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Are you among those who use cigarettes but don't consider themselves to be smokers? You then belong to the category of 'non-identifying smokers (NIS)'. Researchers at University of California (UC), San Diego report there is a surprisingly large number of people who say they use cigarettes but don't like them to be called smokers. The phenomenon has both individual and social ramifications.
'For individuals, the behaviour puts them at many of the same health risks as identified smokers,' said Wael K Al-Delaimy, professor at the UC San Diego's department of family and preventive medicine. 'There is a risk for such smokers to continue to smoke and be adversely impacted by the tobacco they smoke. They do not seek any assistance nor do they plan to quit because they falsely believe they are not smokers,' explained Al-Delaimy.
Almost 22 percent of these smokers consumed tobacco on a daily basis. In their analysis, Al-Delaimy and colleagues defined NIS as people who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, reported smoking at least one day in the past 30 days or who said they smoked at least 'some days'.
In all cases, when asked if they considered themselves to be a smoker, the respondents replied 'No'. The younger NIS are typically college students who smoke as a means of social facilitation and who believe they can quit at any time.
Older NIS belong to the marginalised parts of society who see little advantage in identifying themselves as smokers or providing accurate reports of their smoking behaviour, said the study that appeared in the journal Tobacco Control.
5 Ds to quit smoking
Smoking has many other harmful effects on your sex life, your beauty, your health and also your lifestyle. It is time you quit, and in order to help you do the same here are 5 Ds that can get you started on the path to quit smoking.
Once the cigarette craving hits, it's very difficult to think about something else. However, remembering to delay your cigarette for as long as possible can help. Setting time-based goals to delay your smoking will reduce the number of cigarettes you have a day. Gradually, you can increase the length of these time-based goals until you are ready to quit.
Eat some fruits, play badminton or go for a jog do whatever you must in order to get your mind off smoking. Distracting yourself can also help making the delay process less agonising and will stop negative thoughts which tend to rationalise your habit like 'Cigarette was my saviour during tough times, how can I leave it now?' (Read: Natural remedies to quit smoking)
Drinking water can momentarily bring down the cravings. Additionally, it'll help flush out some of the toxins that accumulate in your body after smoking. What more? It's also a brilliant for your overall health including your digestion and your beauty.
Irritability is one of the definite withdrawal symptoms of quitting smoking. A lot of people feel cranky, and often snap at a loved one if they haven't had their nicotine fix. This leads to more stress, and often people just escape reality and smoke. Taking deep breaths during such times can help reduce the irritability.
You do not have to be alone in your battle. If you feel like going back to smoking, talk to a friend or someone who has successfully quit smoking to bring the inspiration back again. Even though, our mind knows all the reasons to quit smoking, hearing them from someone else can make a bigger impact. (Read: War on tobacco)
Besides these, you can also take the help of nicotine gums, lozenges and patches. There are many such products available in the market now and they are not even that expensive. Hopefully, you'll remind yourself of these D's whenever the battle to kick the butt gets tough. Good luck!
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