Say No to Tobacco

The use of tobacco generally starts as an adventure in a young peer group but soon turns into a habit, and the vicious circle of addiction doesn’t take much time to enslave its users. Say NO at the onset!

From single puff to regular habit and from a habit to severe addiction, it’s the cycle of a well nurtured practice. And when tried with deadly stuff it curtails everything a healthy body and soul can enjoy. Such is the lethality of tobacco.

At present approximately 4.9 million people are killed worldwide annually by tobacco use and according to a World Health Organization study it is estimated to take 10 million lives every year by 2020. India grabs a lion’s share in these deadly figures, as the same study reveals that by 2010, nearly 1 million people are going to die of tobacco related diseases caused primarily due to smoking every year. That is equivalent to 2,740 people per day or 114 people per hour or about 1.9 Indians will die every minute from smoking.

Tobacco is used as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars etc but taken in any form the results are the same; from painful side effects to fatal infections. With tobacco comes a long list of vulnerable diseases like oral and lung cancer, bronchitis, asthma, coronary artery disease, decreased physical fitness, unfavourable lipid profile and inevitable death.

The use of tobacco generally starts as an adventure in a young peer group but soon turns into a habit, and the vicious circle of addiction doesn’t take much time to enslave its users. When consumed daily in adolescence, it leads to slow deterioration of lungs followed by Pneumonia, Bronchitis, and Asthma which on prolonged ignorance leads to lungs cancer, emphysema and such other smoking related diseases ultimately resulting in painful and untimely death.

Women tobacco users tend to cause irreparable damage on its consumption during pregnancy. It can be all the more dangerous as it might result in premature delivery along with severe post birth irregularities. A feeding mother on smoking transfers nicotine and other toxic chemicals to the infant.

Nicotine present in tobacco causes psychological effects and stimulation in the nervous system post addiction. A tobacco addict thus finds it impossible to quit as a prolonged usage makes the body depend on it, the more you consume the more it demands and at times renders one completely helpless when denied the required dose.

It’s not that tobacco has ill effects only on the direct users. The effect of passive smoking includes headache, nausea, asthma, cough and other respiratory and breathing anomalies. A nation’s future greatly depends on her youth and middle age population as they form the backbone of productivity and progress, tobacco usage takes a major toll on proficiency and economy of the country.

It is true that tobacco addiction is tough to quit, but with self determination backed by motivation and love there is always room for reconciliation. Many projects are in place in collaboration with various NGOs to ensure that those in the grip of this deadly stuff do stand a fair chance.

Let’s promise ourselves to SAY NO TO TOBACCO forever and build a healthy tobacco free family and nation.