Dr. Pavan Yadav
When a cigarette burns, it releases a toxic mix of harmful gases and tiny particles into the air—air that everyone nearby is forced to breathe. This secondhand smoke is not just unpleasant; it’s dangerous. It can trigger asthma and bronchitis in children and significantly raise the risk of lung cancer and heart disease in non-smoking adults.
Imagine the impact on your loved ones—your children, your spouse, your parents, or your friends. Inhaling someone else’s smoke is just as harmful as smoking itself. In India, more than 20% of adolescents aged 13–15 are exposed to secondhand smoke in public areas, and 11% are exposed at home. Most people don’t intend to harm those they care about, but smoking around others does exactly that. Choosing to quit—or never starting—isn’t just a personal health decision; it’s a powerful act of protection and love for those around you.
There are also wider social and economic consequences of tobacco use. Families can suffer when the main earner falls ill due to cancer or heart disease from smoking. Treatment of tobacco-related diseases can drain a family’s savings and plunge them into debt. Furthermore, money spent on cigarettes is money not spent on food, education, or other needs. Tobacco use perpetuates a cycle of poverty in many households. In social settings, smokers may find themselves having to step away to smoke due to public smoking bans, missing out on moments with friends or colleagues. Over time, society’s view of smoking has shifted – what was once seen as stylish or normal is now often viewed as a hazardous, even antisocial habit. Realizing these social impacts can strengthen one’s resolve to quit: you’ll not only heal yourself but also protect your family and become a more considerate member of your community.
Breaking the Bank: The Financial Cost of Tobacco
Beyond health, tobacco inflicts a heavy financial burden on individuals and the nation. Tobacco isn’t just killing people; it’s also burning through their wallets. Let’s consider a common scenario: if someone smokes even 5 cigarettes a day, at roughly ₹12 per cigarette, that adds up to about ₹60 each day – which is ₹1,800 a month spent just on smoking . In one year, that’s over ₹20,000 gone up in smoke. In 10 years, it’s several lakhs of rupees. To put it in perspective, one media estimate found that a 30-year-old who smokes 5 cigarettes daily would end up losing over ₹1 crore (ten million rupees) by the time he is 60, factoring in the cost of cigarettes and what that money could have earned if saved or invested . That is an astounding loss of personal wealth – money that could have been used for buying a home, educating children, or securing one’s retirement.
On a national level, the costs are equally alarming. According to the Ministry of Health and WHO, the total economic cost of tobacco use in India was about ₹177,341 crore in 2017-2018. (That is 1.77 trillion rupees, or around US $27.5 billion in one year.) This figure includes healthcare costs for treating diseases caused by tobacco and the lost productivity from illness and early deaths. To put it another way, India loses about 1% of its GDP to tobacco-related costs – a huge drain on the economy. Imagine what ₹177,000 crore could do if redirected to development, healthcare, or education! By quitting tobacco, you’re not only saving your own money but also helping reduce this burden on our society. Every rupee not spent on cigarettes is a rupee saved for a better life.