The Yahoo-Maktoob website survey also revealed that only 16 percent make the effort to kick the habit during Ramadan.
The holy month of Ramadan offers the best opportunity to quit smoking, but many fail to take this chance to quit.
What, in reality, happens is that the majority who refrain from reaching out for the cigarette during fasting, literally run through packets during the period from iftar to suhoor.
The increased smoking in the limited time comes from the increased craving for a stick that kills.
There are others who reach for the butt, instead of a date, as soon as the call to break the fast is heard. They claim that they have long gone without the crutch that helps them see out the day.
In addition to this, Ramadan also sees many indulging in smoking shisha. It is common for people to enjoy a few puffs at cafes and restaurants late at night during this month.
Cafes and resorts attract large number of people, especially youth who sit and smoke the hubble-bubble after Isha prayer. A Jeddah café supervisor, Mahmoud Abdul Kader, confirmed that the number of people visiting coffee shops increase by 30 percent during Ramadan. He said after iftar, “my café gets full.”
This increased need for nicotine fix comes with increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. And this many smokers tend to forget.
The irony is that many of the smokers perpetuate this addiction with real or imaginary reasons.
When asked why they reach out to the cigarette so soon after fasting, the reasons provided are varied but the oft-repeated one is that the period without smoking has brought on a severe headache.
Saeed Al-Saleh, an addicted smoker, said he smokes two packs from the moment he breaks his fast to minutes before the call for Fajr prayer.
But other addicts say they give in to this craving, and break the fast much before the iftar as they feel listless and useless without smoking.
