Undoubtedly, smoking is injurious to health. It affects every part of the body and largely the heart and lungs. Nicotine, present in tobacco is considered to be the most addictive substance known to humankind.
Due to its addictive nature, it invariably leads to excessive consumption. Some of the major health issues that one can get due to smoking include: cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, influenza, female infertility and impotence. While quitting might be hard, it is not impossible.
Moreover, there are certain effective tobacco cessation techniques and quitting strategies that can be adopted to minimise the intake of tobacco amongst users.
Here are few tips to minimise smoking on a regular basis-
Do not succumb to peer pressure, avoid consuming cigarettes to stay in fashion.
Stay away from passive or second hand smoke.
Use natural remedies such as yoga or light exercise to ward off stress.
Avoid the temptation of having just ‘one cigarette’ as it can hamper your chances of staying tobacco free. Make wiser choices; if when someone tempts you to try a cigarette, be firm in refusing even if it is a relative or close friend making that offer.
There are Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products that are currently available in the form of chewing gums in packs of different sizes. There are also nicotine patches that help reduce the consumption of tobacco.
NRT is a WHO recommended therapy and is practiced worldwide. As a method of delivering nicotine into the bloodstream, NRT is a less dangerous method as compared to smoking or any other forms of tobacco. NRT products should be used as instructed for a minimum of 12 weeks to avoid a relapse.
A smoker can also call the national tobacco cessation quit line on 1800227787. The quit line is toll-free and is functional everyday from 9 am to 9 pm. The counselling is available in multiple languages.
Through the quit line, one can gain on-ground support by reaching out to a TII (Tobacco Intervention Initiative) Centre. Both the quit line and TII Centres provide tailor-made 12 week quit plans to help users overcome their addiction.
Research shows that it takes up to 12 weeks for the nicotine receptors in your brain to switch off when you quit.
The planning should therefore be done for three months since that is the time it will take for the body to completely stop craving nicotine and function normally.