Quit Smoking starting this Ramadan

[أم بدر الدين]

PART ONE

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 ..

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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.

[أم بدر الدين]

PART TWO

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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.

[أم بدر الدين]

PART THREE

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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.



If you know someone who smokes, help them quit and forward this article to them.



THE END

[hairless17]

Very nice
But I don't think that we have smokers in our forum
Personally , I have never smoked
Thanks sister

[أم بدر الدين]

Yes but there are other people who are not members and can read this topic
Thank you

[hairless17]

You are welcome

[أم بدر الدين]

Thank you again brother

[hairless17]

Do you know anyone who stopped smoking ?0

[أم بدر الدين]

Yes all my brothes were smokers and thanks to ALLAH they all stopped and they are now in a very good health

[hairless17]

wonderful, sister

[أم بدر الدين]

http://lepoissonzebre.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/thank-you.jpg

[smart]

Thanks dear malika
After we red this topic we can tell our friends or brothers or uncles how to quit
GOD bless u

[hairless17]

You re welcome smart

[أم بدر الدين]

Yes smart ,you are right

[hairless17]

Does Ramdhan help to quit other bad habits ? 0

[أم بدر الدين]

Sure ramadhan is the best month of the year where you can realize all what you want and even quit the bad habits

[hairless17]

Sure it is and we have to take profit

[أم بدر الدين]

May ALLAH bless you

[hairless17]

And you , too

[أم بدر الدين]

http://msp94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/boopermh/God_bless_you.jpg

[hairless17]

Thanks
What about practical steps to stop smoking

[أم بدر الدين]

Ten steps to stopping smoking

The first few weeks may be tough, but you can do it. Follow these ten steps to stopping smoking - for good.

1. Make a date and stick to it. Draw up a plan of action, considering what methods are available to you.

2. Keep busy to help take your mind off cigarettes. Throw away all your ashtrays, lighters and tobacco.

3. Drink plenty of fluids - keep a glass of water or juice by you and sip it steadily. Try different flavours.

4. Get more active. Walk instead of using the bus or car, try the stairs instead of the lift. Exercise helps you relax and can boost your morale.

5. Think positively. Withdrawal can be unpleasant, but it is a sign your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco. Irritability, urges to smoke and poor concentration are common - don't worry, they usually disappear after a few of weeks.

6. Change your routine. Try to avoid the shop where you usually buy cigarettes. Perhaps you should avoid the pub or the break room at work if there are lots of smokers around you. Try doing something totally different. Surprise yourself!

7. No excuses. Don't use a crisis or even good news to be an excuse for 'just one cigarette' - there is no such thing and you will soon want the next and the next....

8. Treat yourself. This is important. If you can, use the money you are saving by not smoking to buy yourself something special, big or small, that you usually would not have.

9. Be careful what you eat. Try not to snack on fatty foods. If you do need to snack, try fruit, raw vegetables or sugar-free gum or sweets.

10. Take one day at a time. Each day without a cigarette is good news for your health, your family and your pocket

[أم بدر الدين]

God bless you ;you are welcome

[hairless17]

Why do people smoke ?0

[أم بدر الدين]

One may have tried a cigarette with a group of friends and they may or may not have liked it. That same person may try it again. Slowly and slowly they are getting addicting to the nicotine in that cigarette. They'll be yearning for it to have more and more. Their body will be calling out for it. Some people may start off smoking to fit in with a group or to do it socially. They may think it looks cool or attractive. A lot of people think they actually like the 'light headedness' you sometimes get when you smoke. Many people who do smoke don't want to. Surely that shows the addiction breaking out?

[hairless17]

Always ready to answer
Thanks

[أم بدر الدين]

God bless you and welcome brother

[hairless17]

Thanks sister

[أم بدر الدين]

God bless you
Do you think smoking really gives the feeling of selfconfidence as some people think ? 0

[hairless17]

I do not think so
It is just a feeling that teenagers think because of their age
And when they become older they discover the reality but they got the habit that they can't get rid of it
There is no smoker who say that smoking is good

[أم بدر الدين]

A good addition indeed ;God bless you

[hairless17]

You re welcome

[أم بدر الدين]

As an additon Islam is always against all forms of health distruction for that reason it comes to forbid smoking drugs alcohol ....
God bless all muslims and may guide them to the right^path