Calming the mind for a few minutes may provide the distance needed to make a reasonable and healthy decision about whether or not to light a cigarette, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
Not many of us would be aware about the fact that India is the second largest producer and third largest consumer of tobacco in the world. According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey, nearly one million people die in India every year due to tobacco use.The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that each day, over 4,000 people under the age of 18 years try their first cigarette. According to ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), in India, each year nearly 0.16 million people develop cancer, 4.5 million develop heart diseases and 3.9 million develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a result of consumption of tobacco.
A recent community based study done by some indian medical college students on the prevalence of tobacco smoking says that reasons to smoke are mostly psychological. It further elaborates the three factors that primarily lead young people to pick up smoking habit are peer pressure, following the example of sibling and parents, and employment outside home. In many cases, it was observed by the research team that if a child’s older sibling and both parents smoke, the child is four times as likely to smoke as one with no smoking model in family.
The study revealed that peer influence is paramount during adolescent stages and young people with greater numbers of peers who smoke are more likely to begin to smoke themselves. There were also some weird reasons that came across while doing this study, one of which was that 68 per cent of current smokers think that smoking causes weight loss. Isn’t it bizarreIJ Similarly, around 32 per cent of smokers expressed that since they were unable to cope with stress and unwelcome pressure on their mind, they just de-stressed themselves by lighting a cigarette. What was astonishing is that 92 per cent of current smokers are well aware of the fact that smoking cigarettes or using tobacco in any form causes cancer and yet they indulge into this life threatening hobby. WhyIJ Because they do not know a way to get out of this.
After learning about the facts regarding prevalence of tobacco use in our country, one simple question that would come to a common man’s mind is that, “If government genuinely realises that smoking is injurious to health for its citizens, then why on earth do they allow manufacturing and sales of this deadly commodityIJ Why shouldn't this be lessened in phases and banned ultimately after a notified periodIJ As it is they have already banned smoking on planes as well as public places like hospitals,parks,offices, schools et al then where is the problem to totally banning them from our country IJ The time has come when the government will have to bow unto people’s wishes and the manufacturers themselves will be compelled to give up this industry and the pretext that they have a right to profession.
Recently indian cigarette companies had decided to shut their factories from April claiming ambiguity in the government’s order to print warning images on 85 per cent of the display area of tobacco packs. Encouraged by this government ruling, those who are suffering from cancer say that if they had been warned in a more specific manner, perhaps their lives could have been much better today. This clearly indicates that instead of making people aware of the dangers and harms of smoking in a specific manner, these companies conspired to cover it up all these years! It seems that when more and more litigation cases would come before the courts, then the companies would, perhaps, under pressure of claims for compensation, give up its manufacture or, at least, print warning pictures and text on 85 per cent of the display area. Perhaps then people would realise that smoking is not as pleasurable as it is made out to be.
According to the psychologists, most of the addicts are quite immature and suffer from insecure personalities. They have a general lack of confidence due to various psychogenic problems, especially those from their immediate family. A detailed research done by behaviourial scientists in USA, proves meditation as an effective addiction recovery technique. It was observed that those who were taught how to meditate had lower levels of relapse and more positive outcomes after release than those who received only conventional recovery treatments. Hence it would not be difficult to recognise the value of meditation for elimination of smoking habits and introduce this theory and practise as a subject in education so that the youth and the children can be saved from dependence on this deadly habit.
There may be many questions posed as to why meditationIJ Because it has been proved that it rewires critical pathways in the brain thereby increasing self awareness in a person which allows him/her to focus on any number of things at a time. Remember, calming the mind for a few minutes may provide the distance needed to make a reasonable and healthy decision about whether to light a cigarette or find a meditation center. So just make the right choice of a healthy future by saying no to tobaco and yes to meditation.