fast bloke

taken up smoking? Just wondering where smokers come from. I meet two people a week who are giving up next Monday. Never met anyone who was starting next Monday

boxst

Hello

That means you don't hang around secondary schools talking to 13 year old girls. I would think that's a good thing.

Steve.

fast bloke

erm.... ahem.... actually..... maybe they are telling me lies then

paul-s

i took up smoking for a laugh a few years back, with the intention of only doing it for 6 months, and i did. stopped and havnt had one since whilst some of my mates are still stupidly feeble at giving up on any day that ends in 'day'.

paulr

Gazza started at 28.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Most people start as teenagers.

My first cigarette was when I was 17, but that was it.

I didn't smoke through my A-levels or degree, but started when I was 22!!

10 years on and I've finally found a method to stop.... and yes that was this Monday!

paul-s

the thing is, u say you was looking for a method to stop, if you really really wanted to anyone could stop cold turkey. nothing pins you down and forces **** into your mouth so you should be able to deal with a small urge. I have urges to chop the scoob in for a p1 but withstand them so far

Remster

Someone I know started smoking as his New Years resolution. He went straight for the Marlboro red cancer sticks. We thought it was so cool and anarchic a few years ago but reflecting on it, not too clever.

I gave up New Years eve 2001 as my girlfriend didn't like smokers and had already tolerated it for several months. She is now my wife and I haven't touched a cigarette since.

IMHO you need a motivation to give up alongside the obvious health issue. Be it financial or personal, it gives you incentive.

Good luck to all.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Well done Paul, obviously you are one of those people who can stop and start at a drop of a hat!

Most smokers struggle!

Reffro

I had started smoking in 1990 aged 17, but in July 1997 I gave up. After 5 months I was so miserable, I made a New Years resolution to start smoking again. So on Jan 1st, I walked to the shop at 10am and bought a pack of 20 and puffed away to my hearts content.

That said I quit again 4 months ago, and I'm not regretting it.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Drug habbits are hard to give up

talizman

iTrader: (1)

You smokers are a strange bunch!

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

I'm another 'lucky' one who can stop n start at will. Ppl quite often say, why the hell do u smoke then? I know the dangers etc. but I smoke regularly purely for pleasure and because I bloody well want to

Lets face it, the media pressure thats being applied to smokers these days, we need to smoke as much as possible to make the best of it whilst we still can.

So I say to anyone whose given up, or trying to, sod it, light up another! You only live once, well minus the 10yrs you've knocked off by smoking Having said that my Gran lived to the ripe old age of 89, and she was a 60 a day smoker, died of natural causes, so who knows.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Easy to knock smokers when you have not had to deal with the drug addiction!

Curious how the govenment/NHS will offer nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), group sessions using NRT and willpower, drugs that make you feel worse, etc, all the methods that normally fail! Yes, you are twice as likely to give up when you use these methods (as advocated by doctors) but how many will go back to smoking.

Strange how in Poland cigarettes are £1 a packet, but they are over £5 for the same packet here! Why would the govenment want you to fail???

Reffro

The only question I have is:-

How much are non-smokers prepared to pay to stop all smokers from smoking?

The only reason I ask is, according to the most recent Government figures, tax on ciggies earns the treasury £9bn a year, the NHS pays £1.9bn per year to fund treatment for smoking related diseases. So if everyone stopped tomorrow there's a £7.1bn shortfall to find every year, plus the costs of pensions etc etc as everyone who stops smoking or doesn't smoke will live longer. Which leads me back to my first question.. would 2-3p on the basic rate of income tax be OK for the non-smokers??

Brendan Hughes

If it meant I could walk around without stinking of *** smoke, yup, I'm for it.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I think boxst hit the nail on the head: it's young teenage girls, and to a lesser extent, boys, who take it up.

But what do you expect when smoking is shown in soaps etc, (some years ago, it was frowned on), and when tobacco copanies pay people like naomi campbell to walk down the catwalk with a lit *** in each hand, puffing on another?

Two interesting bits of smoking related info:

The tobacco companies need one person to take up smoking every minute somewhere in the world, to keep intake at the present level.

Did you know that the tobaccoo companies can artificially raise or lower the nicotine level in their product? The ones they make for new starters have it at a high level to hook the kids quickly, while stronger "adult" brands have it lowered so that older smokers need to smoke more to get the same "hit"

Alcazar

Mungo

Fine by me. I'd at least be able to go to the pub and breathe properly.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Rubbish... if the govenment had to recoup £7.1bn, everyone would be up in arms! Any govenment who tried to gather than much money in a year to make up shortfall would be out of power at the next election.

The mere mention of a political party adding a single penny on income tax has people up in arms!!

Strangely enough, the govenment don't seem to push too hard for people to stop smoking!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

I'm going to start smoking tomorrow, at the ripe old age of 33.

Then, on Sunday, once returning from Amsterdam, I will have given up. Again.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

If it's out of the country, it doesn't count!!

You don't need to smoke at Baba's!!