SCOSaltire

buckrogers
he stopped didnt he?

i have not been to a pub or eating place that allowed smoking, by choice, for a number of years now.
My choice was seriously limited because EVERY pub/club had smoking.
Now its flipped the other way - we can all go into places - but the smokers have to go outside to inhale cancerous substances.
In 10 years time i bet that there will be alot less smokers.

All these people saying 'how would we survive without the money from tobacco, tax on petrol' etc.
People will spend money - just on different things. The money, and tax (ok, its at a different rate, but things work out) will still be in the system.

If you dont ****e on the floor, u dont have to clean it up.

pslewis

Pay me the fine and I'll let yer

Pete

LG John

I know I'll make many enemies saying this but I'm not afraid to state what I feel and that is that I do see smokers as a weak. Of course many/most smokers are better people than me, more educated, of greater moral fibre, etc, etc but the second they spark up and draw on a smelly stick that serves no purpose then I see them as no different to the drunk in the street begging for £2 to buy a can of Skoll.

The fact that people compare smoking to drinking scares me! Most drinkers have a social drink every now and then or at the weekend for the taste, to relax, let go, etc. They do NOT drink excessively every day. Alcoholics do that and we all frown on them. Very few (although some do) smoke only on certain days or circumstances. Most smokers smoke a number of cigs a day for no reason than that they feel they need it. Its like any addiction.....break the back of it and you realise that it was just that, 'an addiction'. I notice it every few months or so when I switch to a sensible diet and have to try to give up sugary treats. It seems impossible but once you do it you realise you have no real desire to eat them and feel all the better for not having sugar spikes.

Buckrogers

You already have enough money, I'd rather give it to his Tonyness, he needs it, Brown is in trouble

pslewis

They are NOT random at ALL!!

I am STILL waiting for you, or another smoker, to state your logical reasons FOR smoking, and for wanting others to smoke your gases too??

I don't think you can offer any, so you go on a rant thats NEARLY as pathetic as you smoking DEEERRRRR Brain!!

Pete

Buckrogers

I applaud Pete for stopping. I don't applaud Pete for calling me stupid, as an ex-smoker.

Buckrogers

Pete I am still waiting for YOUR logical REASON for smoking for 29 years?

LG John

I don't understand how people start smoking to be honest. When I was a teen I tried it a few times but everytime it hurt my lungs like hell (sort of like a weight on them) and made me dizzy and sick feeling. I felt no benefit so saw no reason to continue trying Do some people just drag a *** for the first time and think, 'where have you been all my life?'

pslewis

I am NOT the one killing people!!

I'm still waiting .................. there isn't ONE logical reason is there?? (I know I searched for a reason for years!!)

So, just STOP!! I did, I just said one night, thats it!

But, then again, I am smarter than you

Pete

imlach

Compare to first :

- pint of beer
- first gin & tonic
- first vodka
- first port

etc....all made to make you barf at first taste. FFS, beer - kids spend their whole childhood craving sweet drinks, and then they taste beer and go "pluergh!". Yet they persist......

Exact same thing. Also with ****, you've got to remember the "cool/hard" aspect (not so big now admittedly), the rebellion factor, and also (in women) the fact that they supposedly keep you thin.

Too many reasons other than taste

imlach

Drinking is as bad a problem now as smoking was. The number of people who drink heavily/binge drink yet do not realise the long term damage it is doing are HUGE. Cirrhosis is rapidly increasing in the 20-something & 30-something age groups. As are oral cancers.

..and by binge drinking, we're not talking about people standing on street corners. We're talking about well-educated male & female professionals who think nothing of a 20-unit session on a Fri & Sat night. *THAT* is medically as dangerous as smoking.

One thing you have to remember is that cigarettes contain very strong addictive chemicals. Sugary foods do not to the same extent. I know it seems that simplistic, but it is not. It is FAR more physically tough to stop smoking than it is to stop eating sugary foods. Sure, some can just stop there & then, but others struggle.

pslewis

Hmmmmm, not one of them a LOGICAL reason though?

Pete

imlach

Of course not. No-one would logically take up smoking in this day & age. It's the other non-logical reasons that make them start......the closest thing to logical could be as a stress-reliever, but again, no-one would logically choose that as the preferred solution.

pslewis

Good points imlach

Must go to bed - PUFF has locked my other thread and told me to retire - so, I'd better do as he says!!

Pete

LG John

Have to disagree there. I was not sick when I first had booze although I'll admit the taste did not instantly suit me. However, I DID enjoy the feeling of being drunk and that is why I continued to drink. As I see it though the ONLY think a smoker can feel in those first few days/weeks is that they are 'cool' or 'hard' cause they smoke. For me there was no instant benefit to smoking so I didn't do it again. With drink there was. With cannabis there wasn't as it didn't do anything for me the first few times so I bonged a MASSIVE amount of the stuff and ended up hullucinating (sp?) on and off for about 3 days which wasn't much fun so I stopped doing that too. Similarly, I touched fire when I was a boy and realised there was no benefit to that so stopped doing that too.

The one habit I just can't kick is flogging the dolphin

imlach

SB,

The trouble is - the nasty corporate cigarette companies now put powerful addictive chemicals in their nasty brown & white sticks. It only takes a few days/weeks of "experimenting & looking cool" to get a taste for those nasty chemicals.

Said cigarette companies are not daft

Anyway, they're not too bothered about smoking bans in the West. Their new gullible targets are the third world (Africa, India, China, etc) where smoking is still seen as "cool". Perhaps a sign of affluence and a conformance to western culture. Their marketing has evolved, learnt the lessons from the West, and targetted these vulnerable people using targetted free cigarette marketing campaigns etc.

As I said, cigarette companies are not stupid. Some very intelligent non-smokers work for them. Just as you'll see the board members of drinks companies (specifically S&N here in Edinburgh) trying to reject the smoking ban. Said executives know that a smoking ban will dent the corporate profits of drinks companies.

Sadly, it's all about the corporate merry-go-round these days. The health of the world comes last.

imlach

...and nor should you stop.

Research has shown that frequent masturbation by men lowers the risk of prostrate cancer in later life. This is currently explained by the frequent regeneration/removal of lingering semen/sperm.

Aside from the HUGE patches of hair on the backs of your hands, there aren't many downsides to the sport.

Talking of which....I'm off....

LG John

Its been like that pretty much all of my life!!! Sad state of affairs

I'm off too

Vegescoob

And how are we to wean people off this total addiction to fast cars ? Some are so hooked that they make them even faster?
How did they get started? Just a little demo drive or with a friend already hooked and that's it. They then need that constant fix.
Funny old species aren't we.

letdown

Yes well done on congratulating another draconian law. It’s too late the UK is turning into a Police state.

Leslie

The point is, passive smoking has been proved to be injurious to others. Non smokers therefore have a perfect right to expect smokers not to cause them to have to breathe their old smoke.

If you want to smoke that is entirely your own choice and that is how it should be. But it is reasonable to make a law to protect those who do not want to be damaged by it. Smokers have made a rod for their own backs by insisting on smoking in restaurants etc which is very unpleasant for those who would like to be able to eat or drink without having to put up with that.

If you want to shorten your own life in this manner then that is up to you. No one can say they are immune to the consequences, genetically or just down to pure luck. Sooner or later you may well be sitting in front of a doctor being told you have not got much time left. Worth imagining what thats like as you reach for another one!

Have you also thought about your arteries and the effects on your heart. Nothing to do with genetics this time. You will eventually risk finding out the effects of angina pains which is an indication of an impending coronary blockage and the ensuing heart attack. Very painfull and lifelong damage to your heart if you are lucky enough to survive the attack.

I can also assure you that a triple or quad bypass is a very major operation and not to be taken lightly. It is a good cure providing you did not have a heart attack first, but not a pleasant experience believe me. One to be avoided! I know because it happened to me.

Yes I am an ex smoker like PSL, and was silly enough to start for the same reasons that he did. Thankfully I managed to stop too and I well know how difficult that is to do. I stopped 8 years before the quad bypass for your interest.

Its up to you of course if you wish to continue, but it is only right that you should understand the likely consequences of doing so and then your decision is made on a wider basis rather than just hiding the true facts from yourself.

It is absolutely fair however that non smokers should be protected from the effects of your habit.

Les

Jap2Scrap

I give up..

I was never complaining about "the law" in essence. I certainly would never smoke in an area predesignated as non-smoking and nor would I feel that I was being victimised because of it. I don't smoke in front of children, in non-smoker's houses (even those who say 'it's fine, you can have a cigarette if you want'), in restaurants I always sit in the n/s section because I can't stand the smoke around while I'm eating. Even before it was outlawed I didn't smoke at the bar in a pub (I used to have a n/s ex gf who worked behind a bar and she had a smokers cough!). I do smoke in pubs as a rule because it's accepted behaviour but when it isn't I won't. You're really missing my point. To those of you who say "It's a choice.." Yes it is! I don't tell people who drink more than one unit a day to cut down cos they're going to get liver disease. I don't stop kids in the street and tell them that too many sweets are going to rot their teeth. I don't stand outside McDonalds with banners saying "You're Fat And You're Going To Die, Therefore You're Wasting Valuable Space On The NHS Lists." I don't give parachutists lessons on the effects of human error and gravity.

Please stop assuming that I'd blow smoke in your face just because you're a non smoker. I respect your right to choose. Respect mine.

Wish

iTrader: (2)

Well what can I say!
From calling Pete a w@**er in the last thread of mine he posted in. To totally agreeing with him in this one.


Its a strange world ...............

FrenchBoy

Sod the health aspect of it! Smoking is just plain unpleasant. The smell of your clothes after you've been to a pub/club is disgusting.

We have a no smoking policy at work and you can smell the smokers a mile off when they come back inside. Are they unaware of how repulsive they smell?

For this reason alone it beggers belief why people do it. Those chemicals must be mighty powerful.

letdown

As it would be absolutely fair for us to be protected from ex-smokers and their habitual ramblings and the "I have given up so why cant you tosh"

imlach

The point is though, drinking, eating sweets, eating at Macdonalds, and parachuting is a PERSONAL choice that has no direct 3rd party implications.

Smoking, by its nature, has a direct impact on any 3rd party standing nearby. You can't escape the smoke. Therefore, by smoking a public place, you are DIRECTLY having a negative impact on the lives of those around you.

If you drink alcohol or eat a big mac in a public place, the 3rd party does not have to share the effects of the alcohol or big mac you are consuming.

THAT is the difference.

imlach

If I came into a pub, sat next to a smoker, and let off a smoke bomb, do you think they'd complain?

LG John

THIS is the bottom line, well said. The thing is I can go into a pub with a mate who is T-total and can get absolutely sh!tfaced whilst he sups on a cokes. The difference is no matter how long we sit there he won't get any alcohol from my actions but he would get passive smoke if I was lighting up.

Glad someone mentioned the smell. Smelling your clothes after a night in the pub really brings it home!!

letdown

And you will go home smelling of lavender and pot pori instead?

pah!

simple plan

i work in a pub and i don`t smoke but its the worse smell ever every night i work i have to have a shower just to get rid of the smell before i go to bed.. and the fact that apprantely i passive smoke about 3 **** a night.can be scary!!!!