The Fact Eye

India with a population of 1.37 billion, still has around 275 million tobacco users currently. Considering smokeless tobacco as safer one, 34 percent of adults, 33 percent of men and 18.4 percent of women in India consume smokeless tobacco. Whereas, the fact is that smokeless tobacco also causes oral and other cancers, as well as other mouth diseases and heart disease.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco. Tobacco use is the second cause of death globally (after hypertension) and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults.

Cigarettes may look cool in the mouths of your favorite actors and idols, but it is a slow poison that not only hurts you but also the people around you.

It’s the same with other tobacco products, such as beedi, guthka, hooka, khaini, etc. Once you start these intoxicating practices, it is hard to quit. The path quietly descends into a state rife with diseases and ultimately death. Cancer is the disease that primarily affects tobacco users. Lung cancer, mouth cancer, tuberculosis, and heart disease are the curses tobacco brings for a few minutes of intoxication.

Effects of Tobacco Consumption

1. Economic loss
2. Health loss
3. Environmental loss

Tobacco is considered as a major behavioral risk factor for non-communicable diseases one of the leading causes of death. Treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cancer imposes maximum financial burden on the individual and family. For cultivation of tobacco crop forests are destroyed. Burning of tobacco produces number of toxicants in environment. Manufacturing, packaging and transportation also cause environmental pollution.

Type of Cancers due to Tobacco

cancer of respiratory tract, lung, upper gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, oral cavity, cavity,cervix, kidney

Smokeless tobacco (chew tobacco, snuff etc.) is a major cause of cancer of the oral cavity

1. Stroke is vascular disease of the brain where tobacco causes either constrict of blood vessels or rupture leading to loss of consciousness and paralysis.   
2. Tobacco affects coronary vessels of the heart leading decrease of blood supply or death of heart muscles which is known as ischemic or coronary heart disease. This in turn causes cardiac arrest.
3. Smoking acts synergistically with other risk factors like high cholesterol and blood pressure to increase the risk of Coronary Heart Diseases (CHD).

Respiratory Diseases

1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: It includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema
2. Asthma: Smoking is associated with acute attacks of asthma
3. Tuberculosis

Effect on pregnancy and its outcome

1. Bleeding during pregnancy
2. Ectopic pregnancy
3. Miscarriage/abortion
4. Premature delivery of baby
5. Stillbirth
6. Abnormalities of the placenta

Effects on newborns and childhood
Maternal tobacco use during pregnancy and exposure of child to second hand smoke in childhood is known to be a risk factor for following conditions:

1. Maternal smoking is associated with congenital malformations in baby like orofacial clefts, clubfoot and atrial-septal defects.
2. Increased risk of allergies
3. Higher blood pressure in childhood
4. Increased likelihood of obesity
5. Stunted growth
6. Poorer lung function
7. Increased likelihood of developing asthma

Other

Following conditions are known to worsen if case of tobacco use:

1. Rheumatologic conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis
2. Kidney damage
3. Eye Disease: Age-Related Macular Degeneration
4. Dental Disease like caries
5. Diabetes
6. Inflammatory bowel diseases
7. Erectile dysfunction

As a well-known drug rehabilitation and reform centre, Dera Sacha Sauda is bringing the teachings of Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan to help tobacco-users break the habit. Meanwhile, the volunteers are working tirelessly to awaken the masses and the government against tobacco. Banners are carried with slogans against tobacco and drugs in processions. The march burns tobacco products and invites all people to do so too.

The initiatives of Dera Sacha Sauda have been somewhat successful. In 2008, a law was passed that mandated 40% of the cigarette packs to be covered with graphic warnings against cigarettes.

Last year in June, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was released. It was stated that the consumption of tobacco has steeply fallen. In a survey of 74,037 people, a 17% relative decrease was noticed, from 2010. Now, the Government of India is aiming 15% reduction by 2020 and further 30% reduction by 2025. The survey revealed that non-government organizations like Dera Sacha Sauda and Youth Veerangnayen played a major part in making this happen.

About 60 Million People in all over the world took pledge for not consuming the Tobacco. This is one of the biggest achievement of  a Indian Saint that Millions say No to Tobacco .

How to Quit Tobacco

Here is how Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim ji motivate people to quite Drugs

Screenshot of Tweet done by Saint Dr. Gurmeet Ram Rahim singh ji Insan for Awareness about Tobacco

Ralies by Flowers of Guru ji