When I was a smoker

[Banker]

Aged 13, I watched my 40-a-day father die a horrible death, aged just 47. Needless to say, I don't smoke.

[soft ayperth]

It's around the 22% mark going on a quick search but its in a population of around 80 gazillion is that impressive?

 

Yes, it's less than I had thought and going in the right direction. Btw. when you're involved in statistical sampling, it really doesn't matter whether the total population is 1 million or 100 million - it's the percentage that's being measured and the overall populations are large enough to avoid bias due to different overall n values.

 

Anyhow, that said, I repeat what I said. I think 22% is a very encouraging rate.

[soft ayperth]

How times have changed from the comercialisation point,once the TV were telling us how good the cigarettes were promoting them as being seen as sexy and relaxing,also most sports were advertising them and the same applied to pipe tobacco one type [st Bruno] where a fishing boat was shown on a lake with an angler and his dog in a tranquill setting,the cigar was no exeption having a chap puffing away while a soft relaxing tune was playing,now the industry has most of the older generation well and truly hooked the Government in their wisdom have pounded us saying how damaging they are to our health and those around us,they have imposed laws to stop us smoking in public places such as whats left of our local public houses,years ago many pubs had different rooms one being a smoke room where smokers were segregated from other pub users limiting any damage they may incur,now like we the smokers are treated like we have the plague banishing us from most buildings where contamination may occur.We are now paying the price of advertising over many years as we were slowly indoctrinated to this awfull deadly chemical which can kill us as it's been proved it does,now going to the bottom of my garden away from the public to have a smoke,cough and splutter..........

 

Every thought of giving it up B. Lass? Just asking.

[Phanerothyme]

Started smoking back in the Fifties, I'd joined the Army cadets and being in a uniform thought I'd look the part..

For years I didn't go anywhere with out me fags and all my mates where the same every body smoked.

So Ten Park Drive and a box of Capt Webs was a constant companion in my youth,unless we were on Holiday then it was best fags, usually Capstan or Players, and that's how it stayed for many years ,till tipped fags took over ..

 

So which cigarette did you start smoking with ?

 

Old Holborn in 1985/6, then Boar's Head (only for a short while, too strong!), then back to Old Holborn for years. Then I switched to Cutter's Choice, and now I've quit smoking tobacco altogether (while my snus supply holds out).

[Kelvinlad]

How times have changed from the comercialisation point,once the TV were telling us how good the cigarettes were promoting them as being seen as sexy and relaxing,also most sports were advertising them and the same applied to pipe tobacco one type [st Bruno] where a fishing boat was shown on a lake with an angler and his dog in a tranquill setting,the cigar was no exeption having a chap puffing away while a soft relaxing tune was playing,now the industry has most of the older generation well and truly hooked the Government in their wisdom have pounded us saying how damaging they are to our health and those around us,they have imposed laws to stop us smoking in public places such as whats left of our local public houses,years ago many pubs had different rooms one being a smoke room where smokers were segregated from other pub users limiting any damage they may incur,now like we the smokers are treated like we have the plague banishing us from most buildings where contamination may occur.We are now paying the price of advertising over many years as we were slowly indoctrinated to this awfull deadly chemical which can kill us as it's been proved it does,now going to the bottom of my garden away from the public to have a smoke,cough and splutter..........

 

Do you remember Craven 'A' cigarettes, they were "kind to your throat"? I kicked the habit on January 31st 1971 after sampling just about every brand on the market at that time.

[BRUMMIE LASS]

Every thought of giving it up B. Lass? Just asking.

Hi,i gave up for 6months and foolishly started again,i don't drink alcohol apart from having the odd shandy on special occassions,i myself have seen so many people die from alcohol but there is no warning on the drinks stating that it may cause addiction and possibly leading to death.Many substances accentuate death one being hydrogenated fat that is used over and over again causing blockage of the arteries as seen on TV but again no warning,we don't know how much damage we do by eating some food,the manufacturing industry has decreased the amount of salt placed in foods as again it's bad to consume too large a quantity over a period of time,to get back to the origional question asked i have tried to kick this awfull habit as previously mentioned and may try again but with a combination of consuming other damaging products i don't know anything about i doubt if the odd cig now and then will alone be my down fall.

[soft ayperth]

Hi,i gave up for 6months and foolishly started again,i don't drink alcohol apart from having the odd shandy on special occassions,i myself have seen so many people die from alcohol but there is no warning on the drinks stating that it may cause addiction and possibly leading to death.Many substances accentuate death one being hydrogenated fat that is used over and over again causing blockage of the arteries as seen on TV but again no warning,we don't know how much damage we do by eating some food,the manufacturing industry has decreased the amount of salt placed in foods as again it's bad to consume too large a quantity over a period of time,to get back to the origional question asked i have tried to kick this awfull habit as previously mentioned and may try again but with a combination of consuming other damaging products i don't know anything about i doubt if the odd cig now and then will alone be my down fall.

 

 

I hear you and I wasn't getting at you. It's just that when you write down, as you did, all the negative effects of smoking, it's hard to think of a good reason for doing it - except addiction. I know. As I've said in an earlier posting, I smoked for about 20 years then gave it up. That was over 30 years ago. I went cold turkey. Hard but worked for me.

 

Sorry though, I don't buy your argument that because a number of other things are bad for you, there's no point in it all. It is possible to eat a healthy diet most of the time, allow yourself to go decadent now and again. Couple this with some daily exercise and ditching the fags and take it from me, you'll feel better. The alcohol btw in moderation has been shown to actually have benefits to the circulatory system, while red meats that are rich in hydrogenated fats are an excellent source of iron and protein. So, like the saying goes, all things in moderation. Except fags. That's an all or none situation. Best of luck. Hope you'll be able to use the bottom of your garden for growing veggies instead of choking yourself.

[Texas]

Remember the time when cigarettes were in short supply, somebody will, it was around the end of the 40's. I was only a kid but I remember some smokers would collect 'tab-ends', open them up and and roll up what was left of the tobacco. I think they called them 'nips'.

How misguided was that? All that concentrated tar and nicotine.

[soft ayperth]

Remember the time when cigarettes were in short supply, somebody will, it was around the end of the 40's. I was only a kid but I remember some smokers would collect 'tab-ends', open them up and and roll up what was left of the tobacco. I think they called them 'nips'.

How misguided was that? All that concentrated tar and nicotine.

 

I did that myself when I was a teenager. Went around the streets picking up tab ends, rolling the tobacco. How about other health effects such as whatever germs they might have harbored? Makes me shudder to think of it now.

[BRUMMIE LASS]

I hear you and I wasn't getting at you. It's just that when you write down, as you did, all the negative effects of smoking, it's hard to think of a good reason for doing it - except addiction. I know. As I've said in an earlier posting, I smoked for about 20 years then gave it up. That was over 30 years ago. I went cold turkey. Hard but worked for me.

 

Sorry though, I don't buy your argument that because a number of other things are bad for you, there's no point in it all. It is possible to eat a healthy diet most of the time, allow yourself to go decadent now and again. Couple this with some daily exercise and ditching the fags and take it from me, you'll feel better. The alcohol btw in moderation has been shown to actually have benefits to the circulatory system, while red meats that are rich in hydrogenated fats are an excellent source of iron and protein. So, like the saying goes, all things in moderation. Except fags. That's an all or none situation. Best of luck. Hope you'll be able to use the bottom of your garden for growing veggies instead of choking yourself.

 

Hi rogG,I Didn't think you were getting at me at all,i believe like yourself a little bit of poison dosen't harm anyone such as Warfrin which is extreemly helpfull also Arsnic for helping angina patients or used to be prescribed,all things in moderation the body has a way of coping with but how many people follow this rule? most illness is caused by obesity and with all the fast food outlets society has changed to using them regularly because of convienience,an easy option but they are allowed to be promoted again rightly so as an individuals choice if they want to eat it.The point i was trying to make is that my generation we were brainwashed into believing fags were cool and very macho as well as fairly cheap compared to todays prices,the tax was very handy as well to the economy,i know people will say that it created more illness and hospital care,rightly so but pound for pound i can't say whether it balanced itself out or not.They say less people are smoking which i disagree with....cigarettes i do agree there are less smokers and more will follow changing their habits.....all in all cigs are bad which is a proven fact but so is many more things which have a double knock on effect costing millions of pounds in Health,policing etc,most legal others not so legal,i think it boils down to the thing which is deminishing from society being common sense...ps please don't take offence as i'm only airing my opinion and that i do agree with you regarding smoking cigs,pipe tobacco & cigars.