Today is World No Tobacco Day. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), one in every 10 cigarettes, and many other tobacco products consumed worldwide are illegal, making the illicit trade of tobacco products a major global concern from many perspectives, including health, legal, economic, governance and corruption. The tobacco industry and criminal groups are among those who profit from the illegal tobacco trade, leaving the public to pay the health and security costs.
One of the major goals of this year’s campaign is to raise awareness on the harm to people’s health caused by the illicit trade in tobacco products, especially the youth and low-income groups, due to the increased accessibility and affordability of these products due to their lower costs.
Probably to support this campaign before he vacated office, immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, last Wednesday, signed the Tobacco Control Bill and five others passed by the National Assembly into law.
The Tobacco Control Act 2015 repeals the Tobacco Smoking (Control) Act, Cap.t6, LFN 2004 enacted in 1990 and amended years later. The Act will ensure effective regulation and control of production, manufacture, sale, labelling, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco and tobacco products in Nigeria. It will also ensure balance between economic consideration and health implications of tobacco manufacture, use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, among other things.
Experts, however, admit that it may be hard for individuals to kick this addiction out of their system. Nevertheless, there are certain home remedies that can help overcome the addiction with minimal side effect and withdrawal symptoms.
Choose other oral substitutes
There are other effective alternatives for smokeless tobacco that can curb cravings. You can shift over to these substitutes after the initial days of using non-tobacco products. Common products that can be used at this juncture to stop chewing tobacco include hard candy and sugarless gum. You cannot combine these products with tobacco that you already use. So make sure you start using these products only after curbing the habit a bit.
Opt for specific non-tobacco products
These products can be obtained from grocery stores and emulate smokeless tobacco in their look and texture (like moist snuff). Made from herbs or plants (like mint, tea or clover leaves), these products come packaged in tins and are available in different flavours (including moisteners such as glycerin).
Individuals trying to kick out the tobacco addiction can substitute these non-tobacco products for the tobacco that they usually chew. Alternatively, they can combine a small amount of these products with the tobacco that they chew, to give up on the habit gradually (which is mostly recommended by doctors).
With time, the portion of non-tobacco product in the mixture can be increased while the tobacco content in it can be decreased. And slowly, the individual can completely stop mixing tobacco and rely completely on the non-tobacco products instead. This would in turn help them kick the habit effectively. It is considered essential to opt for non-tobacco products that do not contain any ingredient that one is allergic to by checking the ingredients in the label before opting for the product.
Try cayenne
Cayenne can effectively bring down cravings for tobacco by desensitising the respiratory lining to the product and other chemical irritants that come with it. Cayenne also contains antioxidant properties that can help stabilise the membranes in the lungs and reduce the damage caused by the smokeless tobacco. Another benefit of cayenne is that it has a peppery taste that can effectively emulate the effect tobacco has on your body and mind. Therefore, it can be easily substituted for tobacco albeit any withdrawal symptoms.
Indulge in activities
Being inactive can increase one’s craving for smokeless tobacco. Rather than let that happen, concentrate on shifting your mind and body to activities that would keep you energised and bring your tobacco cravings down.
Jot down the intervals and situations in which the body starts craving for tobacco in a notebook. This way, you can identify potential ‘danger zones’ and can spot the symptoms of a craving as and when they start occurring. Try deviating your mind from the problem at these junctures and try focusing on an activity that would relax your mind and body. Accordingly, you can go for a walk, jog around a park, take a plunge in a swimming pool or just soak in a tub filled with hot water until you feel better and know for sure that you have the craving under control.
Increase intake of vitamins
Tobacco can damage the skin cells and tissues in the body. Increased intake of foods containing Vitamin A, C and E can effectively curb this effect and help the body heal properly during withdrawal. While Vitamin A is necessary for healing mucous membranes in the body that are irritated or damaged due to the tobacco, Vitamin E is needed for the proper oxidation and removal of free radicals from the body. In addition to eating foods that are rich in these vitamins, you can opt to take supplements to heal the internal wounds caused by tobacco.
