No Smoking

[howie]

With less than a month before the new smoking ban takes effect i,m wondering how others feel about it. Another nail in the coffin of democracy or something long overdue with regard to passive smoking etc.

I gave it up 12 years 232 days and 14 hours ago and its never bothered me since, but during that time it has become something of a political and social no no.

What does suprise me is the enthusiasm this goverment has shown pushing this law through. Perhaps i,m being cynical, but I imagined they would be more than happy to see half the population cough itself into a early grave rather than see a large drop in the lucrative revenue the tobbaco industry pours into their coffers. (no pun intended)

[Forester]

I stopped smoking around 35 years ago used to smoke 70 Park Drive a day at least, i was pulling a pint of mild when i looked at my near black nicotine stained fingers & i said to myself "thats it"  I've never looked back since. The BIG problem is with the weight you taste food better thus eating more!!!! (well i do) Maggie has never smoked. When we go into a house where they do smoke, to me anyway it stinks. I remember one lad in our pub who smokes cigars & blows it over the bar & on to you telling him i drink beer do you want my waste of that!. No8 No8 No8

[Lizzy]

The no smoking Law also covers company cars - so no smoking is allowed in lorries, reps cars etc. as they are considered a 'place of work'.

 

I have never smoked but believe this Law to be heavy handed. It is taking away choice. At least let those people who need to smoke have a room put aside and not have to stand outside in all weathers ...... where the smoke often blows across me if they are in the street *-)

[chas]

I have never smoked, and was always irritated when eating out to inhale fag smoke from people who light up as soon as they had finished the last mouthful. I can smell cigerette smoke from 100yds away. I think the goverment have got this one right. My concern is we see young people mainly girls and women puffing away, its a fashion statment they assume it makes them look street cred. At £5.50 for 20 fags ! I thought motorcaravanning was expensive 8-) chas

[MandyAndy]

I gave up 5 years ago, loved it at the time but just knew it was the right thing to do, money wise and the thing that tipped it for me was the smell, not what I gave off in the atmosphere but what I carried around with me on my hair , clothes and breath, something a smoker can never smell on others or themselves.

 

I do think it is harsh and rooms for smoking are a great idea, they smell really awful , having worked in nursing homes and residential establishments where both staff and residents where allowed to partake, the smell was enough to make even the hardened 60 a day puffers give up.

 

I was in a shoe shop yesterday one of the assistants in her 50's had a huge coughing fit, and they had to get her some water. As I left the shop she was standing outside , yeah you guessed having a crafty fag!! I laughed and said "no wonder you can cough for England". we then got into conversation as you do and she wanted to know what made me give up, "because you smell " I replied, and I explained how customers could smell it when she served them, she looked genuinely surprised. With any luck she may make a bit more of an effort to give up especially as she told me her hubby had given up 4 years ago.

 

But her choice and is everyone elses, the answer lies as it does in so many things these days in just having respect for others choices too.

 

Mandy

[chas]

Hi Mandy- I cannot have respect for someones choice of habit if thier passive smoking gives me lung cancer, sorry chas :-(

[Thai Bry]

I stopped smoking about 9 years ago, going from 50-60 a day on Marlboro's or Camels - no puns please to none!!!! Not really missed them, don't mind going into a smoking environment, but what I hate the most is the lingering smell on my clothes when I come home!!!

I also hate eating areas where there is no solid wall between smoking and non smoking sections, might as well allow people to smoke anywhere.There is of course the freedom of choice bit, but having been a smoker I have always promised that I would never become one of those"Born again ex smokers".I'm sure all brewery companies will be helping with putting up outside smoking areas. I feel that when all the hew and cry has calmed down, it will be business as usual.

All I can say is that I'm pleased that I'm a non smoker.

Thai

[Dave Newell]

As a born again non smoker I say it's long overdue! Never mind the smokers rights to choose whether or not to smoke what about my rights to breathe fresh air while I'm eating, drinking, playing darts or whatever? I like a drink or two and the residue of this is wee. How many smokers would be happy to wake up in the morning and find their clothes smelling of wee? Well every time I go to the pub I come back home and my clothes stink of stale tobacco smoke so what's the difference.

 

Earlier this year one of the big pub chains who had last year made a number of their pubs into no smoking establishments announced that the profits for those pubs had increased by 50%!

 

D.

[Mel B]

Can't stand the smell or the pollution that smoking creates. I suffered for many years by having to work in an office with someone who smoked heavily and then eventually got bronchitus and wasn't able to shift it due to the smoke - my doctor eventually wrote me a letter to take to work to tell them that the problem was smoke related. I didn't like having to do it but had no choice and by heck did I feel guilty for it. Anyway the person in question stopped smoking in the office and went into the common room instead but unfortunately some of the 'idiots' I worked with thought it was great fun to come into the office with their ciggies etc and blow smoke my way ... and these were well educated teaching professionals! Eventually I left and got a job working for someone who didn't smoke, their loss, not mine, I used to put in 110% effort for them but my replacement usually only put in the 10%!

 

Now I hate going into anywhere where smoking is allowed, I just can't take it and often end up with a cough, sore throat etc, just after a couple of minutes ... I jest not and no it's not psychosomatic, sometimes I got the sore throat before I'd realised someone had been smoking as the 'fumes' were not very strong!

 

So, if people want to smoke, that's fine, just don't 'poison' anyone else in the process please. If pubs etc want more custom then imposing the ban and keeping it going is the best way ... I know quite a few people who won't go in pubs because of the problem of smoking so once it's stopped I'm sure others who also avoid them now will be more than happy to frequent them.

 

Oh, as for the smell, how would smokers like it if I constantly f*rted in their company and the smell whafted their way all the time? Wouldn't be very nice would it? At least it wouldn't linger on their clothes and wouldn't be poisoning them ... (by the way this is only hypothetical ... I don't do it in public!!!!) (lol)

[Dave Newell]

"Oh, as for the smell, how would smokers like it if I constantly f*rted in their company and the smell whafted their way all the time? Wouldn't be very nice would it? At least it wouldn't linger on their clothes and wouldn't be poisoning them ... (by the way this is only hypothetical ... I don't do it in public!!!!) "

 

But surely Mel, being a lady you don't do it at all do you? >:-)

 

D.

[Brian Kirby]

Oh Dave, humour the lady!  Lets just pretend she does, 'cos then we can answer her question.  The answer, of course, being that they wouldn't even notice because, being smokers, their olfactory processes would be incapable of registering the fact.  However, the non-smokers present would notice, but would blame the smokers for the smell, since they would assume the smokers were only pretending not to notice - for the obvious reason.  At this point, leave the room and let them all fight it out!

[Mel B]

Dave, thanks for that, as a lady of course I don't really do it, it's always the dogs you understand ... now they could win the Olympic Gold for f*rting, especially the little male one!! They just lay there, all cute and cuddly looking, as if butter wouldn't melt ... and then all of a sudden there's a little whoosh noise and you know what's coming ... seconds later we're gasping for fresh air!!! Of course, my husband always says its the dogs ... but I know better, especailly when they suddenly disappear behind the couch before it hits. (lol)

[Don Madge]

I'm wondering if there are any exemptions to the ban.

 

My 97 year old mother lives in residential care and a few of the residents smoke.

 

The staff nip outside for a quick puff but I can't imagine a 90 year old nipping out for a smoke in the depths of winter.

 

I'm visiting her in a couple of weeks I'll make some enquiries.

 

Don

[Guest caraprof]

Someone should tell your mother that smoking is harmful and that if she carries on she won't live to a ripe old age.

[howie]

There are quite a few exemptions Don and residential care homes could be one of them. I know our local hospital is making provisions for both staff and patients who wish to smoke, but what really supprised me during my late Stepmothers stay at a Marie Curie hospice was the smoking room for their patients. Sadly they must take the view that the damage is done and making your last few days as comforting as possible comes first.

[CliveH]

I am a reformed smoker and I feel sorry for all those smokers who come up against someone like me because - seriously!!! - hell hath no fury like a reformed smoker.

 

Issac Asimov once said "I no more want to breath your expelled smoke that I want to wade thro' your excreta!"

 

And having achieved what must be one of the most fulfilling achievements of all time - i.e. beating an addiction! - I applaud this law and support it 100%.

 

My local Pub will be all the more attractive to me if it is not filled with claggie fumes.

 

[breakaleg]

I was a sixty a day man until thirty years ago, the choice was a van or smoke, couldnt afford both.

until four years i used to deliver to supermarkets and got to know most of the staff quite well, the biggest gripe amongst them was(all lrg supermarkets have been no smoking for quite a few years now) that staff that smoke, have fag breaks throught out the day, those who don't are expected to work, and only take their alloted breaks, this is more likley if the manager smokes.

also i have heard that those who smoke outside on the street, tsb bank by us, do this will be targetted by the litter police.

i thought this was a little over the top, until you realise just how many fag ends there are after a weeks smoking,

[foxy]

spent a month in Southern Ireland where there has a been a ban for a while. No one had a problem with it and it was nice to come out not smelling of stale baccy. In malta a few weks ago and again they have had a ban for a while, no problems there either.

What I do find hard to believe is the fact that England is one of last to introduce it.

[Don Madge]

foxy - 2007-06-08 11:47 AM

 

spent a month in Southern Ireland where there has a been a ban for a while. No one had a problem with it and it was nice to come out not smelling of stale baccy. In malta a few weks ago and again they have had a ban for a while, no problems there either.

What I do find hard to believe is the fact that England is one of last to introduce it.

 

Hi Foxy,

 

Can you imagine trying to ban smoking in France, thousands would take up smoking just so they can take to the streets and protest and claim "It's my right"

 

Germany we find is very bad for smoking, we would eat out more if there was a smoking ban in restaurants.

 

Turkey and Greece are also very bad. We only eat out at lunch time or when we can sit outside in the open and even then there's smokers about.

 

In the past I have ask people not to smoke while we are eating, stating "I don't practise my disgusting habits in public and I expect others to do the same".

 

You can see their brains working overtime trying to figure out what I might do. 8-) 8-)

 

Don

[Guest caraprof]

Don Madge said:

In the past I have ask (sic) people not to smoke while we are eating, stating "I don't practise my disgusting habits in public and I expect others to do the same".

Your manners appear to be your most disgusting habit and it does appear that you are practising them in public!

"I expect others to do the same."

If talked to me like that I'd be tempted to snub out my cigarette on your pompous nose!

This is what I would say:

"Excuse me sir/madam but I find that cigarette smoke ruins my enjoyment of a meal and I wonder if you'd be so kind as to put out your cigarette?"

If he or she then complied I would thank them sincerely for their co-operation.

God save us all from born-again Christians, born again non-mokers and all of the other fascists who want to treat those with other views as some kind of sub-species.

Finally, I have never smoked and broadly support the ban but why oh why do we always have to go so stupidly far as, for example, banning a company van driver or car driver from smoking in a vehicle that only he will occupy?

[Don Madge]

Oh Carapoof,

 

I never thought anybody would take it seriously, and you being such a knowledgeable chap as well :-D :-D

 

Don

[Dave Newell]

"If talked to me like that I'd be tempted to snub out my cigarette on your pompous nose!"

 

That's a good way of waking up with pipes in every orifice and being fed by a tube up your left nostril Frank!

 

D.

[Mel B]

caraprof - 2007-06-08 3:00 PMp>God save us all from born-again Christians, born again non-mokers and all of the other fascists who want to treat those with other views as some kind of sub-species.Just because someone has a different view they are insulted yet again by being called fascists, hey ho, and caraprof ISN'T supposed to be Frank of course!? Must've been separated at birth then.(lol)

Finally, I have never smoked and broadly support the ban but why oh why do we always have to go so stupidly far as, for example, banning a company van driver or car driver from smoking in a vehicle that only he will occupy?

Because IMV the vehicle is company 'premises' and even though he/she may be the person driving it then, it may have to be someone else when they're on holiday, off sick, leave the company etc. That's not even taking into account the 'damage' that smoking in vehicles causes - yes, even with the window open the car/van still ends up stinking of smoke. I certainly wouldn't buy a vehicle that had been smoked in - would you? And don't even get me started on the totally selfish individuals who think it's okay to throw their cigarette stubs out of the window and flick their ash out to save 'dirtying' their vehicles .... ever had a cigarette butt go down your shirt when you're on a motorbike? Not ruddy funny!!!>:-)

[Guest peter]

caraprof - 2007-06-08 3:00 PM

Don Madge said:

In the past I have ask (sic) people not to smoke while we are eating, stating "I don't practise my disgusting habits in public and I expect others to do the same".

Your manners appear to be your most disgusting habit and it does appear that you are practising them in public!

"I expect others to do the same."

If talked to me like that I'd be tempted to snub out my cigarette on your pompous nose!

This is what I would say:

"Excuse me sir/madam but I find that cigarette smoke ruins my enjoyment of a meal and I wonder if you'd be so kind as to put out your cigarette?"

If he or she then complied I would thank them sincerely for their co-operation.

God save us all from born-again Christians, born again non-mokers and all of the other fascists who want to treat those with other views as some kind of sub-species.

Finally, I have never smoked and broadly support the ban but why oh why do we always have to go so stupidly far as, for example, banning a company van driver or car driver from smoking in a vehicle that only he will occupy?

Couldn't agree more Caraprof. God protect us from these pompous self satisfied bigots. How dare they. If they don't like smelly pub's then don't go in. Or go to a no smoking one. Their choice.

[Mel B]

That's the problem though, it's not as simple as that ... the pompous self-centred smoking bigots are in all the pubs! 8-) Yes, you can choose to go into a pub that appears to be non-smoking only to be half way through a meal, drink or whatever and then some selfish smoker comes in and stinks the place out without any consideration for anyone else in there. It really gets up my nose .. in more than one way!!! *-)