1:16pm Monday 8th September 2008
By Asian Image reporter
This year Jhangir Muhammed is looking forward to a brighter Ramadhan thanks to quitting his 40-a-day smoking habit.
Jhangir quit in June and this is the first Ramadhan in six years when he has been smoke free.
"I have to say this Ramadhan has been easier as I am not a smoker. Last year I found it really difficult to keep fasts because I wanted to smoke all the time.
"I have to admit I couldn't keep fasts due to the smoking. I smoked B&H gold and other high tar cigarettes.
"I tried to quit before but a couple of hours into it I was going crazy. I needed a cig straight away."
Jhangir says he quit cigarettes with the help of his local East Lancashire and Blackburn With Darwen NHS Stop Smoking service and his own willpower. He met his local advisor at the First Step Outreach Centre, Hyndburn Sure Start, Accrington.
"The team at the Stop Smoking service have been fantastic. I brought my in-take of cigarettes down from 40 a day to about five a day. I used to chew nicotine gum and later when I quit completely take patches.
"People were shocked at how I suddenly quit. Now, I don't want to smoke again. All I say to people is if you want to quit you can quit.
Feroza Patel, is one of three Lancashire specialist Advisors for the Stop Smoking Service. The others are Mohammed Sidat and Nasreen Iqbal.
She said, "We host open sessions at local hospitals and we also do one-to-one sessions with members of the Asian community.
"When you join, a trained adviser will help you to put your plan to stop smoking into action.
"The group sessions start a couple of weeks before you go smokefree. Your first sessions help you to plan and prepare to quit. After you go smoke-sfree your group will meet each week for advice and motivation "As advisors we tell you about nicotine replacement products and other stop smoking medicines.
"We also advise those people who use other tobacco products such as Hookah's and paans."
If you want help quitting smoking then call 01254 358095
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