World No-Tobacco Day: Purab Kohli Shares His Journey Of Quitting Smoking

Most of the actors maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are many actors who had quit smoking to lead a fit life. Purab Kohli is one of them. He started smoking when he was very young and had successfully quit it. Sharing his journey of quitting smoking, Purab told Hindustan Times, “I was around 15-16 years old. We always know that smoking is bad and we had already heard some terrible stories so we knew we were doing something that was not good. Smoking looked attractive at that time, as this macho thing. But, I started it just to feel cool''.

In his late 20s, Purab realised it's a harmful habit. So, he quit it. ''I could see that when I was stressed with work, I would do it even more. I reached a point where I wanted to try and give it up to see if I could really do it. I said to myself, I have smoked for 10-12 years, can I not smoke for one year? I even marked the date. I kept myself motivated through that as well. And I am quite commented, when I make a decision, I stick to it,” said the actor.

One morning he said to himself that he had to stop and he did stop smoking, but it was very hard for him. He bought one cigarette and used to keep that in his hand and never light it. He added, ''I used to hold it in my hand and puff away on it without lighting it and slowly the feeling of wanting it went away. Even the shops that I used to buy it from, whenever I crossed them, I used to feel like smoking.'' Purab started realising how strong addiction he had to tobacco.

The 'Rock On' actor also spoke about the side effects of quitting smoking . There was a change in his body like his 'tummy was being all funny and I used to eat and get indigestion''.

There was a time when he again started smoking for a short span of time in his early thirties. But he realised he had to stop.

The second time he quit smoking was for forever. He felt drowsy and sleepy, and there was a tendency to gain weight. He recalled eating carrots and cucumbers. ''It helped me create good habits. My skin looks better now and my mind is so rested. The deep and fulfilling breaths, wow! I feel so happy that I don’t feel that craving anymore,'' said Purab. He further revealed that it has been more than 13-14 years since he last smoked.