UAE | Health
Quit and Win campaign for smokers proves a success
Emirati Ali Ghareeb Saeed Al Kaabi, who smoked two packs of cigarettes every day, but quit on World No Tobacco day, said he got the greatest prize of all, his health.
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
- Published: 22:52 July 1, 2009
Dubai: Emirati Ali Ghareeb Saeed Al Kaabi, who smoked two packs of cigarettes every day, but quit on World No Tobacco day, said he got the greatest prize of all, his health.
His brothers and friends, all smokers, were sure he would not be able to give up smoking for the month. "You will go back to it tomorrow," they told him with certainty.
Interactive: The smoker's body
The 28-year-old said smoking had given him immense pleasure.
"It was hard to give up. I feel good now, but I am eating a lot," he said, munching fruit at a buffet table in BurJuman Mall.
Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) had organised a nationwide Quit and Win programme on World No Tobacco Day on May 31. Participants had to promise to give up smoking for a month and were given counselling and support by doctors to help them give up the addiction.
"It takes personal strength and commitment to break such an addiction," said Dr Ayesha Al Mutawa, vice president for Centre for Healthcare Planning at DHCC.
"The former smokers here today are an inspiration to the millions of smokers out there who have not yet been able to make that life-changing decision to stop," Al Mutawa sid.
"The international benchmark is 24 per cent," she told Gulf News. "We achieved 50 per cent," she said, about the number of people who signed up and successfully gave up smoking.
Dr Prem Jagyasi from ExHealth, the organisers, said it was a non-nicotine support and participants had to give up without nicotine patches. He said 10,000 people pledged to give up smoking on the No Tobacco Day.
Ahmad Abu Zour, one of the participants, said he had made up his mind to quit, and when he heard about the campaign, it gave him more incentive.
Asked whether giving up during the fasting month of Ramadan would have been easier, he disagreed. "You stop for 16 hours, but you go back to smoking more," he said.
Andrej Arsenijevic, a Serbian, said he was motivated to quit in support of his wife who had health problems and had to give up smoking. "I just went cold-turkey," he said.
Smoking in the UAE: Alarming level
Recent studies conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), show that smoking rates have risen at to an alarming level in the UAE.
About 24.3 per cent of males between the ages of 13 and 15 are currently smoking tobacco products.
As many as 42 per cent of 17-year-old males have developed smoking habits. Of the total male adult population in the country, 20 per cent are smokers. Adult female smokers constitute 2.9 per cent .
Have you tried quitting smoking? What makes it difficult to quit?
Your comments
Couple of months back I had this thought that I am a slave of a cigratte company and I am buying my freedom from them every hour, more I thought about more logic i saw in it- finally quit on 7th Apr 09
A. D.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 02, 2009, 13:38
Help Quitting!
Suhail
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 02, 2009, 13:03
I was smoking 3 to 4 cigarettes for last 15 years. I have stoped smoking from 8th March 2008
Rajesh P. Shinkre
Goa,India
Posted: July 02, 2009, 12:12
I smoked for about 20 years but I quit smoking on 3 october 2003 from that day till today I have not smoked a single puff of cigarette I quit smoking at once and on my last smoking day I smoked one complete pack. The biggest benefciry is of course my self but my family is also very happy on it
Afzaal Qadri
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: July 02, 2009, 09:21
Yes and I have been successful in quitting smoking. It is the will power that makes it easier or difficult to quit smoking.
Syed Aamir Hussain
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 02, 2009, 08:57
I used to smoke a packet everyday and one day I just thought that why am I smoking and I just stopped smoking and now by the grace of God I have quit smoking since februray 2009.
Khalid Hussain
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 02, 2009, 07:24
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