NO TOBACCO DAY TODAY: Smoking and cessation tips

Today, May 31st is observed as a No Tobacco Day. This day was created by the member states of World Health Organization in 1987 to control the tobacco epidemic and make people aware of the hazards of tobacco. This year their main goal is to raise the awareness about different types of tobacco products and to encourage its strict regulation in all countries.

There is one thing that we all should remember, even though only one day is assigned as no-tobacco day, but the efforts towards its reduction should be made throughout the year. On this note, let us talk a bit about smoking.

Addiction to smoking

In olden days, people enjoyed smoking due to ignorance of the health hazards, offering tobacco for chewing and smoking was considered as an honour to the recipients and no one thought of its after effects. When your parents were young, people could buy cigarettes and smoke pretty much anywhere - even in hospitals! Ads for cigarettes were all over the place.

Today, we are aware of the ill effects of smoking. Smoking is restricted or banned in almost all public places and cigarette companies are no longer allowed to advertise on buses or trains, billboards, TV, and in many magazines. Even it is made mandatory to the cigarette manufacturers to print on the wrapper “smoking is injurious to health” to warn the smokers. Thanks to the media – today almost everyone knows about the diseases caused by smoking i.e. cancer, emphysema and heart diseases, its role in shortening the life span, and above all the cost, a smoker spends thousands of bucks on cigarettes in a year, but even after all this the smoking continues, why is it so?? Yes, the answer is very loud and clear, addiction.

No one is a born smoker; its the circumstance that make a smoker and then an addict. Most of the smoking begins in teenage - they smoke either to flaunt their maturity or because their friends do and this façade slowly and steadily moves on to become addiction.

Some tips for smoking cessation

Deep breathing: This method is most efficacious in quitting if done on a daily basis. Whenever there is a craving for cigarette, do the following: Inhale deeply taking in as much air as you can and then very slowly exhale. During exhalation, purse your lips so that the air comes out slowly, close your eyes, let your chin gradually sink over onto your chest, and visualize all the tension slowly draining out of your fingers and toes out of your body.

Fluids consumption: Drink as much water as you can as water helps in detoxifying your body and remove all the toxins from your body.

Reduce sugar, coffee, and alcohol: Avoid taking these items as much as possible as these create the craving for tobacco and may cause hindrance in the way of quitting.

Cigarette substitute: Whenever you feel like having a cigarette, you can use a substitute for it like chewing gums or cinnamon sticks. Lozenges and nicotin patches can also be used.

Exercise: Exercise along with deep breathing will couple the quitting process. Even if you cannot afford to go to gym, just do daily walking and jogging and it will do wonders for you.

Make yourself busy: Try to engage yourself in some work so that your mind is distracted from cigarettes.

Family support: It is also important that your family knows about your quitting so that they can support you during your mood swings in the quitting period.

Self control: The most important thing for quitting is self control. Even after you quit, sometimes due to stress or some other pressure you may be tempted to have “just one” but remember this “one” can take you back into the vicious circle of smoking again.

Staying smoke free will give you a whole lot more of everything - more energy, better performance, better looks, more money in your pocket, and, in the long run, more life to live!