General Chat

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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 !!