A few days back I went to see my friend Raja in hospital. It was a piteous sight. Raja was in coma after a motor cycle accident, a couple of months back. His mother in-law and two other relatives were there. The one sign of improvement in the last few days was that he was now able to move his eyes although he still could not recognize people. Suddenly, he had a coughing fit at which one of his relatives remarked about Raja’s chain smoking habits.
This took me back in time to my own travails with smoking. I was a smoker for about 17 years and I chain smoked for about 12 years. It was a visit to a hospital that convinced me of the error of my ways. I was admitted in hospital after I complained of chest pain. I was just 35 years old and not even married. My heartbeat was monitored on a minute to minute basis. It was at that point that I made a decision.. If I got out of the hospital without any damage, I would give up smoking. Luckily, I was diagnosed as only suffering from hyper-acidity and was soon out of hospital. Much as I wanted to quit, I realized that it was proving to be impossible. The urge was quite simply too strong.
It was then that I decided to take the help of a drug which had been launched by Glaxo-Zyban. The company had made it absolutely clear that the drug should be taken under medical supervision. I guess in the end it was 50 per cent Zyban and 50 per cent will power that helped me kick the habit. Almost immediately my life changed. In about six months my marriage was fixed. Till that point, it was proving to be an elusive quest. I was reminded of what an acquaintance had told me—“Quit smoking, it will change your life.”
I pray and hope that my friend Raja (who is incidentally married) comes out of his coma and then quits smoking. For him it would not be just a life changing experience but quite really a new life.
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