Smoking: Why people smoke and is there a way to quit?

Sakshi, a corporate office goer, is addicted to cigarette smoking. She picked up the habit when she was in higher secondary school. Started as a fun activity with peers, now the habit has been rooted in her system, and after every few hours she has to take a break and go out to smoke, which leaves her in an awkward position in the eyes of her colleagues and the boss. “However hard I am trying to tell myself that I must quit, but I just can’t,” she admitted.

However, a journey towards a healthier, smoke-free life by quitting smoking can start anytime or any day. “One day at a time,” advises noted psychiatrist in Panaji, Dr Joe Pinto, to smokers who wish to quit. “You must see that today I will not smoke. Do not promise yourself to do so for the next three months or six months. Just one day. Concentrate your actions to see that you don’t smoke today. Tomorrow is yet to come. When it comes, tell yourself ‘today’ I will not smoke. Focusing on just a single day at a time will save psychological pressure. And make it easy,” says Dr Pinto who delves deep into the psyche of the smokers, and finds a correlation with Sigmund Freud’s theory that points to five stages of developing personality.

According to Dr Pinto, smoking has link to the first psychosexual stage of ‘oral’ fixation (birth to 12-18 months) when the focus is mouth (sucking, biting, tasting) and the infant gets pleasure through mouth activities. The conflict starts during the weaning period. Whether it was over-feeding or deprivation, the oral fixation remains in adulthood as the primary source of gratification. Certain adult behaviour like nail-biting, over-eating, nail-biting, smoking or excessive drinking has roots in the person’s experience as an infant. Those who have undergone a bitter experience during the weaning stage, may later, as adults, develop fascination towards smoking which is similar to an experience of sucking.

Dr Pinto finds this as a gateway to enlighten people. He says, the opposition to addiction is not de-addiction, as is generally believed. The opposite of addiction is connection. If connection is given or shown, the addiction disappears, he has observed in multiple cases. Those who take the decision to quit smoking will start seeing the positive effects with each passing day – improved breathing, healing lungs, increased energy levels and lowered risk of diseases. With better oxygen levels the blood circulation will be enhanced, and there will be lesser chances of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. As it’s an expensive habit, the money that is burnt away will be saved to a large extent.

How to quit smoking? Apart from one-to-one counselling, hypnosis and regression therapies also help smokers to quit smoking. As is said, the habit is easy to form, but hard to give up. Depression and anxiety has roots in system building and habit forming. Whenever the person is in stress, the demand for nicotine becomes intense. Also, the receptors in the brain need a daily dose of nicotine. Nicotine patch, attending sessions with Alcoholic Anonymous groups, spiritual retreats or eating food to kill the habit are some ways too, but not always successful.

The tobacco products are being marketed in such a way as to fascinate people to go for them. Smoking may start early as a trend in school or college, and gradually become a habit and addiction. The body gets used to it, and starts craving. If not fulfilled, the bodily functions get hampered, and needs support of a puff. The current trend in Goa is that of hookah. The city streets in North Goa have several hookah bars. Other than nicotine addiction, this habit of smoking has high risks because so many people pull from the same pipe.

The doctors in Goa find that those who come to them with various health issues are ignorant of the fact that they are addicted to smoking, vaping or alcohol. “Most take these as normal social habits. The nicotine addiction can result in difficult breathing, gut issues or acidity. They hardly realise that the cause of their chronic acidity is smoking. Those who come with complaints of panic attacks, do not link it to their vaping habit. The solution lies in quitting such habits. Body heals itself, when toxins stop entering into it,” says a doctor.   

The sale of cigarettes, vapes, gutkha and other tobacco products are banned within 100 yards of educational institutions, yet many cities in Goa see vendors setting their kiosks just next to school compounds. Action against such sales is taken only when some NGO or vigilant citizen files a complaint. The vendors selling such products are fined under Section 6 (a) of COPTA and even further actions are being taken. Parents, teachers and citizens should be aware, vigilant and vocal on banning tobacco product sales nearby schools to stop GenNext getting addicted at a tender age. A stitch in time saves nine. Non-addiction is always better and easier than de-addiction.

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Tobacco: A silent killer

Many years ago, a young man came to my clinic with advanced oral cancer. When I asked him about tobacco use, he said, ‘Doctor, I only smoke a few cigarettes a day.’ Unfortunately, in cancer care we often see that there is no such thing as ‘only a few.’ Tobacco works silently for years before the damage becomes visible.

In India, nearly 28–29% of adults use tobacco, and tobacco use is responsible for over 13 lakh deaths every year. Even in Goa, despite high awareness and literacy, around 9–10% of adults still consume tobacco, and we continue to see preventable cancers linked to smoking and smokeless tobacco.

Quitting tobacco today is one of the most powerful health decisions a person can make. It is not about losing a habit — it is about protecting your life and the lives of those who love you.

— Dr Shekhar Salkar, President, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (India)