Category: Advise Quit Tobacco

Articles on how to advise patients to quit tobacco, on how to drive the conversation and how to approach to motivate to quit tobacco

5 Phases of Tobacco Use

Tobacco is fun, it’s cool. This is what a new tobacco user may say, thanks to the advertisement and glamour attached. Ask a person who has used it for some years and he will spill the truth.

These are the phases of tobacco use that start with experimentation and end with a painful death. 

EXPERIMENT phase – this always starts with peer pressure, generally by advertisement, or a senior or a friend pushing the person to have one. Two things can happen – instant hate, or causal acceptance. Most people hate it from day one and would never ever take it, it tastes horrible and feels pathetic. But some misguided or those who are going through a low phase would like to experiment more, the dopamine surge gives instant pleasure, and that’s the beginning. Now the companies are luring the youth by introducing fancy articles like e-cigarettes and sheesha, hookahs, etc. These are being marketed as a fashion symbol for the youths, which is the beginning of the end.

NEED – BRAIN CRAVING – The experiment which was a fun and instant pleasure, mediated by dopamine surge is now regularly needed by the brain. In this phase, there is a craving and a demand for the brain, and the person uses it to seek pleasure instantly. The person is still in control and can stop. Most would stop, some would become occasional users, and others would progress. Most who stop are aware of the future and they have better means of seeking pleasure, they are health-seeking individuals have support from home. They have to be counseled at the right time, if they go beyond this phase it is going to be difficult.

ADDICTION – WITHDRAWAL, DISEASE – Now the brain is getting adopted, the brain cannot work without the dose of nicotine. The person who was in control now is in control of nicotine. When he/she stops, he/she has withdrawal symptoms. His/her behavior is changed, he/she is no more normal, and he has become a slave of tobacco. Signs of diseases caused by tobacco are visible, but he/she overlooks them. His/her life is in turmoil, loss of respect in society. He/she would need intensive intervention to quit tobacco.

DISEASED and SUFFERING – Now the person is symptomatic, visibly with the diseases due to tobacco like – cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, or cancer and others. He is repenting the day he started tobacco, but the brain is not ready to leave him. The severe withdrawals make him take tobacco again and again. The journey ahead is treacherously laden with fear and pain. He is seeking help to quit tobacco. They are no more in denial but have accepted the fact that tobacco is harming them. They are easy to quit because now the brain is sending them signals that if you continue further, you will have trouble. With proper support, they quit. The quit has its beneficial effect, but the damage that is done will only progress!

The incurable disease will take its toll with suffering and pain!

DEATH – That’s what they start seeking because of the pain they are going through.  Death is inevitable. The journey ENDS. With the hope of a new beginning in the next life!

 

Tobacco is a disease; the best is never to start. Tobacco industries are now enticing the new generation with newer forms, packaging, and flavors. One has to be smart and do not start. For those who have started it is important they quit the earliest. Quitting needs hand-holding by a certified tobacco cessation specialist. Look for someone around you or call 011-43077695 or download the app- ICanCaRe at http://app.icancare.in

Every day 5500 youths are trapped and they start tobacco and every day 3700 are dying a painful death. We have to change this scenario. Every unit must have a TOBACCO MARSHAL. Join as a Tobacco MARSHAL to SAVE the youth! http://icancare.in/academy/marshal

 

(The Author – Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. is Director of Surgical Oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali. Patparganj and Noida. He is the author of the book – Win Over Tobacco Made Easy, Be Smart Do Not Start and is highly recognized for his work on Oral Cancer and Tobacco Cessation. He is the convenor for the Certified Course in Tobacco Cessation under Gujarat University. He launched the #SAVEtheyouth campaign and Tobacco MARSHALs in the community)

The article has been critically reviewed by Mrs. Sonal Bhatia, Master Lakshay Srijay Gupta, and Shubh Bhatia

 

Why Do Tobacco Consumers Resist From Quitting Smoking and Chewing

Whenever you approach a tobacco consumer to stop smoking or chewing, the very first and obvious reaction is “Why?”; “I can quit any time I want to.”; “Why are you worried? I will quit when I feel the need”; “I’m not interested.”; “You must smoke with me to feel how relieving it feels.” You experience immediate resistance to the thought of quitting despite knowing the fact that deep down the tobacco addict is feeling guilty and wants to quit the habit.

Ever wondered why there is so much of resistance to quit smoking or chewing? In this blog we are going to explore many such situations which makes a smoker or a chewer hesitant to quitting the habit.

  • Fear of Withdrawals: many smokers and chewers have tried quitting before and relapsed again and again. This is because they have experienced numerous withdrawals ranging from acidity, headache, vomiting, loss of sleep, tingling sensations, irritation, mood swings, restlessness, etc. and have failed to cope and manage it, thereby causing loss of confidence and relapse. They do not want to suffer and experience the pain again. This fear of experiencing the withdrawals makes them very much hesitant to quitting their habit.
  • Loss of confidence from being unable to quit, develops a belief that they can never quit. Hence they do not wish to quit smoking and chewing and keep continuing the habit
  • Many a times some associated illnesses develop from tobacco consumption and these illnesses are eminently visible on quitting tobacco. Again the tobacco consumers start believing that these problems arise from not consuming tobacco and they keep continuing smoking and chewing.
  • There’s lack of proper support from the family, friends and colleagues. Constant nagging causes irritation and abets resistance to quitting
  • Inadequate professional support and lack of experienced cessation experts also results in hesitation in quitting because the tobacco addict does not how to quit and where to reach out for professional assistance to receive the right help in quitting.
  • Many young smokers and chewers do not want to let go off the instant pleasure and kick they experience from smoking and chewing tobacco. Hence they never think about quitting.

So when you try to approach a person to quit their habit, do not directly jump to pushing them to quit. Instead provide assurance and support that quitting is possible and all the challenges can be resolved with proper guidance and support. Tell them the following:

  1. Quitting can be tough but not impossible.
  2. It is ok if they have failed in their quit attempts and relapsed.
  3. Bust the myths and misconceptions around smoking and tobacco consumption.
  4. Withdrawals can be managed with expert’s help and lot of remedies.
  5. It is important to stay firm and committed to one’s thought about quitting.
  6. Assure them that their performance, lifestyle and routine will not be impacted and that their quality of life will be ameliorated after quitting smoking and tobacco. 

Small right actions will result in positive and healthy transformation!!

Every human is unique, keeping this fact intact, at ICanCaRe  we have designed a digital solution to quitting tobacco which is both scientific and medically validated. It helps to customize the quit plan as per the person’s needs to make the quit journey more systematic, simple and evident of the healthy transformation. At ICanCaRe, the success rate of quitting smoking and chewing tobacco is 92%. To quit the habit or to help someone quit the habit, call the helpline 011-430-77695 or visit www.icancare.in/quittobacco for assistance.