Clear the Air: Embrace a Healthier Life on No Smoking Day

Overview

Smoking is an addiction with harmful consequences, as we all know. A packet of cigarettes mentions the statutory warning “Smoking is injurious to health”, but sadly, smokers do not pay heed to it.

No Smoking Day is observed on March 13 (the second Wednesday of March), every year to spread awareness of the harmful effects of smoking and to inspire smokers to “kick the butt” and embrace a healthier lifestyle.

Decades of Dedication: Impact of U.K.'s National No Smoking Day and the Global Battle Against Tobacco

It was in the year 1984, on Ash Wednesday, that U.K. initiated National No Smoking Day to highlight the associated health risks of smoking and also as a means to support smokers to quit smoking. And this is practiced till date. The WHO (World Health Organization) states that the tobacco is one of the leading health hazards prevalent all over the globe. It states that over 7 million people die every year from direct tobacco consumption and about 1.3 million people from passive smoking (people exposed to second hand tobacco smoke) . This is somewhere around 8 million deaths ! Yet this does not deter the smokers from ‘lighting up”.

An interesting fact to note is that the No Smoking campaigns have a unique theme each year. The theme for 2024 is ‘Protecting children from tobacco industry interference’.

There have been instances of children exposed to tobacco, while working in factories rolling ‘Beedis” (inexpensive hand-rolled thin cigarettes made locally). These children hail from weaker economic backgrounds and work as laborers for these beedi factories. In fact, these beedis have a higher nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar content which pose higher health hazards to them.

Silent Killers Unveiled: The Menace of Tobacco in Chewing and Smoking

The chewing of tobacco and smoking are silent killers. The Nicotine content in cigarettes coupled with the tar, carbon monoxide and other chemicals present in the smoke, can cause cancer. This smoke is poisonous which can damage the lungs and spread throughout your body. The health risks associated with tobacco came to the fore in the late 19^th Century, when a few health professionals were concerned about the impact smoking had on health.

Eye-Openers Of Smoking

Did you know that smoking one cigarette a day takes away eleven minutes of your life? So, a smoker who puts away 20 cigarettes a day, loses how much time of his/her life? Do the math!

Did you know that smoking not only kills, but also is a hotbed of life-threatening diseases ?

Did you know that smoking affects the fertility or reproductive organs of the human body?

Did you know that smoking gives you bad breath and that you reek of tobacco ?

Did you know that your fingers become yellow as a result of smoking?

Did you know that you can easily get addicted to smoking ?

Did you know that smoking can cause mental wellness problems ?

Did you know that smoking causes delayed wound healing?

Did you know that smoking prematurely ages your skin ?

Did you know that smoking causes loss of appetite and inability to taste food?

Did you know smoking causes blood clots ?

Did you know smoking causes infertility and pregnancy complications ?

Did you know smoking constricts the blood vessels ?

Did you know that smoking can impact inter-personal relationships ?

Did you know that the money you “burn up in smoke“ can be utilized for your child’s school fees ?

Did you know you are jeopardizing the future generations with all the passive smoking too ?

It is disheartening to know the increase of smoking related illnesses like cancer, heart ailments, lung diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, Tuberculosis, eye diseases like cataracts, immune system diseases including Rheumatoid arthritis, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and erectile dysfunction, among others.

Breaking the Chains: The Struggle to Quit

Of course, it is never simple to give up on an addiction be it Smoking or any other bad habit. Why do smokers smoke in the first place? Well, they cite reasons like work pressure, peer pressure, home responsibilities, sadness, anxiety, tension or just to show-off or prove how cool they are or some who need a smoke with their tea or some need a smoke after eating! Sadly, they do not realize the impact of this ‘so called show-off’ habit is gradually taking them closer to death. It all begins with an initial puff, to see how it feels, and this very soon transforms into a habit that they cannot get rid of. If you tell smokers to stop smoking instantaneously, they will not be able to comply. The addiction is so ingrained that they experience withdrawal symptoms, if they do not smoke. There are many women who smoke as well.

JUST QUIT IT (SMOKING)

To quit smoking, the number of cigarettes consumed daily should be reduced over a period of time.
Join support groups (online or offline) so that you can convey your feelings and find ways to quit smoking
Organize and participate in meetings with create awareness about the adverse causes of smoking
Highlight the adverse effects of smoking and share it across social media platforms and encourage and motivate them to quit smoking
Take the support of family, friends, colleagues to assist in quitting smoking
Take the help of mobile applications that track your journey of quitting smoking
Organize events that aim to support smokers to quit smoking
Understand that spending hard earned money on smoking is taking away your family necessities
Understand that you need to be firm in your decision to quit smoking
Replace cigarettes with nicotine replacements like patches, lozenges or chewing gum to beat the craving
Increase your liquid intake
Keep yourself occupied that you don’t get the time for a “quick smoke”.
Be responsible – as your actions also affect the wellness of your family
Practice meditation, yoga, deep breathing, exercise, and engage in any such physical or mental activity that you forget to “light up”
Consult your physician before you embark on your no smoking journey and keep him informed for any withdrawal symptoms
Express your emotions so that you feel relieved and thereby curtail from smoking

It is not rocket science. Just throw away that packet of cigarettes!

You need to be aware of where this is leading you and only then can you make a difference to others. Take the initiative to improve your life and stick to the decision. No wavering mind here, mind you! It is your will power that will help you every inch of the way. Keep in mind that it is your habit, that is posing a threat to those around you (passive smoking).

The Government has prohibited Smoking in public places. So compared to previous years, the amount of passive smoke has reduced, but not too much, as yet.

The bottom line is you can do it. Its not rocket science. Just throw away that packet of cigarettes! “Tar the roads, not your lungs”.

Conclusion

Once you quit smoking you will feel much healthier, your emotional and physical wellbeing will improve, your craving for smoking will subside, your family life and inter-personal relationships will improve and you will feel at ease and calm, your anxiety will disappear and you will feel like a new person.

So men and women smokers of the World, unite and quit smoking! Make the world tobacco smoke-free. Utilize your energy towards making the world a better place to live in for your children and generations to come. Give your children the gift of a happy and healthy home and future.

Remember, Smoking kills ! So kill it instead! Nip it in the butt.