Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death globally, killing more than eight million people every year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Under the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases, Malaysia aimed for a 15% smoking rate by 2025, but missed this national target with adult smoking prevalence hovering around 19%.
As more youngsters light up their first cigarette, concerns over Malaysia’s smoking habits continue to grow. In conjunction with “World No Tobacco Day”, FMT Lifestyle spoke to a former smoker who has now been cigarette-free for nearly three years.
Mohd Nurafain Sulaiman, 30, more commonly known as Fain from Beaufort, Sabah, never actually set out to quit.
His smoking habit began about 10 years ago, starting from an innocent “let’s just try it out” moment while hanging out with friends.
“I started smoking after school, once I started working,” he recalled. Fain works at a 99 Speedmart store, and his night shifts led him to depend on cigarettes.
“I was working almost non-stop, so I thought cigarettes and coffee were a must to stay awake. Whenever I was stressed, I’d just light one up.”
What started as an occasional cigarette or two slowly turned into a habit – and the need to always have one between his fingers.
“Sometimes a pack would last only two days, or even less. It’s crazy when I think about it now.”
Fain also shared that his loved ones were strongly against his habit. After years of ignoring advice, real change came unexpectedly at 28.
“Honestly, I didn’t really plan to quit at first since I was quite addicted. But I had this urge to start exercising,” he said.
Fain said he used to be active in sports while at school, and seeing people jogging eventually motivated him to try it himself at a park. That was when he realised how unfit he had become.
“I only ran about 3km and I was already out of breath. After years of smoking, suddenly running like that really hit me hard,” Fain shared.
Achieving a better level of fitness was initially his motivation to simply reduce his tobacco use, never expecting that he would eventually quit completely within six months.
“After a while I noticed that my breathing became more stable while training. My first event was a half marathon (21km), and I didn’t expect to finish it in under two hours.
“Then I thought, if I stopped smoking completely, maybe I could perform even better,” Fain recalled.
And the results clearly showed. Fain went from struggling to complete 3km to competing in half marathons, and now completes full marathons (42km) in just three hours and 25 minutes.
He is now looking forward to join the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon this October, with a clear goal of improving his timing even further.
For Fain, running is more than just a hobby – it is how he stays healthy, disciplined, and mentally positive.
“Naturally, I started taking better care of my body. Eating, sleeping – everything became more structured even though I still work late shifts, because my mind is set on training the next day,” he said.
But Fain also admitted that this wasn’t always easy.
“The hardest part was the first month, because I had to constantly resist friends who smoked around me. Especially my morning routine – coffee and cigarettes – that was very hard to break.
“But once I got serious with training, I started thinking less about smoking.”
Today, Fain has absolutely no regrets.
Cigarettes no longer tempt him and he even covers his nose so he doesn’t inhale second-hand smoke. He shared that his transformation has also inspired many friends, some of whom took up running and eventually quit smoking themselves.
His advice to others?
“Anything that involves change takes time and getting rid of something you’ve long depended on is very challenging. It requires strong willpower and patience. But each person has to find their own way to quit so don’t be afraid to start the journey.”
Follow Mohd Nurafain Sulaiman on Instagram.