According to the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, smokers live 10 years lesser than non-smokers and they are at a higher risk of suffering from diabetes, heart diseases, strokes, and other health conditions.
According to WHO, COVID-19 puts smokers at a higher risk of severe symptoms and death than non-smokers. That is why it becomes important to encourage people to quit the habit and there is a day specifically made to motivate people to do so.
No smoking day is celebrated on the second Wednesday of March and it is inspired by no tobacco day, which is celebrated in the United Kingdom. No smoking day will be celebrated on Wednesday, 9 March this year.
Know about the history, significance, and theme for this year's no smoking day.
No Smoking Day: History
It was in 1984 that the people noticed that smoking had become a common problem of addiction and it was in this year no smoking day was celebrated for the first time.
Earlier no smoking day was celebrated on the first Wednesday of March, which also happened to be Ash Wednesday but in the coming years it was shifted to the second Wednesday of March. It is celebrated annually by the United Kingdom and all the other countries around the globe as well.
No Smoking Day: Significance
No smoking day is celebrated with the objective to help smokers quit smoking. It is one of the important health awareness days with different themes every year. Few of the successful themes for this day have been 'time to quit?' and 'break free'.
This day is celebrated to make people aware of the harmful effects of smoking so that they can make up their mind to quit the habit. Research proves that no smoking day has helped 1 out of 10 people to quit smoking in the past years.
Various campaigns are organised to provide free resources to people who want to start their journey of 'no smoking'. On this day, people also help their loved ones by extending their hands of support in quitting the life-threatening habit.
No Smoking Day: Theme
The theme for No Smoking Day 2022 is decided as 'quitting smoking doesn't have to be stressful'.
This theme will make sure that the people are educated and made aware of the process for quitting the habit and ensure they are not to stressed about their new journey.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)