General Chat

Digressing slightly here..... the folk I feel for are the 'old-timers' and I'm talking late 70's/80's here, who have probably smoked all their lives and apart from a few exceptions, a smoke and a pint is their only pleasure left. Yes I kniow they have television, could go for walks(assuming mobility etc) but they are less equipped than the main populus to go outside in whatever weather to have a quick puff. And as for it improving their health and lifespan - well it's probably a bit late for that. As said earlier in this thread, I am a 'halfie-halfie' smoker - desperately trying to give up, and I feel I must add here that I never smoke in my house, never smoke in anyone elses house even when invited to do so, and never ever smoked around my grandchildren from the day they were born. I do try and be considerate towards others and am doing my best to absolve myself from the cravings of tobacco/nicotine. Thank heavens I don't drink - that's one problem I don't have to deal with !!

Its scary to see how many people have said that nicotine is a more addictived drug than heroin. If I were a smoker thinking about trying to quit, that would really put me off. You may have cravings from nicotine but you won't have the terrible withdrawal symptoms that a heroin addict will get. I quit smoking a few months ago, 25 a day for the last 28 years and this was about the 8th time i 'tried' to quit. I put the word tried in inverted commas, because this was the only time i actually stopped with no intention of ever smoking again. I read the Allen Carr book twice, the first time I thought it was a load of rubbish and the second time it worked. The line which really hit home for me was whan he said 'there are 2 things a smoker planning to quit is scared of, one is that they won't be able to quit, and 2 is that they will'. So So true. I started smoking at 17 so my whole adult life revolved around smoking. I was happy, have a fag, sad? have a fag. drunk? have a fag? sober? have a fag. When I quit, the first day when i got home i poured a glass of wine and my daughter said, I thought a drink would make you want to smoke. I told her that the only thing that was a trigger for making me want to smoke was that i was awake! Everything i ever did, I had a fag. Its been almost 4 months now, and yep there are still times when i think about a smoke, but its not a craving, just 28 years of habit. One thing I can promise is I will never smoke again. I don't think they will ever ban smoking totally, ( its banned in pubs and clubs here) but if they did , it would be like prohibition in the US as other people have mentioned.

Joe The patches do help you stop - they supply you with the nicotine so your craving is far less than doing it cold turkey. I admit I cheated the 2nd week but when I lit a cigarette I didn't get the 'buzz' as my body already had the nicotine. As Jenny says it is not just down to willpower - you are an addict - your body needs the nicotine! Half the time you think you want a cigarette it's your body not you who needs it! Debby

I did not intend to add to this thread until the morning. But I do feel I have to now, after reading the post from Joe. Hi Joe, I really must disagree with you. Stopping smoking is definatley not all to do with 'willpower' I am a smoker, 20+ per day. If I had known way back when I started smoking, in the very late 60's I would never have started. Nicotine is a drug. I also have been told it is harder to give up than Heroin. I would give my left arm to stop.. Yes I have tried the patches, I did stop for 8 months two years ago. But am back on the terrible weed again. I have never ever been tempted to take any other form of drug, apart from alcohol. I do agree with the total ban on smoking in public places, I am hoping it will help me give up the weed. People who have never smoked or have only been a three a week person, just have no idea how hard it is to stop. I must just add, I do respect folks when smoking in public places. I will even walk out of a bus shelter in the pouring rain, if I need a ' FIX ' and someone else in there. Jenny who will be a non smoker one day, I hope.

I have read here much about 'patches' which costs less than cigarettes. My view of these patches is - Rubbish ! You can have patches on and still have the craving and still smoke - IF you are intent on giving up then buy some band-aids and stick them on your arm - what ever method you use the end result is down to simple Willpower.

Of course nicotine is a mind-altering drug but so is alcohol and caffeine. Possibly alcohol is more devasting in its overall effect than nicotine but, as prohibition in America showed, people-power is more than governments can cope with. As for laws banning this and that e.g hunting with dogs, some laws appear to be unenforceable. Len

oh and could also put higer tax on chocolate. and fast food places like macdonalds. derek

its easy and i can see not far off. tax internet users,like a tv licence. derek

Jacqui I am a non smoker but I am not gloating............ I'll admit I not objecting to a ban but the only time smoking ever really bothers me is if I'm eating or some inconsiderate person blows smoke in my face or waves their cig about so it's going in my face. Otherwise I have more important things to think about. Juliexx

These arguments always seem to be about rights and rarely about responsibilities. Bans on anything always produce a black market. It's the 'war on drugs' that inflates the prices and fuels the addict's need for more and more money to feed the habit rather than the need for more and more drugs themselves. Plenty of people use drugs on a daily basis and live perfectly functional lives. It goes in fashions as to what is and is not acceptable. Much literature and music is created under the influence and the artists hailed as geniuses. Politicians have been known to be addicted to opium and laudenum. It goes on and on. Society seems to be schizophrenic about the whole issue. I'd prefer to see everything de-criminalised - yes, everything - but for everyone to be responsible for how they behave if they choose to use mind-altering substances. None of this nonsense that 'he didn't mean to kill anyone when he got behind the wheel when he was drunk/high, so it's not really so bad,' or 'they beat her up when they were drunk/high so they didn't really know what they were doing'. We have plenty of laws in place to deal with abberant behaviour and if you steal to feed your habit or beat someone up it shouldn't matter if your're drunk, high or of sound mind. Let's face it, it's been said that sugar would be banned if it was discovered today! I'm all for a ban on smoking in public places , but please, what we do in our own homes should be our own business. Let the law intervene only if we affect someone else negatively. PS I don't smoke and I'm not a drug addict. :-)

The Government have short Memories, they use to send are Armed Forces free ciggies, and yes the increase of taxes lost by people not buying them will effect all TAX payers, just look at the air rage increase, people started drinking more when they banned people from smoking, i feel its about choice and yes respecting others, people should have that choice, to smoke or not to smoke, just as others have the choice to sit in smokey places or not, Oh and by the way the Government are still allowed to smoke in the bar at the Houses of Parliament Lil

Yes Edited: No

Of course tobacco is a drug - we all know that and acknowledge it, those of us who smoke - the latest escapade by this parliament is actually the usual 'smoke screen' (if you'll pardon the pun) to deflect away from other much more important and relevant matters being discussed at the moment about we (joe public) again have no say in the matter - I'm talking about the anti-terrorist bill. Let the non-smokers gloat (as they are doing) - it will be a 10 minute wonder - to enforce it totally will be impossible - any intelligen person can see that - so what is the point to it? I personally think there are far more important issues that need to be dealt with before smokers are once again persecuted, and I just wish parliament would get off their butts and sort out the country's security (for one thing) before all this tangent-building nonsense! Mind you, I suppose if a terrorist were having a crafy fag on the street before planting a bomb, and the police picked him up for smoking in a public place - then the ban might have some worth? lol Jacqui - who thinks the world has gone mad!

Roxanne, Good that you clarified that. Thought I was arguing against you for a change. Your comments are very apt. Happy days

Just to clarify my reason for this post, I think some of you think I am for this ban, IM NOT! My point is that, if tabacco is so harmful then they should ban it all together, but they wont because of the heavy taxes on tabacco. i just find the whole thing wrong, I would like to see lots of things banned or if not banned then at least changed. alcohol abuse is on the increase,smoking is on the decrease,what do they do extend Pub opening hours, ITS CRAZY!!! 1,

Helen I have the right to smoke and I do, I have the right to drink and I don't, I have the right to pollute the atmosphere with my car and I do. So you never ever go in a vehicle that pollutes the air, you never have a drink, hmm we all have rights. xxhugxx

Bob What are the other 4/5ths dying of - heart disease brought on by obesity perhaps? And how many of the 140k killed through smoking were non smokers? Debby

Lol Jean & Meercat And a ban on kids with snotty noses screaming at the checkouts at your local supermarket - not good for the stress levels. Loud crap music blasting out of cars - want to punch their lights out! Dog owners who let their dogs go to the toilet on playing fields or pavements - now that is dangerous too! Ooo this is fun! Debby

'One in two long-term smokers will die prematurely as a result of smoking – half of these in middle age. The most recent estimates show that around 114,000 people in the UK are killed by smoking every year, accounting for one fifth of all UK deaths.' Around 3500 people are killed on the roads and only about one fifth is alcohol related. Lets get it right Bob

If the sale of cigarettes is harming the health of the nation I advocate a total bann on alcohol (I don't care 'cause I don't drink), a total bann on all fast food outlets (all mothers to be introduced to fresh vegetables and how to cook them), a total bann on all transport except for bicycles and a total bann of mobile phones because they upset my karma and I HATE THEM. Jean (an ex smoker of 6 years who believes it is a persons choice whether to smoke or not to smoke).