Nazri Said aims to quit smoking completely by end of the year.
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Occupation: Media Prima client service group manager
Age: 41
Place of birth: Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan
Status: Married with two children
KUALA LUMPUR: A smoker for the past 15 years, Nazri Said ignored the inner voice that asked him time and time again "When are you going to quit?"
The Media Prima client service group manager confessed that he had long wanted to stop smoking, but kept putting it off.
But in July he found himself confronted with the possible consequences of continuing smoking, and so began his journey. He hasn't managed to give up entirely yet.
"God willing, I won't be smoking any more by end of this year," he said.
Q: When did you have your first cigarette?
A: When I was in Year One, my father would send me to a nearby shop to buy cigarettes. I was in Form Five at Victoria's Institution when I lit up for the first time. I wanted to blend in with my schoolmates, who were also trying it for the first time. It was meant to be just a try, but I got hooked over the course of time.
Q: How did you pay for it? As a student, was there enough money for you to buy a whole pack for yourself?
A: My friends and I would pool our money to buy a RM2 or RM3 mini-pack of seven sticks. I started working at the age of 18, so I could afford to feed my addiction and I started smoking more.
Q: Has your family been trying to get you to quit?
A: Yes, my wife has been telling me to stop since we got married 10 years ago. And my two children... they are 10 and five years old and they tease me about it. 'Eh, why are you smoking again?' they say whenever they see me lighting up. So my wife is really glad I've made the decision to stop. She's been waiting for a decade.
Q: What made you decide it was time to quit?
A: Last year two colleagues, who were heavy smokers, died unexpectedly. So Media Prima decided to do health screening of all staff over 40. I got a bad 'report card'. I'm overweight, I'm 1.55 metres and weigh 80 kilogrammes, and I have high cholesterol. The doctor encouraged me to try to quit smoking. Realising I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, I agreed and joined Pfizer's Quitting Championship programme.
Q: What does that involve, and is it working?
A: I need to take two pills a day to alleviate the craving to smoke. For the first two weeks it worked. I didn't want to smoke because I felt nauseated and had a terrible sore throat each time I did so. But in the third week I decided I didn't want to be dependent on the pills so I stopped taking them. The medication worked well though. I do have a pack of cigarettes in my pocket but I've cut down a lot. A pack of 14 cigarettes used to last at most three days, now it lasts for two weeks.
Q: How do you handle the temptation to smoke now?
A: I take it as a form of fasting. Muslims abstain from food and drinks during the holy month of Ramadan. I feel that if I can refrain from having food, drinks and tobacco in my system during that period, I can do it anytime. But it takes a huge amount of determination and the will power to do so.
Q: How has giving up smoking changed you?
A: I'm more productive at work. I can concentrate and focus because I'm not taking cigarette breaks anymore. I'm eating more healthily. And because my taste buds have come back to life I'm enjoying my food more. I appreciate my health as well. I won't take it for granted any more.
Q: When do you expect to quit smoking completely?
A: By New Year. I have to achieve that because I missed my previous target of Merdeka.
Q: What would you say to someone who wants to start smoking?
A: Don't even try it. It's unhealthy and it's a waste of money really.
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