Betel nut defaces towns, cities

BETEL nut chewers need to change their attitude when it comes to chewing.
Most chewers are careless, ignorant and irresponsible when it comes to spitting out the red substances.
This is seen in villages, workplaces, towns and cities.
In many places, you will see stains of betel nut because careless chewers are irresponsible for their rubbish.
Uneducated and educated people alike display this careless attitude.
Chewers spit out of moving vehicles, office windows, in front of shops, malls, markets, parks and other places.
Betel nut chewers will always leave a lasting ugly impression – the red stain.
Who will clean up for them? – nobody.
NCD Governor Powes Parkop has introduced the betel nut ban in the city because of the filth, dirt and unhygienic conditions created by chewers.
But this has not stopped people from selling betel nut on road sides, residential areas, stores and towns.
Many awareness were made to address the health effects of betel nut chewing.
These warnings have been ignored.
Their uncontrolled activities have created a filthy, dirty and unhygienic condition in the city.
Even children at the age of 5 to 10 are chewing betel nut too.
They walk past you red mouthed, excited and feeling a little bit high talking like an adult because betel nut stimulate their young body.
Over time these kids will get hooked to the stimulant that the betel nut contain.
In the past, parents discipline their children when they behave like that.
These days, many parents let their children chew betel nut.
What kind of generation are we raising?
Are we raising a generation of buai addicts, chain smokers, alcoholics and drug addicts?
Once a young child gets hooked on a stimulant, he or she will eventually get hooked to other stimulating substances – to maintain that false self-esteem from intake of a stimulant.
As parents, we need to do more than just talk.
Stop our children and explain the dangers of engaging in abusive practices of taking in other stimulants.
World Cancer Day is celebrated on Feb 4 each year.
Some bad habits that leads to cancer are betel nut chewing, alcohol consumption and smoke cigarette.
If a packet of cigarette carries a message saying “smoking – kills”, that is a clear warning.
Don’t smoke because you will be killing yourself. Every time you smoke, you inhale an estimated of 4,000 plus chemical substances into your lungs.
That is destroying your lungs and your well-being.
Do you love yourself?
Are you reading health and risk phrases on smoking packages and pamphlets that chewing betel leads to serious health diseases?
With a bad health system in PNG, we should be proactive and make healthy life choices.
A lot of people have died from bad life style choices.
We should lean from that and make smart choices.
When we do, we succeed the purpose of life which God intended.
Don’t be an educated fool and live under the control of substances.
It lessens your potential, ability and authority to be who God wanted you to be in life.

BK. Dara,
Baimuru, GP