Smoking. I do it because I love it.

[GrinningManiac]

I think it's a horrible habit.

Not being preachy or anything, but I do not understand why people still do it. My grandad used to smoke, back in the Good Ol' 40s when it was considered a good thing, but he stopped when it became "bad". Nowadays, I cannot work out why people pick it up, when they know it's bad for them, will kill/damage them, AND they have to WANT to get into the habit, because those first few 'draws' are apparantly horrible.

Oh, and my other grandad smoked a pipe. He died when I was wee. He smoked a PIPE, though, which is way snazzier

 

[Dexiro]

I hate it because it's a pain in the ass for a lot of non-smokers.

I remember tons of times when i've been suffocated by smoke in my parents car for hours at a time, and on the rare occasion that my friends smoke i end up gasping for breath even if they're near a window.

 

[Random Argument Man]

Well, I'm smoking now. When my semestre will be over, I'm stopping.

It used to be for pleasure between friends, but now I can't stop thinking about smoking even after 3 cigars.

 

[InvisibleMilk]

Smoking is fun. Feels good, helps me relax. Never tried weed.
[small] Yet.[/small]

 

[Nouw]

I hate smoking.
I will never do it.
I hate the smell of smoke.

You can see that I don't smoke and don't intend to.


That Is All.

 

[TehCookie]

I am one of the many who hate the smell, so I believe all smoking should be outdoors or in bars (and only bars). If it's you're own house or car you can smoke there to, just don't expect me to come in.

 

[ghostrider409895]

I don?t smoke. I don?t want to ever start smoking, because I don?t really have any reason to start. If I have any friends that say they want to start smoking, I will probably try to get them not to start. If there is a smoker in my family, I might try to convince them to quit.

What I won?t do is hound a person for it. If you are a smoker, I will try to get you to quit, but I won?t do something horrible such as yell or be negative against them for it. I think it is a bad decision, but in the end it is your decision, and I feel that you have every right to smoke as long as it does not affect me.

For some people, it is something they like. For some, smoking might give them a time to hang out with other people during smoking breaks. I won?t try to take it away from them based on my opinion.

To summarize it a bit, I don?t smoke. It is bad for your health. I would recommend people who haven?t smoked not to start. If you are a smoker, I say it would be great if you were to quit, but I won?t force you to do something you don?t want to do. It is your choice, and your choice to make. I won?t bother you if you don?t want me to, just as long as you don?t try to get me to do it.

 

[likalaruku]

When I was a little girl, I loved the feeling of soft human flesh between my teeth, & i tell you I got scolded for it worse than you ever did for your weed & cigarettes, & not a day goes by where I don't wich I could just chomp down on somebody's soft chewy arm.

Well okay then. Starting the zombie thing a little early?

Zombies: "Aaaarms! Aaaaarms!"

 

[Kevlar Eater]

I understand that many people love smoking. I recall attempting to smoke a cigarette, but all that crap in my lungs felt terrible, and the nicotine made food taste like shit. I knew I'd never try that again.

I could care less if people smoke, just don't blow it in my face.

 

[The Ghost]

smoking in general should be banned. I don't care what substance you put in your body, but the second it can affect my health I have a problem.

 

[Mortons4ck]

I hate cigarettes, but I enjoy a good cigar every now and then.

 

[Vredesbyrd67]

Me, I've been smoking for around 8 months now. I started with cigars, but now I've started with cigarettes. I've had the same pack for almost three weeks now, and I still have 7 cigarettes left. I'm being very careful, because I know how addictive they are.

holy hell mate have those cigs not started to taste a little off after 3 weeks? they must have dried out like f*ck!

They're not that bad. I guess I haven't been smoking long enough to be able to discern the difference between fresh and stale cigs.

 

[Slayer_2]

That's great for you. I support your right to smoke. Just don't come crying to me when you die of lung cancer at 60. What exactly are we supposed to discuss here?

 

[MelziGurl]

Okay, making certain pubs no-smoking zones really isn't going to work, since pubs generally are no-smoking zones so how about we say a pub goes smoker friendly. That's all fair and well, but what about the customers who visited that place on a regular basis and have never smoked a day in their life. They have to give up their favourite drink time spot in the whole world so that you are allowed to puff your cigarette inside? And what about the business, they are going to lose some loyal people because they are catering to your need to smoke inside. Two people lose out here except for you and a select few others. It's your choice to smoke, why should others be put out by it?

Actually, Madison, WI tried a "no smoking in bars" law, and you know what the result was? A good number of bars went out of business, and they found that most of the people who came in and commented that they liked the no smoking atmosphere never returned. I'm afraid evidence actually shows that when pubs are forced to go no-smoking, the pubs, and a good number of the customers are the ones that lose out, and the ones that prefer the non-smoking environment are actually the minority.

Depends on where you are from I suppose, but generally there is no-smoking in the main area of a pub. So as long as there is a seperate area be it indoor or outdoor for people to smoke they generally don't give a rats arse because they are already too pissed to know the difference. At least that is what I experience where I am from

 

[YouCallMeNighthawk]

Oh, that sucks, dude, I don't even understand why anyone would start smoking anymore, it just seems pointless to me.

PS: ahh, okay.

It's cheap here. Just a few dollars equivalent, though it is going to get a new tax on it. A few of my best mates smoke like chimneys and they say it's a great social prop, like a drink in the hand.

Nahh he was wlaking by and said something, so i ofcourse retaliated with a cocky comment which he then stopped and started to lecture me about the dangers of smoking.

Also i had a conversation with my friends earlier and he made me realise, all these people bitching and moaning about how we are affecting their health when the tax from our tobacco purchases pay for the NHS, so essentially we are paying for your health service.

It's not that i don't like non-smokers just when they haven't smoked before and preach about things they don't know about just gets me all riled up!!!

Sorry to butt in. I fully agree with supporting your freedom to smoke, I wouldn't lecture anyone on any harm I perceive that they are doing to themselves. I would be a hypocrite. I drink too much and eat badly. I am an Net insomniac too. Yet, picture this scene if you will:

A few years ago I was watching a kids performance in a public shopping arcade. It was in the open air section (this is Japan mind you). It was some teenage girl group that we stopped by to watch. There were parents and kids everywhere. When I say kids, I mean kids in strollers and kids in primary school and up. What really riled me up was that there were so many smoking dads, sitting amongst these kids! That is unforgivible. There was so much smoke in the air that it may as well been in a basement poker room.

But no body complained, or asked the men to stop smoking. Many Japanese fear being beaten or even KILLED for asking a smoker to go elsewhere, even if it is supposed to be a smoke free zone. Because of this, I tend to mention it. LIke the boy smoking in the subway recently (above mentioned) or this guy standing outside my Kids School smoking. I am really out of touch with what Western countries are like now, but are smokers there so selfish and lacking in awareness?

I completely agree with you on not smoking around kids. Whenever i go around my brothers and my nieces are there i always go outside for a ciggy and if they follow me outside i tell them to go in until i'm finished. If i ever caught my niece with a ciggy i wouldn't as such have a go at her, more like a don't do it again or i tell ya dad talk.

But The only 2 things that annoyed me about that bloke was i was outside in a wide open space in town yet he still preached about it plus it's not exactly a room with just the 2 of us in it and if i want to smoke i will you can't tell me otherwise.

 

[Aisaka]

I don't smoke.
I don't hang around with people that smoke.
And if people smoke near me, I move.

As you can see, I am not a big fan of cigarettes.

 

[Superbeast]

Well, thankyou very much for an interesting and well written reply. I don't want to demonise anyone. I mean, you aren't an asshole, even if poeple don't appreciate something you are doing. Here's the thing I have noticed after living in Japan for so long, and it took a John Rain book for me to find the way to say it succinctly.

Oh, I wasn't saying that you were demonising me, just certain people on the forum assume that if you smoke then you are the blow-it-in-your-face and light-up-indoors type.

Typically, in Western culture, people assume that whatever offenses are made, MUST have been made intentionally. In Japan, poeple generally assume that such offenses are made without intention. Even if the person offending others IS IN FACT an asshole, generally, people should at least give that person a chance. If that person spits it back in their faces, then go to town. Fair enough.

It would be brilliant if people here in the UK acted like that.

If someone is smoking in a place that's open and there's no designation to not smoke or otherwise, I will generally use the 'who was here first' rule, and based on that, I'll either express my discomfort, or I will move.

Yup, if someone was there first and it looks like they're discomforted with my smoking, I move further away (so they don't even have to say anything about it - I know a lot of people don't like it, I never used to).

If the person is smoking while blowing the smoke on a no smoking sign, then, while I could allow for them to be illiterate, I would generally not do so.

Hmm...I've done that once or twice (but that's because the "no smoking" signs outside the library on campus are shin-high, on a wall, under the lip of the top-stones).

But, regardless, as you said, in the UK, there ARE no smoking areas anymore, not even on your own balcony. That is perhaps too far. If you are trying your hardest to be a considerate smoker yet, law is painting you into a corner, I can really understand where you are coming from.

That's what it feels like at times.

I wholeheartedly agree with the smoking ban, it's not fair on other people to smoke in a confined area (though I wish we could still smoke in clubs, now they all just smell of piss and vomit instead of smoke).

Not being able to smoke indoors can be a pain (I would limit it to my rented room on the days it's pissing it down with rain), but really it takes 30seconds or less to get outside, and it's normally nice-enough weather so it's not exactly off-putting for the sake of not harming those who don't smoke.

It's when the "anti-smoking activists" come up to you outside, in a country where smoking indoors is illegal, and start giving you grief and harassing you, that I start to get really annoyed with the whole affair - and doesn't sound like much of a "compromise" to me.

Thanks for the explanation.

No problem.

I am addicted (well, I think I am) - but I will be giving up somepoint in the future, hopefully by next September. It's expensive and ruins your lungs (though my lungs seem to be coping at the moment), plus if the girlfriend gives up I kind of have to, as it's not fair (smokers stink even worse to an ex-smoker than to a general passer-by), and vice-versa.