Cigarette Quitters, Come Here

[Zarla]

I think it is particularly important to note that there are stages of change in many behaviours, particularly in smoking cessation. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) addresses the intentional behavioural change within a series of five stages (see figure below). There is little to no point in showing individuals how to achieve change if they are in the pre-contemplation or the contemplation stage. They are not sufficiently motivated to attempt change. But those in the preparation or action stage may benefit from this type of approach.

Also, as the model illustrates, individuals can move back and forth along the change continuum. The model is applicable to any decision relating to change.

Interventions are tailored based on the motivational readiness of individuals or the stage they are in. The below is is a suggested approach to smoking cessation based on the TTM:

[Chaotic Muslem]

On 12/6/2015 at 2:33 AM, Zarla said:

I think it is particularly important to note that there are stages of change in many behaviours, particularly in smoking cessation. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) addresses the intentional behavioural change within a series of five stages (see figure below). There is little to no point in showing individuals how to achieve change if they are in the pre-contemplation or the contemplation stage. They are not sufficiently motivated to attempt change. But those in the preparation or action stage may benefit from this type of approach.

Also, as the model illustrates, individuals can move back and forth along the change continuum. The model is applicable to any decision relating to change.

Interventions are tailored based on the motivational readiness of individuals or the stage they are in. The below is is a suggested approach to smoking cessation based on the TTM:

 

On 12/11/2015 at 3:50 AM, mandyscott said:

I am not a smoker, I come here for my father, who started to smoke in his early age. and now he is about 50, I want to help him to quit smoking. However, as all of you know quitting smoking is not as easy as strip a coat. so I find many ways to help him, they all did not work. and I also find out many materials, such as nutritional analysis and some diseases video that smoking causes to help him make the decision. You ca image the result. so I came here to find some effective ways to help him out. 

Salam and welcome ! 

The older adults feel it is harder for them to quit than younger adults. There are many reasons that should be kept in mind. They are already sick, the fear of turning sick due to smoking is no longer there as it has happened already.

They are not looking for much from the future. It is important to notice the depression of the older people, the bubble they keep around themselves.

They have tried in the past and fail, thus they feel not very motivated to try again the headache of quitting smoking. It is very sever headache and no one can blame them for not wanting that pain feeling again.

As you might have noticed from Zarla's valuable contribution, the process of taking decisions isn't a button click. It may take time from minute to years. The process is not linear, it has ups and downs, it has varying phases.

A simple encouragement or a show of care my take the person from one phase to another. A simple discouragement like : five cigarettes a day is not enough, you gotta quit it , while he was originally consuming 30 cigarettes a day, can take the person from near achieving goal to a chimney again.

http://smokefree.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/clear-horizons-accessible.pdf

[Mindyone]

Nothing will work except your father own making the decision to do it with great courage. While there are some means can assist the process, and drug discovery are developing medicines that can swollen the bad effect caused by nicotine. 

[Chaotic Muslem]

7 hours ago, Mindyone said:

Nothing will work except your father own making the decision to do it with great courage. While there are some means can assist the process, and drug discovery are developing medicines that can swollen the bad effect caused by nicotine. 

There are a number of medications avaible to help reduce symptoms of withdrawal. Some are better than others.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nicotine-dependence/basics/treatment/con-20014452

But as you suggested, it all relies upon the will of the person.

There are some who are aspiring to create a medicine that cures the addiction itself ( reverse the changes in the brain and fix the synapses that were created) but noon so far been successful.

[cigarettekills]

Quitting smoking is an important step. No reason exists to smoke. Cigarette damages not only your body but your mind as well.
It sounds a bit silly when people who smoke say something like "my grandpa smoked and he lived till 90". Yes, if you smoke that doesn't necessary mean you will get cancer caused by it, but it increases your chances significantly. 4 in 5 lung cancers are caused by smoking.

You are sacrificing your health and increasing your chances of getting a horrible disease in exchange for nothing. These is no reason to smoke.

[Chaotic Muslem]

@Bakir A dose of encouragement !

How about if you looked at it as unhealthy relationship. A very destructive one , yet you are so hooked in. Like Stockholm relationship or some Sadists one. The more the Cigar beat you, the more you love it and hate yourself for loving it...

 

 

 

How about thinking of a cigarette as a partner, a bad one , a bad model for your children who will grow up and learn the bad habit from you for being weak, broken and always beaten up

On another note. Last week I was discussing with our Prof the health as a value among Muslims. The prof was saying that the best way to promote a healthy life choices among people is first to make them appreciate health as a value that society and individual respect.

I asked him: But we are Muslims....We believe that health is a gift (Ni3mah) from Allah and that appreciation of His ni3mah isn't only by thanking Him but also by preserving it and protecting it and showing it outwardly that this is the gift of Allah to me....So why we Muslims are lagging behind in terms of health?

[Chaotic Muslem]

[Disciple_of Islam]

On 1/22/2016 at 8:16 AM, Chaotic Muslem said:

Would it be correct for me to interpret, and conclude, that Islam has made the practice of smoking haraam?

[Chaotic Muslem]

On 1/24/2016 at 3:58 PM, Disciple_of Islam said:

Would it be correct for me to interpret, and conclude, that Islam has made the practice of smoking haraam?

Here is the discussion on the Islamic legal stance from smoking:

[Disciple_of Islam]

On 1/25/2016 at 9:43 AM, Chaotic Muslem said:

Here is the discussion on the Islamic legal stance from smoking:

Thank you for sharing your views on the matter but I find the responses rather conciliatory and inconclusive. Isn't there any clear guideline on the matter, besides the ones quoted?

[Chaotic Muslem]

4 hours ago, Disciple_of Islam said:

Thank you for sharing your views on the matter but I find the responses rather conciliatory and inconclusive. Isn't there any clear guideline on the matter, besides the ones quoted?

You can ask your question in that topic brother, which is why i linked it to you. This thread is to encourage people to quit, this i the health forum not the islamic law forum.

[Chaotic Muslem]

Three quarters of homeless adults smoke cigarettes.1 The substantial health consequences of tobacco use among homeless people have been documented,2 but less is known about the financial effects of tobacco use in this population.

From April through July 2014, we used time–location sampling3 to survey homeless adult cigarette smokers at five high-volume clinics operated by the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program in an emergency shelter, a daytime drop-in center, and an academic medical center. Among 357 eligible persons, 306 (86%) participated. We asked participants how much money they had spent on tobacco in the previous week, examined overall expenditures for that week, and stratified the sample into thirds according to the level of nicotine dependence, as assessed with the use of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence.4 We also asked about income for the previous month and about difficulty finding shelter, food, clothing, somewhere to wash, and somewhere to use the bathroom during that month.5 We assessed for trends in tobacco expenditures, income, and subsistence difficulties according to extent of nicotine dependence. We Winsorized expenditures and income at the 99th percentile to limit the influence of extreme outliers.

Three quarters of participants were men, and the mean age was 48 years; 36% were white, 41% were black, and 18% were Hispanic. Participants reported spending a mean of $44 (95% confidence interval [CI], $40 to $47) on tobacco in the previous week and having a mean income of $513 (95% CI, $462 to $564) in the previous month .

 A considerable proportion reported difficulty finding shelter (49%), food (41%), clothing (50%), somewhere to wash (35%), and somewhere to use the bathroom (43%) in the previous month. Nicotine dependence was significantly associated with tobacco expenditures during the previous week (P<0.001) but not with income (P=0.45). Smokers with greater nicotine dependence reported having more difficulty finding shelter (P=0.01), food (P=0.049), clothing (P=0.04), somewhere to wash (P=0.005), and somewhere to use the bathroom (P=0.01), although causality cannot be inferred from these associations.

In this study, homeless smokers with higher levels of nicotine dependence spent more money on tobacco while contending with greater difficulty meeting subsistence needs. The strong correlation between tobacco expenditures and nicotine dependence argues for understanding this spending as a manifestation of addiction rather than of misplaced priorities. When projected over 30 days, mean and median tobacco expenditures in this sample comprise 36% and 29% of mean and median monthly income, respectively. These findings suggest that helping homeless smokers to quit smoking may be of considerable personal financial benefit.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1508556

[Hameedeh]

Many times I have thought of this topic. Smokers need to quit. As soon as possible. 

[Nataly]

When I was young, I tasted the cigarrete, and I liked it a lot, however there were paranormal things surrounding that, that didn't let me to be a smoker. I thought that muslims could smoke without any problem, I mean that the religion allowed it, in christianity is not allowed, as is not allowed alcohol either.

[Hameedeh]

@apofomysback @everyone

Please stop smoking. There are many reasons to do so, but smoking increases your risk of eye diseases and even blindness. 

[Bakir]

On 10/8/2016 at 3:40 AM, hameedeh said:

Please stop smoking. There are many reasons to do so, but smoking increases your risk of eye diseases and even blindness. 

Didn't know it affected the eye too. I've managed to smoke way less than I did in order to be able to go to gym without suffering any respiratory problem hahah, only smoke two times at work and three times at my house xD. Guess it's not as harmful as before but I should try in the future to get rid of those 5 cigs as well hahh.

[LeftCoastMom]

On July 30, 2016 at 1:32 PM, Nataly said:

When I was young, I tasted the cigarrete, and I liked it a lot, however there were paranormal things surrounding that, that didn't let me to be a smoker. I thought that muslims could smoke without any problem, I mean that the religion allowed it, in christianity is not allowed, as is not allowed alcohol either.

It's allowed in Christianity, just as is alcohol in most sects. It's just bad for you. So, if you are interested in taking care of the body God gave you, you should refrain from any potentially harmful recreational drug.

[Hameedeh]

Quote

Please stop smoking. There are many reasons to do so, but smoking increases your risk of eye diseases and even blindness. 

I can't stress this enough. Smoking causes cancer and heart attack and you can get treatment for those. Your eyesight is really important and you don't want to lose this due to smoking.

[Hameedeh]

Smoking can lead to vision loss. Studies show smoking increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy and Dry Eye Syndrome. 

Get PDF - Smoking Can Lead to Vision Loss or Blindness

[Hassan-]

On 30/07/2016 at 4:32 PM, Nataly said:

I thought that muslims could smoke without any problem, I mean that the religion allowed it

Islam prohibits smoking cigarettes or shisha.

[Hameedeh]

46 minutes ago, Hassan- said:

Islam prohibits smoking cigarettes or shisha.

It is controversial, but some of the Ulema have rulings against smoking. I saw this today, a ruling by Ayatullah Khamenei:

Quote

Rules Regarding Smoking

Question 116: Smoking in public places disturbs other people and even causes harm to their bodies. Is it permissible to do this?

Answer: If it irritates others or causes them harm and they are not ok with it, it is not permissible.

Question 117: Smoking cigarettes continuously causes harm to one’s body, is it not forbidden to smoke?

Answer: If the harm is a harm that one must stay away from then one cannot smoke.

https://www.al-islam.org/islamic-rulings-medical-issues-sayyid-ali-khamenei/rules-regarding-smoking

[Hassan-]

7 minutes ago, Hameedeh said:

It is controversial, but some of the Ulema have rulings against smoking. I saw this today, a ruling by Ayatullah Khamenei:

Not just Imam Khamenei but I think every marja' says anything that causes significant harm to ones body is haram.

[Abu Hadi]

Sayyid Fadlallah(ra) says it is haram to start if you were not already smoking before he gave this fatwa(In the late 90s or early 2000s, not sure exactly when). Anyone who became baligh after 2014 can't follow him(I think he passed away in 2014), so this only applies to a specific group of people. 

BTW, this is more a logic issue. It is extremely obvious at this point that smoking is very damaging to your health. Hookah is more damaging than cigarettes, although there is a myth that it is better. So if you want to have good health, don't smoke. It's that simple. 

[Chaotic Muslem]

6 hours ago, Abu Hadi said:

Sayyid Fadlallah(ra) says it is haram to start if you were not already smoking before he gave this fatwa(In the late 90s or early 2000s, not sure exactly when). Anyone who became baligh after 2014 can't follow him(I think he passed away in 2014), so this only applies to a specific group of people. 

BTW, this is more a logic issue. It is extremely obvious at this point that smoking is very damaging to your health. Hookah is more damaging than cigarettes, although there is a myth that it is better. So if you want to have good health, don't smoke. It's that simple. 

Also, and this is vital issue:

Health in Islamic teaching is a gift, a ni'3mah. The God's gifts are to be taken care of and not exploited. This is very vital concept. Some communities view health as commodity to sell and buy. In Islam that's incorrect.

[zafa]

I have quit smoking last year Dec 2016 due to heart problem.

i have to go through angioplasty and the only reason for this i can think of is smoking .

my brother and sister please stop smoking .

[Hameedeh]

From a British medical journal. Smoking is a risk factor for developing dementia in later life. Second-hand smoke (people who live with you and breathe your smoke or you breathe someone else's smoke) showed memory deterioration in later life. Stopping smoking is beneficial regardless of age. 

Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission