Thetownend.com

will the new laws and regulations inspire you to quit?
go on,do it, you know you want to :wink:
















 anyway,where's that spliff gone?

I had a moment to myself last night, when, at just gone 2pm in the vic, I took my last drag and put out the cigarette. Looking around I realised that other people were still smoking. Could I get away with another cigarette? Yes. But you can only have one last inside a pub cigarette. So I called it quits, said my goodbyes and walked out into the rain.

Today was a bit annoying for having to go outside. Sure it'll be less lonesome when there are more people about. It's when we get to September-ish time that it's going to get tougher.

Im having a crack at quitting again.

I was able to smoke sat in front of my PC at work so the ban has done me a bit of a favoue to be honest.

Ive been on the patches for 2 days. It's a little wierd I must say

i don't know. i've got about three ciggies left in my car but i never smoke at home, only at college (banned), the pub (banned), football (banned) and occasionally in the car.

we're not even allowed to smoke in our own cars if they're parked on college property, which is absurd

Fuck smokers.  All cunts anyway...

My local put peanuts on the bar.  Some fucking replacement that was!!

were they expecting elephants?

:)

I've only ever had one cigarette in my life, and i dont see the reasons why many peole like smoking.  

Pretty much every one else in my family (parents, cousins, uncles, aunties) all smoke, yet both me and my brother are the only ones who dont

Smoking is one of them habits which i never understand.  Whats the big attraction from having a fag ?  Does it relieve stress ? Is it just something to put in your mouth when your bored ?

 :?

Nah it just makes you look dead tough.

It hasn't changed me, although i will now think about giving up just to fuck everyone off. After all everyone giving up creates a massive tax blackhole which everyone then has to cover.

The government don't want people to give up, as they pay the treasury too much. Amusingly, when everyone has given up every whinger will have to cover the tax shortfall therefore increasing there own tax burden and reducing smokers'.

So non-smokers, less tax and smokers around or more tax and no smokers? Very clever.

Putting another spin on that...

Less smokers equals less of a burden on the NHS, so would mean less tax needed to fund it.

Less heart disease, lung cancer, emphesyma (sp) etc.etc,etc.

Fuck it, I might even try and give up myself :D

ive given up 2 days so far

The patches actually work... I'm quite impressed.

Day 3 and i feel better in general. Less tired, I don't smell, I can actually breath a little easier, no stress (though haven't been back to work, yet!), and only mild cravings when seeing someone have a cigarette.

Apart from the thick green shit I'm coughing up, the fucked ups dreams, unsettled sleep and missing the actually smoking ritual...

all's fucking gravy.

The funny thing is, the changes dont take effect until March 2008 over here, so smokers still have several months of sitting in the pub puffing away to their hearts content!!

That is exactly my situation aswell, I just don't get the attraction at all?

It actually takes a fucking long time to start to enjoying cigarettes and becoming addicted.

So... yeah I don't understand why either. But 10 years or so have passed????????????????

I'm not a smoker but the smoking ban is Wrong.

People should be given the choice In my opinion

Like gay pubs etc.


There should be smoking pubs and non smoking pubs that way you get a choice. It is discrimination really. Plus people know that there is smoke in pubs, if you don't want to be around smoke

A) Dont go in there
B) Dont work in a pub as you know there are smokers in there.

I disagree, as a non smoke I guess I'm bound to but:

How do you determine how many non-smoking pubs to have?
How do you determine which they are?

It's well reported that all pus expect to loose money as a result of the ban (awaiting to be proven) so it would be a bit of a lottery making these decisions.  IMHO the pubs that will suffer are the older more traditional pubs - like many in old town, especially those wth no outside space.  Wlakabout etc will still be packed - people won;t change there saturday night plans cos of the ban.  

Also it is for the greater good of the nation- if people give up it will make people healthier - a worthwhile tax hit IMHO.  Smoking is unlike other 'bad habits' likedrinking for example, whereby someone who smokes is directly affecting those around them, and they have no choice in it.

If the government thought smoking was that bad they would ban it all together but they lose the tax money and know that cigarettes and all that would go underground and that  people would just bring them in from abroad anyway.

Older traditional pubs perhaps in villages should be allowed to smoke as most people do smoke in them, larger chain pubs doing food you shouldnt be able to.

I work for a company that runs 170 pubs and clubs across the UK so I know how it will effect us as it did with Wales and Scotland.

Smoking is as bad as drinking - in terms of health damage, it isn't however feasible to ban it altogether - they are however ensuring that smokers are only able to damage their own lungs not those of everyone else.

As for older pubs in villages etc it's impossible - if you say lived on Wroughton, there is no Weatherpspoons etc, but you should be able to go for a smoke free pint, by your rationale because you live 'in the sticks' you can't do it.  I firmly believe the only possible way of having a ban in some pubs and not other would be to organise it by a measure it by outside space available, that in itself isn't workable either as you create issues in town centres where the pubs like walkabout have no outside area.

I'm probably more "for smoking" as I work in the pub industry and therefore should business drop dramatically I could lose my job. many pubs in villages and etc will close down as people would rather stay home for a smoke and have a couple of tins. It wouldnt be feaseable to keep the pub open. We already have a couple pubs in wales and scotland that we own, that are closed because its cheaper to keep them closed than open them due to smoking bans there.

Just rough figures i remember from somewhere, which i cannot guarantee the accuracy of, but i know they are a few years old.

£8.8 billion in tax on smokers.

£1.2 billion cost to the NHS.

I think i recall that around £1 billion of that is on helping smokers quit (patches etc). Therefore the direct result of smoking related illness is a cost of around £200m on the NHS.

This means the government make a profit of £7.6 Billion.

Now, If everyone gives up, thats a massive shortfall. We'd have £8.8 billion lost from tax, and £1.2 billion from caring for ex-smokers. We could actually remove the £200m cost of caring for the illnesses caused, as they'd supposedly dissappear. However, more would then use patches and the like from our rather overly charitable buffet like NHS.

I think it's fair to say that the £1.2 billion would more than double, but what is clear is there would be a minimum of a £9.8 billion shortfall.

There's around 12 million smokers in the UK, and 29 million tax payers, 80% of the cost of cigarettes is tax.

Anyway for the ease of maths, the £10 billion (probably more) shortfall would cost each UK tax payer an extra £344.84 per year.

Smokers were paying that, why does everyone else want to? Surely that hurts more than a bit of poxy smoke in the streets?

I'm not trying to start an argument herthab, just enlightening some!  8)

i think it is fair to say that not everyone will give up. Last estimate I saw was they thought that 600, 000 will give up (source http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6196910.stm ).  

I agree the govenment will find new and exciting ways to tax us in order to make that deficit up mind. I vote for an ex-smoker tax.

 :D I vote for fat tax.

Bastard. Anyway I'm not fat I'm big...oh wait, yes I am.

 :oops: It wasn't directed at you.

I wasn't offended :)

i was  :cry:

People will still go to pubs, clubs and other public venues. The smoking ban won't actually reduce the amount people go out. I'm living in Wales, and haven't seen any change in the amount people go out. But when you speak to most people, they reckon its so much better now our clothes aren't stinking of smoke the next day.

The problem with ciggies is, that when they are used as directed (i.e. not abused) they will end up killing you. Alcohol isn't quite on the same level, unless its abused.

This is probably going to be a shock to some but as a smoker i wouldnt go as far as saying i agree with the smoking back but i would say im not bothered to be honest, just live with it, im not going to kick up a fuss, i have been on holiday to NYC past 2 years and both times the smoking ban was in place, no one moans there, they deal with it, go outside, and if im honest i hate waking up in the morning with my whole room smelling like shit due to my clothes, so now thats not going to happen, i can actualy wear the same jeans the next day.

Now you have gone healthy happy clappy hertha  :P ....if you drive, will you, and others give up polluting my envoironment with  cars and fumes???
I have a license, but dont see the need for a Car.
If i have to give up smoking for the benefit of others in enclosed spaces, then others should consider carefully what they are about.
We all live in a fairly concealed envoironment....Its called Planet earth, and the thermometers are rising!!
Tree hugging, smoke afflicted Millom.

Funny you shoulf bring the enviroment in it,

i have a friend who is very big on recycling to help the enviroment, but for some reason they only collect paper form her area, and with numerous emails and calls to the coucil to give her bins for cand/glass etc, the council still say no. the coucil have said the only way for her to recycle is to go to the nearest depot, but due to her not driving (she has a licence, but due to enviromental reasons doesnt use a car) it would totaly defeat the object if she was to do this.
stupid fucking council

Stupid fuckin government more like!!!

same diference :D