Why people are giving up smoking during the COVID-19 lockdown – The Hindu

I have two cartons of cigarettes that I had bought at duty-free before the lockdown. Each has about 20 packets. So clearly, I can smoke whenever I want to, despite the lockdown, says Arnab Mitra. Yet, the Delhi-based advertising professional, in his 30s, has not had one for over 70 days now. I decided to quit, and have so far just never felt the urge to smoke.

With the lockdowns restricted supply of cigarettes, smokers went into withdrawal. In many families, people would not smoke at home out of a sense of respect for their elders, or because of the absence of social cues of parties and post-lunch tea breaks with colleagues.

Arnab is hoping to turn this period of temporary abstinence into something permanent. So far, so good. I have been meaning to quit smoking for quite some time now. It was always one of those stop and start affairs. What the lockdown did was to bring things into perspective for him: a moment of quiet reflection in the middle of a pandemic, on how much he prioritises his health. I had never spent so much time at home. It gave me enough time to think: if not now, then when?

Arnab picked up smoking like any rebellious, curious teenager. You are always attracted to the things you are forbidden to do, you know? he says, laughing. But I am not a chain smoker. Until March, Arnab was smoking 10 cigarettes a day. You have to understand, people around me knock off two or three packets a day, he explains.

It is not the normal 9-to-5 job in the creative industry; you always have to be ideating. After crazy meetings and brainstorming, you could leave all of it aside for a little while, to have a smoke.

It is a sentiment that Delhi-bred, now Nigeria-based Louv Kumar can relate to. After moving to Asaba for a job as regional sales manager, his stress levels increased, as did his smoking. On an average, I would smoke four-five a day. My job is a high-stress one, and the month-closing is especially stressful. In that last week, 14-15 cigarettes a day was not that uncommon.

Yet, he has been completely clean for the past month. It was a more gradual curve; the lockdown in his city started only on April 1, but his attempts to give up smoking lasted through March. At first, I tried smoking only when I would drink. But since May, I gave it up entirely.

Full length profile shot of a young man running on a treadmill at home

This is not his first attempt at quitting; he tried during his MBA days as well. The lockdown did help in the sense that the brands I like were not available easily, and so I was less likely to buy smokes. That may have changed with the restrictions being lifted now, but the wish to quit remains.

I am at the other end of my 20s now, and cigarettes do contribute to a lot of things that you would not want to happen to you. Bad skin, hairfall, testosterone (levels fall in the long-term). I wanted to avoid these instant shots of dopamine, and a little control over these impulsive desires will go a long way, he says. Now, whenever the urge strikes, he instead works out, or speaks to his friends and watches movies (online) with them.

In Bengaluru, psychiatrist Dr Venkatesh Babu, who consults for Fortis Hospital, has been speaking with people who have been looking to quit during lockdown. For the first week, the questions were mostly around dealing with withdrawal symptoms and sourcing nicotine patches. Eight weeks down the line, a couple of them tell him they have not relapsed.

The reason you quit is very important. If it is just because cigarettes are not available at this point of time, or there is a compulsion to be at home, it is never going to last. But if they were meaning to quit before this, and see the lockdown as an opportunity, then giving up will be easier, he says.

The thing with smoking is that you either have an excuse to smoke or you dont. That is not really dependent on whether there is a lockdown, says Mitali. The Delhi-based columnist quit on January 28. Soon after, the stressors of the pandemic and lockdown hit. She got over them by giving herself the option of an out. I told myself that if I really, really want one, I can have one. Saying that to myself actually made it easier to not have one at that point.

She will apply the same philosophy once life returns to normal. There are a lot of social cues that are bound to change once physical distancing ends. You go looking for a lighter, and the first person to offer you one will be a smoker and the two of you bond over a smoke, explains Arnab, adding, But really, if people want to smoke, they will smoke anyway.

Dr Babu adds that the reasons for relapsing remain the same irrespective of circumstances: relationship issues, lack of a work-life balance and new challenges or fears. You have to dig further to understand the factors causing you stress. Smoking is a poor coping mechanism, because over the long term, it will just become another stressor.

Instead, he says, try to appreciate the positive changes you have brought on. Focus on the ease with which you are able to breathe in, every morning, he says. Not just improved health, there will be other positive reinforcements, like improved relationships that will make sure your decision to quit stays.

If alcohol is a cue for you, Dr Babu suggests partying over video-conferencing, and chilling with friends online, without cigarettes. It will remind you that you can still connect socially, and will ease you into readapting to those settings.

In the absence of smoking, Mitali has taken to snacking like a machine. But breathing better is worth putting on weight (temporarily, I hope), she says. Ultimately, the biggest motivating factor, Dr Babu says, is the confidence you get after abstaining for this long a period of time.

I will tell you a strange thing that happened to me, says Arnab. The other day, I was coming back from a grocery run, and somebody was smoking outside the building. The smell of cigarettes actually repulsed me. And Ive been a smoker for 15 years.

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Why people are giving up smoking during the COVID-19 lockdown - The Hindu