JEDDAH: The fasting month of Ramadan offers the perfect chance to quit smoking, according to a consultant at a major hospital.

“Break your fast but not your will to quit smoking,” said Dr. Ashraf Ameer, chief medical officer and family medicine consultant at the International Medical Center. “Ramadan can be a hard time for smokers because of the withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine addiction. Quitting smoking, however, is the best thing a person can do to improve their health and Ramadan offers a great opportunity for smokers to finally kick the habit,” he said.

There are a variety of treatment options available for smokers to help them quit smoking. “I encourage smokers to talk to their doctors even before Ramadan begins to learn about what might work for them.”

Tobacco harms nearly every organ in the body and is the cause of a wide variety of diseases, many of which are fatal including heart attacks, cancer, respiratory diseases, and strokes.

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 4,000 known chemicals in tobacco smoke, which can cause heart diseases and many serious respiratory and cardiovascular diseases often leading to death. Despite knowing the dangers of smoking, many smokers often find it difficult to quit. To be successful, people who want to quit smoking and to stay smoke free should seek advice from a health care provider.

What happens when you quit smoking? After a day, one’s heart, blood pressure and blood show improvements; after a year, excess risk of coronary heart disease is half of that of a smoker; after 5 to 15 years, risk of stroke is reduced to that of nonsmokers; after 10 years, risk of lung cancer is reduced to less than half of that of smokers (and risks of other cancers also decrease); after 15 years, risk of heart disease is similar to that of nonsmokers, he said.