We celebrate the World No Smoking Day on the 2^nd Wednesday of March every year. The intent of No Smoking Day is to promote on how to quit smoking. Knowing about the long-term risks that smoking has on your health is enough for you to quit smoking; as we all know that Smoking Kills!!

Some Really Alarming Statistics:

• Life expectancy for smokers is 10 years shorter as compared to nonsmokers.
• Passive smoking causes 33,951 deaths from heart disease annually.
• Smoking increases the risk of death from coronary heart disease in middle-aged men by almost 4 times.
• As per WHO, the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats, killing around 6 million people annually.
• More than 5 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 60,00,00 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

Smoking Statistics as per Gender and Age Group:

** Stat Sources: WHO/CDC

Smoking Effects on Body:

Let's discuss the smoking effects on the body:

Beginners normally experience the following symptoms:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Coughing

For smokers the immediate signs and symptoms of smoking seen are:

• Your heart beats faster
• Veins constrict
• Increased blood pressure
• Adrenaline rush
• Relaxation of smooth muscles
• Increased metabolic rate

As people continue with the habit of smoking these symptoms they start becoming unnoticeable.

Smoking Effects on Health:

Let us see what the effects of smoking on our health are. Smoking causes some of the following fatal diseases:

• Lung Disorders:

  Like bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and lung cancer.

• Other Cancers

  Smoking can cause different other cancer apart from the lung cancer. For example - Cancer of the mouth, larynx, oesophagus, liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, ovaries, bladder, bowel, cervix, and blood cancer/leukemia.

• Cardiovascular Disease:

  Tobacco in cigarettes causes fat accumulation in the arteries leading to the risk of atherosclerosis. It also causes coronary heart disease, which consequently leads to heart attack. A cigarette contains 7,000 toxic chemicals including carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide.

• Reproductive Defects in Women:

  Like premature birth, infertility, early menopause.

• Erectile Dysfunction:

  Smoking hampers circulation including the genitalia, resulting in erectile dysfunction.

• Diabetes:

  Smoking makes your body prone to insulin resistance, resulting in high blood sugar levels. This uncontrolled blood sugar levels consequently cause serious diabetes complications too.

• Blindness/Cataract/Eye Defects:

  Smokers are at an increased risk of developing a cataract in comparison to non-smokers by macular degeneration.

In addition to this, smoking also causes adverse effects on the kind leading to conditions like:

• Depression
• Anxiety & irritability
• Anorexia/Suppressed appetite

Smoking also has bad effects on your appearance. Following signs are prominently seen in smokers:

• Yellow fingers
• Stained teeth
• Body odour

Smoking is a major factor of an unhealthy lifestyle which leads to some fatal consequences. Hence smoker should understand that they should stop smoking.

Tips to Quit Smoking:

Smokers who want to quit smoking can take the help of any of the following Here are some tips to quit smoking:

• Smokers need to exercise some self-control.
• They can take the help of pills, patches, or even acupressure. Many commercial preparations (nicotine skin patches, nicotine chewing gum are readily available in the market to help smokers quit smoking)
• Engage in activities that you like/take your hobbies seriously
• Try some meditation-relaxation techniques
• Avoid the smoker's company
• Watch out for relapse Counseling