Amitabh Bachchan shares the ‘very best way’ to quit smoking and drinking

 

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A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) 

The megastar went on to share that while he did indulge in smoking and drinking in his younger days, he hasn’t touched them for “years and years now”. “Yes there were a few other instances noticed, in school and in college, when this intoxicant played havoc due to its excess .. and then when in a job in the City of Joy, the natural curriculum seemed to be in line with that phrase ‘social drinking’…I shall not deny the consumption of it, but its reason or resolve in leaving for years and years now, I shall not deliberate .. it is a personal choice and demeanour…yes, I do not…but why the announcement of it,” he wrote.

Bachchan went on to elaborate on his “sudden and immediate” resolve to leave smoking and how he left the two habits. “As is the case with the cigarette…in abundance in the years of free, and the sudden and immediate resolve to leave it…and the way to leave is really quite simple…chuck that glass of the intoxicant, while in the middle of it and crush the ‘ciggi’ on your lips at the same time and…sayonara…the very best way to be in riddance…not some part-time exigencies to stop the use…its the removal of cancer at once… done at the rush of a stroke…the more the dwindling, the greater the undesired habit of remaining,” he wrote on his blog.

Dr Dilip Gude, Senior Consultant Physician, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad said that quitting tobacco is the need of the hour and it can be achieved when there are good support systems in the form of family and friends. “Motivation is the key and a strongly motivated individual can quit tobacco use with some help in the form of strong counselling, and rarely with the help of drugs that mitigate nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Various nicotine delivery forms such as chewing gums (2mg gums every 2 or 3 hours as required) and transdermal patches (21 mg for 24 hours for 10 days followed by 14 and 7mg respectively in the following ten days) can help one quit tobacco use by delivering a steady nicotine level and mitigate the intense withdrawal effects. Varenicline, bupropion and other meds also help in quitting nicotine,” he said.

The expert added that alcohol withdrawal effects act as a deterrent for many who genuinely want to quit. “Sleeplessness, tremors, anxiety, palpitations, headache etc can prevent one from quitting alcohol intake. Rarely a more serious form of alcohol withdrawal called delirium tremens also can result which may include seizures,” he explained.

As such, alcoholics unable to quit may need strong psychosocial help in form of counselling and medications that help mitigate the withdrawal effects. “Chlordiazepoxide and other similar classes of medications can help one minimize the withdrawal effects. Those that are not so motivated can be put on disulfiram or acamprosate upon medical supervision as these drugs demotivate drinking behaviour. A strong altered sense of alcohol mediated ‘high’ which may include nausea, headache etc can result when alcoholics use these meds and consume alcohol. This strongly demotivates and discourages them from further alcohol intake,” Dr Gude said.

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