Quit Smoking — It’s Easy!

Most of smokers have a strong desire to get rid of this addiction. Each of them at least once in their life tried to quit smoking.

Nobody would argue with the fact that smoking is injurious to health, and one of the most terrible consequences that smoking causes lung cancer. It occurs due to the fact that cigarette smoke, except nicotine, needed by smokers, contains a huge amount of tar and 4,000 harmful ingredients that adversely affect the entire body.

However, despite all the harm, quitting smoking is not so easy. There are several reasons of that.

Firstly, it is the nicotine dependence. When somebody stops smoking, he feels nicotine hunger. The organism has become accustomed to nicotine and need it again and again. It causes discomfort in the muscles of the body, unexplained anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and an unquenchable thirst. Everyone who has ever tried to quit smoking, knows these symptoms of smoking rejection. They occur in about a day, and after 2 days most of people takes up the cigarettes again.

Secondly, it’s the psychological dependence. Smoker has some habits, which he tends to associate with comfort and pleasure. Isn’t it nice to smoke a cigarette in the morning with a cup of coffee or after sex? It’s really nice to discuss the latest football news with a cigarette in your hand, it’s nice to talk with colleagues in the smoking room. Such situations arise in life of smoker many times per day and cause a desire to take a cigarette in a hand, and to enjoy not even from the nicotine, but from the fact that people are again in a situation which is connected with the feelings of pleasure.

Smoking kills more than 14,000 people on our planet every day. According to World Health Organization, if nothing will change, by 2030 tobacco will kill about 8 million people every year. 80% of these people live in the «developing» countries.

Approximately two-thirds of all smokers worldwide live in the following fifteen countries: China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Ukraine, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Poland.

Government and civil society organizations from different countries have made many efforts to restrict tobacco use. In Ukraine, for example, there are legislation to prohibit smoking in public places and workplaces, offices. Restaurant owners are obliged to allocate at least 50% of the space for non-smoking territory.

Bureau of Health Promotion in Taiwan has invented more original way to fight smoking. Those who want to stop smoking may get solid cash reward — about 19 thousand dollars. All the smokers with the experience of not less than one year are eligible for this award for smoking cessation. They just have to register and publicly demonstrate their rejection of smoking for four weeks. Participants will also need a witness who can confirm the result. Those, who overcome the habit, then wait for the lottery, where the top prize will be competed.

In Europe, the fight against smoking, in general, includes prohibitions and penalties. The French government issued a ban on smoking in bars, cafes, restaurants and discos. In February 2007 they added casinos and hotels in this ban-list. Similar legislation were issued in the UK, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

British lawmakers in the near future plan to «rejoice» local smokers with new bill: they offer the «government license» to smoke for 20 pounds a year.

Indeed, every year it is becoming more and more difficult and expensive to be a smoker. And more and more people are thinking about how to get rid of this habit and addiction.