The Stop Smoking Megathread [ including Champix]

[Cyclone]

I'd guess that you just didn't take much notice of it, why would you?

[Cyclone]

"hardcore smokers and drinkers"? This isn't the Victorian times. What next, opium dens and workhouses?

 

Things have changed, people need to do the same.

 

Not everyone has to like wine bars. That's fine, they can walk a couple of minutes in pretty much any direction and go to a normal pub. I'm not big on pubs myself, but from Leopold square I can think of the Brown Bear, the Sportsman, several pubs close to HSBC, Kelham Island (okay, more than 5 minutes), the Dove and Rainbow, couple of Weatherspoons, etc...

 

It's not like pubs are gone and only bars exist now.

[tam1]

Easy, it isn't important enough.

 

It's hardly up there with changing the voting system and entry to the Common Market (as was), is it?

 

Maybe not, but If, unlikely though it is, the government decided to do a u turn and overturn the smoking ban in pubs, clubs etc the anti-smoking brigade would certainly think it important enough.

[purdy]

You have made some good points there,but I think people were more tolerant towards smoking in them days, most adults smoked in them days as well I was in the minority as all my friends smoked,there was not as many eating pubs back then and kids were not allowed in pubs at all so you would not get families in,I worked for Shipstones and most of there pubs were boozers or wet house,the first pub I worked in that was a wet and dry pub was the Belfry in Beighton at that time the pub was packed every night, 20 staff, the bar was 5 deep on most nights taking over 20k a week when a pint was less than £1 and people smoked in the restaurant as well,so I don't think smoking put any one off then

 

You see that's where you are wrong. Most adults didn't smoke then. 30 years ago only 3 in 10 adults smoked. So the fact that nearly everyone smoked in pubs simply demonstrates that non smokers didn't go into the places because of the smoke. Smokers were driving away most of the potential customers.

 

Regarding smokers in restaurants not putting anyone off, that is total tosh. My parents would ring round restaurants and if they didn't have non smoking areas they would simply take their trade elsewhere. The chain pub/diners were the worst. They would have a non smoking area where kids were allowed in. So you had a choice of having your meal ruined by screaming brats in one area or smokers in the other. Thankfully those choices no longer have to be made. Enlightened establishments now allow kids up till say 8 pm and serve food until 9. So you can eat late and not have your food spoiled by out of control kids, and the drinkers tend to have the place to themselves after 10.

[mike84]

I think its a bit different to H+S in that scenario,if you do not smoke you would not want to work in a smoking pub I should imagine,the job advertised would clearly state if it was a smoking or non smoking pub it would be up to the individual to make the choice and that would have been a lot fairer,the point is its done know and I can't see the government going back on things know if anything I think they are ready to bring even more restrictions on smokers and there dirty habit.

 

It is not up to the individual to decide. Employers MUST take responsibility and provide a safe environment for their employees. Should we have buses that are smoking / non-smoking? Should we have shops that are the same?

[Cyclone]

Maybe not, but If, unlikely though it is, the government decided to do a u turn and overturn the smoking ban in pubs, clubs etc the anti-smoking brigade would certainly think it important enough.

 

Important enough to lobby my MP, I wouldn't expect a referendum.

[Shogun]

You see that's where you are wrong. Most adults didn't smoke then. 30 years ago only 3 in 10 adults smoked. So the fact that nearly everyone smoked in pubs simply demonstrates that non smokers didn't go into the places because of the smoke. Smokers were driving away most of the potential customers.

 

Regarding smokers in restaurants not putting anyone off, that is total tosh. My parents would ring round restaurants and if they didn't have non smoking areas they would simply take their trade elsewhere. The chain pub/diners were the worst. They would have a non smoking area where kids were allowed in. So you had a choice of having your meal ruined by screaming brats in one area or smokers in the other. Thankfully those choices no longer have to be made. Enlightened establishments now allow kids up till say 8 pm and serve food until 9. So you can eat late and not have your food spoiled by out of control kids, and the drinkers tend to have the place to themselves after 10.

The smokers certainly did put non smokers off that's true,but people had to book in advance to get in the restaurant whether they were smokers or not the place was always full and that is all that mattered at the time,a smokers money was no different from a non smokers,I'm glad the smoking ban came in as the smokers had it there way for to long inflicting there habit on everyone else,

[purdy]

Important enough to lobby my MP, I wouldn't expect a referendum.

 

Very true. You have to laugh really when you realise how detatched from reality some people are. The days of smoking in public enclosed spaces are gone and there is no way on this earth that this will change. The ban on smoking was all part of the government's long term strategy on smoking. Last year they announced plans to reduce the number of smokers in the UK to 10% by 2020, and the long term goal is for it to disappear from the UK totally by 2040. So anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together must realise that nothing is going to happen that might actually lead to a reversal of the decline in smoking.

[purdy]

No, the smoking ban is just a scapegoat for bad pubs who can't get customers in because of their rubbish choice of beer.

 

I've started going into a pub in Birkenhead. Its not in the nicest of areas but its doing a roaring trade. Why? Because its not just selling the usual John Smiths, Guinness and Carling but has six regularly changing real ales. And the pubs which have closed down in the vicinity are nasty ones which only sold the above. I actually walk past two open pubs and one closed one to get to my new local.

 

Have a look at a local CAMRA magazine and read the pages about pubs expanding or opening and stocking real ale. You won't find any real ale pubs closing.

 

It would be interesting to know what people would have blamed pub closures on if the smoking ban hadn't happened - probably rising Sky Sports costs or something equally silly.

 

Any smoker "boycotting" a pub just because they can't smoke inside is a big baby.

 

Its a changing world and pubs that don't keep up will go and be replaced by ones that do. It wasn't too long ago that many pubs didn't have inside lavatories let alone a wash basin to wash your hands afterwards. This of course applied to bar staff as well as customers. Nice.

[tam1]

Very true. You have to laugh really when you realise how detatched from reality some people are. The days of smoking in public enclosed spaces are gone and there is no way on this earth that this will change. The ban on smoking was all part of the government's long term strategy on smoking. Last year they announced plans to reduce the number of smokers in the UK to 10% by 2020, and the long term goal is for it to disappear from the UK totally by 2040. So anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together must realise that nothing is going to happen that might actually lead to a reversal of the decline in smoking.

 

Some people may be detached from reality, not me. If you read my post I stated IF the government decided to do a u turn. I dont expect this to happen for one minute. I do think therre should be a choice between smoking and non-smoking pubs, as do quite a few other non-smokers, but it really wouldn't affect my social life either way I still go out to pubs frequently. I do realise what the governments strategy is regarding smoking as I do read the newspapers occasionally, brain cells allowing, but thanks for pointing this out.