The joy of kicking the chain-smoking habit
GEORGE TOWN: It was a must for Sulaiman Sugumar Bukhari Velan to light up before and after a meal or sleeping.
The 29-year-old manager, who started smoking out of curiosity when he was 11, said he found every single excuse to smoke and would easily puff away more than 40 sticks a day.
“I was a slave to smoking and could not travel long flights as I would feel restless without a cigarette, even a 45-minute journey from here to Kuala Lumpur became too hard for me.
“I decided this has to stop but failed as the urge for nicotine got the better of me each time. I then decided to join the Penang Hospital’s Quit Smoking Clinic programme,” he said in an interview yesterday.
Sulaiman said in the beginning it was tough and the urge was strong.
“To fight the urge, I would go for walks and drink plenty of water. Now there is no urge and my last smoke was more than nine months ago,” he added.
His friend Luqman Martin Adam Maliq Mak, 31, who also joined the programme, was a dual smoker of cigarette and e-cigarette.
“To stop this habit, I tried other alternatives like e-cigarette but I realised that it was doing the same damage to my health.
“To stop, you have to be mentally ready and it has to start from with- in,” he said, adding that he succeeded in kicking the habit with the support of friends and family.
Sulaiman and Luqman were among 44 people who received certificates for their “success” during the Quit Smoking Cessation Update 2017 at the hospital.
Hospital director Datuk Dr Norsidah Ismail said the recipients were those who had not smoked for more than six months.
The clinic at Penang Hospital is open on weekdays (8am to 5pm).
Those interested can contact 04-2225782.