Dr. Arif Maghribi
SRINAGAR, May 16: Kashmir holds the dubious distinction of having the largest number of passive smokers and a lot of research has been done on this. One of the best scientific researches done by famous psychiatrist Dr. Mushtaq Margoob, “The menace of drug abuse in Kashmir” reveals that there are 24.32 lakh substance abusers in Kashmir, including tobacco users.
The study puts prevalence of cigarette smoking in Kashmir at a very high rate of 24.5%. In addition to this, 10.63% of the total population consume tobacco in other forms such as beedis, chillum and hard-rolled cigar. All these statistics are very chilling and predict a bleak future.
Nowadays kids, as young as 8, can be seen smoking after coming back from schools and coaching centres. Smoking is a gateway to harder drugs. Initially it was militancy related incidents and now it’s drug abuse that is destroying the social fabric of Kashmir.
Since I myself am a Kashmiri, I have tried to devise an easy ‘quitting strategy’ for smokers who don’t want to die of the diseases caused by it and who understand the harm that they are causing to others by means of passive smoking.
So if you want to quit smoking, then you should exercise and just remember the four D’s.
Distract yourself! Think of something that takes your mind off smoking or do something to keep yourself busy.
Drink something! Drink a bottle of juice slowly and hold each sip for a few seconds. This replaces the feeling of a cigarette in your hand or smoke in your mouth.
Delay! Don’t smoke when you feel the urge. Wait for a few minutes and it will pass.
Deep breathing!
You can also pair up with a friend who is also trying to stop. You might feel, especially if you smoke heavily, that you can’t stop completely. But don’t be discouraged if you start smoking again. Many people do it. It’s all part of learning not to smoke.
Some medication may also help:
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).
This is a way of giving your body the nicotine it craves for, without using cigarettes. It comes as skin patches, chewing-gum or inhalers. It seems to work better if you use a patch together with an inhaler or gum. The patches, gum or inhalers can irritate your skin, mouth, throat or nose, but usually just for a short time. NRT doubles your chance of giving up completely.
Smokers ask: Isn’t it too late to stop?
No! It’s not, even if you have smoked ever since you were a teenager. If you stop smoking before the age of about 35 you will live nearly as long as people who have never smoked. And if you stopped smoking before the age of 50, you will be half as likely to die from smoking-related diseases as someone who continues smoking.
People who stop smoking will get the benefits. They will probably be much healthier and feel better. Few people feel worse for a short time after stopping. This will be over soon. You may cough more for a while after stopping smoking. But that is usually temporary and may also last a few months. You may put on weight, but you can control this with exercising and by eating a balanced diet.
“If you want to quit smoking, the author’s help can be sought by dialling toll-free number 1800-420-2020 from 10 am to 5 pm everyday except on Saturdays and Sundays. The author provides free counselling to smokers, drug addicts and also to people suffering from depression. He can be mailed at [email protected].”
