ABU DHABI // Doctors are urging smokers to take advantage of Ramadan to give up the habit.
They say it is perhaps the easiest time of the year to do so as believers are not allowed to smoke between sunrise and sunset during the holy month.
"Ramadan provides people with the opportunity to reflect and focus on their actions and the impact they have on themselves and others," said Dr Mahmoud Marashi of Rashid Hospital in Dubai. "The holy month can be a particularly good time for people to quit smoking, but they need to resist the temptation to smoke after iftar."
It is common for Muslim smokers to chain-smoke after breaking the fast in the evening, to make up for the lack of smoking during the day.
However, doctors say this can have serious medical consequences and is more unhealthy than regular smoking.
"Smoking is an addiction and habit, and you have to treat both," said Dr Ahmed el Hakim, a doctor and director of external affairs and policy for Pfizer in the Middle East.
"When you have the same amount of cigarettes over long hours contained into a few hours, it's obviously more dangerous," he said. He also stressed that shisha, which is traditionally smoked during Ramadan, is more unhealthy than cigarettes.
Cigarettes have been linked to 25 killer diseases, including cancer and heart disease, and studies have shown that smoking shortens people's lives by an average of 15 years.
However, giving up smoking does not make people feel better immediately because they suffer withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anger, restlessness, impatience, insomnia and difficulty in concentrating.
"Most tobacco users find it difficult to quit on their own and will benefit from support to overcome their addiction. We are encouraging smokers to seek advice from their family doctors," Dr Marashi said.
"Ninety-five per cent of smokers try to quit smoking but only five per cent succeed. It is very difficult to quit smoking and people go through several attempts," said Dr Hakim. "Counselling is not enough to quit smoking. Smoking cessation clinics in Abu Dhabi are successful because they introduced pharmaceutical products in conjunction with counselling to help people quit."
A World Health Organisation report entitled the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008 indicated that only five per cent of people in the world have access to government anti-smoking programmes.
Some 6,000 patients in the country have been treated in smoking cessation clinics at a cost of Dh2,600 (US$700) each. However, Dh400m is still spent annually on tobacco in the country.
amcmeans@thenational.ae
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances