Kolkata: With the arrival of World No Tobacco Day, one question that looms large is whether smoking has actually reduced. Several experts are of different opinions, activists driving mammoth anti-smoking campaigns are really optimistic, however, the reality is far from positive.
A new study says, more than one in 10 deaths globally was caused due to smoking in 2015 andover 50 per cent of them took place in just four countries, one of which was India.Over 11 per cent of 6.4 million deaths worldwide was caused by smoking in 2015 and 52.2 per
cent of them took place in China, India, USA, and Russia, according to the latest estimates in
the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.
China, India, and Indonesia, the three leading countries with male smokers, accounted for 51?4 per cent of the world's male smokers in 2015.An appalling scenario for India is that our country accounts for 11?2 per cent of the world's total smokers.
A layman needs to realize that consumption of tobacco in any form is harmful and it includes multiple organs.The route through which the tobacco enters the body, primary brunt is on that organ leaving other organs damaged too.
Smoking is the commonest form of tobacco consumption having direct involvement of lungs.Social smoking is the most familiar trend of smoking among youngsters.Smoking on getting into college life as an experiment and smoking in parties while drinking with friends are the most usual ways for them to take up the habit.
Studies have shown that smoking rates are the highest among 18 to 34 years. Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or lung cancer is the most fatal consequence of
tobacco consumption.
In India the current scenario is unhealthier as people in urban landscape are more into
smoking tobacco and people from relatively lower economic strata and rural landscape are
more into consumption of smokeless tobaccos like khaini, gutkha, bidi. It is equally
worrisome that smoking has transcended beyond gender bias and women in today's date
are taking up smoking and how.
Studies reveal that prevalence of smoking among female is increasing more and at a
faster rate than that of men, especially rural women smoking bidi in the last 5 years. Another awareness that is of immense significance is about passive or second hand
smoking.
Passive smoking is equally dangerous since any person sitting with a heavy smoker in the same room is susceptible to all the malignant diseases as caused by primary smoking. It is high time that the bubble on our notion about the withdrawal symptoms is bursted.
The withdrawal symptoms of smoking are not as severe as perceived to be like other forms
of addiction. Certain outcome traits like irritability and craving would surface, however, it is
practically possible to quit smoking overnight.
Dr. Ranjan Das, Consultant Pulmonologist, CK Birla Hospitals enlightens that he has
come across cases where a smoker used to smoke 30/40 cigarettes a day and has