NO SMOKING PLEASE
Each New Year provides the platform for resolutions and the next couple of days sees the worst struggle to keep up those.Ultimately the easiest wins the battle and the resolution jumbles till the next new year eve.Similarly the apt day for taking a no-smoking resolution happens to be on the Anti- smoking day celebrated worldwide on May 31st of every year.But whatever be the status of such resolutions its beginning was in January 1979, when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia submitted in the 6th Health Ministers’ Council Conference – a working paper on combating smoking in the GCC states.
Eventhough now turn on any of the medias and you will see yourself bombarded with urges promoting young people not to smoke. But does that mean “big tobacco” has given up recruiting new smokers? A new study says, absolutely not.Smoking related-diseases kill one in 10 adults globally, or cause four million deaths. By 2030, if current trends continue, smoking will kill one in six people.Every eight seconds, someone dies from tobacco use and among young teens (aged 13 to 15), about one in five smokes worldwide.Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking every day – roughly half of whom live in Asia.Recent evidence shows that around 50% of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years.
Apart from the heavy toll on smokers it is a lamentable fact that passive non smokers ranging to 53,000 people die every year due to second hand smoke.That includes innocent children of smoking parents as well.
Although Kerala happens to be one of the first states to implement smoking ban in public places it is not a rarity to see one smoking on the off roads.The strictness of the ban slumbers down on papers owing to the vicious influence of multinational companies who are keen on implementing the succesful business strategies.The harmful effects of smoking needs no further illustration,thanks to the effective anti smoking campaigns and ads promoted by anti tobacco activists.Now the law has played its part.So isn’t it time for a self introspection to impose a ban on your own mind to quit tobacco?It will not only save your family alone but also it will be a boon to the entire civilization including your progenies for generations ahead.
Quitting smoking makes a difference right away-you can taste and smell food better. Your breath smells better. Your cough goes away. This happens for men and women of all ages, even those who are older. It happens for healthy people as well as those who already have a disease or condition caused by smoking.
Benefits of not smoking
* Quitting smoking cuts the risk of lung cancer, many other cancers, heart disease, stroke, other lung diseases, and other respiratory illnesses.
* Ex-smokers have better health than current smokers. Ex- smokers have fewer days of illness, fewer health complaints, and less bronchitis and pneumonia than current smokers.
* Quitting smoking saves money. It appears that the price of cigarettes will continue to rise in coming years, as will the financial rewards of quitting.
How to Quit
* Set a date for quitting. If possible.make it today and have a friend quit smoking with you.
* Notice when and why you smoke. Try to find the things in your daily life that you often do while smoking (such as drinking your morning cup of coffee or driving a car).
* Change your smoking routines: Keep your cigarettes in a different place. Smoke with your other hand. Don’t do anything else when smoking. Think about how you feel when you smoke.
* Smoke only in certain places, such as outdoors.
* When you want a cigarette, wait a few minutes. Try to think of something to do instead of smoking; you might chew gum or drink a glass of water.
* Buy one pack of cigarettes at a time. Switch to a brand of cigarettes you don’t like.
On the Day You Quit
* Get rid of all your cigarettes. Put away your ashtrays.
* Change your morning routine. When you eat breakfast, don’t sit in the same place at the kitchen table. Stay busy.
* When you get the urge to smoke, do something else instead.
* Carry other things to put in your mouth, such as gum, hard candy, or a toothpick.
* Reward yourself at the end of the day for not smoking. See a movie or go out and enjoy your favorite meal.
And above all ,paste a banner on your bedroom that will remind you every morning when you wake up to keep yourself away from smoking.The letters
should read:NO SMOKING PLEASE!
Dr.sajy kuruttukulam
Senior cardiologist
Medical trust hospital ,kochi