This article is not about dealing with the withdrawal symptoms of nicotine addiction that surface in habitual smokers, when they give up smoking for a few hours while fasting in Ramadan and then light up immediately after the sun sets. Instead, this article suggests steps a smoker might want to take, to make this Ramadan the starting point of a lasting change in their life and give up smoking for good. 1. Wake up and smell the addiction: Are you easily irritated, restless, impatient and have difficulty concentrating during the fast? If you are a habitual smoker, all these are withdrawal symptoms, and signs that your body is craving nicotine – simply put, you're hooked and you probably don't realize it. Before you try to quit, you must appreciate what addiction is all about and how you can wean yourself off smoking. Addictive behavior is directly influenced by chemicals in the bloodstream, which in turn affect emotions and behavior. Smoking maintains a certain level of nicotine in the smoker's blood, which influences the brain. If a compulsive smoker doesn't smoke for a longer period than usual, 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 feelings of a decrease in energy and alertness, increased tension and anxiety, making you crave a smoke. 2. Distract yourself: Fight the urge to smoke when it strikes you after breaking your fast, by distracting yourself physically. Don't buy cigarette packs, and involve your family members in your efforts to quit by asking them to do away with cigarettes in the house. Do something that makes smoking physically difficult – any kind of physical activity, even something simple like taking a shower or performing ablution will distract you long enough to ignore the urge. Anticipate what triggers your urge to smoke and time your urges. Check your watch whenever the urge acts up and concentrate on fighting it over the period of 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-lived. Once you understand and experience this, you will be better able to cope and resist. 3. No excuses: Smoking is emotionally gratifying for a variety of reasons – it gives young people a sense of false maturity and gives others a sense of emotional well-being. Smokers offer several other reasons why lighting up makes them feel good ranging from “it gives me a surge of energy”, to “it reduces tension” and “it gives me a feeling of security” or “it helps me stay thin”. If you are addicted, quitting smoking can prove quite challenging. The physical symptoms of withdrawal may last for some time depending on how long you've been a habitual smoker with the intensity decreasing by the day as the nicotine in your body gets flushed out. After that, you will have the recurrent urges to take care of, and of course the threat of relapses. Relapses usually occur within a four-week period of quitting smoking, especially if you subject yourself to the triggers that habitually make you light up -- such as after a meal or when meeting up with friends. Ramadan changes your mind-set for a whole month and fasting is supposed to strengthen your self-control and make you more disciplined. Ramadan changes your routines drastically and offers a great opportunity to use the change to your benefit and get over smoking, for good. __
