Do not smoke. Be healthy for life Smoking increases the risk, up to 10 times of getting 40 serious diseases such as lung cancer, heart diseases and stroke. Smoking can affect almost every organ and tissue of your body.

Why should I stop smoking?

Smoking is bad for everyone.It is bad for everyone because :

1. Smoking hurts those around you especially your family members.
2. Pregnant mothers can have premature, underweight or stillborn (dead) babies.
3. Children who are exposed to cigarette smoke can :
   • Fall sick more often with coughs, cold, ear nose and throat infections.
   • Have slower development of their lungs
   • Develop asthma

What are the benefits of quitting the smoking habit?

The decision to quit smoking is for the goodness of yourself and your family’s health. The benefits that you gain from quitting smoking habit :

• Live longer – One out of two smokers will die early due to smoking related diseases. Smoking kills nearly 5 thousand Malaysian citizens every year.
• Avoidance of dangerous substance – cigarette smoke contains nearly 4000 chemical substance and 50 of it can cause cancer.
• Prevention of diseases – nearly 40 types of diseases are related to smoking. Lung cancer, heart disease, chronic lung diseases, stroke, peptic ulcer are among dangerous diseases related to smoking habit.
• Healthier life – non smokers less likely get cough, flu and other respiratory illnesses compared to smokers.
• Prevention of harm to other people – when you smoke, people surrounding you are affected and will be subjected to the bad effects of cigarette smoke such as asthma and other respiratory diseases.
• Become a good role model especially for your family and children.
• Increase the level of fitness and have a healthy body.
• Increase sense of smell and taste.
• Have whiter teeth and fresher breath.
• Reduce bad odour of cigarette smoke on hair and dress.
• Saving money – invest your money instead of buying cigarette RM 10.00 per day investment = RM 300.00 per month = RM 3600.00 per year. If you invest your money for 10 years time, you already have RM 36000.00 in your savings account).
• Protection of the environment – cigarette butt thrown by smoker can cause fire.
• Increase fertility.
• Increase male potency.

How to quit smoking?

Learn the right methods. Many ways to stop smoking. The most important factor is your willpower to make it happen.

• Set a date to quit
• Be confident
• Make reminder notes
• Tell yourself “I am not a smoker”
• Always think positive
• Get support
• Overcome the urge to smoke
• Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy
• Practice 10 D’s to quit smoking

12 Techniques to overcome desire to smoke

Tip Berhenti Merokok 12 M :

1. Delay
   • Wait for 5 minutes, or say “later”
2. Take long breaths
   • Slowly breathe in 3 times
3. Drinks water
   • Drink boiled water, avoid caffeinated drinks
4. Make yourself busy
   • Engage in activities to distarct yourself and forget about the need to smoke
5. Distance yourself
   • From places with smokers
6. Avoid
   • Places, environments and occasions with smokers
7. Chew something
   • Such as candy or fruits and avoid sweets
8. Wash your hands
9. Bathe/ shower often
10. Strecth your muscles
    • When feeling sleepy
11. Meditation
12. Prayer
    • Pray for resolution and willpower

Am I a heavy smoker? Am I addicted to tobacco?

You can determine your dependency to tobacco by answering a set of questions below.

Dependency status

Modified Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence

1. How soon after
2. Within 5 minutes (3 points)
3. 5 to 30 minutes (2 points)
4. 31 to 60 minutes (1 point)
5. After 60 minutes (0 point)
6. Do you find it difficult not to smoke in places where you shouldn’t, such as in church or school, in a movie, at the library, on a bus, in court or in a hospital?
   • Yes (1 point)
   • No (0 point)
7. Which cigarette would you most hate to give up;which cigarette do you treasure i
   • The first one in the morning (1 point)
   • Any other one (0 point)
8. How many cigarettes do you smoke each day?
   • 10 or fewer (0 point)
   • 11 to 20 (1 point)
   • 21 to 30 (2 points)
   • 31 or more (3 points)
9. Do you smoke more during the first few hours after waking up than during the rest of the day?
   • Yes (1 point)
   • No (0 point)
10. Do you still smoke if you are so sick that you are in bed most of the day, or if you have a cold or the flu and have trouble breathing?
    • Yes (1 point)
    • No (0 point)

Scoring :

• 7 to 10 points = highly dependent;
• 4 to 6 points = moderately dependent;
• less than 4 points = minimally dependent.

Modified Fagerstrom test for evaluating intensity of physical dependence on nicotine. Adapted with permission from Heatherton TF, Kozlowski LT, Frecker RC, Fagerstrom KO. The Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence: a revision of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire. Br J Addict 1991;86:1119-27.

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