Covid-19 fears making smokers quit

Family pressure and increased importance to lung health to combat the pandemic has pushed many to stub the butt

During the pandemic an increasing number of Bengalureans have quit smoking, say medical experts. While anxiety and stress pushed some deeper into the habit, others realised their dependency on nicotine and decided to quit.

‘World No Tobacco Day’ is observed on May 31.

Dr Pratima Murthy, professor and head of department of psychiatry, and in-charge of the Nimhans Tobacco Quitline, says that the quitting rate has gone up by two folds. The telecounselling helpline received around 64,110 calls (IVR hits) from March 2020 to May 2021.

“We answered around 31,409 calls and counselled via 17,183 calls. We also did 75,386 follow-up calls,” she says.

Of the reasons to quit, 90 per cent were because of pandemic-related health worries. “As many were working from home, family pressure and being around children also prompted many to quit,” she adds.

The team includes 23 counsellors, who help patients set up quit dates and follow up accordingly.

“We compared the pre-Covid-19 calls and post-Covid-19 calls. Though the calls have reduced by one-third, the commitment to quit was much higher. Around 77 per cent of callers said they quit on the quit date itself and around 40 per cent were able to sustain it for a month, compared to the usual 18 to 19 per cent,” explains Dr Pratima.

After registration, the quitline’s counsellors follow-up with the individual on regular intervals — on a pre-quit date, quit date, a week, month, three, six and nine months later, right up to a year.

At Dr Jyothi’s Nature Cure Clinic, Basavanagudi, among patients who were infected by Covid-19, the severity of the infection was higher among smokers.

Dr Nagajyothi, chief consultant physician, who has been holding free sessions to help people quit smoking during the pandemic, says that anxiety has led to a rise to smoking.

“Articles by medical journals like Lancet, support the fact that smokers and passive smokers will be more deeply affected by the virus. There has been a 60 per cent rise in callers who wanted to quit smoking,” she says.

Through video consultations, Dr Nagajyothi, tells patients to balance their diet with natural sources of zinc, vitamin B complex, and good fats in it, get quality sleep (6 to 7 hours), practise ‘pranayama’ and other meditative exercises for
better lung health, and work with acupressure.

“Through the sessions, I advise them on how to divert their attention from urge,” she adds.

25 to 35 years old wanting to quit

Dr Roshan Jain, psychiatrist and de-addiction specialist, observes that the amount of all consumption, like drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and even binging on junk food, has increased during the pandemic.

“All of these increased due to sedentary lifestyle, restricted outings and working or studying from home. Due to increased stress and anxiety, consumption for individuals who were already addicted to nicotine substances significantly increased. Consequently, they became more aware that their habit was getting out of control and starting seeking help, compared to earlier,” he says.

An understanding of increased consumption, lead to more than 25 per cent of calls seeking help. “People started feeling more helpless which lead to the desire to quit. From a habit, smoking turned into an ailment during the pandemic. The callers are mostly between 25 and 35 years,” he adds.

To quit, the steps are — acknowledge and accept the habit, commit and act towards it and focus on substituting it with a good habit (eg: speed walking). “When one focuses on exercises and physical activities, it gives one a rush, which is good enough to convince the person enough to continue healthy habits,” Dr Roshan says. He adds that many want to quit but choose the status quo due to the discomforts attached to it.

How can you quit at home?

The process starts much before the quit date. It starts with the decision to quit and making all the preparations, like getting rid of all tobacco products and reminders of the habit like matches, lighters and ashtrays.

Tell family and peers, who you would like to seek support from about your goal.

Decide on the quit date.

Be prepared for withdrawals and have strategies in place. For eg: keeping hands busy (with a stress ball) or mouth busy (by chewing gum). Keep the 4 D’s in the mind — Delaying craving, Distracting yourself, Drinking sips of water and Deep breathing.

Follow a proper diet. Exercise regularly, within the given lockdown restrictions.

Learn how to deal with mood shifts. One could feel angry or stressed when quitting, so have methods to calm yourself down.

Keep your family informed about possible irritability and mood shifts during this process, for them to be more understanding.

Always deal with quitting smoking, one day at a time.

Celebrate your milestones (one day, week, and month of not smoking). Rewarding yourself will keep you motivated.

Think like a non-smoker; how would you handle a stressful situation, if you never smoked. This will help against any lapses.

Take advantage of the lockdown, as there is no peer pressure currently.

(Inputs from Dr Pratima Murthy, in-charge of the Nimhans Tobacco Quitline)