Discover the detrimental effects of smoking and tobacco use on your health. Explore the dangers of smoking, including increased risks of cancer, heart disease, respiratory problems, and more. Learn why smoking is dangerous and harmful to your well-being in this informative essay.

Every Cig You Light, Is A Fight Against Life

Introduction

King James I of England is quoted to have said that, &ldquo;Smoking is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, <a href="https://merisehat.pk/disease/lung-cancer-67" target="_blank">dangerous to the lungs</a>, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.&rdquo;

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He didn&rsquo;t even need to be a healthcare practitioner to deduce the obvious horrific effects of smoking, yet generations later on have - and still are - under the impression that smoking is the best remedy to fix their problems regarding their social standing and issues in general.&nbsp;

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Rather than seek professional help with the burning paper and carcinogens (any agent causing cancer), Generation Z are invested in popular alternatives to &ldquo;quit smoking&rdquo; e.g. <a href="https://merisehat.pk/article/the-truth-behind-vaping">vaping and electronic cigarettes</a>; however, what needs to be understood is that it is still the same concept only with a delayed expiration date than the stereotypical cigarette.

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Smoking is the best example of the saying &ldquo;curiosity killed the cat&rdquo;. According to research, curiosity among the youth for cigarettes was 28.8% while it was 19.5% for cigars. Meanwhile, 9.7% of the young generation was curious about smokeless tobacco<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>.

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Understanding the Harmful Health Effects of Smoking

&quot;Smoking kills&rdquo; &ndash; a disclaimer we are accustomed to seeing with every ad, every drama, and every film we see; it&rsquo;s there even on a pack of cigarettes that we pick up.

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Smoking takes 7 million lives annually around the globe. A recent hypothesis suggests that if something is not done about the smoking habits that currently exist, this number will jump to 8 million a year by the year 2030<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>.&nbsp;

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In the United States alone, cigarette smoking accounts for more than 480,000 deaths each year. This figure also includes approximately 41,000 deaths because of passive smoking (inhaling smoke because there&rsquo;s a smoker in your vicinity). This can be translated as 1 in 5 deaths per year. Statistics even show that a smoker&rsquo;s life duration is cut down by 10 years when compared to a non-smoker<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>.&nbsp;

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According to the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), female smokers are usually between 50 and 64&thinsp;years of age. In 2012, a survey showed that the total expenditure associated with tobacco use in Canada was estimated at $16 billion CDN<a href="#accordion">[3]</a>. The amount was a sum of the money used to cover the expenses of hospital visits as well as the financial loss associated with premature death and disability.&nbsp;

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In 2018, cigarette smoking cost the United States more than $600 billion, which included a total of $240 billion in hospital visits and $180 billion due to the lost productivity from smoking-related premature deaths<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>.

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However, people are now becoming aware about the vicious reality of smoking. Studies have been dedicated to the warriors who tried to quit their habit and succeeded to some extent. The results might not sound that great, but anything done in this regard should be considered an achievement.&nbsp;

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In a cross-sectional study carried out in lower- to middle-income countries, it was found that almost 19.1% of the Pakistani adult population are tobacco users, most of them being smokers.&nbsp;

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When the study focused on the factors that helped them quit, it was found that among 330 former smokers who were a part of the study, 50.3% were successful in quitting on their first attempt; 62.1% of those people, in fact, quit smoking &ldquo;cold turkey&rdquo;. Cold turkey essentially means sudden cessation.&nbsp;

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Moreover, 10.9% of the population was seen to use a cessation aid, out of which 8.2% went for a nicotine replacement therapy.&nbsp;

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The factors which motivated them to quit consisted of concerns for their own health (74.5%), family pressure (43%), and concern for family&rsquo;s health (14.8%). Other factors included social pressures such as peer-pressure (31.2%) and the phenomenon of social avoidance by non-smokers (22.7%). Interestingly, marriage was seen as a consistent smoking cessation factor<a href="#accordion">[3]</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Several effective management plans that can be employed to combat this irresistible habit are listed below<a href="#accordion">[4]</a>:

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<h5>Behavioral Counseling Interventions</h5>

It is an interaction-based management plan to counsel the patient about smoking and its hazards. This counseling can be delivered by a physician, a nurse, cessation specialist. It can be a one-on-one session or the session can be conducted in a group setting. Moreover, in this digital age, counseling can be offered over the phone as well. However, it is necessary to seek help from a licensed healthcare practitioner only.

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<h5>Pharmacotherapy</h5>

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has currently allowed 3 pharmacological approaches to help you quit smoking:

<ul>
	<li>Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)</li>
	<li>Bupropion Hydrochloride Sustained-Release (SR)</li>
	<li>Varenicline</li>
</ul>

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NRT is available in the market as short-acting and long-acting preparations, and studies show that using them in a combination is a better approach than using them singularly. While a transdermal nicotine patch is considered to be long-acting, nicotine gums and nasal sprays are short-acting.&nbsp;

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Furthermore, studies show that varenicline is more effective than NRT and Bupropion Hydrochloride SR.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

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<h5>Combined Behavioral Counseling And Pharmacotherapy</h5>

This has, by far, been the best intervention to aid people in their battle. Research proves that using behavioral therapy along with pharmacological intervention yields the best results. More than 4 sessions capping up to 90 minutes helped a lot in enabling the attendees to move a step closer to the finish line.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

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<h4>"Quitting smoking is highly beneficial for your respiratory system. Head on over to the <a href="https://www.merisehat.pk/page/sehat-scan/" target="_blank">sehat scan</a> and check your respiratory rate today!"</h4>

Because smoking has now become a big issue, not only for the person actively doing it, but also for those exposed to the smoke in their vicinity (essentially called passive smoking), a number of organizations have cropped up to help.&nbsp;

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There&rsquo;s at least one organization in every country around the world. The best part is a majority of these organizations are free so financial issues should not be a hindrance for smokers to seek help. For example, there is Quit for Life, Lung Helpline and Tobacco QuitLine and Smokefree.gov.&nbsp;

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You can also join support groups if that is what you are looking for. This includes Truth Initiative: Become an Ex and Nicotine Anonymous<a href="#accordion">[5]</a>.

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In Pakistan, a project called PANTHR (Pakistan Alliance for Nicotine and Tobacco Harm Reduction) works day and night to promote solutions for smoking cessation in Pakistan. PANTHR is a project of Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) and consists of 13 organizations actively working in the country<a href="#accordion">[6]</a>.

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According to the data presented by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 35.4% of 3&ndash;17-year-olds were exposed to tobacco smoke in the US during 2013-2016. To combat this an intervention called Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure (CEASE) was introduced with the sole purpose of preparing pediatric healthcare clinicians and staff members to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and resources that are needed to ask family members about their tobacco use and habits. Moreover, CEASE also provided brief counseling and medication assistance along with referring parents and caregivers to free cessation services.&nbsp;

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Conclusion

It won&rsquo;t be easy to quit. You will be restless, agitated, and will crave it. But so did Icarus. He was unable to find a balance and flew too close to the sun and lost his life. Similarly, every time you light a cigarette, you take one step closer to a fatally proven disease, including cancers and irreversible lung damage. If puffing out smoke was either cool or the solution to the hard stuff, silencers in a car would have been better than humans. It&rsquo;s time you decided who you want to be; a silencer or a human? 
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Key Points

<ul><li>According to research, curiosity leads 28.8% of the youth to light their first cigarette while the same can be said for 19.5% of them going picking a cigar for the first time. Meanwhile, 9.7% of the young generation was curious about smokeless tobacco.&nbsp; </li><li>Smoking takes 7 million lives annually.</li><li>In the United States alone, cigarette smoking is said to cause more than 480,000 deaths annually.</li><li>Statistics even show that a smoker’s life duration is cut down by 10 years when compared to a non-smoker.</li><li>In 2012, a survey proved that the total expenditure associated with tobacco use in Canada was estimated at $16 billion CDN.</li><li>In 2018, cigarette smoking cost the United States more than $600 billion.</li><li>19.1% of the Pakistani adult population are tobacco users, with most of them being smokers.</li><li>50.3% were successful in quitting on their first attempt with 62.1% of those people quitting “cold turkey”</li><li>10.9% of the population was seen to use a cessation aid, 8.2% of which went for a nicotine replacement therapy.</li><li>The factors which motivated them to quit consisted of concerns for their own health (74.5%), family pressure (43%), and concern for family’s health (14.8%).</li><li>Being married has been shown to be a consistent smoking cessation factor.</li><li>FDA-approved methods to help people quit smoking include Behavioral Therapy, Pharmacotherapy and a combination of Behavioral and Pharmacotherapy.</li><li>Pharmacotherapy includes NRT, Varenicline and Bupropion Hydrochloride SR.</li><li>There are organizations to help, including Quit for Life, Tobacco Quit Line and Nicotine Anonymous.</li><li>In Pakistan, a project called PANTHR (Pakistan Alliance for Nicotine and Tobacco Harm Reduction) works day and night to promote solutions for smoking cessation in Pakistan. </li></ul>

[1] Portnoy, David & Wu, Charles & Tworek, Cindy & Chen, Jiping & Borek, Nicolette. (2014). Youth Curiosity About Cigarettes, Smokeless Tobacco, and Cigars. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 47. S76–S86. 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.04.012.

[2] Fast facts and fact sheets. Smoking and Cigarettes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[3] Hersi, M., Traversy, G., Thombs, B.D. et al. Effectiveness of stop smoking interventions among adults: protocol for an overview of systematic reviews and an updated systematic review. Syst Rev 8, 28 (2019).

[4] US Preventive Services Task Force. Interventions for Tobacco Smoking Cessation in Adults, Including Pregnant Persons: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2021;325(3):265–279. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.25019

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