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Smokers, here are some more reasons why you should put that cigarette away - especially if you live in the Middle East. For one, Dubai will launch the second phase of the smoking ban from tomorrow - regulating smoking in restaurants, cafés and shisha shops.
What's more, according to studies by the World Health Organisation (WHO), smoking in the region is more prevalent than in the rest of the world. What is shocking is that 24.3 per cent of males between the ages of 13 and 5 are smokers.
One reason could be that tobacco is more affordable here - unlike in places such as Europe, where smokers are discouraged by the high taxes on cigarettes.
Shisha culture
"Just look at shisha, it has been part of our culture for many years," says Dr Bassam Mahboub, consultant pulmonologist and member of the Anti-Smoking Committee. "Shisha has a strong social element and draws together friends in cafés."
In a recent meeting of Stopping Smoking in the Middle East, experts discussed the medical as well as social effects of smoking and ways to stub out the habit. The cross section of doctors reflected on broad concerns regarding the high levels of smoking, which is spread across our society.
Dr Mitchell Nides, the president of the Los Angeles Clinical Trials and director of Picture Quitting, the Entertainment Industry's Quit Smoking Programme in the US, told Unwind that the number of deaths in the world related to cardiovascular diseases has crossed 17 million annually.
Dr Nides also said that by 2015, tobacco is projected to kill 50 per cent more people than HIV and Aids.
Numbers speak
"WHO's 2007 statistics say, cardiovascular diseases will remain the leading cause of death. Particularly, Ischemic heart disease and stroke," Dr Nides said. "The total number of tobacco-attributed deaths is projected to rise from 5.4 million in 2005 to 6.4 million in 2015 and to 8.3 million in 2030," Dr Nides said.
Asked which is more harmful - shisha or cigarettes - Dr Nides said smoking shisha is like having five packets of cigarettes at once. "However, tobacco consumed in any way is, of course, harmful."
Alternative therapy: All you need is the will to quit
Using Hypnosis and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Beryl Comar, a Dubai-based life-management coach, says she can help people stop smoking in just two sessions.
The first session is dedicated to getting them to stop and the second is to clear up any cravings that may be lurking in their subconscious.
"All the client has to do is really want to quit. I try to find out how many cigarettes they smoke a day, what are the reasons behind the habit and what benefits they think will surface from not smoking," said Comar.
The certified hypnotherapist said the advantages of quitting - other than the obvious health issues - are about taking back the control that some may feel cigarettes have on them. Many can smoke anywhere from 3-4 a day to 90 a day. In such cases, it often means there are deep underlying emotional issues that need to be resolved.
"However, it is easier to help someone who smokes 90 a day because they most likely don't actually enjoy the habit in comparison to the one smoking three a day as this may indicate they really take pleasure in those cigarettes," Comar said.
After her sessions, she says any craving for tobacco whether that be in a cigarette, cigar or shisha, will hopefully disappear.
Incorporating a touch of her humorous personality during her time with the client will undoubtedly help them see the lighter side of the situation.
And for those worried about putting on weight after quitting, she encourages people to drink water instead. So, during those cravings, one should simply take a good habit that cleanses all the bad toxins over a potentially harmful and unhealthy one.
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