Thursday, November 15, 2012

How can a smoker actually quit smoking?

This is one global question for which researchers and scientists have been seeking an answer for. It's a habit that you can quit for not more than a day and the warning labels have never helped. Hence, "smoking kills" - this warning will not really matter to them. But, if warning labels indicate how smoking can affect or kill their loved one's, it might just pinch the smoker every time he notices a warning label. Researchers have said that the warning labels do not reach all the smokers and goes unnoticed. Therefore, the US Food and Drug Administration has finally decided to join the bandwagon of other countries that have used large graphic labels on tobacco products, after September, 2012. It has been concluded by the researchers that vivid and scandalizing images on the cigarette covers are more likely to motivate smokers for quitting. A vivid image of a man suffering from cancer accompanied with a warning like "Smoking can kill your children/love" will certainly affect more than a mere text-warning.
Yes! It's going to be disgusting to look at, but that's the motive. These new warning labels embarks the first change in the last 25 years. Countries like Mauritius and Thailand have shown an increase in the percentage of people who want to quit smoking, after applying the graphic warning labels. We hope the same effect is seen everywhere else.
Smokers surrender their will, health and lives against the smoking addiction. Smoking has been an addiction where even the rehabilitation centers, focus groups and quit-smoking-aids have not helped in quitting. There is no guarantee or even an approximation on how many people will be affected with the new cigarette warning labels. But, it is certain that the new labels will prove to be more effective than the previous warning labels. The tobacco industry cannot be banned as the tobacco crop contributes, USD 1.4 billion to the American economy with 371 billion cigarettes being consumed, in a year, approximately. But look at the trade off; every year "438,000" Americans die with smoking-related diseases and they spend USD167 billion/per annum on smoking related medical expenses. Statistics indicates that the deaths occurring from chronic-obstructive lung diseases are 90% because of cigarette smoking. Tobacco manufacturers spend a whopping amount on advertising for cigarettes and the government spends another whopping amount in advertising the ill-effects of smoking. And, in the bargain we are sacrificing the health of world citizens, in order to gain economic benefits. Is this fair?

No comments:

Post a Comment