You know that tobacco is bad for you.  But it’s not just bad for you; it also harms your children, family, the environment, and your country.

Statistics show that of every three smokers, one will die early due to smoking.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco will cause 10 million deaths in the year 2030.  70% of those deaths will happen in developing countries.  In addition, over the next 30 years, 250 million children and adolescents alive today will die from tobacco use.  More people will die from tobacco use than from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, childbirth, traffic accidents, homicide and suicide combined.

You may not die immediately from tobacco use, but it will harm you.  People know that tobacco causes disease, but they don’t realize how serious those diseases are.  Why cling to a habit that can cause such suffering?

Naturally you love your family and friends.  Do you realize that your cigarette can cause serious harm and disease to those close to you?  Research has shown that women who live with smokers are more likely to get lung cancer, breast cancer, respiratory problems, and asthma.

Your children are very dear to you.  But your cigarette smoke harms your children.  Children’s developing bodies are very sensitive and susceptible to injury.  Children’s exposure to tobacco smoke causes respiratory problems, middle-ear infection, frequent illnesses, and other problems.

Research on 32 countries revealed that tobacco curing is a major cause of deforestation.  The third most affected country of the 32 is Bangladesh.  Rather than spending time curing tobacco in the sun, tobacco companies often use wood to dry the leaf.  Each year in Bangladesh, 9,000 hectares of forest are cut down, of which at least 30% is due to cutting trees to cure tobacco.  In addition, every day smokers dispose of huge numbers of packets, cartons, and cigarette butts.  Where does all that trash land up?  On roads, in ponds and drains, in our soil and our rivers, poisoning our land and water.

Smokers often fall ill from tobacco use.  As a result, the country’s economy suffers.  Workers are unproductive, and run up medical expenses.  In addition, much of the tobacco consumed in Bangladesh is imported, costing the country millions of dollars each year.  From the perspectives of both health and economy, the country suffers from tobacco use.

§         Lung and other cancers.

§         High blood pressure.

§         Tuberculosis.

§         Stained teeth and yellow fingers.

§         Weight loss, coughing.

§         Loss of sleep and appetite.

§         Shortness of breath and chest pain.

§         Problems with blood circulation; reduced sensation in hands and feet.

§         Lowered oxygen in your blood, resulting in heart disease and stroke.

§         Cataracts and blindness.

Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals.  Among those are 43 known carcinogens.  Tobacco is responsible not only for over 85% of all cases of lung cancer, but also for 40-50% of all cases of cancer in Bangladesh.  In addition to all the other dangerous chemicals are carbon monoxide and nicotine.  Carbon monoxide, the same chemical that comes from vehicle exhaust, is very dangerous.  Nicotine harms the blood, raising the risk of heart disease and stroke.

What are the benefits of quitting?

·        You will be free of an expensive and dangerous habit.

·        You’ll have an extra $2-7 a week to spend.

·        You’ll breathe more easily.

·        Your teeth and hands will be clean.

·        You’ll be able to climb stairs and run much more easily.

·        You’ll be healthier. You’ll no longer be causing your own death.

·        Your office and home will no longer be polluted with cigarette butts and smoke.

·        You will no longer be harming those dear to you.

·        You’ll suffer less from coughing, colds, and other infections.

·        You will be free from the dangers that smoking cause.

Your wealth

You might think that tobacco is quite inexpensive. But if you consider more carefully, you will see that tobacco is costing you a lot of money, in addition to lowering your chances of having a long and healthy future.

If you quit smoking, you can save the money you would’ve spent on tobacco, and use it to buy something for yourself or your family.  Calculate how much you can save if you quit smoking.

The addictiveness of tobacco

Tobacco is a drug.  When you become addicted to nicotine, you need to smoke.  Research has shown that nicotine is as addictive as alcohol, heroin, and cocaine.  The nicotine in tobacco makes people dependent, the same way a drug user is dependent on heroin or cocaine..

WHY HAVEN’T YOU QUIT SMOKING?

While you know the harms that tobacco caused, you still haven’t quit. Perhaps you haven’t even thought about quitting, or perhaps you’ve thought about doing it, but later. Let’s look at some of the reasons why people don’t stop smoking; perhaps that will help you overcome those reasons and make up your mind to quit!

I’ve tried to quit but the craving was too strong, so it’s impossible for me!

It’s true that after quitting, you will have very strong cravings.  Your body and mind have become dependent on tobacco, and expect to keep getting it. But this problem is temporary, and will go away much sooner if you don’t give in to the cravings, and don’t sneak a cigarette.

I’m under a lot of stress, and I need cigarettes in order to cope.

Smoking is merely a habit. You’ve come to believe that you can’t cope with stress if you don’t smoke. Look around and you’ll see that when people are under stress, some bite their nails, or rest their head in their hands. Of course those don’t really help people to cope; they’re just habit, like smoking.

Yes, I’ll give up sometime.

If that’s the way you think, then choose a day now.  When you’re under a lot of stress is a bad time to quit. Choose a time when your stress will be lower.  But choose a time that’s not far off.  There will always be stress in life, so if you wait for a stress-free time, you will never quit smoking.  The longer you smoke, the more damage you’ll do to your lungs, heart, teeth, blood, etc.  So go ahead and choose a time that’s soon.

I’ll lose my pleasure in life.

Think a moment:  do non-smokers have no joy in life? You are reducing your pleasure by harming your body through tobacco use. Whatever pleasure you currently get from smoking is nothing compared to the pleasure you’ll gain when you quit. You’ll be healthier, wealthier and more physically fit.

If I quit smoking, I’ll become bad-tempered and treat my family badly.  

Maybe you think that if you quit smoking, your mood will become terrible and you’ll behave badly towards your family. Think again. Your family loves you, and will forgive you if you do become bad-tempered. Not only that...

§         Your family will be free of the pollution caused by your smoking.

§         You’ll be able to spend the money you were spending on cigarettes on your family instead.

§         Your children won’t pick up your bad habit.

You are harming your family with your smoke; they will be delighted if you quit, and support you in the effort.

 I can’t quit

Try it, and you’ll see that it’s possible. Perhaps you failed in previous quit attempts.  But if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. Think about your health and your family. Sooner or later, you and your family will be harmed by smoking.  Some people can quit the first time they try, while for others it takes longer. The big question is, are you really eager to quit? If the answer is yes, then it will be possible.  Prepare yourself, and you’ll succeed.

Some people smoke and still live long lives

Yes, that’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. People talk about a couple of people who lived well into old age despite smoking. But people don’t talk about all the smokers who became ill and died young of tobacco-related diseases. Of three smokers, one will die of tobacco use. And most smokers will lose 10-15 years of life due to smoking.

I’m a light smoker

Remember, every cigarette does you harm. And you might turn into a more regular smoker. Why not give up smoking?  It’ll be easy for you to quit.

I smoke expensive/light cigarettes

Please remember, all cigarettes are dangerous. Terms like “light” and “mild” are just ways that the tobacco companies fool people. There is no advantage to “low tar” cigarettes over other ones. Whether consciously or unconsciously, smokers will get the nicotine they need from cigarettes, by covering the filter with their fingers or by inhaling more deeply. So when they smoke “light” cigarettes, they land up getting the same amount of tar and nicotine as from regular ones. The only safe cigarette is one that stays in the pack. Remember, it’s just as dangerous to fall from a 50-story building as from a 100-story building.

PREPARE YOURSELF TO QUIT

In the first section of this booklet, we talked about why you should quit, and why you haven’t quit yet. Now we’ll help you to quit. Try following the steps below, but also remember that the most important factor in quitting is your own determination. Prepare yourself mentally and promise yourself that whatever happens, you will quit, you will gain your liberty from this noxious habit.

If you think about it, you’ll see that smoking is closely related to certain times and places.  If you can break the links between those times and places and smoking, then you will have a good chance of succeeding at quitting. Sit for a moment and think.  When and where do you smoke?  For instance,

1)      Do you have a cigarette after breakfast?  Or during breaks at work?

2)      When you’re watching TV, or when you’re with your friends?

Make a list of the places and times when you smoke. Then think about what you can do instead.  Think of other ways to occupy your thoughts and hands, to distract yourself from wanting a cigarette. If you want a cigarette upon first waking up in the morning, then you can exercise instead, listen to music, or have something to eat or drink

When you start your quit attempt, be sure not to keep cigarettes or lighters nearby.  Maybe you want to start by cutting out one or two of the cigarettes you normally smoke each day. You can try that way, by gradually cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day, but don’t drag it out for more than a couple of weeks.  The danger is that you will go back to smoking as much as you did before.

Smoking is a bad habit. Many of your family members and friends don’t like it.  So if you try to get support from others, many will be happy to provide it.

¨      Try to get help from your friends, spouse, children, and other family members.

¨      Talk to those close to you.  Tell them what you are going to do and why, and ask them to help you.

¨      Make a bet with someone that within a fixed period, you will stop smoking. Or you can have a contest with someone to see who can quit first.  Encourage someone to quit smoking with you.

¨      Tell your friends who smoke that you are trying to quit, and not to offer you cigarettes.  Prepare your answers for when they offer cigarettes.

In some ways, quitting smoking can offer the same excitement as other challenges. Look at the positive aspects of overcoming a bad habit!

STOPPING

A special day

If you think, “I’ll never smoke again,” then it may seem impossible.  Take it one day at a time:  each day decide, “I won’t smoke today.”  Pick a special day, when you feel positive. A good day could be your own birthday, your child’s or spouse’s birthday, your wedding anniversary, or another special day. 

Treat the first day as a special one. Do something you don’t ordinarily do. Maybe stay in bed longer than usual, or get up much earlier than usual. Take a long bath.  Have your favorite foods for breakfast. At the end of the day, reward yourself for not having smoked all day. Or use the money you saved that day from not smoking to buy flowers or a book for a loved one. Your loved one will be so delighted, you will be happy too—much happier than smoking ever made you. Since you didn’t smoke all day, you can now think of yourself as a non-smoker.

Change your daily routine

Change your routine in order to avoid those times and places where you will get an urge to smoke. If you still feel the urge, change your routine even more. It will make quitting much easier. You will only have to avoid those dangerous situations for a few weeks, until you are better able to cope with the urge to smoke.

If you feel a strong urge to smoke, then do something else instead. If you are sitting somewhere when the urge hits, then get up and go somewhere else. When a craving comes on, think of something else:  your family, spouse, children. Distract yourself with pleasant thoughts. If you still feel the urge, then go do something else. For the first few days find activities to fill the empty spaces in your day.  Write a letter to a friend. Watch a movie. Clean your home. Play with a baby. Listen to the songs of a favorite singer. If you’re in the office, then occupy yourself with work, or talk to your colleagues. You can also try keeping your mouth busy with something else (ginger, carrots, cinnamon), or drink a glass of water when you feel the urge to smoke.

Side effects won’t last long

Many people quit smoking without experiencing any bad effects. You may also find that you can quit smoking with few or no problems.

NOW YOU’VE STOPPED...

Keep up the new habit

You were eager to quit smoking. Now don’t let yourself slide back. Practice looking in the mirror and saying, “No thanks, I don’t smoke anymore.”  That will help you to deal with smokers offering you cigarettes to make them feel better about their own bad habit. If anyone asks you to smoke, tell them, “I’ve quit, and if you want to quit, I can help you.”  You can also tell them what advantages you’ve gained from having quit.

Remind yourself of all that you gain by having quit.  Your clothes are free of the smell of cigarettes. The stains on your fingers and teeth will go away.  You’ll be able to breathe more freely.  You’ll save a lot of money.  And best of all, you’re much more likely to live a long and healthy life.

Relax

If you feel stressed, ask a family member or friend to massage your head; you can also massage theirs.  Sit in a quiet room, shut your eyes, listen to your breathing, and remove other thoughts from your mind.  Think of something pleasant.

STAYING STOPPED

Maybe you think your troubles are over.  But the effort will have to continue a while longer.  Get help from your family, friends, and colleagues in staying firm in your decision not to smoke.

Things not to do 

If you found quitting easy you may think it’s all right now to have one or two cigarettes; you can always quit again just as easily.  Please don’t do that!  The next time may not be so easy.  You may think this wasn’t a good time to quit, or that you’ll wait until you can find a painless way to stop.  There is no magic way to gain freedom from tobacco.  It’s up to you:  you can break the habit.

Stay active

Because of the habit you had, it will take a long time to break the desire to smoke. Until you have cleared the nicotine from your blood, avoid things you associate with smoking.  For instance, instead of milk tea, drink black or ginger tea. You will have a hard time but just for a week or two. During that time spend time with your family, read a book, listen to music, exercise.  Exercise self-control, and you will succeed.

What happens when you quit

After 20 minutes:  Blood pressure and pulse return to normal.  Blood circulation improves.

After 8 hours:  Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood decline. Oxygen levels return to normal.

After 24 hours:  Carbon monoxide no longer remains in your body.  The lungs gradually clean out pollutants.

After 48 hours:  Nicotine no longer remains in your body.  Your appetite and sense of smell return.

After 72 hours:  Your lungs return to normal functioning.  Your breathing becomes easy and your fitness improves.

After 2-12 weeks:  Your blood circulation returns to normal.

After 3-9 months:  Your lung function improves by 10%.  Coughing and wheezing are greatly reduce

After 5 years:  Your risk of heart attack is reduced by half.

After 10 years:  Your risk of heart attack is the same as that of someone who never smoked.  Your risk of lung cancer is cut in half.