Smoking: When TAK NAK! become NAK TAK?

There is no need to emphasize how smoking can do to your health. But some would say: "My dad smoked, but he never died of lung cancer. And there are so many smokers out there, I wouldn't be the unlucky one." "If smoking is bad, the government should had ban the sales of cigarettes." "I am already hooked. If choosing between stop smoking and die, I would rather choose death."

EXCUSES~

There are things that you lose with smoking:

1. Your white, beautiful and strong teeth
2. Your breath - stinks with cigarettes
   
3. Your fertility - both men and women will suffer from subfertility
4. Your time with the loved ones as smoking shorten your life and well as the one around you
5. Your freedom as you can't go in certain public like cinema, petrol kiosk, bank and many more
6. Your enemy, if you smoke around them, they will die faster

TAK NAK! is a failure. Government spent millions in promoting public health awareness on stop smoking. On the other hand, cigarettes is so readily available, even the teens can get their hand on the cigarettes with ease. There are shopkeeper out there who only think of profit-making, think that they are above the law and sell the cigarettes to the young one. This is bad. At home, the parents smokes, setting examples for the children to follow.

Imagine, if a person is smoking a pack of cigarette (20's) a day, it will cost around RM 7 per day. In a month, he will use up RM 210 just for cigarettes. In 10 years time, if he stop smoking, he saved RM 25,200! This is enough to pay for a car or to save for children education fund. What more, this figure does not include the expenses spent on petrol to go to buy the cigarettes, the cost for getting chronic cough, and the time lost because of fallen ill.

Prevention is always the best way to be healthy. Nicotine found in the cigarettes is a substance that cause physical dependence as well as phychological dependence. There will be withdrawal symptoms if a chronic smoker suddenly stop smoking. Glad, there is treatment to reduced these symptoms. It is called nicotine replacement therapy(NRT). It is available in most government and private hospital and clinics. Basically, it is substitute for what is loss, and it can be in various forms. There are gums, patches and inhalers to help reduce withdrawal symptoms. Mind you, the cost of NRT can be high, but in view of the long term cost, it is still cost effective. Do consult your local clinic or hospital for this service. The following are the number to call for smoking cessation clinics:






and the website for a full list of smoking cessation clinics and some relevant web addresses:

http://www.infosihat.gov.my/Klinik%20Berhenti%20Merokok.html

http://www.infosihat.gov.my/TakNak.html


Some examples of nicotine replacement therapies