Why Is It So Tough To Quit Smoking?

Smoking and other forms of addiction to tobacco are by far some of the most difficult addictions to overcome. One reason for this is the social acceptability or rather permissibility around them. Cigarettes and other tobacco products are not only extremely easily available but are also drilled into our minds (and hence we find it easier to give ourselves permission to use them!) through constant advertisement.

Constant exposure to smoking, not just in the media, but all around us, is another big reason that makes it very easy for our minds to believe that smoking is ok. Whether they are young, impressionable minds or mature adults, all succumb to this large-scale indoctrination of sorts that is taking place through these cigarette and pan masala ads. This constant glorification of smoking or using tobacco products in the media needs to stop. We cannot afford to raise our children by showing them that smoking or consuming pan masala makes us macho or cool.

We work with people trying to quit smoking all the time and we see how tough each day is for them. To start with, it is very difficult to gather the motivation or willingness to quit. Even if one thinks of stopping or taking a break, his or her own mind doesn't let the thought gather momentum because just about everyone seems to be doing it. The obvious conclusion in any mind would be that if everyone is doing it, how can it be wrong. For those who do attempt quitting, it's just too easy to relapse in to the habit again due the omnipresence of these products. You may not get food at certain places, but even there you will definitely find cigarettes. Such is the reach of this menace.

Thankfully, for all those who still want to quit, we now have very useful tools to help us achieve this goal. There are products like the nicotine oral spray, nicotine gums and patches that have made it so much easier to quit this addiction. Having said that, this menace needs to be tackled in a big way by not only coming up with quitting aids but also generating awareness among the masses about the ill effects of tobacco.

We need to bring about a massive shift in the mindset of the current and future generations about how consuming tobacco DOES NOT HELP and IT IS NOT COOL. This problem needs to be addressed right at the level of young children, definitely before they enter their teens and get started with a whole range of experimentation in a big way. The measures taken by the government to ban smoking in public places are a big step in this direction. Let's hope for more such brave efforts!

(Dr Sanjay Chugh is a Senior Consultant Psychiatrist in New Delhi)