General Chat

excellent point Maggie :-)

When it is stated on a death certificate that someone died of a 'smoking related illness' , you know this person was a smoker.
If the person was a non-smoker, it would probably say just heart or lung disease. How do 'they' know both weren't vehicle exhaust related illness?

I live in Winchester, a medieval town set in a bowl, with narrow streets in the centre.
I walk to work, (nearly 2 miles) from the top of a hill on one side of the 'bowl' to the top of a hill on the other. This used to be a choice, but since cuts in public transport, it has become a necessity.

I can avoid one road by walking along St Giles' Hill, (a lonely path along the bottom of a high hill-just ripe for being attacked) but approaching work, it's uphill all the way along a narrow road usually gridlocked with vehicles spouting fumes that are similar to, but over 100% more lethal than cigarette smoke- and after nearly 2 miles, and the last bit being a steep hill, I'm breathing very deeply!
So, will it be the smoking or car fumes that kill me? Nobody knows - but sure as hell my smoking will be blamed! !

I'd be a lot happier if the police enforced the ban on using mobile phones whilst driving - far more dangerous - I see at least half a dozen drivers on their phones every time I go out

Hi Helen - Nicholas Breakspear was the only English pope - Pope Adrian

most of us have addictive personalitys,be it drink,smoking,drugs,overeating,the list is endless,we are all gambling with our lives,as for the liver recovering after to much alcohol,yes thats right but only to a certain extent,just like the lungs will recover if yiu give up smoking..
smoking gets a bad press,several other thing are just as bad.. :-D

AnnCardiff I see you are researching Breakspears, I may be mistaken but wasn't Nicholas Breakspear our only English saint?

I have a theory about smoking/drinking etc. Yes they can be fatal. But you have to be susceptible in the first place. My Mum, a smoker, died at age 44. Her mother, a smoker, died at 73. Both were from smoking related illnesses. Two of my kids smoke. I say to them that, if they are susceptible, it will kill them. It's a lottery and they are gambling. They have to accept that. But of course they don't think it will happen to them.

I don't smoke but I do like to drink wine. I could be gambling too - but the fact is your liver will recover if you cut down on the booze but your lungs will be damaged forever if you smoke. You don't have to die of lung cancer, there are so many breathing disorders that will kill you first.

yes the ery same association that come up with all the other things..
so we dont DRINK,SMOKE,EAT MEAT,SUGER ,FAT OF ANY KIND,SALT,and EXERCISE until we drop,oh what a happy bunch we will all be.... :-D

Sorry Shane I misunderstood no shock there, for there to be a ban I thought it would have to be passed by parliment.

How can they ban smoking in a privately own car, the government dont buy the car dont pay for the insurance dont pay for the road tax, if you dont want your child in the car of smoker then dont let them travel in it, if you dont want to travel in a smokers car then dont, if you dont want to buy a car from a smoker then dont..... havent the government learnt their lesson from seeing a boarded up pub on every corner....I agree with Muffy they need to but out... :-(

Ann I suppose if everyone gave up smoking the cost of the loss of tax would not be recouped immediately but it might well be eventually by the savings by the NHS, but, as I say it would take quite a while before any benefit was shown. They would probably put the tax up on alcohol!

I'm not a smoker and to be honest I can't stand it when I have to endure their second hand smoke. It gets in my hair, on my clothes and more importantly in my lungs.

I agree with banning smoking in pubs. It's great to leave at the end of the night without stinking of stale smoke.

However, when the car ban was suggested, I instantly agreed with the smokers being able to smoke in their cars (after all it's their life).

However, there was a news report which mentioned the issue of children absorbing the smoke. Apparently the harmful affect of the smoke isn't negated by opening of the windows, the affects are magnified in such a small space and even when sitting in the car afterwards, you can pick up the harmful affects,

So I suppose I'm now against smoking in cars where children are involved but I think if it's only adults, they can make their own choices.

Policing it is a different matter...is it really practical?

something to ponder on - if everyone gave up smoking or if cigarettes were banned, something the government would never ever do - what measures would be put in place to cover the shortfall of tax!!!?? Most of the cost of a pack of cigarettes is tax

by the way, may I point out I am not a smoker - I was once when I worked for a tobacco company and we had free cigarettes with our pay every week

Oh the whole thing just hacks me off.

I want the state to BUT OUT (pardon the pun)...I'm sick to death of being told what I am and am not allowed to do.

I pay huge amounts in extra taxes being a smoker AND a driver....I'd like to be treated like an adult and left to do what I think is best for me and my family. They're happy enough to take my money they should just leave me be. and keep their noses out...x

From the paper yesterday and not to be confrontational, just for interest:

Scientists have calculated that at least 134,000 cases of cancer diagnosed in Britain last year were triggered by causes such as smoking, obesity, poor diet, alcohol or not breast feeding.
This was an article saying how simple lifestyle changes can prevent 4 in 10 cases of cancer. They published a chart which might interest some.
Cause.......................................................Percentage of cancers triggered
Smoking 19.4%
Dietary factors (Incl too much red meat/salt 9%
Obesity 5.5%
Alcohol 4%
Job (exposure to harmful chemicals) 3.7%
Sunbathing/sunbeds 3.5%
Lack of exercise 1%
Not breast feeding .9%

Breast feeding for at least 6 months would protect against 1,500 breast cancers and 1,200 ovarian cancers. Researchers say that for every 12 months a woman breast feeds she reduces her chance of breast cancer by 4.3%.
Women who have mammograms halve their risk of death from breast cancer says another study.

Theres a lot of smells i dont like ..wouldnt pays us all to be the same..

Not only does the smell of boose make my guts turn .. its about time the goverment tackled drink drivers first...ive even seen mothers getting children from school after drinking and driving ..

My sister died three years ago from cancer.. never smoked

Just to add a few more smells i dislike so much is garlic breath..onions.. some perfume and after shaves ..

jgee ..

I am a smoker and a batchelor.
Perhaps that is why I never found a wife :-) :-) :-)
And I rarely have kids in the car

From my point of view, if I was making a long journey, then I would find it intolerable not to be able to smoke in the Car.

In fact, I also have Free Rail Travel for a certain number of journeys per year but gave up travelling by train when they banned smoking.

Yes, it is most certainly addictive and it helps me to keep calm and focised. What sort of driver would I make if all I was thinking about was my next "fix"?
At the moment I can quite happily smoke at least one fag whilst sitting in a Traffic Jam on the M25. ;-)

my aunty smoked like a chimney and drank bottles of sherry for years,shes 89yrs old and has been in hos once in the last 20yrs,she worked full time for 30yrs and paid into the health service...but up to now has neer taken up on the services,my grandad died age 38(before i was born)from cancer,he never smoked and kept himself fit,was a pm in the 2ww, and died early(mum was only 10)my friend has dad breast cancer twice(shes never smoked)so how do you explain this,you cant say that smoking is costing the n.h.s millions,loads of complaints are costing millions.x :-)

On a topic of what is good for you - jogging is supposed to be. However the man who made jogging popular invented it/promoted it - I believe was an American and some 10 years ago or so dropped dead with a heart attack.

If the smokers all die early the government will save on pensions etc especially as public are by and large living longer! Plus they contributed to the economy by paying heavy taxes on tobacco!!

yes most of your opinions agreed with,but you also get heart desease ,strokes and all matter of other things by not looking after yourself and your diet,over eating,no excercise, being a couch potato.,diabetes type 2 ,heart desease (due to bad diet)and strokes cost the health service twice as much as cancer treatment does. also drug addicts and alcoholics also cost the health service a lot of money,why just pick on smokers,nobody is perfect,thats why we work and pay into our health service,so us the not so perfect ones can have treatment when we need it. :-(

Jiminy Dearest, Down the bottom of Moorgreen corner, there used to be a man who grew his own tobacco, when I was young. He taught me at school, and regularly chugged on his pipe, in class.
It did not kill him, but a young drink driver did, by hit an run, on the crossings in Kimberley, a few years ago. Brilliant teacher. Kept a size 12 plimsol on the desk, just to warns us to behave,.
I know which way he would have preferred. Good job some of those yobs he kept in line, didn't get their hands on the driver.
Respect was what he installed into us, despite his pipe and baccy.

Julia in Derbyshire