Abu Dhabi  Walid Khoury used to start every day with a cigarette. Having tried one at the age of six years, Khoury, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, became a chain smoker in his early teens.

"It came to a point where I was smoking more than two packs a day, and not even worrying about it," said Khoury, a 24-year-old sales manager in the capital.

But last year, after almost eight years of being addicted to tobacco smoke, Khoury finally quit.

"It was terribly hard, and when I first quit, I found it very difficult to be around someone else who was smoking. But today, I am happier and healthier for it," he told Gulf News Wednesday.

Like Khoury, millions of smokers around the world were Thursday, (May 31) being encouraged to give up the addictive habit as part of World No Tobacco Day. In the capital, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) was to reach out to visitors at malls over the next few weeks to raise awareness about the hazards of tobacco.

"Tobacco consumption is the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the UAE as well as worldwide. Cigarettes, shisha and medwakh (loose tobacco) smoking cause terrible suffering for smokers and their families, and they also pose a significant burden on healthcare costs," said Dr. Khaled Al Jaberi, manager of non-communicable diseases at the HAAD.

According to a 2003 survey, more than 18 per cent of the UAE's adult population were smokers. As reported by Gulf News earlier this year, A Ministry of Health (MoH) official said the proportion of smokers is now expected to be significantly higher.

In a bid to discourage smokers from the habit, the UAE Cabinet last year issued a decision to ensure that cigarette packs would be covered by large graphic images showing the harmful effects of tobacco smoke on vital organs. The decision is expected to be implemented across the country by mid-2012, said the MoH official.

Khoury said he was unsure if the initiative would dissuade many smokers from the habit.

"When I used to smoke with my friends, we all knew the health hazards but it was almost as if we not think consciously about them. Finally, I stepped back because I was afraid of how I could no longer live without smoking," he said.

The sales manager added that he felt rewarded by his family's happiness when he quit smoking.

"My smoking had gotten worse when I left home to attend university in Lebanon. And when I moved back and told my parents, they were devastated. This was one of the major reasons behind my decision," he explained.

"But I persevered and tried to smoke one less cigarette every day. One morning, I woke up and did not crave a cigarette first thing. That is when I knew I could really quit," Khoury said.

Ad advice for others like him who want to quit, Khoury recommended the use of nicotine patches and gums.

"It's difficult, but as I discovered, not impossible," he said.