
Why it becomes difficult to quit smoking:
When a person starts to quit smoking but it becomes very difficult to quit as he is addicted to nicotine . It is main ingredient in cigarettes.You can see many withdrawal symptoms like irritation, anxiety, poor concentration, headaches, insomnia, increased or decreased appetite. These are just symptoms which you can easily control if you have strong will power to quit.
How you can quit Smoking:
You can quit smoking if you plan your strategies properly. Here are some tips and strategies which you can follow:
- Set a quit date and stick to it
- Ask from your friends and family for their support ,many people hide from their family but you can tell your friends and seek their help
- Find alternate ways to eliminate your stress such as exercise ,meditation or deep breathing.
- Avoid triggers like group outing, office breaks , party or any situation that leads to smoking.
- Use nicotine therapy such as patches or gums that reduce your withdrawl symptoms.
- Increase intake of fresh fruits and vegetables which will you increase your cognitive function
Benefits of Quitting smoking:
When you quit smoking, from first day you lungs starts to repair itself. If you quit for atleast 6 months then your lungs full repair itself. Many more benefits like improved lung capacity ,reduced risk of cancer, more sense of taste and smell.
It also enhances better breathing and increased energy and overall improvement in body health and mind. In addition to health benefits ,you can save lot of money throughout the year and increase your savings. You can do more fruitful and healthy in your life.
By quitting, you are not only saving yourself but also your family from unexpected events . Many people will laugh on you when you will be quitting but remember your life is only your responsibility.
Helpline:
US Govt has made this official helpline : (1-800-784-8669) if you have decided to quit smoking .
This helpline will surely help you in quitting by their ongoing online sessions and webinars.
Indian Govt has also established a tobacco quit helpline. You can call this helpline on this number :National Tobacco Quit Line Services (NTQLS) – 1800 112 356 (TOLL FREE)
Lets take a pledge everyone to make our society tobacco free.