Intsha Iyabuza . . .

Ugwayi Ongenantuthu—Ingabe Awulimazi?

‘LAPHO uCord oneminyaka engu-13 ethuthela entshonalanga emaphakathi ye-United States, ngokushesha wathola ukuthi wayengenayo into evamile esetshenziswa abesilisa bebanga lesi-8: idosha lesinemfu, uhlobo lukagwayi ongenantuthu. Iningi labangane bakhe abasha “lalingabampolombi,” noma ababhemi besinemfu, futhi uCord wayefuna ukufaneleka. Ngakho lapho omunye wabangane bakhe emnika iphakethe elincane lesinemfu, walithatha futhi washwatheka esinye salesi sinemfu phakathi kodebe lwakhe olungezansi nesisini ekhululeke njengomakad’ebona.’—Umagazini i-Listen.

UCord osemusha akayedwa neze. UDkt. Christopher A. Squier, uprofesa wesayensi yezifo zomlomo, uthi inani elandayo lentsha yesilisa liqala ukumpolomba. Nakuba ekupheleni kwawo-1980 kwakungasakhuphuki ukuthengiswa kukagwayi ongenantuthu, uDkt. Squier uthi, “ukusetshenziswa kukagwayi wamakhala oswakeme sekuyanda.”a Ngokwesibonelo, abacwaningi babika ukuthi oyedwa kubo bonke abafundi besilisa abahlanu besikole esiphakeme e-United States noyedwa kubo bonke abesilisa abathathu abasebasha eSweden—izigidi zentsha—manje basebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu. Kungani lokhu kwenzeka?

“Uphephile kunokubhema.” “Abukho ubufakazi bokuthi uyingozi.” “Abangane bami bayawusebenzisa. Awubalimazi.” “Ukuthatha ingcosana ngezikhathi ezithile ngeke kungilimaze.” “Akekho oke wabulawa yiwo.” Ngokwe-American Cancer Society, lezi ezinye zezizathu ezivame ukunikezwa intsha zokuthi kungani iphendukela kugwayi ongenantuthu.

Yini eye yenza ukuba intsha icabange ukuthi ukumpolomba kuphephile kunokubhema? Ingabe kunjalo ngempela?

Ukuthola Umyalezo

Sekuyiminyaka eminingi imboni kagwayi enamandla ihlasela intsha ngezikhangiso ezibonisa ukuthi ugwayi ongenantuthu awulimazi ufana nje nokuhlafuna ushungama futhi ubaluleke njengohlobo olufanele lwamateki afika emaqakaleni. Iziqubulo ezinjengezithi “Thatha iphakethe kunokuba uphafuze,” “Ngithola injabulo yangempela kagwayi ngingokhelanga ngisho nokokhela,” nesithi “Kudingeka ingcosana nje” ngokuhlakanipha zibonisa ukuthi usezingeni eliphezulu ngokwenhlalo.

Ngemva kokuba iziqubulo ezinjalo ze-TV nezomsakazo zivalwe ngokomthetho e-United States, imboni kagwayi yaqhubeka idlulisela umyalezo wayo ngezikhangiso zomagazini. Imifanekiso ekhangayo yentsha engontanga eyizidlakela ejabulela isikhathi esimnandi izingela, ikhwela amadwala, futhi idlala ngezikejana emfuleni ohazayo onamadwala—idosha likagwayi lishuthekiwe kodwa libonakala kahle ephaketheni layo langemuva—idlulisela umyalezo ozwakala kakhulu nocacile othi: “Ugwayi ongenantuthu muhle, ungowemvelo, futhi uwumnyango oholela ebudodeni!”

Umbiko ka-1994 womphathi wodokotela abahlinzayo base-United States, onesihloko esithi Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, uthi intsha eningi manje seyikholelwa ukuthi “imikhiqizo kagwayi ongenantuthu iphephile futhi iyamukeleka emphakathini.” Okunye ukuhlola okwenziwa kubafundi besikole esiphakeme kwabonisa ukuthi “amaphesenti angaba ngu-60 alabo abasebenzisa logwayi e-junior high namaphesenti angu-40 wabawusebenzisayo e-senior high ayekholelwa ukuthi ukusebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu njalo kwakungenangozi noma kwakunengozi encane nje.” Futhi ngisho nalabo abasesikoleni esiphakeme abaqaphelayo ukuthi ugwayi ongenantuthu ungase ulimaze “ababoni kunengozi enkulu.” Izikhangiso ziyaphumelela. Kodwa ingabe ziyiqiniso?

Isaga seBhayibheli sithi: “Ongenalwazi uyakholwa ngamazwi onke, kepha oqondileyo uyaqaphela ukunyathela kwakhe.” Noma njengoba esinye isaga sikubeka, “bonke abaqondileyo basebenza ngokwazi.” (IzAga 13:16; 14:15; omalukeke sizenzele.) Khona-ke, amaqiniso abonisani ngogwayi ongenantuthu?

Izindaba Ezimbi

Nakuba izikhangiso zingase zibonise ukuthi ukusebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu kuzothuthukisa idumela lakho nokuthi awuyona ingozi emzimbeni wakho, amaqiniso abonisa okuphambene ngokuphelele. Okokuqala nje, ukusebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu ngeke kukwenze ubukeke kangcono. Uma ungakukholelwa lokho, mane ubeke ulimi lwakho esihlathini bese ubheka esibukweni. “Kuhle”? Lutho neze. Futhi lokhu kumane nje kuyilokho okukwenzayo kuwe ngaphandle! Okukwenza ngaphakathi kubi nangokwengeziwe.

Ngokwesibonelo, labo abavame ukuhlafuna noma ukumpolomba bangaba nezindebe ezidabukile, amazinyo anezisihla, umoya onuka kabi, nezinsini ezibuhlungu—akukho okujabulisayo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ikhono labo lokunambitha nelokuhogela liyehla kuyilapho ukushaya kwenhliziyo nomfutho wegazi kunyuka—izindaba ezimbi ngempela. Nokho, okubi nakakhulu ukuthi ukuhlola okwenziwe eYurophu, eNdiya, nase-United States kubonisa ukuthi ugwayi ongenantuthu ubangela umdlavuza ezihlathini, ezinsinini, nasemphinjeni. Lokhu okutholakele akuzimangazi izazi. Omunye umbiko wokuhlola uyaphawula: “Isinemfu sinesilinganiso esiphakeme sezinto ezibangela umdlavuza kunesanoma imuphi umkhiqizo ofakwa emzimbeni.” Yingakho “abantu asebesebenzise isinemfu isikhathi eside besengozini enkulu ngamaphesenti angu-50 yokuba nomdlavuza womlomo kunabantu abangasisebenzisi.”

Lapho uba nomdlavuza womlomo, kuba nemiphumela engathi sína. Akonakali impilo yalowo owusebenzisayo kuphela kodwa nokuphila kwakhe ngokuvamile kuba kufushane. Incwadi evela kuyi-American Cancer Society ilandisa lendaba edabukisayo: ‘USean waqala ukusebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu eneminyaka engu-13. Wayecabanga ukuthi wawuphephile kunokubhema. Ngemva kweminyaka emihlanu empolomba idosha lonke noma ngaphezulu ngosuku, wavelwa isilonda olimini. Kwakuwumdlavuza womlomo. Odokotela bamsika ingxenye yolimi, kodwa umdlavuza wasakazekela entanyeni. Kwenziwa ukuhlinza okwengeziwe okwashintsha ukubukeka kwakhe kodwa kwaba nhlanga zimuka nomoya—lapho eneminyaka engu-19 washona. Ngaphambi kokuba afe uSean wabhala umyalezo omncane ephepheni: “Ungasimpolombi isinemfu.”’

Ukuba Umlutha!

Ngemva kokuba uCord osemusha, okukhulunywe ngaye ngaphambili, efunde lokhu kulandisa okushaqisayo ngoSean, ekugcineni wakuqonda okwakuhilelekile. Wanquma ukuyeka. Nokho, kwakunzima ukuzama ukuyeka. “Ngizizwa sengathi kudingeka ngiwuthole,” kusho uCord etshela umagazini i-Listen. “Ngisho namanje, ngemva kwezinyanga eziningana sengiyekile, ngizithola ngiphuthaza emaphaketheni ami ngifuna iphakeshana lami likagwayi. Ngihlafuna kakhulu ushungama. Kuyasiza, kodwa akukuqedi ukuqaleka.”

I-Ca-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians iyaqinisekisa: “Ekuhloleni okwenziwe entsheni ezame ukuyeka ukusebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu, iyingcosana kuphela eyakwazi ukwenze njalo.” Nokho, yini eyenza kube nzima kangaka ukuyeka ukusebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu? Yiso kanye leso sidakamizwa esenza kube nzima ukuyeka ukubhema: i-nicotine.

I-nicotine, isidakamizwa esitholakala kusikilidi nakugwayi ongenantuthu, iwushevu onamandla owenza abasebenzisa logwayi bavukwe amadlingozi. Cishe njalo ngemva kwemizuzu engu-30, lowo owusebenzisayo kudingeka aphinde ampolombe ukuze agcine lowo muzwa ukhona. I-nicotine ikwenza umlutha. Abanye abasebenzisa logwayi baba imilutha kangangokuthi bagcina ingcosana yesinemfu emilonyeni yabo imini nobusuku—ngisho nalapho belele.

Ngokuphambene nalokho intsha eningi engase ikucabange, ukumpolomba akuyinciphisi i-nicotine engena emzimbeni. Idosha elilodwa likagwayi ongenantuthu ngosuku lingenisa i-nicotine elingana neyosikilidi abangu-60! “Abasebenzisa ugwayi ongenantuthu,” kuphawula i-Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, ‘bathola okungenani i-nicotine elinganayo nababhemayo—mhlawumbe eningi ngokuphindwe kabili.’ (Omalukeke sizenzele.) Ngaphandle kwe-nicotine, ugwayi ongenantuthu unama-nitrosamine (izinto ezinamandla ezibangela umdlavuza) amaningi ngokuphindwe kayishumi kunosikilidi.

Hlakanipha

“Ngokuqinisekile akungatshazwa ukuthi lena imikhiqizo elimazayo,” kusho uDkt. Roy Sessions, udokotela ohlinza ikhanda nentamo. “Yakha isimo sokuncika entweni iningi labantu elinomuzwa wokuthi kunzima kakhulu ukuphuma kuyo kunokuba kunjalo ngokubhema.” UDkt. Oscar Guerra onguchwepheshe womdlavuza wamazinyo waphetha: “Umzimba umane nje awuyithandi lento.” Emhlabeni wonke izazi ziyavuma: Ukumpolomba kungaphezu kwengcosana yenkathazo. Kungakushwabadela!

Intsha engamaKristu inesizathu esiphoqelela nangaphezu kokukhathazeka ngempilo sokuba izigcine ikude nemikhiqizo kagwayi—isifiso sayo sokujabulisa uJehova uNkulunkulu. IZwi lakhe liyayala: “Masizihlanzeni kukho konke ukungcola kwenyama nokomoya, siphelelisa ubungcwele ekwesabeni uNkulunkulu.”—2 Korinte 7:1.

Umagazini i-Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine uluhlanganisa kahle lolu daba, uthi: “Isihlahla sikagwayi siyisitshalo esinyanyekayo esidliwa izidalwa ezimbili kuphela—isibungu esincane esiluhlaza nomuntu. Isibungu esincane esiluhlaza asazi lutho olungcono.”

Kodwa wena uyazi. Ngakho hlakanipha—ungaqali.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 27]

Ukuhlafuna ugwayi sekuya kuthandwa ngokwengeziwe yintsha. Ingabe kumelwe ukuzame?

[Izithombe ekhasini 26]

‘Ngaphambi kokuba ashone uSean wabhala lomyalezo omncane: “Ungasimpolombi isinemfu”’