Sonam Kapoor says quit smoking or opt for electronic cigarettes

Smoking's not cool and Bollywood finally seems to have woken up to that harsh reality. Recently, Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor went on record registering her support for electronic cigarettes. She posted on a micro-blogging website, "Smoking is seriously not good! There are electric cigs available now. A lot of my friends are using it." Now e-cigarettes are one of the most successful nicotine replacement therapies. Sonam Kapoor added that she felt it was hypocritical that the government which took such stringent measures to curb smoking on screen fails to do so in the real world.

An electronic cigarette is a device that mimics the entire smoking process by producing a mist which has the same sensation (sometimes the same flavour too) of smoking. They are considered one of the most effective smoking cessation techniques as they not only provide nicotine without the harmful effects of tobacco but also allows the smoker to go through the entire smoking process; the touch, the mannerisms, everything. Click here to read more about e-cigarettes.

Some Bollywood celebs that have kicked the butt include Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan. Hrithik Roshan revealed in an interview earlier this year, how he kicked the butt. The actor tried every trick in the book to quit, nicotine patches, lozenges, gum and even went cold turkey but it was finally a book Allen Carr's 'The Easy Way To Stop Smoking' that finally got him to quit. Salman too quit recently and apparently hasn't smoked in three months. He however didn't rely on any smoking cessation techniques and simply went cold turkey. Whenever he had the urge to smoke, he'd simply hold an unlit cigarette in his hand.

One actor however who simply refuses to quit smoking be it in private or public is Shahrukh Khan. He was actually spotted puffing away in a stadium during an IPL match.We realize smoking is a personal choice but SRK surely knows he is a role model for millions across the country if not the globe and his every move is aped by them. Smoking is the leading cause of cancer and other chronic diseases. 1 out of 3 cancer-related deaths are caused due to tobacco use. Tobacco use is estimated to have caused nearly 120,000 deaths across India in 2010, according to research carried out by the Toronto-based Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR) in partnership with Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital. Nearly 600,000 Indians die of cancer every year over seven in 10 deaths (71 percent) takes place in the 30-69 age group, the most productive period of a person's life, says the report published in the latest issue of the Lancet medical journal.