Several smokers have decided to quit smoking and have made public their intent on social networking sites on the eve of World No Tobacco Day on Friday.
One of them Sandeep Rajan (29), an ad agency professional, has been smoking for 13 years, now doing three packs a day. “I am involved in an anti-tobacco campaign: I thought it would be hypocritical if I don’t even make an attempt to quit,” said Mr. Rajan, who will be live on the Billion Hearts Beating campaign on Facebook.
He planned to start rigorous breathing exercises to deal with the withdrawal symptoms.
Another who plans to quit is Trigam Mukherjee (34), a marketing communications professional. “I know I’ll feel hungry and will be eating a lot. So I’ve decided to hit the gym and switch to a healthy lifestyle.” He too is all geared up to deal with his withdrawal symptoms. “With a good social support system, it should not be too hard to deal with this.”
Psychiatrists and health experts advise smokers to follow simple distractions to quit, while others may have to try nicotine chewing gums or patches. Prathima Murthy, Professor of Psychiatry, said other non-nicotine options such as consuming drugs like Bupropion and Varenicline may help bring relief to heavy smokers.
Providing quick tips, Upendra Bhojani, public health expert, said: “Removing tobacco from your surroundings and making public the decision to quit may help in quitting.”
