Smoking

[DivineMissG]

Well I think the total percentage is the best way to do it really.

It doesn't give a true reading though because of the differing numbers of people... I know there was that ONE report by one of the heart foundations which said Oz was bigger... But almost every other report has shown otherwise.

Can't believe everything (or anything?) you read/hear about in the media!

[fetishbootslut]

I wouldn't say 'we'... I'd say the Government... They don't do school lunches in Oz. Clearly kids are better off bringing lunch from home when we have such ignorant twats running countries!

But then again, just because most countries follow trends in America, doesn't mean we have to like it!

I mean "we" as the royal "we" in figure of speech. Our goverment normally follows other conuntires especially the amercians stupid ideas.

[English Kate]

I remember getting my clothes and body parts burned at nightclubs back in the day I thought I was still enjoying them. I'm glad it's nearly all gone now too.

[Heather_Edwards]

Do you smoke? Yes
If so what made you start? School/Folks Fighting all the time lol
Do you want to give up? Well tryed to, But I enjoy goin outside avin a smoke, I ave cut down to 5 day and on mentols
How do you feel about people that smoke? Kool about it, as long its not around people with health probs & Childen etc.
How do you feel about the persecution of smokers by some? Its good we smoke outside, I enjoy smokin outdoors then indoors, u smell less lol and your free to feel the wind and look at the stars

[English Kate]

From a non smokers point of view (always have been a non smoker). I find it a tad annoying that when out with a few friends some of them keep disappearing to go outside when you're at the pub to have a smoke. You either get left behind or you go with them and end up no better off than you were when the pub was a smoking zone.

Also, I have a particular friend who seems to come back with a guys number everytime she goes out to smoke, as it is so easy to strike up conversation when you are outside smoking, ie, 'do you have a light?'. My friend is pretty average looking and doesn't dress up or anything, she is also very tall and skinny, but is confident in a conversation.

So, I can understand why young people continue to smoke, as there are times when I have wished smoking wasn't bad for you, as I would have done it if it was a non toxic social pass time.

[abcdef]

have to say did notice that when travelling up & down south with the bus, people were exchangiung numbers

[sarahxxx]

From a non smokers point of view (always have been a non smoker). I find it a tad annoying that when out with a few friends some of them keep disappearing to go outside when you're at the pub to have a smoke. You either get left behind or you go with them and end up no better off than you were when the pub was a smoking zone.

Went into a town centre pub sat night and it was nearly empty, they had a covered area out the back that jammed solid with smokers and their friends

Sarah

[English Kate]

From a non smokers point of view (always have been a non smoker). I find it a tad annoying that when out with a few friends some of them keep disappearing to go outside when you're at the pub to have a smoke. You either get left behind or you go with them and end up no better off than you were when the pub was a smoking zone.

Went into a town centre pub sat night and it was nearly empty, they had a covered area out the back that jammed solid with smokers and their friends

Sarah

Sounds about right to me

[Tom Tanner]

With another attack on the smoker this morning, what do you think about smoking?

Do you smoke?
If so what made you start?
Do you want to give up?
How do you feel about people that smoke?
How do you feel about the persecution of smokers by some?

I do not smoke never have nor would I start, I do understand that it can be an addiction, so can be hard for people to give up.

Personally I am glad of the smoking ban in pubs etc. the air is cleaner and your clothes do not carry the smell of other people smoking

Smokers can be inconsiderate, they are often seen walking around in crowded streets waving their cigarette around and even holding them low which can result in harm to children passing by. Clothes are often burnt by other peoples cigarettes.

Smokers cost the NHS a fortune, true, but I am sure that if you were a business and took the income from the tax on smokers and deducted the cost of NHS treatment you would probably be in profit.

Just to get the topic going...

Sarah

Hi Sarah
Interesting topic!

I suppose I started smoking because at the time nearly all male role models did. James Bond certainly did, and he got all the fast cars, beautiful women and travel to exotic locations. Never once saw him coughing his guts up after a heavy night or a girl refusing to kiss him 'cos he tasted like an ashtray!

People that have never smoked cannot know how addictive it is and how difficult it is to give up. I speak from some experience having been a heavy (40+ per day) smoker, given it up for six years, started again, and now I've given it up again - I hope for good.

I try hard not to be a self-righteous born again non-smoker, but it is difficult as I know that I'm basically a nicotine addict and always will be, so I do try to avoid being in places where people are smoking, and I don't like people smoking around me.

I was probably very inconsiderate myself when I smoked, but in my view this is simply a symptom of the addiction. As with most addicts, like druggies and alcoholics, consideration for others is secondary to the need to satisfy the addiction. This does not mean that smokers are necessarily bad people.

I travel abroad a lot and I hate visiting countries where smoking is allowed as it just takes me back to the "bad old days" when my clothing permanently smelt of cigarette smoke. Now it only smells of stale sweat and splatters of curry!

The government attitude to smokers I find pretty distasteful. It seems that they don't mind receiving all the tax revenue, but then treat smokers as second-class citizens. I never tried getting any NHS help to give up as I always felt that I would end up being patronised by some "health professional" who had never smoked and therefore had absolutely no concept of the difficulties involved.

I know that when I smoked, most of the time I really didn't want to, and I suspect that if most smokers were entirely honest, they would say the same.

[Nick Meanswell]

You make an interesting point Tom. I have never smoked, apart from a brief flirtation with pipe smoking in my teens, encouraged by my father who thought it might be good for me for some reason.

My wife used to smoke up until the day we married 29 years ago, and she is unbearable if someone is smoking close to her, making loud comments about how disgusting it is etc. i had never thought that it might be just fear that she might be tempted to restart.