Smoking discussion

[RayL]

"You can start a smoking discussion here, Ray. Put it in the Lounge and see how you get on!
Iain Purdon"

A paper tube filled with smouldering vegetable leaf that fouls the air and causes cancers, heart disease and can lead to an earlier death both for the smoker and for those that the smoker chooses to breathe over? A substance that causes changes to the human body which leave the smoker addicted? Why would anyone want to have anything to do with such a dangerous thing?

Lets start with the selfish actions.
Smokers don't keep their tobacco smoke to themselves, Their bad-smelling, dangerous, smoke contaminates anything that it touches - skin, clothes, furnishings, surfaces.
Smokers drop ash when they are smoking, polluting the ground and causing litter.
Smokers drop their cigarette ends, polluting the ground and causing litter.
Smokers discard their empty cigarette packets, causing litter.

(Yes, there may be some smokers who never smoke in public, but they are a very, very small minority)

Then there's the psychological side.
To choose to inhale dangerous, addictive, chemicals is, by definition, a stupid thing to do and to continue to do so shows weakness.

And of course, the world loses
All the arable land that is growing dangerous, addictive, tobacco could be used for growing food to benefit people.

What's the answer?
No Smoking in public. No smoking in town and in countryside. Smoking only between consenting adults in private.
Too big a leap in one go? The 'halfway house' is No Smoking in shopping centres, bus routes, parks, squares, and outside schools and office buildings. That could be brought in immediately.

Now it's your chance to reply.
Any reasons in favour of smoking? (apart from "because I want to do it" and "because I don't care about anyone else")

Ray

[nivramarvin]

Here in Bavaria smoking is not not allowed in any pub or restaurant. People always meet outside for smoking.

I'm an occasional smoker. This time I have a cold and don't smoke. But I must say I'm looking forward to my next cigarette, when I'm healthy again.

[Moderne]

I agree with everything you say, Ray, and your 'halfway house' suggestion seems quite reasonable. We have come a long way though; when I was young (I'm 53 now) I accepted that my clothes would stink of smoke whenever I went into a public place - pub, canteen etc. It was a fact of life! I also accepted that many friends and relatives would smoke in my presence. That's all unimaginable now.

There remains the question of how we persuade people we care about and love who are addicted to smoking to stop - because of all the health reasons you state above, even if they go out of their way to make sure they don't offend anyone else with their smoking. There seems to be some argument as to whether vaping (or 'E'-type fags!) are healthy and risk-free...

I feel incredibly fortunate that, in an era when the majority of people smoked - neither of my parents did, and I feel ashamed that I myself have been a (light) smoker in the past...

[anniv 63]

Remember the time when you bought a 2nd hand car in the 1950s, and you could
almost guarantee it came with a smoke grey interior roof lining, because of the felt
type cloth used , blackened immediately with tobacco fumes!!!!
Then the penny dropped in the 60s when the material was changed to a plastic / vinyl
type. Solved the problem? nah- then you got a yellow tobacco stain roof instead!!!!
Even with soap and water it never came back white again.

Mike

[UlrichS]

Hi Ray,

There cannot be much said against your arguments against smoking.
As Wolfgang already mentioned smoking in pubs, restaurants and a lot of public places like railway stations (except sometimes tiny and windy areas on platforms) is not allowed in Germany as is at most - I am not sure about all - working places inside buildings. If this is different from the UK it looks as if we have solved some of the 'smoking problems' over here.
One big problem is that smokers are biologically addicted to the nicotine and psychologically to the habit of smoking. I have been smoking around 35 - 40 Gauloises (untipped, black tobacco) per day until I stopped some 35 years ago. The biological addiction was cured within some 10 days, the psychological addiction took very much longer. There are so many situations where I was used to light a fag: after all meals, entering the car, leaving the car, accompanying a beer or even a cup of coffee. This lasted nearly a year if I remember correctly.
If someone is willing to stop smoking there are several ways to succeed. My wife did it with one session of acupuncture, others use nicotine chewing gums or nicotine plasters. There are quite some ways to support a smoker wanting to stop it.
However, the main problem is making smokers wanting to stop it. If they don't seriously want to stop they will very unlikely succeed. I got the kick when I was playing cards with friends. At an exciting point I lit a cigarette and one of the other players said to me 'Wouldn't you prefer to finish those two cigarettes of you that smoke in the ashtray?" That was my last cigarette for about one year when I got a kickback due to stress a work. Two months later I made my next attempt. From the previous experience I knew I could do it. It worked until today. Very helpful was the support of family and friends who encouraged me very much.
I should not conceal the fact that I have increased weight significantly during this phase, mainly not because of non-smoking but from eating sweets as substitute. On the other hand my ability to taste and smell increased after about one year of non-smoking in an unbelievable amount. I would not dare to say that I am a connoiseur now, but I have gained much more enjoyment for eating and drinking.
I can only encourage each and every smoker wanting to stop it. Good luck if you do.

Ulrich

[Nick Allan]

Vaping is the way to do it. If you do your research you will find that all the recent health reports from credible sources conclude that it is at least 95% safer than smoking. The 5% is left because we don't yet have any long term studies to eliminate that - but they are expected to. And there is no risk from second hand inhalation.

[RayL]

Thanks for all your replies. In the early days of The Shadows (before the health warnings), smoking was such a common thing that non-smokers had no choice but to live and breathe in the world of the smoker.

Shadows.JPG (123.95 KiB) Viewed 13992 times

Buses, trains, cinemas, theatres and other public places reeked. Pubs were particularly bad.

The change has become a class thing. The middle classes have abandoned smoking, in the same way that they have abandoned sugar in tea and coffee.

Vaping may seem 'safer' for the person doing it, but they still breathe clouds of smoke over other people. In fact the smoke from vaping seems greater than from cigarettes. The same rule should apply - vaping only between consenting adults in private.
Ray

[Nick Allan]

The thing to remember, though, is that it is NOT smoke, and does not contain any of the poisons in tobacco smoke. Nothing is being burned, indeed, you can get "smoke" free vaping liquid. It has no effect on others, although out of pure good manners one should not blow it in people's faces.
Many devices do not put much out, usually only the box mods. It is worth researching the medical reports if one wants to know the truth, rather than the scare stories - and as a quit aid, it works.

[nivramarvin]

I'm very happy about my son, who was able to stop heavy smoking cigarettes immediately by vaping the E-cigarette.

[Uncle Fiesta]

I had a contribution to make, but it was slightly off-topic so decided to start a new thread on it.

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