Ziqitza Limited Rajasthan - This World Not Tobacco Day Commit to Quit

 

The World Health Organisation states approximately 1.1 billion people smoke daily.

Tobacco smoke is a mixture of particles which act as toxins and carcinogens in the

human body. Smoking cigarettes accounts for 6.3 million annual deaths worldwide and

6.3% global burden of the diseases. Smoking (1st, 2nd and 3rd hand smoke) increases the

risk of upper and lower respiratory tract infection. It also increases the risk of viral infections

by causing structural changes in the epithelium and impairing the mucus clearance mechanism

causing epithelial barrier dysfunction and fibrosis.

This year’s World No Tobacco Day theme is ‘Commit to Quit’. Ziqitza emphasis on how the Covid-19 pandemic led to a strengthening of resolve among tobacco users

in their commitment to quit tobacco.As per the Global Burden of Disease study, till 2019, India

had the second-highest number of tobacco consumers from ages 15-24 nearly 2 crore. The

country witnessed the highest increase of young male smokers in this age group since 1990.

Globally, the number of smokers rose to 1.1 billion in 2019, with tobacco smoking causing 7.7 million

deaths.

Experts at Ziqitza Rajasthan say smoking increases expression of Angiotensin II Receptors, which are necessary for the

Covid 19 virus to gain entry into the cell and cause the disease. Thus, smoking facilitates the

entry of Covid 19 virus in the human body. With medical practitioners warning that Covid-19

symptoms are much worse among smokers, the pandemic has seen a rise in the number of

people wanting to kick the habit.

Dr Datar, Ziqitza Healthcare explains smoking can cause lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease besides wreaking havoc

on your mental and physical health. Nonetheless, it is never too late to quit as there are several

immediate and long-term health benefits of quitting smoking.Once you have finally decided to kick the butt, you can either decide to quit abruptly or gradually.

Giving up something as addictive as tobacco is not an easy task, though.Tobacco contains nicotine,

the highly-addictive ingredient that makes you crave cigarettes. So trying to quit can cause

unpleasant withdrawal symptoms

It is important that smokers take a resolve to quit smoking as soon as possible. Here are some tips

laid by ZHL Rajasthan to help you quit smoking:

Prepare yourself: You need to prepare yourself in advance. Remove all triggers and things that remind you of smoking.

Throw away all the leftover cigarette packs and ashtrays, and any other thing which may trigger

an urge to smoke. If your partner also smokes, it is better that you both leave it altogether or else

quitting smoking will be very difficult for you.

Change your schedule: Mix-up things in your life. Disrupt your urge to smoke. If you smoke while doing a particular work

then avoid doing it for a few days or do it differently. For example, if you have a habit of sipping

tea and smoking in a particular area of your house, you need to modify this habit. Experts suggest

that one can also try some deep breathing exercises to curb the urges.

Exercising: Morning exercising gives you energy for the rest of the day. It also helps fight your urge to smoke.

Go outside for a walk, or exercise at home. Boost your energy levels and fight smoking.

Reward yourself: Gift yourself a treat or some reward for staying smoke-free. According to experts this makes

quitting smoking a bit easy. Resisting your temptation to smoke is a tough task and overcoming

it must be rewarded. If you made it through a couple of hours in the beginning and then a few days,

give yourself a reward, treat yourself with a movie or buy something you like.

Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time

you resist a tobacco craving, you're one step closer to being totally tobacco-free. Each year of not smoking decreases risks and improves overall health, making quitting

smoking an excellent choice for anyone who started the habit.When a person quits smoking,

the body will start to naturally heal and regain the vitality of a non-smoker over time.