In the fight against smoking, few countries are as determined as Singapore. The government has been hard at work for over three decades to curb the damage. It became the first country in Asia to ban smoking ads in 1971.

Singapore’s anti-programme may already have helped saved numerous lives. The smoking rate in 1992 was 18.3%, roughly 500,000 Singaporeans. Today it stands at 12%. The government aims to bring the number down further to 10% by 2020. New campaigns are still being launched yearly, like installing street cameras to catch smoking in places where people regularly light up against the rules. Members of the parliament are even considering imposing regulations on smoking in private homes.

Yet every year, Singapore still spends a whopping 600 million SGD in treating smoking-related diseases. A lot of people still buy cigarettes, even at premium prices. Singapore has the third most expensive prices for branded cigarettes. A pack can set you back by up to 13 SGD. For the same amount, you can buy a one-day unlimited MRT pass, enjoy a stand-up comedy show, and get yourself plates of delicious dimsum.

Smoking’s greatest hazards: Lung cancer and cell mutations

Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer. The disease kills more than the three most common cancers — breast, colon, and prostate cancer — combined. In Singapore, it is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women. More than a thousand people in Singapore are still diagnosed with lung cancer yearly, most of them smokers.

Smoking doesn’t only affect the smoker. Second-hand smoke contains hundreds of toxic chemicals; it is a silent killer. According to the American Lung Association, second-hand smoke has killed 2.4 million people since 1964. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable, according to Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh.

Smoking can also harm the unborn, and any more children you plan to have in the future. Smokers take longer to conceive than non-smokers. Men who try to conceive while smoking increases the child’s risk of being born with leukemia. Women increase the chance of miscarriage with every cigarette smoked while pregnant, and the chance of an ectopic pregnancy when they smoke while trying to conceive.

Smoking & Your Lungs; Source: Huntsman Cancer Institute

The damage from cigarette smoking is substantial because the harmful chemicals directly affect us on a cellular level. Cigarette smoke contains nitrosamine, which have been shown to cause abnormalities in our DNA. Another compound, Benzene, which is also present in forest fires and volcanic eruptions, changes chromosome behaviour in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is where new blood cells are produced. Abnormalities can result in leukemia and anemia.

How long it takes for your lungs to recover/cessation benefits

Like a drowning man’s first gulp of air, quitting has immediate effects on the body. “The risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and the number of years of smoking. Quitting at any age will significantly lower the risk,” says Dr. Daniel Tan, a senior consultant at the National Cancer Centre Singapore.

The effects of quitting are noticeable even just a few days after cessation. Smoking irritates the nerve endings in the nose and mouth. Smokers who’ve quit notice a marked improvement in taste and smell just 48 hours after their last cigarette. Your red blood cells’ ability to regulate oxygen also improves after a few weeks, which lowers your risk of a heart attack and improves your breathing.

Why it’s not easy to quit smoking

If smoking is as deadly as it is, and the benefits of quitting are monumentally high, then why aren’t people stopping?

A lot of people smoke due to stress. However, in most cases of heavy smoking the reason for continued use goes beyond emotional relief. Scientists at the University of Iowa have discovered that some people are genetically predisposed to developing a nicotine addiction. Addiction is classified as a disease, and the bodies of people who are addicted to nicotine have already been altered by the substance.

Heavy smokers who suddenly quit smoking go through a series of physical and emotional changes that make it hard to go through. Called “withdrawal symptoms”, these include nausea, intense cravings, mood swings, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and in some extreme cases, depression. It can take a full month before the brain stops craving nicotine.

Quitting smoking is rarely as easy as “just stopping”. But with dedication and a willing mind, smokers can kick the habit permanently.

The road to recovery: Available treatments

Yet as deep as smoking can become ingrained into a person’s habits and body, uprooting it, like any bad behaviour, even tendril by tendril, is always possible. Some use nicotine patches to help alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal, and make it easier for smokers to gradually decrease nicotine cravings until their body is completely weaned off it.

Another approach is by intercepting how we perceive smoking through hypnotherapy. Nicotine is a substance that triggers dopamine production, which makes smoking feel pleasurable, and is largely why it becomes addictive. Harvard Medical School psychologist Deirdre Barrett uses hypnotherapy to change how smokers feel about smoking, and emphasizes how pleasurable it would feel like to quit: “In hypnosis, I often tell people who are trying to quit smoking that they will go hours without even thinking of a cigarette, that if they should light up, the cigarette will taste terrible and they’ll want to put it out immediately. I’ll talk them through the imagery of being a nonsmoker-some combination of finding themselves breathing easier, having more energy for exercise, enjoying subtle tastes and smells again, having fresh breath and clean-smelling closing, feeling good about their health, even saving money on cigarettes.”

Hypnotherapy has been found particularly effective for smoking cessation, on its own and in conjunction with other methods. In a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 45 of 75 smokers quit smoking just after one session of hypnosis. Hypnotherapy has been found to be especially effective for people with a history of depression. And combined with nicotine patches, hypnotherapy has been found to be as effective to direct behavioural counseling in helping people stick to quitting.

Quitting smoking is rarely as easy as “just stopping”. But with dedication and a willing mind, smokers can kick the habit permanently.

At Mindlife Consulting International, Johnny Lee, a certified hypnosis instructor and hypnotherapist, can help you stay focused on your journey to a longer, healthier life. Book an appointment today and be one step closer to quitting smoking.