paulry

It's time to stand up for smokers' rights


A good article and as a former smoker who suffered for at least ten years from the bigotry it has my full support.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Fully agree with the sentiment. I'm a ex-smoker, over 10 years since I last smoked, but much of the rhetoric and legislation used against smokers these days is total bollocks.


"Come on down" the 'I have the right to clean air brigade'.

Amazulu

I've never smoked but even I agree with the general context of your article.

brissybee

I am a former smoker who has lung damage because of smoking. My brother had a heart attack, in his forties, because of smoking. My father had emphysema and died.

Smoking is a disgusting waste of good lives.

However... and here is the crime... it is a legal activity.

Therefore, those who choose to smoke should have choices, so long as they don't impact on others.

The true criminals in the smoking debate are the governments who continue to allow an addictive drug to be freely available whilst reaping the taxes it brings... and the cigarette companies who target young people as the next generation of suckers.

The addicts aren't to blame. The pushers are.

DeadVim

Yeeeeeup!

Good Drug = Taxed
Bad Drug = Untaxed

Kooky.

Can't send you any more karma just now so wanted to say, as somebody who has never had so much as a drag on a cigarette, I totally agree with you. I can't for the life of me work out why anybody would start smoking in the first place, but it's legal, it's your choice.

Even if I do hate waking up every morning to the smell of my downstairs neighbour having nicotine for breakfast.

Rambi

I'm quite enjoying the clean air. And it does remove the temptation to relapse.

20 years ago I thought it would never happen. I'm quite surprised it's gone as far as it has. Really surprised Ireland were at the vanguard. I guess it was a bit like drink driving. 30 years ago I would have been surprised that it became unacceptable public behaviour. 10 years later society's mindset had completely flipped.

DeadVim

The Drink Driving Bad thing hasn't quite caught on yet around here ... we'll get there though.

As an ex-smoker I really have no temptation to go back, nothing to be gained, no benefits, nothing to miss. Allan Carr, you be The Man

Deancm_MKII

Allan Carr's book was rubbish actually. Badly written and the same theme repeated over and over and over...

Rambi

Yeah! I was talking from my UK experience. Where I came from it was rife and acceptable 30 years ago. Then in about a 10 year period if completely flipped. As a result taxi prices dropped by about 50% over that time (so an even bigger decrease in real terms).

DeadVim

For you maybe, for many people it is the thing that helps them quit.

The repetition is by design.

The only thing needed before you read that is the desire to REALLY want to quit.

brissybee

As one might expect from something designed to break a habit that has been performed over and over and over...

Deancm_MKII

I know the repetition was by design. Poorly implemented if you understand hypnosis and NLP as the critical mind spots it immediately. It was also full of typos and other errors. Paul McKenna's tapes were much better and the message is exactly (virtually) the same.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Can we look forward to health warnings, adverts banned before 9pm, then banned totally, then forced to be sold in plain wrappers.... on Big Macs?

If they don't try to totally ban booze next, it will be the 'obesity epidemic', because they are both 'bad for you' and signs of personal weakness, something the Government will obviously have to take action on.

DeadVim

I know sweet Fanny Adams about Hypnosis and NLP so I was OK

Paul McKenna? I couldn't listen to that without seeing his face, then I would have to punch someone and have a celebratory fag.