Devastating Medicines
By Umema Babar
It is observed that most people start smoking in their teen ages, either under peer pressure, stress or by imitating their elders/parents. According to teenagers, it’s a source of adventure and gives them a mature and bold aura among friends. Many smokers when asked say that it was initially just a desire to try smoking at once which gradually turned into an addiction. Adult smokers call this addiction a stress release therapy - pressure controller which helps them to release the tension and stress of economic and personal difficulties; making them feel free from anxiety. Doctors and phycologists however say that associating drugs as stress relievers is a myth. The nicotine intake actually increases anxiety as it has been observed that adult smokers have higher stress levels than nonsmokers because it actually weakens mental strength of a person.
Tobacco kills around 6 million people each year including passive smokers. It is one of the biggest health threat the world has ever faced. Even nonsmokers are being affected by the smoke caused when tobacco product such as cigarettes are burnt in public places fueling more than 250 poisonous chemicals and about 50 cancer causing chemicals into the fresh air. 28% of child deaths were accounted of passive smoking.
Tobacco is dangerous to health and effects the entire body. From mood manipulation to lungs cancer it destroys the whole health. It fires blood cancer, heart disease, diabetes complications, coughing, poor vision and even works as an appetite suppressant. It even changes the structure of skin, causing discoloration, wrinkles and premature aging.
Smoking is one of the most common recreational drugs being practiced by more than one billion people around the world which is the 20% of world population. Its have declined in developed countries but it’s still increasing in low income countries or developing countries. There are 9.6 million adult smokers in United Kingdom, 16.8% U.S adult smokers, in which 9.5% are Asians and Alaska Natives 29.2%. In USA 16.7% of 18 to 24 aged group are smokers which increases up to 20% among adults. There are 53% of male smokers in China while 57% in Indonesia. Use of tobacco is the largest cause of deaths and disease in the United States of America it kills about 480,000 people each year. Every year around 96000 people die from diseases caused from smoking in UK. Illegal use of Drugs, Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV), and Alcohol use are also the combined reasons for deaths.
According to the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report; of every 3 young smokers, only 1 will quit and 1 of those remaining smokers will die from tobacco-related causes.
There are many campaigns which are working on the restrictions over the tobacco and smoking worldwide, such as action on smoking and health charities throughout the world seeking to minimize the tobacco use. ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) was formed in 1967 and has a long history in the actions against Tobacco. The first attempts to control tobacco included the world’s first known tobacco restrictions in 1950. In Europe and Australia restrictions over tobacco were put in late 17th century. In Britain 1604 King James I wrote A Counter blast to Tobacco. World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control a treaty works to protect the generations health and is efficiently working to eradicate the tobacco products all around the globe.
Tobacco is physical as well as a phycological addiction. It causes dizziness, depression, headache, mood swinging but it did save one’s life. Manu smokers want to quit smoking 7 out of 10 adult smokers have tried to quit it even once. It takes at least 3 months for your brain to return to normal. There are several effective programs running, which are really effective to help one quit all around the world. On one hand, we’re trying to eradicate smoking from our societies but on the other hand we are making our people dependent of an addiction by inventing E-cigarettes. These cigarettes are being considered as less dangerous than ordinary cigarettes.
We, human of today are dependent on technology to the extents we are acquiring newly invented methods of suicides. Although the health risks of E-cigarettes are not known yet due to insufficient information.
