Quit Smoking starting this Ramadan

Gathering all the will power they have Muslim smokers who fast during
Ramadan are refraining themselves from food, drinks and smoking during
the daytime to fulfill their religious obligation of fasting during
this month.

Owing to nicotine dependency, some smokers may experience
withdrawal symptoms, like irritability, anger, restlessness,
impatience, insomnia and difficulty concentrating. Due to the craving
of nicotine, most smokers reach for their cigarettes after breaking of
fast, some may even do so within a few minutes after consuming food or
drinks.

Before the "addicted" smoker can quit, he must appreciate what
addiction is all about and how he can be weaned off smoking. Ramadan
provides an excellent opportunity to change one's mindset and
environment to quit smoking.

Understanding what tobacco dependence is all about can help the
smoker change his habits. This is especially so because addictive
behavior has a direct influence on the bodily chemicals that affect
emotions and behavior.

Often, it is the emotional aspects that cause the smoking behavior
to continue. And thus the multitude of excuses which smokers offer such
as it gives "a surge of energy", or "acts to reduce tension" or even
"gives a feeling of security".

What it actually amounts to is that smoking maintains a certain
level of nicotine in the smoker's blood, especially in the brain.

This is, in fact, the key to understanding addiction as a result of
nicotine inhaled from the cigarette. Under the influence of a high
level of nicotine, all the above-mentioned excuses seem real. The
smoker is emotionally satisfied by his smoking behavior.

However, after puffing on a stick of cigarette, the nicotine level
in the smoker's blood begins to decrease gradually. Over just about one
hour, the level becomes almost negligible, seemingly resulting in a
"loss" in energy, "increased" tension and "insecure" feelings. And the
urge to smoke begins.

At this point, it is critical for the "addicted" smoker to find new
strategies to distract himself from the urge to smoke. Try any one or
all of these suggestions:

Before the urge to smoke strikes (about 60 minutes from the last puff),
start doing activities that make smoking physically difficult to
perform. Examples include washing the car, weeding the garden, jogging,
or taking a long shower. Almost any kind of physical exercise may help.
Your smoking behavior may be ingrained and automatic. Anticipate this
behavior and stick to your plan to quit.

Check your watch (preferably one with the second hand) whenever the
urge acts up. Fight it over the next one minute by keeping your eyes on
the movement of the second hand. After one minute, your urge will
certainly subside. Then continue for another minute. You will feel even
better. Repeat for another minute if necessary.

Before the five minutes are over, the urge will pass. Most urges
are short. Once you understand and experience this, you will be better
able to cope and resist the urge.

Because you are addicted, quitting smoking can prove quite challenging.
The physical symptoms of withdrawal from smoking (like being irritable
and edgy) may last between three to 10 days, with the intensity
decreasing by the day. But the psychological aspect may last longer,
weeks and even months. Over time, however, the urge will fade.

Relapses can occur if you are not careful, particularly when you
subject yourself to the environment that habitually make you "light
up". Be aware of this and the circumstances that will make you do so,
such as after a meal or when getting in the car. Keep the cigarettes
away as suggested in last week's article.

Most relapses occur within four weeks after a person stops smoking. The
chief reason is most smokers are not prepared to make changes. The
month of Ramadan should help Muslim smokers who want to give up.
Fasting forces a smoker to change his mindset, his environment and his
habit. Most routines are broken for a good part of the day over the
next four weeks.

So, try to acquire new non-smoking behavior during the Ramadan.
Unlearn smoking. Take it a day at a time. If you succeed on the first
day, you are likely to succeed again the next day. Before your know it,
you are already a non-smoker.

The most vulnerable time, of course, is during meals, especially the breaking of fast.


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Consider some of these Ramadan tips:

Break fast away from the smoking crowd. Stay home if you have to.

Avoid the drinks or foods that are normally associated with your
smoking habit. During the fasting month, a variety of drinks and foods
can act as alternatives.

Leave the table immediately after breaking fast if you intend to
end it with a cigarette. Take a walk instead of lighting up. If you
break fast at home, go to the mosque for prayers.

Look for new distractions wherever possible.

In short, do whatever it takes to disassociate from the smoking routines.

Some other general tips to help quit smoking:

Don't smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Smoking even a
few cigarettes a day can hurt your health. If you try to smoke fewer
cigarettes, but do not stop completely, soon you'll be smoking the same
amount again.

Smoking "low-tar, low-nicotine" cigarettes usually does little
good, either. Because nicotine is so addictive, if you switch to
lower-nicotine brands you'll likely just puff harder, longer, and more
often on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit completely.

Write down why you want to quit. Do you want

to feel in control of life?

to have better health?

to set a good example for your children?

to protect your family from breathing other people's smoke?

Your strength of desire to quit smoking is very important in
determining the success you will have in quitting. Smokers who live
after a heart attack are the most likely to quit for good, because
they're very motivated. Find a reason for quitting before you have no
choice.

Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. Nicotine is habit
forming. Half of the battle in quitting is knowing you need to quit.
This knowledge will help you be more able to deal with the symptoms of
withdrawal that can occur, such as bad moods and really wanting to
smoke. There are many ways smokers quit, including using nicotine
replacement products (gum and patches), but there is no easy way.
Nearly all smokers have some feelings of nicotine withdrawal when they
try to quit. Give yourself a month to get over these feelings. Take
quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time-whatever you need
to succeed.

Half of all adult smokers have quit, so you can too. That's the
good news. There are millions of people alive today who have learned to
face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is
the best step you can take.

May you have many spiritually fulfilling smoke-free days of fasting during Ramadan.


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