By Dr. Kedar Tilwe, Consultant-Psychiatrist, Fortis Hospital Mulund & Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi ~
One of the main addictive substances in cigarettes is nicotine, a drug that can affect various human body parts, including the brain. As a person gets into the habit of smoking, the human body and the brain get used to having nicotine regularly. Close to 80-90 per cent of smokers are addicted to nicotine, which can make de-addiction process very difficult and challenging.
When a person is smoking and inhales the nicotine in the cigarette, it reaches the brain in less than ten seconds. This causes the brain to release adrenaline, creating a buzz of pleasure and energy, which is highly addictive. However, this buzz fades very quickly, so the cravings for cigarettes are frequent throughout the day for a smoker. This is also why when a smoker quits smoking, they sometimes have severe withdrawal symptoms as their body is not used to not having nicotine.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, 2016-17, in India, nearly 267 million adults are users of tobacco. Some of the most prevalent forms of tobacco use in the country include smokeless tobacco, while commonly used products are khaini, gutkha, betel quid with tobacco and zarda. Ahead are some of the reasons why tobacco consumption continues to be one of the biggest public health threats in the country.
- Tobacco is readily available in every nook of the country, even in rural areas. Since access to the product is so easy, many people begin smoking in their adolescent years, which makes it difficult to quit as they have been smoking for a very long time
- Many people, especially in offices and colleges, begin smoking out of peer pressure. As smoking is a bonding opportunity for many people, they feel that if they quit smoking, they will lose their friends
- Smoking can become an addictive habit very quickly. Since people are not aware of the dependence symptoms or withdrawal symptoms when they decide to quit, they are unable to keep off the habit of smoking
- Many people do not know that they have a variety of tools and techniques available to them to help them quit the habit, which is why they continue to smoke without taking the effort to quit
The process of quitting smoking is not easy, but it has many benefits. Not smoking improves health status and quality of life and reduces the risk of premature death. When a person stops smoking, they can add ten years to their life expectancy. The risk of many health outcomes like cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer also reduces. Below are a few steps that government and society can take to help smokers quit this dangerous and unhealthy habit.
- Smoking has spread to almost every corner of the country, with people even in rural areas smoking every day. That is why it is essential to spread awareness about the ill effects of smoking and how it can damage a person and their family’s overall health and well-being: after all passive smoking, too, has severe health repercussions
- Social media is a powerful tool to promote awareness about the harmful effects of smoking. By engaging influencers and brands, the message to quit smoking can be spread to a large community of people. Further, since many people, even in the rural areas, have access to digital devices, these campaigns have the potential to help reduce the consumption of tobacco
- Smokers should be made aware of the harmful impact of smoking, and access to treatments through tele-mental health services should be popularized throughout the country. Also, the stigma related to smoking should be addressed so that smokers are encouraged to seek treatment and get rid of this damaging and harmful habit
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