Tobacco – Enjoy to Suffer

The start of the journey of a tobacco user is of enjoyment. The tobacco is packed and advertised to attract the youth. The flavor, menthol, etc added to tobacco – smoking. chewing or vaping is to make it an enjoyable thing. But the addictive factor added to it is slowly affecting the brain making it irresistible. The youth are attracted to tobacco by surrogate advertisements and misleading advertisements.

TOBACCO ENJOY TO SUFFER

Cigarettes contain 7000 chemicals, of these 200 are severely harmful and 69 are cancer-causing chemicals. In chewing tobacco similar constituents with 28 very harmful carcinogens. The Vaping device also contains chemicals that are leading to new forms of diseases.

No chemicals cause acute injury, it is a journey. In simple words, tobacco will not cause any diseases immediately. Its chronic use will slowly take its toll. Slowly diseases appear and it affects the body, initially reversible and later irreversible. This can be any time from the start of the tobacco journey and depends on many other factors. 200 types of diseases have been documented to be caused by tobacco. Tobacco users will have some or other diseases related to tobacco use, they cannot escape! In India, the introduction of chewing tobacco in the 1970s  and massive advertisements brought a new form of disease Oral and oropharyngeal Cancers and Submucous fibrosis. Now, we are the World’s highest in these diseases.

If you have taken tobacco for some time and you think you are not suffering, you are mistaken. The brain is adapting to your tobacco use, its function starts deteriorating, and to keep up with its pace as a non-tobacco user, the demand for tobacco keeps increasing. You are in a vicious cycle.

The journey starts with some foolish person enticing you to your first tobacco – smoking, chewing, or vaping will soon turn into suffering for yourself and for your relatives. These are the phases of tobacco use that will ultimately end in a painful untimely death.

Your present choice will determine your future life! #knowtobacco to choose your life journey.  

Tobacco is a disease.  Tobacco industries are enticing the new generation with newer forms, packaging, and flavors. One has to be smart not to start. For those who have started it is important they quit the earliest. Quitting needs hand-holding by a certified tobacco cessation specialist. Look for someone around you or call 011-43077695 or download the app- ICanCaRe at http://app.icancare.in

Every day 5500 youths are trapped and they start tobacco. Every day 3700 are dying a painful death. We have to change this scenario. Every unit must have a TOBACCO MARSHAL. Join a Tobacco MARSHAL to SAVE the youth! http://icancare.in/academy/marshal

 (The Author – Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. is Director of Surgical Oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali. Patparganj and Noida. He is the author of the book – Win Over Tobacco Made Easy, Be Smart Do Not Start and is highly recognized for his work on Oral Cancer and Tobacco Cessation. He is the convenor for the Certified Course in Tobacco Cessation at Gujarat University. He launched the #SAVEtheyouth campaign and Tobacco MARSHALs in the community)

 (Critically reviewed by Tobacco MARSHAL Sonal Bhatia, Shubh Bhatia, and Lakshay Srijay Gupta)

#1 Tutorial for Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialist

First Tutorial for Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialists initiated by Dr. Mariya Tambawala, Dr. Visuja Chaudhary, and Dr. Nikita Dwivedi was a great start. Practical-oriented discussion with the aim to understand the intricacies of successful cessation. The program started with a welcome address by Dr. Visuja, followed by Dr. Mariya telling the purpose of starting the tutorial.

Dr. Harshita Pandey a dental surgeon and Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialist running a center at MAX Vaishali put a tricky case for solving.

The case was discussed in detail with inputs coming from many of the participants, and discussing the history of the patient piecemeal, relevantly analyzing it, and finally preparing a plan for the patient. Sure, it would help Dr. Harshita manage her patient effectively. At the same time giving other CTCS an insight into dealing with such cases.

What some of the participants have to say:

“It was a very practical and clear insight on how to start and go about the ABCD of tobacco cessation. Thank you so much Pawan sir @Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. for keeping it to the point. Great efforts and Thanks to Dr. Maria, Dr. Visuja, and Dr. Nikita. We”ll take it forward together 👏🏻👏🏻” – Dr. Urvashi Goyal, Ajmer

“Kudos to Dr. Mariya, Dr. Visuja, Dr. Nikita for coming forward with this initiative.. thank you Pawan sir.. practical application of all the knowledge and experience is the hallmark of this tutorial ..looking forward to many more.” – Dr. Varsha B.K., Karnataka

“Amazing session, very well planned and conducted. Learned how to do treatment planning. Discussions and Q&A were also helpful to understand the concepts better. Thanks to everyone. Thank you Dr. Maria, Dr. Harshita and Dr. Visuja.” – Dr. Monalee, Mumbai

“It was a very good initiative of ICanCare and we must continue every month. Good to recall all we learned.” – Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Chandigarh

” Hearty Congratulations, Dr. Pawan Ji for this engaging initiative, full of energy to share and an acceptance of the participants to learn. Best wishes to all to sustain this maiden activity. The countrywide engagement is surely adorable. My feedback is that while it is good to excel in what one does, it will be more helpful for the majority (both treating physicians and the tobacco using patients) to keep tobacco cessation delivery simple, replicable without missing on basics.” – Dr. Rakesh K Gupta, Jaipur

38 CTCS participated in the first Tutorial.

Mr. Mitesh Shah of Tripada Pharmaceuticals makers of Varnitrip (Varenicline) was happy to be part of the program.

Mrs. Sonal Bhatia, Tobacco MARSHAL gave an insight into her TOBACCO MARSHAL initiative across India and her making of 1000 tobacco MARSHALs in 3 months.

The program ended with a vote of thanks by Dr. Nikita Dwivedi.

We look forward to our next tutorial. The tutorial is scheduled for the 15th of every month, and we wish for enthusiastic participation from all CTCS across India. Please do submit your cases for the same.

Contact:

Tutorial Co-ordinator – Dr. Mariya Tambawala 9924259452 dr.mariyasham@gmail.com

Dr. Nikita Dwivedi 8052664731 and Dr. Visuja Chaudhary 9971499968

MASTER TRAINER – Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. 9811290152

5 Phases of Tobacco Use

Tobacco is fun, it’s cool. This is what a new tobacco user may say, thanks to the advertisement and glamour attached. Ask a person who has used it for some years and he will spill the truth.

These are the phases of tobacco use that start with experimentation and end with a painful death. 

EXPERIMENT phase – this always starts with peer pressure, generally by advertisement, or a senior or a friend pushing the person to have one. Two things can happen – instant hate, or causal acceptance. Most people hate it from day one and would never ever take it, it tastes horrible and feels pathetic. But some misguided or those who are going through a low phase would like to experiment more, the dopamine surge gives instant pleasure, and that’s the beginning. Now the companies are luring the youth by introducing fancy articles like e-cigarettes and sheesha, hookahs, etc. These are being marketed as a fashion symbol for the youths, which is the beginning of the end.

NEED – BRAIN CRAVING – The experiment which was a fun and instant pleasure, mediated by dopamine surge is now regularly needed by the brain. In this phase, there is a craving and a demand for the brain, and the person uses it to seek pleasure instantly. The person is still in control and can stop. Most would stop, some would become occasional users, and others would progress. Most who stop are aware of the future and they have better means of seeking pleasure, they are health-seeking individuals have support from home. They have to be counseled at the right time, if they go beyond this phase it is going to be difficult.

ADDICTION – WITHDRAWAL, DISEASE – Now the brain is getting adopted, the brain cannot work without the dose of nicotine. The person who was in control now is in control of nicotine. When he/she stops, he/she has withdrawal symptoms. His/her behavior is changed, he/she is no more normal, and he has become a slave of tobacco. Signs of diseases caused by tobacco are visible, but he/she overlooks them. His/her life is in turmoil, loss of respect in society. He/she would need intensive intervention to quit tobacco.

DISEASED and SUFFERING – Now the person is symptomatic, visibly with the diseases due to tobacco like – cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, or cancer and others. He is repenting the day he started tobacco, but the brain is not ready to leave him. The severe withdrawals make him take tobacco again and again. The journey ahead is treacherously laden with fear and pain. He is seeking help to quit tobacco. They are no more in denial but have accepted the fact that tobacco is harming them. They are easy to quit because now the brain is sending them signals that if you continue further, you will have trouble. With proper support, they quit. The quit has its beneficial effect, but the damage that is done will only progress!

The incurable disease will take its toll with suffering and pain!

DEATH – That’s what they start seeking because of the pain they are going through.  Death is inevitable. The journey ENDS. With the hope of a new beginning in the next life!

 

Tobacco is a disease; the best is never to start. Tobacco industries are now enticing the new generation with newer forms, packaging, and flavors. One has to be smart and do not start. For those who have started it is important they quit the earliest. Quitting needs hand-holding by a certified tobacco cessation specialist. Look for someone around you or call 011-43077695 or download the app- ICanCaRe at http://app.icancare.in

Every day 5500 youths are trapped and they start tobacco and every day 3700 are dying a painful death. We have to change this scenario. Every unit must have a TOBACCO MARSHAL. Join as a Tobacco MARSHAL to SAVE the youth! http://icancare.in/academy/marshal

 

(The Author – Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. is Director of Surgical Oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali. Patparganj and Noida. He is the author of the book – Win Over Tobacco Made Easy, Be Smart Do Not Start and is highly recognized for his work on Oral Cancer and Tobacco Cessation. He is the convenor for the Certified Course in Tobacco Cessation under Gujarat University. He launched the #SAVEtheyouth campaign and Tobacco MARSHALs in the community)

The article has been critically reviewed by Mrs. Sonal Bhatia, Master Lakshay Srijay Gupta, and Shubh Bhatia