June 2013 - Department of Defence

S A S O L D I E Rhealth mattersKicking a bad habitBy Martina Nicholson AssociatesNews DeskPhoto: Sgt Elias MahumaMost smokers have heard thatsmoking is bad for theirhealth, but they carry onregardless because it hasbecome a habit that they finddifficult to give up. Others doit because they say they enjoy it or theythink it makes them look sophisticated.In fact smoking is very unhealthy andcan cause a wide range of medicalproblems, some of them serious suchas heart disease and lung cancer.Considering the health risks, thatthe Department of Health is makingfurther moves to toughen up on antismokinglaws, and the price of tobaccoproducts is sky-rocketing, now mayjust be a great time to consider kickingthe smoking habit for good.Many persons start smoking whenthey are teenagers because theirfriends smoke and they desperatelywant to fit in with them. Before longthey find that they are completelyhooked and need to light up every day.It is not surprising that one becomesaddicted to cigarettes as tobaccocontains nicotine, which is a veryaddictive drug. This is especially truefor those who smoke regularly.Smoking is unhealthy - there aremore than 4 000 chemicals in cigarettesmoke and it has been estimatedthat 44 000 South Africans die fromsmoking-related illnesses every year.Many thousands of other individualssuffer ill health related to smoking.There are a number of health problemsyou can develop if you smoke,including heart disease, diabetes anda whole range of cancers such as thoseof the lung, throat, mouth, stomachand pancreas. The risk of emphysemais significantly increased by tobaccouse. Smoking can also lower the body’sresistance to diseases such as TBand negatively affect a man’s sexualperformance.Unfortunately your smoking habit doesnot just affect you, it can harm otherstoo. Second-hand smoking has beenshown to increase the risk of illnessessuch as asthma, heart disease and lungcancer among those regularly exposedto it. Children subjected to second-handsmoking have been found to have anincreased risk of bronchitis, pneumonia,throat and middle ear infections.Those who have a lot of will-power anda strong desire to give up smoking maysuccessfully do so without extra help oreven first cutting down on the number ofcigarettes. This may lead to withdrawalsymptoms called “cold turkey”. Peoplewho are not as addicted to nicotine asothers often enjoy greater success withthis approach. It should be noted thatthis method has become a lot easier withthe many nicotine replacement productsavailable on the market today.Another approach is to cut downsmoking slowly over time, whichinvolves gradually smoking fewercigarettes each day until you completelystop smoking. It is best to make a planregarding how you are going to do thisand then stick to it. You may decide,for instance, to smoke one less cigaretteevery day or every week until you havestopped completely, or you may ratherfollow an approach such ashaving a cigarette an hourlater every day until you areeventually having none atall. This can be an effectiveway to reduce the nicotinein your body over time andeventually give it up entirely.There are many productsand services available todayto help one to stop smoking,such as nicotine gum,nicotine replacement patchesand sprays.These products containnicotine and are used toreduce the craving for it.They take away much of thedesire to smoke and can bevery useful aids in the battleto give up smoking. Ask yourdoctor about these and how you canbest use them to assist you.There are a number of smokingcessation programmes available inSouth Africa that provide the smokerwith strategies for giving up as wellas support through the whole process.There are even medications thatcan assist one to stop lighting up byreducing the desire for nicotine.Focus on the many benefits of givingup smoking: after only one daywithout smoking the risk of a heartattack is reduced. The long-termbenefits should also be noted: 15 yearsafter smoking one’s last cigarette one’srisk of heart disease and cancer willbe almost the same as that of someonewho never smoked.* References• GEMS,https://www.gems.gov.za/defaultaspx?dCmybjzDVIEejQiUkLZqw+O6w9/wODuv• IOL, www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/third-of-south-africasmokes-cigarettes-1.1499483#.UWve4YL39dh• Quitters Guide, www.quittersguide.com.• Tobacco Facts, www.tobacco-facts.info/dangers_of_tobacco.htm.34 • J U N E 2 0 1 3