Among all addictions prevalent, smoking tobacco is one of the most common along with abusing alcohol. It is socially acceptable and fashionable because of ignorance on part of people about its health hazards. Those who smoke for any reason find it difficult to give up later, even when they start getting sick. Young boys pick up smoking under peer pressure and by the time they are middle aged, they develop chronic lung disease like bronchitis and asthma. As they grow older they become sick due to lung cancer and gangrene of the limbs. But at any of these stages of sickness, even when an individual wants to give it up, they find it very difficult to quit smoking because the body gets physically and emotionally dependant on it. It is a different story that many chronic smokers boast that the day they want, they can give up smoking. But in practice it becomes very difficult. First problem which arises when an individual wishes to stop smoking is the withdrawal symptoms. This happens in direct proportion to the amount of cigarettes one has been smoking per day and total duration of smoking. These symptoms develop if a chronic smoker stays away from smoking for 2 to 3 days for any reason. There is vague restlessness, difficulty in sleeping, palpitation, sweating and tremors. One is relieved of all these problems only when one smokes again, thus forming a vicious cycle where one finds it very difficult to give up smoking. Loss of appetite and constipation are other problems which develop due to withdrawal. A strong willed person can overcome these troublesome symptoms and stick to the pledge of not smoking. But a weak minded person will succumb easily and restart smoking with gusto. It is for these kinds of people that drugs like sedatives and tranquilizers are needed. These drugs calm the mind of the person concerned and help them to cope with living without smoking. But use of these drugs over a long time is also hazardous, as they also cause physical and mental dependence. Thus risk is that a person may switch over from being tobacco addict to a drug addict. A safer option to overcome the phase of withdrawal is that the person keeps occupied physically as well as mentally at the scheduled time of smoking, without touching a cigarette. This will help divert the mind from the craving for smoking. Eating or chewing something harmless like nuts or candy also helps in diverting one’s attention from the desire to smoke. By doing so for one or 2 weeks or more, slowly the craving for smoking will reduce and the individual will eventually give up smoking. Certain types of breathing exercises in Yoga also help a person to give up smoking. I personally know some people who were smoking for more than 20 years. Then after being motivated by someone to do “Pranayam”, i.e. the set of breathing exercises regularly, they told me that after about a year, they lost the desire to smoke and in fact started getting repelled by the smell and sight of tobacco smoke. One also needs to give due attention to proper nutrition as smoking tends to cause affection of the peripheral nerves and blood vessels in the body. Taking a diet rich in whole grains apart from fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy meat like fish is important. Because whole grains are rich in vitamin B.complex which is much needed in these individuals. Counselling by a well meaning relative or friend is very helpful at this stage. One may also seek the help of a professional counsellor. The counsellor should not be critical or intimidating. Otherwise, very soon the chain smoker will stop listening to them and may revert to smoking again. Gently the counsellor should talk to the person about the hazards of smoking and encourage him to quit smoking. It is not impossible to give up a dangerous addiction like smoking. If for any reason one is habituated to smoking, he/she should make all efforts at the earliest to quit this habit. E-mail-rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk
