[karthiksm]

Good to see topic like this discussed here.

This is a long post. Am not sure if it has been discussed in this detail prior. Hopefully, it will help more people to quit tobacco.

I will divide the post in 3 sub-headings. Health related issues (self and family), Financial issues and how to quit.

I will narrate a true case for ease of understanding the implications:
38 year old, chronic smoker, about 15-20 cigarettes per day for >15 years, presented with stroke. I wont go into medical details, but would like to stress upon how it can affect his personal life and finances.

He was admitted in ICU for almost 20 days with stroke (clot in brain leading to loss of power of limbs/bowel and bladder control) and recurrent admissions for respiratory tract infections, urinary infections and bed sores.

Health (Self):
As everyone knows smoking causes cancer. Not much details are given. So would like to add few points
1. Smoking increases risk of cancer of almost everything (mouth, pharynx, voice box, lungs, stomach, intestine, bladder, rectum etc.,)
2. Smoking increases the risk of getting heart attack, stroke, DVT(Clot in limbs)
3. Smoking causes COPD (Lungs not able to function properly)
4. Smoking can cause ED/infertility

Health (Family):
Passive smoking causes increased incidence of lung related problems like Allergy and Asthma. More so in children.
The particulate matter will be present in air for couple of hours, so smoking in the area shared by kids or family members should be completely avoided. (cars/living rooms)
Passive smoking also increases risk of cancers among exposed.

Financial aspect:
Almost everybody would have calculated the amount wasted in smoking by calculating only money spent for cigarettes. I will bring forward few things, which are usually missed out.
1. Insurance premiums are 15-20 % higher
2. In event of heart attack or stroke, insurance premiums are much higher thereafter
3. In event of loss of function/mobility, the individual might lose job
4. Inflation of health care related expenditures are the maximum at 15% per annum. Imagine having to shell out all your retirement corpus for health related things 10-15 years down the line, which could have been prevented.

In the above case, the guy is still bed ridden (>3months) with loss of mobility and very poor memory. Very likely, he wont be able to work. Loss of income, higher insurance premiums, recurrent admissions will make matters worse. Most likely all his savings would have been exhausted. If he is unable to work, his medical insurance also will have to be borne by family. This is apart from immense mental and physical stress on wife to handle finances independently along with increased medical expenditures.

How to quit:
1. As GTO mentioned couple of posts earlier, studies have shown quitting at once has higher success rate and less chances of relapse.
2. Stop stocking cigarettes in car, at home, for emergency etc. Buy 1 cigarette only when severe urge is there.
3. Nicotine replacement with patches, chewing gums help if one is motivated enough to quit
4. Best gift you can give loved ones is quitting tobacco. Quit on anniversary or birthday of loved ones and see the happiness in their faces.
5. Seek help if willing to quit but unable to quit, there are few medicines which will help with withdrawal symptoms.
6. Once you have quit, never smoke again. (Especially during party/stress/travelling alone). It is very difficult to quit but very easy to get hooked again.

How to check if lungs are affected?
Calculate your smoking index. (Number of cigarettes per day x number of years smoked) e.g., 10 cigarettes per day for 20 years will indicate smoking index of 200
-If more than 100, get Pulmonary function test(PFT) to know present status.
-If Smoking index more than 300, consult a doctor, get screening Chest Xray and PFT.
-If less than 100 and no symptoms, stop smoking as soon as possible.

If there is family history of cardiac issues or stroke, then it is advisable to get lipid profile, Tread mill Test(TMT) after consultation with primary physician, and to stop smoking immediately.

Nobody can guarantee that if you don’t smoke you wont get affected or if you smoke, you will definitely get affected. It is all based on risk. Smoking definitely increases the risk. Non-smokers are at reduced risk compared to smokers.

I have seen 98 year old who smokes 20 beedis per day for 80 years relatively healthy as well. Its like riding bike without helmet. You may be ok based on luck but if anything happens, chances of survival are less.

Vaping/hookah/Cigarettes/Beedis are all harmful. Infact, Hookah has more particulate matter than cigarette. Vaping, though less harmful than cigarettes, is still harmful for the lungs.

My final wordings: There are numerous things in environment trying to kill you, don’t add one more to the list.

Why the post:
This post is not to scare anyone but only to create awareness on numerous things which are left out of “warning” on cigarette packs.
I have seen numerous families getting affected by health related issues which are preventable caused by smoking, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol intake etc.,

If any queries, will be happy to answer.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Karthiksm, a good effort and well presented, but I remember all too well all the TV programs and articles about smoking after which.... I reached for a cigarette. I remember those healthy days out, in the fresh air, when I sailed, that seemed incomplete without... cigarettes.

So appealing to basic common sense with simple statements about health facts might work for a few, but for most, once including me, it does not. Stupid, eh? But true.

The trigger for me, in the end was fear. And even that is not enough for some. In hospital, the nurses told me about a patient who had completely lost one cancerous lung but still, as soon as he could get out of bed, escaped to the car park for a smoke.

[GTO]

I'm nearing the 3 week mark and the cravings are almost zero (as most people have said). Today's cravings = nil. Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Some benefits already visible:

1. Three people have independently told me that my face / complexion is clearing up.

2. Treadmill & cycling distance is up about 7 - 10% already!

3. Gained an extra hour at work (all those 5 - 7 minute breaks add up).

4. Am waking up in 7 hours, instead of my usual 8 hours of sleep. Don't know whether it's temporary or permanent? I'm fresh though, despite the lesser hour.

Appetite remains huge! Going to have to rein that in.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

GTO, I strongly recommend against special-occasion smoking of a cigar!

Thanks Thad . Somehow, I had a feeling you'd be the first to reply to me on that.

Frankly, I'm okay with cheating once in a blue moon types.

Originally Posted by karthiksm

He was admitted in ICU for almost 20 days with stroke (clot in brain leading to loss of power of limbs/bowel and bladder control) and recurrent admissions for respiratory tract infections, urinary infections and bed sores.

Damn sorry to hear. A friend's friend (mid-30s) also recently suffered a stroke. Luckily, she was out of the hospital in a week, but still hasn't quit smoking!

Passive smoking

I got to admit, I stay away from inhaling anyone else's smoke now.

I will bring forward few things, which are usually missed out.

Well said man! Amazing post .

Stop stocking cigarettes in car, at home, for emergency etc.

Agreed. I threw my stock away when I decided. Even the spare pack in my car was gone.

Buy 1 cigarette only when severe urge is there.

Hmmm, this I don't agree with. If you keep emergency stock, you'll inevitably use it.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The trigger for me, in the end was fear.

Mine was fitness & a better quality of life. Now into my 40s, I didn't want to turn into a tired, old, wheezing & puffing man. In automotive terms, I didn't want to climb up a hill like a Bolero with 10 passengers onboard; instead, I want to do it like a Cayman S!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by GTO

... Now into my 40s, I didn't want to turn into a tired, old, wheezing & puffing man. ...

I did anyway. Good thing I wasn't smoking as well, eh?

[TorqueyTechie]

An interesting article in TOI today which says that there has been a decline in smoking in Karnataka. Lots of positives mentioned in the article like percentage of teenagers smoking reduced, passive smoking is reduced etc.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I did anyway. Good thing I wasn't smoking as well, eh?

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Lots of positives mentioned in the article like percentage of teenagers smoking reduced, passive smoking is reduced etc.

They are definitely smarter than our generation was. The exposure & easier access to information helps. Thanks to the internet, the average guy with a 10,000 rupee smartphone today has access to more information than the richest guy in the world did in the 80s.

On the other hand, I think that drug use is on the rise (not helped by USA's legalising many forms of it).

[Arjun Reddy]

Have been smoke free for 3 days now. This is probably the first time in 20 years that I have had smoke free days.

Gone from around 20 to zero. Fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone on this thread and yes off course David Carr.

[sajo]

Can anyone tell me where I can order Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking from ?
It isnt an Amazon or Flipkart fulfilled item , and the delivery times are quite long. This is meant to be for someone else.

[aditya.bhardwaj]

So finally, it's been 18 days since I left the stick. Feels absolutely brilliant. Felt the urge a couple of days back, tried controlling it a lot but finally gave in - so had a big bar of chocolate .

Also, joined the gym since 2nd of Jan and life couldn't be better. Food tastes better, my stamina has gone up by miles and finally, my hands don't reek of cigg smell all the time. Went the cold turkey way so 8 to 9 ciggs to none.

I thought it would be difficult but it was not. I guess the mental state plays a very important role. And of course, people here also play a big part boosting my confidence.

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by sajo

Can anyone tell me where I can order Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking from ?
It isnt an Amazon or Flipkart fulfilled item , and the delivery times are quite long. This is meant to be for someone else.

Pick the kindle edition. Download the kindle app on your smartphone. If it's IPhone log into amazon via a browser buy and send it to iPhone/ IPad.

[maddy42]

I see many are kicking the butt but counting the days. Just dont count that as the first couple of months the relapse chances are higher. Soon it will be a month and then before you know a year of not smoking.

Appetite is surely going to increase and energy levels are going to be higher. No more clogged head feeling after the first smoke of the day and soon you will realise how bad the smell is when you cross a smoker!

Good luck! Cold turkey is a very good way of quitting.

Maddy

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

GTO, I strongly recommend against special-occasion smoking of a cigar!

I agree; been there, done that. The first cigar in 2008 after 17 zero smoking years, meant to be for special occasions only, turned into a full blown back to cigarettes life in just 12 months. Cigar to pipe to cigarettes.

Three smoke free years later after a second stop in 2015, the biggest thing I believe that nicotine addicts lose even after years of no smoking is the pleasure of the occasional Cuban. Or even from a quiet cigarette after a good meal. Almost everything else is reversible in time. But once an addict, always an addict. Living each day smoking/tobacco free is the only way to keep the addiction dormant.

And I also agree on the pain thing; if it was just a shortened life span, I would sign up to the live it kingsize thinking. But the death is much more likely to be a lingering for some years and being extremely painful one over those years. For some one that dislikes even a dentist visit, that was and remains the motivation.

[funkydevil]

I gave up smoking about 7 months ago, used to smoke a pack every 2 days. The below mentioned tricks were what I used to get rid of the habit :-

1. Since I used to smoke mint flavored cigarettes, if I ever had a craving, I smoked a cigarette which I hated, flavor / taste wise. This prevented me from thinking about a smoke for a couple hours.

2. I used to carry a packet of M&M's/chips/ peanuts with me. Every time I had a craving, kept popping a few of these in my mouth. This helped me divert my mind. The side effect of this is that I put on a little weight, but its better than going back to smoking.

3. I have a lot of tea / coffee. I have found that having a nice cup of coffee / karak chai is really a good substitute for a smoke. Too much is of course harmful, but it keeps your mind refreshed and alert. Try green tea / lemon with mint tea if your not into coffee.

4. Keep yourself strong from time to time, as time went on I purposefully stood with friends who smoked and refrained from having one even on being asked multiple times. This gave me the will power to go from saying "Okay I'll have just 1" to saying a strong "NO".

Eventually you get used to when there will be a time that no matter how many people smoke around you, it wouldn't affect you. All I have to say is that whoever has the will power to say NO to smoking, I applaud you guys.

Its hard as hell, but if you have the will to do it, you can.

I know how hard it is and the

[sajo]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Pick the kindle edition. Download the kindle app on your smartphone. If it's IPhone log into amazon via a browser buy and send it to iPhone/ IPad.

Thank you ! But this is meant as a gift for someone and that person is more comfortable with a paperback/hardcover.
Any other reliable source that people can recommend ?

[Arjun Reddy]

Day 21 today. The cravings are almost done on most days. Yesterday ie day 20 was the worst. The craving for a smoke was at its highest. It has been a battle with the mind.

I have gone through my schedule without doing anything different and have ticked off various situations that I used to smoke in as do not require a cigarette now.

I had terrible sleep patterns. A few nights I have woken up at odd hours like 1:30-2:00 am and have not slept post that. How ever the sleep pattern is now returning to normal.

Tend to eat. In the first week I was over eating. Now I seem to be in better control. Try and reach out for fruits if hungry. Man, the smell and taste of food is back. I find eating a lot more enjoyable and tasty.

I seemed to have gained a lot of time, I am leaving to work an hour early and getting back quickly too. Have been walking 4/5 times a week and each walk for around 6km. Have not seen any weight increase.

The biggest gain is able to walk in and hug your child/mom without hesitating or first running to washroom to get the smell of tobacco off. I have just been spending more time with the family now than on the terrace of my house.:

Have not used any substitutes. No vaping, no patches, no nicotine gums and not even chewing gums.

Have gone from to 20-0, cold turkey. Hope to keep pushing. Heading towards my first smoke free month in 2 decades.:

Honestly it has been much easier than I thought. So for all you guys planning to quit, it is not has hard as it has been made out to be.