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Smoking - Have your say

PsychoKitten

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Jun 23, 2001
Messages
7,259
Location
London
Smoking - like it or loathe it, it's part of today's society with just as many smokers as non smokers. Cigarettes are a great source of revenue for the government and lets face it they will never ban smoking entirely no matter how bad it is for your health because of the insane amount of money it generates for them.

The big catch cry of today is "passive smoking kills too", we see court cases where waitresses sue their employers because they get lung cancer from working in a smokey environment. In my opinion that's the biggest load of bullshit ever and I cannot believe these people actually win their cases - if you're working in a bar, club or hotel you have made the conscious decision to work in that environment and it's absolutely disgusting to turn around years later and sue your employer - nobody forced you to work there.

Yes I'm a smoker, I'm well aware of the health risks and I have quit smoking numerous times and gone back to it i like smoking it's that simple. I will quit again when i'm damn good and ready, not when some holier-than-thou person tells me I should.

I understand the whole passive smoking thing, and I applaud the fact that smoking is often segregated from non-smoking with the smoking usually outside, however if you take the choice to sit outside in the smoking area because it's a lovely night well then you have no recourse to complain.

In night clubs I believe there should be no smoking on the dance floors (nothing worse than being stabbed by someones cigarette as you dance) but it is impractical for most licenced venues to have a smoking area, and if they did... to be honest the amount of people who would just end up sitting outside talking all night would be ridiculous, drink sales would go down as people are no longer in the sweat-box environs - it really just isn't practical to the club owners to even consider it.

I know which of my friends are non-smokers and I try not to smoke around them, I don't smoke inside my house and never ever smoke around children. However, I smoke in my car and I smoke when I'm out and if you're a non-smoker you have the understanding that if you get in my car I'll probably smoke and if we go out to a club, to dinner or for drinks i will definitely smoke and if you don't like it, move away. Amongst my friends non-smokers are the minority and they have to adapt.

The only thing worse than a non-smoker is a reformed smoker. I cannot handle the way people feel that it is their duty to inform me that my smoking is doing me damage. Do I look like a total moron? Do you think I'm illiterate and can't read the large warnings on the packets, that I don't watch telly and see those stupid ads or that I don't see the billboards and hear the ads on the radio? What on earth possesses these people to constantly harp on about something that really is none of their business? How do they justify being nosy buggers who can't keep their opinion to themselves when it quite clearly is of no concern to them. You go outside for a smoke and as you leave they always make snide remarks about it being a dirty habit or how it's going to kill me one day. These people also don't seem to realise that their behaviour is counter-productive because by trying to tell me what I should do it actually makes me think "fuck you". I like smoking, and I'll quit if and when I want to - not when somebody else says I should.


So... have your say why do/don't you like smoking and all that comes with it?
 
I don't smoke, I never have, and I have no problem with people who do. It's their choice. And if I die 6 months earlier because of passive smoking, i'm not all that fussed. If I make it to the age where dying of old age is a possibility, then I'll be more than satisfied and I'm not spending too much effort whinging about the extra 6 months I could have had.

Plus I could be hit by a truck tomorrow, so why worry...:)
 
Why's my edit trigger finger itchy? :o

I smoke the green stuff more than I smoke cigarettes.

Cigarettes are shit, they make you smell like shit, feel like shit, and look like shit. Oh, they also kill you in the end =D

I started smoking 3 years ago but it's never really been a solid habit. Thus, I haven't been so addicted that I couldn't stop, or so I think ;)
 
I have one word to describe myself when it comes to smoking cigarettes.... hypocrite. 90% of the time i fucken hate the stuff, it gives me a headache, irritates my lungs, makes my clothes smell like shit in nightclubs and just generally pisses me off. Having said that, gimme a pill or some amps and watch me chugg them down like there's no tomorrow. Also, my hate for the brown tobacco is matched only by my love of the green ganga.... figure that one out?!?!
 
The only times I have ever dragged on a ciggie is when I completely trashed. For some reason I just like the odd feeling of something different when I am high. As for smoking in clubs, I am all for it allowing it if the club is well ventillated. But it should be banned in those sleezy :), sweaty, low-ceiling clubs where the air is so stale it makes you feel sick. I'm not all that keen about parents who smoke at home around their kids. Even so, I'm not going to pull some up on it as it is their right do that. I'm cool with people who want to smoke, but basic philosophy is that smokers have to respect some basic rights of nearby non-smokers. But that shouldn't be used as an excuse for a non-smoker to get all didactic on 'health' and 'respobilities' at them.
 
I'm gonna move my post from the other smoking thread to here coz its more appropriate.

Who here can sit back and say that they dont knowingly do one thing that is potentially harmful to them? Dont judge others just coz you dont chose their method. Believe me, we endure big fuckoff "SMOKING KILLS" etc warnings on our cigarette packs. We know the risks, we just dont really care.

I have always been strangely compelled to take up smoking, every since I was young. Its strange, but I used to have dreams about smoking and I would wake up craving a cigarette, having never smoked one before in my life. This was when I was like 16yrs old, and I didnt start smoking until I was 21. Tho I find myself more addicted to the habit of having a cigarette when I walk to the shops, or wait for a train, or have a tea break at work. I dont need the nicotine, I smoke 2mg cigs coz anything higher than 4mg gives me headspins, I just enjoy lighting up, especially when I'm bored.

stace.
 
Yesterday marked my 1 year since giving up *pats himself on back* =D

I haven't turned into a hollier than thou reformed smoker or anything, but since giving up I have noticed how much it stinks and how much people who smoke stink to a non-smoker :p

As for passive smoking I agree with Kitty - its a bit rich suing your employer in an industry that you are full aware of as being a smoking enviroment.

I also find it quite hypocritical for smokers sueing tabacco companys for their addiction and lung cancer - errr what the hell did they think smoking was doing, extending their life??
 
Ive been smoking for 5 years.I tried to give up recently but I just couldnt.I fuckin hate the fact that Im addicted! I have this little theory: I was born with asthma.The doc said that because my condition was at infants stage,I would grow out of it by the time I was 14/15, the age I started smoking :(
I still have asthma to this day and although I do not have as many asthma attacks as I used to, when I DO have them, they are 10 times worse.I believe that my smoking habbit has kept my asthma at bay and worsened my condition.My normal medication just doesnt cut it anymore.
Smoking Sucks.Theres no enjoyment.I dont wanna preach but really, there is no pro to smoking.

*Lights up*

-Peace
 
I'm actually doing a sociology essay right now on deviance and smoking, and how over time, smokers have gone from being the norm to being considered deviants. In 1910 the huge increase in smoking that spawned was influenced by health authorities claiming that chewing tabacco was extremely bad for you... although they had nothing to say about smoking it 8)

Many of my best friends smoke regulary however I see no problem in having a go at something which is clearly going to do no good for the people who use it. I think it is important for society to look down on smoking as disgusting and dirty to set by example and create a sensible norm. Of course there will be kids who will always want to do things just cos they're not meant to... but i think a lot of kid's would adopt their parents views on smoking at the same time. People are essentially a product of their environment. It's pretty amazing that after all these cases of lung cancer and other cancers, smoking has only started declining in the last 8 years.

my 2 cents....

p.s i deleted the posts from the other thread hehehe
 
i dont smoke either, only the odd ciggie every now and then. its either wen i'm really wasted or really stressed.

i have no aversions to smokers cos its absolutely ridiculous getting all uppity about it wen so many ppl do it. as for those stupid ads, i wont even go into its that crap. everyones gotta die somehow...and they say that smoking causes all these problems, wat if its the other way round, that ppl r gonna be sick anyway and it just so happens that theyre smokers.

on the other hand, i dont condone it and i dont think its cool, and u cant make it illegal. just the media is going way over the top with all the anti smoking stuff. maybe they should just let it go and stop making it such a big issue and then it wont cause so many problems. simple.
 
I think it's important to make it societies buisness.. it's called evolving :) Sometimes you don't know what's best for you until you've suffered the consequences. You know you change every 7 years.... gotta respect your future self and not have him looking back going.. grrrrrr you foolish bastard... make me cop all this.

peace
 
hate smoking

I really hate cigarettes.

1) they stink and somehow destroy large volumes of fresh air

2) they're no doubt fucking up my lungs and I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.. but I do like going out, which means i have to wear a night of sucking in stale air and people burning me on the dancefloor *slaps*

3) last thing I want when I'm eating is
cigarette smell and cos the only places people are allowed to smoke and eat is outside it means that if you want sunshine then you're stuck with smoke

4) you so much as *think* about stepping into a club you've got to wash your clothes cos of the smell

5) cigarettes are addictive but all smokers seem to end up spouting some bullshit about how they can give up at any time, despite never being able to.

6) it's the most pointless boring past time. Hell, at least with drinking you get *some* nutritional benefit.

7) kissing a smoker is not a pleasant thing. Mmmm.. gotta love that taste of ash.

8) when smokers finally DO start getting sick and get cancer, they're so hopelessly addicted they keep smoking til they die. Yeah: ignoring those "Smoking kills" warnings is such a cool thing to do huh?

9) You're a slave to the cigarette companies, and you're feeding their ridiculous profits so they can kill millions more people around the world

anyhow.. there's my rant.. :D
 
I don't smoke, I never have, and I have no problem with people who do. It's their choice. And if I die 6 months earlier because of passive smoking, i'm not all that fussed. If I make it to the age where dying of old age is a possibility, then I'll be more than satisfied and I'm not spending too much effort whinging about the extra 6 months I could have had.

damn straight
 
I'm not a cigarette smoker but I can admit to enjoying the green stuff on occasion and poppin the odd pill or three. Since I'm a poor uni student though, it's not something I get to enjoy too often :) But the way I see it, I'm not smoking my maryjane in public where others might be affected/annoyed by it. It's all about being considerate IMO and I don't think alot of smokers out there are considerate people. Some people think that its fine, none of anyones business, and its thier right to smoke.. but I don't think they take into consideration the fact that some people don't enjoy it, or being around it.

For instance: I take the train ALOT. Sometimes I'll find myself a little bench and sit down while I wait. Most of the time, someone will come along and share the bench with me, and immediately light up a cigarette (assuming that I don't mind, or not caring either way).... I'm always the one who has to move, even though I was there first, and they never ask if its okay if they smoke. I don't appreciate that, and I hate having to move. There is no way I'm going to sit there and consciously inhale it though..

I don't have a problem with people who want to smoke in thier own homes, but as soon as I'm forced to inhale that crap it drives me nuts. I think it should be banned in all public places such as train platforms :P and especially where there are children. I went to Luna Park last weekend to take some photographs and was actually pretty shocked to see so many parents just standing around smoking around thier kids. I think it sets a bad example for them since kids are so impressionable and I'm sure its a reason why so many young people are smoking now...

The main problem I have with some cigarette smokers (I wont say ALL since thats a huge generalization) is the littering. When I see someone finish their cigarette and just throw it on the ground, or out of thier car window it makes me wanna pick it up and shove it down their throat :) Might be a bit harsh but it pisses me off! Littering is just wrong no matter what it is, and cigarette butts are the most common kind of litter picked up. (according to the Clean up Australia Day people anyways). It hurts our environment, and looks disgusting. What makes these littering people think that it's okay to do? Butts are litter too, not some kind of magical things that are going to disappear once they are on the ground. I see it so often.

When I see people so desperate for cigarettes that they pick up discarded butts out of trays, or butts from the train platform or the ground in general, or from out of bins it makes me feel awful! I feel sorry for these people that they are so addicted and that they have reached that state. I feel the same way when I pass a homeless person and they ask for money for smokes. Buy some food! I'm not going to waste my time preaching to them or lecturing... I just think its pretty fucked up.

I don't enjoy breathing in second hand smoke at all while I'm out. I live in Melbourne and it seems to be smoking capital of the world! :( I'm always power-walking around smokers or struggling to get in front of them. It's awful when you are walking along minding your own business and then suddenly someone blows a lung full of smoke right at you! Grrr :X

When I go out to a club or event, I hate coming home smelling like I've been in a smoking den. Everything just reeks of cigarette smoke and I have to get my clothes dry cleaned to remove the stench. It's gross!

okay enough anti-smoking banter from me :) Felt good though hehe!
 
Re: hate smoking

-=nath=- said:

5) cigarettes are addictive but all smokers seem to end up spouting some bullshit about how they can give up at any time, despite never being able to.


8) when smokers finally DO start getting sick and get cancer, they're so hopelessly addicted they keep smoking til they die. Yeah: ignoring those "Smoking kills" warnings is such a cool thing to do huh?


anyhow.. there's my rant.. :D

^^ I'm gonna say bullshit and bullshit to your number 5) and 8 ).

Nowdays I don't hear ANY serious smoker say they can "give up anytime they want" unless they are grossly naiive or a new smoker. With a few exceptions I believe all of us know what a grip our habit has on us. The unfortunate thing is you don't actually learn that until you try to give up a few times - so those people you've heard spouting that nonsense have simply not woken up to the fact yet.

And ... where do you get the impression that EVERY terminally ill smoker continues smoking? That's the stupidist thing I've ever heard. Yes, SOME might, but definitely not all. You only ever hear about the rare cases who do, not the 99.9% who've gotten the shock of their lives and never picked up a ciggarette again.

Apart from that, I understand your other points and respect your point of view.

I am one of those smokers who try their utmost to keep my habit out from under people's noses. I simply expect to be treated like an adult by those who oppose it, not a child. And I will give you the same respect.
 
I don't think its hypocritical for a worker to sue their employer if they suffer a passive smoking related illness.

It's every employers duty to provide a safe workplace for their employees _no matter what_ .

It seems a bit ridiculous for an employer to say to an employee... "look here's your workplace that is potentially unsafe, the fact that you're aware of this and you still choose to work here means that if anything bad happens to you.... well it's all on your head".

An employer can't absolve themselves of any responsibility for their employees health and safety through disclaimers.
 
^^^ totally agree. I feel you do have the right to sue your employer if you have been exposed to cigarette smoke in your workplace, its not just a legal issue, its a workplace health and safety issue.

As I said in the other thread, I've pretty much done most things except smoke so am not judgmental towards smokers - hell, we all eat crappy food, don't get off our butts sometimes and ingest chemicals into our bodies. But I just don't get smoking, I mean I can really understand getting high on drugs/alcohol/chemicals, you at least get some benefit out of it even if its amazingly bad for you ... but what on earth does smoking do for people?

Also, it is a fairly well-known fact that marijuana is just as bad for you (if smoked, there are other ways of having it) as cigarettes. Those people who smoke marijuana heavily, take note, you are in just as much danger of dying of a smoking related illness as a cigarette smoker, if not more.

I was a nurse for a while and worked on a respiratory ward when I left uni - it was truly the worst experience of my life. Some chronically ill/dying patients did keep smoking and as much as that might seem strange to people, it was something they enjoyed doing, something they looked forward to and there wasn't much point them giving it up when it was pretty much too late anyway.

Interestingly, more nurses on that particular ward smoked than any other I've worked on. Heh. Smokers are funny. Crazy kids.

:D
 
I didnt read any of the above threads.. im here for the topic at hand

Smoking is bad for you.. It makes u feel like shit afterwards and repells most people from you.

That being said i have to say that I LOVE TO SMOKE its great.. I am know it kills but at this point im not too fussed.

I am an on again off again smoker. some weeks ill smoke a few packs others ill have 1 or 2

The association is the worst tho... coffee and a cigarette beer and a cigarette... lol being outside... or being at a club.

Nah im a fan... i dont know whats in em i just know i cant stop smoking them
 
Ok here's some questions for the people who think it's ok to sue their employer if they get lung cancer.

If you work for an airline as a hostess, you know there's a chance the plane may crash. Should your family be able to sue the airline if it does?

If you work as a taxi driver you know you may have a car accident. If you do should you be able to sue your employer?

If you work as a lifeguard you know that you will be out in the sun and in rough seas. If you get cancer or drown or get eaten by a shark, should you be able to sue?

If you work in a hospital you know you will come into contact with infectious diseases. If you do, should you be able to sue your employer?

If you work in a pub or smokey environment you know all about the environment - what makes that any different from the above scenarios. What makes the smoking issue so special?

You have full and clear knowledge prior to accepting the position that you will be working in such an environment and in that scenario you have no excuse to sue. IF for example your employer suddenly changed it so you worked in a smoking environment where you hadn't before without you agreeing to the terms then you could sue.

As a worker you are required to fully understand the environs and conditions in which you will be working and by accepting that position you have accepted the conditions as set out by your employer. You don't like it, you don't work there, it's that simple.
 
The difference is that you could have a plane crash, you might have a car crash, but you will be exposed to smoke which will cause some damage. How much is the question though.

In hospitals, all precautions are taken. Nurses are required to wear face masks and protective clothes. But in a pub you just jump behind the bar and suck it up...

That said, I believe that workers shouldn't be able to sue for the reasons Kitty has explained. I'm just playing devils advocate...=D
 
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