Ramazan fasting could help quit smoking.

QUETTA -- With bundle of blessings the holy month of Ramazan offers for human beings, the bad habit of smoking can also be avoided through fasting.

Fasting is considered as a strong tool to maintain good health and effective cure for various psychological and medical disorders and health experts suggest fasting as a best way to quit smoking.

"The holy month of Ramadan serves as a best exercise for smokers to maintain good health and avoid bad habits of nicotine dependency to stay normal," said Dr Haseeb Sitaar of Holy Family hospital.

Fasting keeps a person healthy and clean both physically and spiritually and when it comes to quit smoking, it can be a best way for those having serious infections from smoking, he said.

In normal days, it becomes hard for smokers to leave smoking completely as hectic routine and other social pressures compel some to smoke while the period of fasting keeps them away from smoking.

Fasting is a religious obligation and the faithful follow this obligation prior to anything else during Ramadan, which leads them to avoiding all the bad habits. Taking a month-long break from the practice of smoking sometimes get converted to a permanent avoidance of health hazardous things.

"Will power is needed to quit smoking, which the fasting provides people during this holy month and the people refrain themselves to smoke to fulfill their religious obligation," Dr Haseeb said.

Other than Ramadan, smokers experience withdrawal symptoms, like irritability, anger, restlessness, impatience, insomnia and difficulty concentrating but the fasting helps them to maintain patience.

"Fasting is a spiritual help to spend smoke-free days during Ramadan and an excellent practice for leaving many bad habits," said Hanif Ejaz, a student suffering from serious infections of smoking.