By Mehboob Inamdar
Aurangabad, March 9:
Smoking has become one of the main causes of serious and fatal conditions, including heart disease and lung cancer among people. Smoking is one of the biggest preventable causes of premature death.
According to the World Health Organisation study, tobacco kills up to half of its users, with more than 8 million people dying each year.
More than 7 million of those deaths result from direct tobacco use, while around 1.2 million deaths result from exposure to second-hand smoke. More than one in 10 deaths globally are caused by smoking.
Commenting on this, Dr Meenakshi Bhattacharya, the Professor and head of the Department of Medicine of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), said that cigarette smoking is hazardous for health.
She said that the effects of smoking start with coughing and throat irritation. More serious conditions may develop over time, including health problems like heart disease, stroke, and many types of cancer, out of which, oral cancer is being quite common.
We have seen young people who were not supposed to suffer had lung cancer or paralysis caused by smoking,” she said.
Dr Bhattacharya said that not just first-hand smoker, but smoking causes illness to friends and family members (passive smokers) if they are near at the time of smoking.
“Nicotine in cigarettes is a powerful addictive. To quit smoking, one needs strong determination, or one can approach a psychiatrist for this. With the right approach, one can do it,” she added.
Working in a private firm, Sachin Chavan said that he quit smoking around a year ago because of family pressure.
“I started smoking when I was studying in 11th classes. I continued frequent smoking a day, even after my marriage. When my wife learnt about it, she insisted me to give up smoking. So, I was smoking one or two cigarettes a day, hiding from her,” he said.
He said that when his wife realised about smoking, she asked me to give up smoking, otherwise, she would go to her parents. “She also asked me that smoking can cause illness like lung cancer. It was not easy to quit smoking. I quit smoking around 13 months ago. My breathing and taste have improved a lot after it,” he added.