Q: I’m 28 years old and would really like to give up smoking. I’ve no willpower at all. I’ve tried to just stop but could not stop for long. I’ve tried patches and they make my arm swell up, I’ve tried smoking cigarettes that make me feel sick, but to no avail. Can you suggest anything else?
A: Smoking is the single largest the preventable cause of death in the world today, responsible for five million deaths every year across the globe. Research has shown that each cigarette one smokes decreases his or her life by eleven minutes. On an average smoker loose about 10 years of their life by their smoking habit. Also the quality of life of non-smoker is much better then that of a smoker. You have made a wise decision of quitting smoking. Most smokers wait for a disaster like heart attack, stroke, pneumonia or lung cancer before they decides to pack up their cigarettes. Unfortunately, that is often too late and not much can be done at that advanced stage to help these individuals who have destroyed their body organs by years of smoking.
Research has clearly shown that those who give smoking all together on a decided ‘quit date’ are much more successful in staying smoke free than those who try to decrease the number of cigarettes. Decreasing the cigarettes is actually a false sense of security. A person who decreases from 20 to 10 cigarettes per day may be inhaling the same amount of toxins by inhaling more deeply subconsciously to fulfil the demands for the nicotine receptors of the brain. Remember, there is no magic way of giving up smoking. It is difficult and requires a strong will power.
Smoking is difficult to stop because of strong addictive nature of tobacco. In fact, nicotine the main constituent of tobacco is more powerful as an addictive substance compared to alcohol, cocaine and marijuana. The symptoms of anger, inability to concentrate, lack of energy and depression are actually nicotine withdrawal effects. These symptoms generally last for two to four weeks only after one stops smoking. The urge for cigarettes, however, may persist for upto six months or more. These nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be controlled with the help of psychological support and with certain medicines. As time passes without cigarettes the body get used to it and nicotine withdrawal symptoms gradually subsides.
First two weeks, after giving up smoking are very crucial. You should try to keep yourself away from cigarettes and ashtrays. You are also advised not to sit with your friends who smoke. When you get an urge to smoke try to put some candies in your mouth instead of a cigarette. Take one day at a time. Congratulate yourself for not smoking at the end of the day. Save the money you would have spend on cigarettes in a week and take your family out for evening meal. Don’t worry, as time passes you will become a normal healthy person again very soon. Your appetite would improve and you might gain some weight. Remember slight weight gain is not as harmful as continued smoking.
Some tips to help you quit cigarettes:
Try to exercise — take walks or ride a bike.
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water between meals. The more liquid you take, the quicker the nicotine flushes out of your body.
When you feel tensed, try to keep busy, think about ways to solve the problem, tell yourself that smoking won’t make it any better.
Eat regular meals. Feeling hungry is sometime mistaken for a desire to smoke.
Avoid places where smokers congregate — when someone offers you a cigarette, say with confidence “Sorry, I don’t smoke.”
If you get a craving for a cigarette, remember the 4 Ds: Deep breaths, slowly inhale and exhale. Drink lot of water throughout the day (especially during a craving). Do something else to get your mind off the craving. Call a friend, go for walk, and chew on a carrot stick. Delay reaching for a cigarette. The urge will soon pass away. Don’t waver: Don’t think that just one cigarette won’t hurt. It will. The occasional cigarettes will make you crave for more. Don’t risk it.
Ask God to help you and Inshallah you will succeed in quitting smoking forever.
Dr Javaid Khan
AKUH
Identities of the questioners are being withheld on request.
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