International Day of Quitting Smoking

65% of men and 25% of women smoke in BelarusSuch a common habit as smoking, according to the World Health Organization, causes 90% of deaths from lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and coronary heart disease. WHO called tobacco smoking the plague of the twentieth century, reporting that tobacco accounts for 1 in 10 deaths among adults. Despite the huge number of information campaigns, anti-smoking advertising is not all smokers are ready to give up harmful, but such a familiar occupation. Oncologists suggest spending at least one day a year without a cigarette. This day is every third Thursday of November.

The goal of World Quitting Day is to reduce the prevalence of tobacco dependence and educate society about the harmful effects of tobacco on health. Doctors emphasize that the consequences of this habit are very severe and are associated primarily with cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Some doctors compare smoking with suicide - only extended in time. Drug doctors emphasize that even smokers with a small experience will not avoid health problems.

In Belarus, 65% of men and 25% of women smoke. Every year the number of women who smoke increases. Also, about 40 percent of young people aged 14 to 19 years are addicted to cigarettes.

Drug doctors have long attributed smoking to one of the types of addictions - physical and psychological. Therefore, despite good awareness of the health risks of cigarettes, not many people get rid of nicotine addiction. According to international statistics, about 90% of smokers at least once tried to get rid of this habit on their own. However, not everyone succeeds. You can quit smoking on your own only at a certain stage, when a persistent dependence has not yet formed. Signs of persistent dependence: a person smokes alone, without company, an hour or two without a cigarette cause discomfort. Most attempts to get rid of tobacco addiction end in failure: the person returns to smoking. In modern conditions, you can turn to qualified specialists who will help where your own willpower is not enough. Treatment of tobacco dependence is complex. With the use of acupuncture, hypnosis, as well as modern medicines. If smoking has become a problem that interferes with health and personal life, it is worth getting rid of. Once and for all.

In addition, smokers should not forget about such a factor as passive smoking. Cigarette smoke at home or on the street is inhaled by children and adolescents. This can also lead to their dependence on tobacco. It is impossible to raise a healthy child in a family of smokers. So let’s be an example to each other on November 16th and spend this day without cigarette smoke.

In Belarus, the Day of non-smoking is quite fun. Activists of public organizations right on the street offer smokers to exchange a cigarette for candy, lottery tickets or invitations to a concert. In schools and universities, students hold music competitions and all kinds of fun events, where they tell how well they live without cigarettes.