Committing to quit smoking is not only a decision to safeguard your own health, but also an act of empowerment, breaking free from the chains of addiction and creating a brighter, smoke-free future for yourself and those around you.
A cigarette is the only consumer product which when used as directed kills its consumer.
Gro Brundtland
15% of global deaths are attributed to smoking. According to the estimates of the IHME about 13% of deaths worldwide was the result of direct smoking in 2017; a further 2% was the result of secondhand smoke. This means 15% – about 1-in-7 deaths – was the result of tobacco.
Smoking reaches the brain, heart and other organs within 10 seconds of the first inhalation and goes everywhere the blood flows, harming every part of the body. Tobacco is estimated to cause approximately 8 million deaths a year, its use is a threat to all people and brings diseases and death to impoverishing families and deprives the nation of healthy adults. And this makes the global call to quit smoking so much more vital.
Shockingly, cigarettes contain over 70 carcinogens – benzene, formaldehyde; toxic metals – arsenic, cadmium and poisons – carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, nicotine. It also suppresses the body’s immune system, thus increasing vulnerability to infections and diseases. So when you commit to quit smoking, you are taking a critical step towards a healthy lifestyle.
Cigarette smoking also causes environmental pollution by releasing toxic air pollutants into the atmosphere. The cigarette butts also litter the environment, and the toxic chemicals in the residues seep into soils and waterways. Approximately 600 million trees are chopped down every year by the tobacco industry. On average each tree produces enough paper for 15 packs of cigarettes. Today when you commit to quit smoking, the nature around you will be the first to thank you.
On this World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) – 31st May, let us keep the above facts and figures in mind and discourage smokers around us, guard the youngsters and teenagers from falling into this trap and encourage long-time smokers to try quitting, within 20 minutes of the last cigarette, the body will begin to heal! Commit to Quit smoking today, and be rest assured of the fact that sometimes quitters do win!