Lethality of Smoking

Shagufta Hassan

Amongst the most common and habitual problems we are facing in today’s world's scenario which is killing people and cent-per cent lethal, is smoking or tobacco addiction. Many people around the globe raise this habit because of stress, personal issues, depression, work stress and more.

As a matter of fact, some even start showing it off. When someone smokes a cigarette, whether they do it intentionally or unintentionally, they not only hurt themselves but everyone around them. For many Muslims, the legal status of smoking has changed during recent years, and numerous fatwas, including from notable authorities such as Al-Azhar University in Cairo, now consider smoking haram (prohibited).

The reasons cited in support of the reclassification of smoking as prohibited include Islamic law's general prohibition of all actions that result in harm. For example, the Quran says, "And spend of your substance in the cause of God, and make not your own hands contribute to your own destruction."

Furthermore, jurists rely on the exhortations in the Quran not to waste money. Greater appreciation of the risks associated with secondhand smoke has also led recent jurists to cite the obligation to avoid causing willful annoyance, distress, or harm to other people. Smoking isn't a good things to do.

Ill Effects of Smoking:

Tobacco can have a unimaginably disastrous impact on our health. Even so, people consume it daily for a long period of time till it’s too late, because of nicotine's habit forming nature. A rough estimate states, one billion people in the whole world smoke. It is definitely a eye opening figure as that 1 billion puts other millions of people at risk along with themselves both intentionally and unintentionally.

Cigarettes have major wrongful impacts on the lungs. Almost a third of all cancer cases happen due to smoking. For occurrence, it can affect breathing and causes shortness of breath along with coughing. Additionally, it also increases the risk of respiratory tract infection which effects lung functions which in the long run, reduces the quality of life.

Due to these serious health consequences, smoking also impacts the well-being of a person as well. It makes alterations to the sense of smell and taste. Further, it also reduces the ability to perform physical exercises, because of the shortness of breath.

It also disfigures a person's physical appearances like giving yellow teeth and aged skin along with giving them a high chance of a greater risk of depression or anxiety. It also include affects our relationship with our family, loved ones, friends and colleagues.

Fundamentally, It is also an expensive habit. Specifically, its necessarily heavy financial costs. Even though some people don't have money to live by their means yet they waste it on cigarettes because of their addiction.

Now the question arises, how to Quit Smoking?

There are a lot of ways through which a person can quit smoking for ever. The first one is to prepare oneself for the day when they will quit. For most of the people, It is not easy to quit a habit all of a sudden, so settinf a date to give oneself a specific time to prepare mentally is most the masses need.

However, one can also use NRTs for their nicotine dependence. It can reduce their cravings and abolition symptoms. NRTs like skin patches, chewing gums, lozenges, nasal spray and inhalers can help greatly, which are easily available nowadays.

In addition to, you can also contemplate non-nicotine medications. They require a prescription so it is necessary to talk to your doctor to get access to it, but first and the foremost is your will power to quit it. Most importantly, seek behavioural support first. To address someone's dependence on nicotine, it is essential to get counselling services, self-materials or more to get through this phase along with a strong will to end this habit for good.

One can also think of getting alternative therapies if they want to try them if it's hard for them. There is not a harm in trying as long as you are focused to quit smoking. To quote, filters, smoking deterrents, e-cigarettes, acupuncture, cold laser therapy, yoga, mediation and more can work for some people.

But you need to remember that you cannot quit smoking instantly as it will be bad for you as well both healthy and mentally. Try cutting down on it and then slowly and steadily give it up altogether for a better result.

Consequently, if anyone is a slave to such habits like smoking cigarettes, it is necessary for them to understand that it is never too late to quit smoking. With a determined mindset and a good action plan, anyone can quit it for better. The benefits can be evident within a couple of days of quitting, as well.

Some other related points:

We need to understand that smoking has major long lasting effects like cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and more. It also likes the risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems with the immune system along with some severe mental illness.

Another thing is, we must avoid smoking as it can lessen our life expectancy. By not smoking, you decrease your risk of disease which includes lung cancer, throat cancer, heart disease, hypertension and more.

If a thing is avoided or we're forced not to intake that, it's definitely for our own good. So, following a certain rule is good for humans, and we should be sticking to it.

Sedatives are prescribed by the doctor to treat a number of different health problems, such as some mental disorders and sleep disorders, as these drugs stimulate the feelings of relaxation, fatigue and exhaustion, but these drugs have also a side effect when used excessively cause the feeling of euphoria ( Euphoria), and this, in turn, leads to a higher risk of a person using the high dose of sedative drugs.

Therefore, it is one of the most prevalent and the most dangerous types of drugs, in addition to its tempting effect in adolescents to get rid of the daily worries that may face them, and it is worth noting that sedatives discourage the system.

The central nervous system in the body, which causes a feeling of comfort and relaxation, so the doctor may prescribe the type of sedative in an appropriate dose to treat some health problems that affect a person’s ability to relax, such as insomnia disorders, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

(The writer is also the author of book titled "MATED TALK: HELL OR HEAVEN" and can be reached at loneshagufta786@gmail.com)