Have you seen the tobacco awareness ad that is played before all movies in theatres - in which, a young boy named Mukesh died of oral cancer?

Despite of clear image of oral cancer displayed on the packets of tobacco, use of tobacco is increasing rapidly.

Now the question arises - Who consume tobacco ?

They can be  anyone at your workplace, neighbourhood and society or it can be you. As per WHO,an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide use tobacco products, 80% of whom are in low- and middle-income countries. 

The condition in India is really getting worse. According to the survey conducted in 2022- India is at 2nd position in terms of the number of tobacco users.

Thanks to the advertisments and campaigns, when asked about the harmful effects of tobacco everyone will say oral cancer and they miss the guilt and psychological trauma it gives to the user. And what about the frustration and disturbance it causes on the health of near and dear one's ? Unfortunately, this is also not much discovered. 

So is there any requirement to educate about the harmful effects of tobacco? Yes! effects on physical and physilogical health are equally important as those on social and mental health.

What comes in my mind again and again is - If there is so much awareness then why the users are not able to quit tobacco ? I know your answer is addiction. For me addiction is "a parasite which kills user slowly".

So many campaigns are going on for example WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control which focus on prevention and control of tobacco. Help is available at every level, there are campaigns on a small scale by NGO's to reduce the number of users. It depends on the user to decide and seek help.

Article Authored By

Chandra

Chandra is a registered nurse. She is passionate about providing quality care along with counseling clients to cope up with the crises they are facing.

She is currently working on developing expertise in providing counselling to substance users.

Disclaimer: This article has been written by a guest author as part of a mental wellbeing awareness campaign. You are advised to properly verify any advice given with qualified practitioners before following it. Also, for that reason it may not meet our usual standards. PsychoTech Services, Psychology Learners or any of its partner organisations, members or employees cannot be held liable for any damage or loss caused due to following the advice and recommendations given herein.