The tobacco epidemic, as rightly said is one of the biggest healthcare threats the world is facing currently. According to recent global data 1/4th of the world population is using tobacco. Over 80% of them are from low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco use kills up to half of its users. Per year more than 8 million people are dying from tobacco-related causes. Sadly, 10% of those deaths are of passive smokers. There is no safe limit for tobacco exposure, and all forms of tobacco are harmful. Smoking cigarette is the main form of tobacco use worldwide.
Indian context, smokeless tobacco use is more than smoking cigarettes. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, approximately 30% of adults are using tobacco in any form, and 1 out of 8 deaths due to tobacco-related causes worldwide are happening in India. Tobacco use is linked to accelerated mortality among adults in low-income groups. Smokeless tobacco is a bigger concern in India. It is known to cause oral cancers, and some other cancers as well. Truly speaking, not a single part of the body is spared from the harmful effects of tobacco.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 chemical compounds including nicotine, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, tar, etc. out of those at least 43 compounds have proven carcinogenic potentials, such as nitrosamines, and benzopyrenes. Nicotine is the chemical in tobacco compounds that keeps you smoking or chewing and sniffing. Simply saying addiction to tobacco compounds is nicotine addiction. Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in plants. It is highly addictive. According to American Heart Association, it is the hardest addiction to break. Over time, users will become dependent on nicotine both physically and psychologically. Once you use it, it enters the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. It affects many parts including the heart, blood vessels, hormones, metabolism, and the brain. It even passes freely through the placenta and can be found in amniotic fluid.
Coming to the current day practices in the management of nicotine addiction; there are very limited resources available, such as nicotine replacement therapy, pharmacotherapy with varenicline, bupropion, or nortriptyline, and counseling services. With growing tobacco use worldwide and the availability of few resources which have their own limitations, there is a need for newer treatment techniques in this field. One such newer technique is ‘Neuromodulation’. US-FDA has recently approved Brainsway Deep TMS with H4 coil for the short-term management of Nicotine addiction.
In to the excerpt, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), Motivation and Supportive counseling sessions, and Pharmacological options such as Varenicline, Bupropion, and Deep TMS with H4 Coil are the currently available options. But remember the treatment will help you more with your motivation.