the fountainhead
Suparn@’s blog
It is hard to imagine any positive aspect of smoking. It is said ‘there is no smoke without fire’. Peer group pressure is one of the reasons that gets the non-smokers ‘fired’ up. The fear of being condemned, ridiculed or being outlawed from one’s group is reason enough for most to adopt smoking. Smoking makes some people feel ‘grown-up and macho.’ Then there are others, who get taken in by ‘challenges’ when they are ‘dared’ by seniors or classmates to prove their smoking prowess, thereby triggering the habit.
Ninety per cent of adult smokers begin smoking during teenage years. A teen, who has smoked more than twice, has about a 50 per cent chance of becoming a smoker. First, he has already shown his dedication to getting past that first unpleasant smoking experience, and second, he is likely to become a nicotine addict.
Some enjoy a fag once in a while as it ‘gives them a high.’ For others, it is ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ to smoke as it projects them as ‘smart’, ‘suave’ or ‘sophisticated’. Smoking literally burns the hard-earned bucks apart from one’s health and well-being. Cigarette packets even sport the warning: “CIGARETTE SMOKING IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH”. Still, the menace shows no signs of being checked.
When you are young, it’s easier to kick the smoking habit. As the years roll by, one becomes more ensconced in the vicious circle of the cigarette smoke and quitting smoking is all the more difficult. Getting the better of this addiction then becomes a tough battle to win. Of course, there have been many winners, strong-willed people, who have triumphed with the help of their family, doctors, psychologists and above all by their individual effort.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a cigar aficionado in the early days of his left-wing revolution, kicked the habit in 1986 for health reasons. Whatever be the reason for quitting, the fact is that it is a great success. Each minute, the lure of a smoke is too overpowering for a smoker to yield to the temptation. Still, the people who can manage to stick to their nerves strongly and can stay away from cigarettes, abstaining for the entire first week, can quit smoking. But, the road is uphill and steep. So, prevention is certainly better than the cure. Why go through the excruciating pain of kicking off a bad habit cultivated on a whim? Someone had remarked: ‘A lighted cigarette has smoke at one end and a fool at another!’
The direct effect of cigarettes is on the respiratory tract, causing bronchitis, emphysema and cancer of the lung, with indirect effects on organs such as arteries and heart. Smoking increases the incidence of cancer in the pancreas, the bladder and other organs. It has a depressant effect on immune-system function and thus reduces resistance to infectious diseases. Apart from the health hazards of using tobacco, the following aspects of smoking are noteworthy:
Smoking is expensive. {Images have been sourced from the Internet}
Smokers around the world are supposed to “unite to break free from their dependence on tobacco” on this day. First held in 1988, and observed annually on May 31, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is the only global event established to raise awareness on the international impact of tobacco use and promote a tobacco-free environment. So, this article hopes to reach out and present some observations regarding smoking.
India has been tightening laws on smoking in public places to little effect. The other day, I saw a bunch of youngsters huddled close together in a park. At first sight, I thought the group was relaxing after school or college. On closer inspection, I learnt that they were indeed ‘relaxing’ but in the wrong sense of the term. Sharing the lone-lighted cigarette, taking turns to smoke it, passing it on with real gusto from hand to hand, being partners in crime. 
Smokers blatantly flout rules, puffing away on their cigarettes as if there is no tomorrow. Needless to say, even in places like parks where people go to breathe fresh air, the harmful effects of passive smoking loom large. Perhaps, these inconsiderate souls feel that all the greenery might absorb the harmful toxins smoking creates, thereby proving to be a viable option for them and everyone there.
Smokers have stained-yellow skin and teeth; they have bad breath.
Smoking hurts physical fitness in terms of both performance and endurance.
On an average, someone who smokes a pack or more of cigarettes each day lives seven years less than someone who has never smoked
In case, you are already a smoker, resolve to turn over a new leaf taking up the challenge of saying ‘NO’ to smoking. As for the non-smokers, each time someone offers you a smoke, and ‘dares’ you, dare to say ‘NO’ and walk out. You just have to be smart enough to dodge. Be your best friend and abstain the first time and every time. It is tough but at least you won’t smoke yourself out.
