Smoking: A Major Health Hazard

Health Hazards | August 3, 2010 | Share

It is official that cigarettes have definitely established a fairly comfortable spot in the hands of the young generation. Youngsters talk whilst smoking, eat whilst smoking and some even sleep whilst smoking. Smoking has become an inseparable part of the lifestyle of adolescents and it is a serious concern. Many theories can be attributed to this addiction. One being that smoking has become a trend and it is a herculean task for a teenager to evade the temptation of the puff. Sometimes its peer pressure or simply the instinct to try something new makes it even harder. And what just starts as a one-time thing swiftly turns into an addiction. This theory works extremely well in the case of middle class and upper middle class adolescents as they can conveniently ignore the expense of their smoking cycle.

Now once you are addicted to smoking, it becomes a real challenge to call it quits. This is one of the major causes for the rise in the number of smokers. Many youngsters resolve to quit the habit every weekend and some even succeed too. But on Monday they are back to square one. Eventually they make peace with the fact that they are smokers and recede from the section of casual smokers to regular smokers or in some cases even chain smokers.

It is a sad reality that by the end of this year a million people would have died from cancer caused due to smoking in India only. If you dread this figure of a million deaths then dare not imagine the number of people affected by those million deaths. We often ignore the fact that a family and many friends are distraught by a single death. So if you are smoker, then act now and quit. A smoker can quit if he has the will to match his intention of quitting.

First, you will need to find a source of inspiration to quit. Luckily there are plenty. Apparently cigarettes are bad for your health. They can cause cancer, cardiovascular diseases, emphysema and plethora of other diseases. They will definitely result in very high stress levels, faster rate of ageing and less immunity. Apart from that you will also pose a serious health risk to the people around you. Whatever may appeal to you, you can take that up as a source of inspiration. Next, get rid of ash trays, lighters, Zippos, and of course cigarette packs lying anywhere in your home or workplace. Eliminate every sign that may remind you of smoking.

After cleansing your surroundings, let your friends, relatives and more importantly your fellow smokers know that you are trying to quit. You cannot afford to have them blow smoke into your face when you are trying to quit. Let them know you need their support and encouragement. After this you can move to the most difficult part, that is actually quitting smoking. Now that you are not smoking cigarettes, it is crucial that you do not to fall for that one tiny, innocent drag offered to you at any occasion because that tiny puff is going to bring you back to where you started. No sooner you are going to find yourself going back to being a regular smoker.

Be determined and remind yourself that you are strong and you can do this. Finally only a strong will is going to subdue your addition.

Anubhav Verma