World No Tobacco Day 2018: Quit smoking for good, starting today

Studies by WHO show that heart diseases have the highest mortality rate of all causes of deaths in the world. Smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption kill around 7 million people a year worldwide. The connection between the two is that more than 12 per cent of the deaths that occur due to heart diseases are of people who are in regular contact with secondhand smoke. If passive smoking alone results in such a high mortality rate, then the havoc tobacco consumption is wrecking in a smoker’s body is deadlier.

The World No Tobacco Day is, therefore, a great day to start making efforts towards quitting smoking and tobacco consumption and also to encourage your loved ones, who smoke, to give it up. Here are some tips to help you through the difficult, but rewarding journey to quit smoking:

Start small and set clear goals

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Create a timeline with achievable goals. It is quite admittedly difficult to stop smoking altogether one fine day. So cut down gradually by reducing the number of cigarettes smoked in a day and set deadlines for each cigarette cut down.

Keep yourself busy

Plan your day’s activities in such a way that they keep you busy enough to stay away from smoking. Take up a hobby, engage in sports or in exercising. It will help distract you and be productive at the same time. You could also keep a contact item like a stress ball or fidget spinner to keep you occupied every time your craving gets too bad.

Look for healthy alternatives

An alternative that you could consume instead of tobacco is dark chocolate. Delicious and healthy, it contains high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory resveratrol that help soothe nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Avoid Triggers

Certain sensory triggers can increase your craving for nicotine greatly. Inhaling secondhand smoke and the smell could trigger you. Similarly, get rid of your stash of cigarettes. Knowing that you are in possession of them increases the chance of you wanting to reach out to them. Don’t hesitate to seek help.

Talk

Engage in dialogue with non-smokers, people who reformed former smokers, friends, family, and even doctors. All of them will surely have words of encouragement, advice and experiences of their own, which could help motivate you to kick the habit for good.