190 replies to this topic

[mrgspot]

I lost my one nan to lung cancer, and another to... I can't remember the name, but he had his voice box removed. The sad thing is, people laugh about smoking, but you will end up the same way. Maybe when you are 40, or maybe when you are 60, but you'll find out the hard way how stupid and pointless it is to spend £5 on a pack of twenty that are only going to lead to your early death.

Still, no talking to some people, and some people find what I say funny. Well, I'd love to lose sympathy but no matter how ignorant they are, I couldn't wish something like lung cancer on someone.

Quite frankly Ben, I understand exacly where your coming from, but quite franly I will do as I please. If it kills me, so be it, i may walk in front of a bus tommorow, i may be shot in the face very inoccently. I have had one mate who lead a healthy life and had a heart attack at 22. he NEVER smoked... We all die someday mate, id rather not spend all my life worrying about that day.. if it happens it happens

[Bencrest]

Thats fine, I do understand where you are coming from. Note I've been out drinking tonight trying to patch stuff up so will be spouting all kinds of crap

What does annoy me [as happened in a couple of small pubs tonight], is where a group of 6 or 7 people are sat around tables smoking cheap cigars. I mean noone needs to be exposed to that. I'll be honest, a couple of cigarettes in a pub doesn't bother me, but I've been in some pubs recently and my eyes have been streaming before I get to the bar.

So there needs to be something done - I mean even if it was a national 'please stand outside for a smoke and come back in when finished'.

[kensplace2]

If they ban smoking in pubs, they should really also ban drinking.

Like smoking, in some cases can lead to disease/death, drinking can in some case lead to violence.

I dont want to be someone who sits there, and gets beaten up in a act of passive violence. The hospitals are full of innocent victims who have been punched, kicked, stabbed, glassed, shot, or run over by people who drank in pubs. So banning drinking would only be fair if they ban smoking.

Music also should be regulated, been in some pubs, the music was so loud, I was in pain, and was left with impaired hearing for quite some time afterwards!

They should also ban employment also, as there are to many bullies in the workplace, and that leads to depression / suicide / wrecked lives.

Why not ban fruities whilst they are at it, they can lead to gambling addiction, theft, lying, who knows what.

TV should definately be banned, as the existance of TV leads to people making shows like jackass, bumfights etc. Many people have been seriously injured due to these shows, even murded in at least one bumfight related incident.

Of course, america has guns, and guns are used to kill people, so air travel and sea travel to america should be outlawed also, as we cant have people having a choice and going abroad, they could get shot, and what about the innocent "passive bullet recipients" that get in the way, or the police officers who try to stop a situation who end up getting shot? Passive shooting again.

Odd the goverment says its legal on one hand, but says you cant do it pretty much anywhere on the other hand, they want their cake, and they want to be able to eat it to, and charge us for the privelege.

what comes after a smoking ban? What rights will they take away next?
A ban on obesity? A ban on alcholism? A ban on what we watch on tv?

[Gazeyre1966]

This is the one great bugbear of my life...I am a smoker, and yes it is a disgusting habit. Don't you non-smokers think we don't know that?

Here's the gist. Smoking kills. Agreed. I've no probem with that....but hey hang on a mo!!! What about cars? I live in a town centre and the fumes coming from vehicles don't pass mustard compared with cigarettes...So the question is why is it alright for people to drive but smokers can't smoke. The blunt answer is that it "SUITS THEM". Oh, drivers need their cars, it's essential....what a load of bollocks....an excuse perpetuated by hypocrites.

What really gets me upset. I don't drive but yet I am exposed to poisonous monoxide fumes every day of my life...I have to clean out my room when I have the window open as manky deposits from cars find their way into my flat. It has already been proven that children who live in city or town centres suffer from asthma and other breathing disorders due to CAR FUMES...not cigarette fumes....In a nutshell..I won't argue with anyone who drives about banning smoking because they are the most hypocritical, two-faced bastards in the world.

[moneymad martian]

If they ban smoking in pubs, they should really also ban drinking.

That is exactly the point. After many years of trying, no link between so called "passive" smoking, and bar staff pegging it, has been found.

Ban smoking in public places, make the activity illegal. Ban cigarettes.

Why wont that happen?

Money, and taxation, without the smoker the NHS would have carked it years ago.

[Bencrest]

Money, and taxation, without the smoker the NHS would have carked it years ago.

I think the amount of unnecessary treatment which is caused by smoking outweighs the tax earned from the sale of cigarettes.

If it wasn't for smokers, and the increased rate of heart disease and lung/throat cancer, emphysema (as an example), there would be more free hospital beds for people who were unlucky, rather than gambling needlessly with their health.

I don't blame the previous generation, because cigarettes were still sold to them misleadingly, but when kids these days are aware of how stupid it is, I wonder why they still do it.

[kensplace2]

I think the amount of unnecessary treatment which is caused by smoking outweighs the tax earned from the sale of cigarettes.

If it wasn't for smokers, and the increased rate of heart disease and lung/throat cancer, emphysema (as an example), there would be more free hospital beds for people who were unlucky, rather than gambling needlessly with their health.

Possibly, but I doubt it..
Private health insurance is a lot cheaper than the price a heavily addicted person pays weekly to smoke.
If a private firm can afford treatment for less than a smoker wastes a week, then so can the NHS (well it could if it got rid of corruption, and overpaid idiotic consultants)

I agree about cars, I can drive, but chose not to. I can get where I need on a bike. It keeps me fit (yes at the moment I also smoke), and there is no reason for the vast majority of people,other than pure laziness to get a car for short journeys.

Worst part of cycling? Breathing in the fumes from other people sitting in cars, and the fumes from cars are far worse than from cigs. Car fumes kill, quickly if in a enclosed space.

2nd Worst aspect of cycling? Idiots in cars who probably found their driving licence as a free gift in a packet of kellogs cornflakes. The vast majority of people on the roads today just cannot drive properly. What happened to speed limits (oh yeah, Im in a hurry, its my job you see. I have to risk killing people so I can earn a living.... Hmmm and that is different from smoking killing other people is it? No not really the only difference is passive smokers tend to have a choice to be able to avoid it, most people dont have time to react to a car about to hit them.......)

What happened to indicators, correct lane usage, right of way, etc etc.

Smoking sucks, smokers do know this, well most, but there are other things that need addressing first.

More people are killed or seriously injured by accidents on the roads than by passive smoking, why not tackle that first? Ah, that would affect the people who make the rules, the worst driving offenders in most cases.

[kensplace2]

Talking about drivers, do you think the following car was parked by a woman driver lol....... (joking, before half the world starts flaming me)



more pics available, just change the numbers to 74, 76 ect in url

Probably was a joyrider, guess we will never know though.

[frankie4fingers]

I wondered what happened to my old car

[Gazeyre1966]

If it wasn't for smokers, and the increased rate of heart disease and lung/throat cancer, emphysema (as an example), there would be more free hospital beds for people who were unlucky, rather than gambling needlessly with their health.

Would these unlucky people be the ones hit by people driving cars?

This, coming from a guy who can't control his own form of gambling / addiction...Fruit machines. Practice what you preach Ben!!!

Also, get your facts right. Unless a smoker, on average catches cancer every 5 years then they more than pay their way in the NHS....This is another myth perpetuated by the anti-smoking bridgade and it stinks to high heaven. If every smoker in the UK stopped tomorrow then the average income tax would go up by nearly 6%...I repeat again...DRIVERS cause more damage to health and the PLANET than 100 smokers ever will.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[mrgspot]

Talking about drivers, do you think the following car was parked by a woman driver lol....... (joking, before half the world starts flaming me)



more pics available, just change the numbers to 74, 76 ect in url

Probably was a joyrider, guess we will never know though.

The person driving was carrying a smoker and suddenly came over all funny, as he/she had been intoxicated by the smokers smoke, this causing him/her to crash. But then again, maybee not....

[Bencrest]

This, coming from a guy who can't control his own form of gambling / addiction...Fruit machines. Practice what you preach Ben!!!

I can't believe you are resorting to that sort of crap now.

Guess when the last time I played a machine was?

Guess when the last time I went to an arcade was?

Just because I post on an FME forum, does not mean I have a gambling problem. I'll admit that I DID have a gambling problem, just like I DID smoke, but I've stopped both of those now.

[fistandantilus]

I am glad they are banning smoking in public places. If only to stop pissed up twats in nightclubs accidently burning me or my clothes.

Smokers are always going on about the freedom of choice to smoke. Well I would like the freedom to go somewhere where I am not forced to breathe in smoke. Any public building should be off limits to smoking. If you wish to smoke either do it outside or in your own home.

Also, dropping stubs on the floor should be delt with as harshly as any other littering offense. Anyone who has done army basic knows how disgusting having to pick stubs up around the smoking areas on a cold wet morning is.

While your at ban mobile phones at the same time

[gary]

LOL Spot on alth. as i said earlier the half a brain anti smoking brigade contradict all the time...bencrest i see said he kicked 2 addictions..his new 1 must be preaching lol... go for it ben kick the new addiction. fistandantilus..well what can i say you have shown in your own words you dont know what the hell you want lol..how did you ever get in the army? are you sure you didnt join the scouts and thought it was the army..

[fistandantilus]

LOL Spot on alth. as i said earlier the half a brain anti smoking brigade contradict all the time...bencrest i see said he kicked 2 addictions..his new 1 must be preaching lol... go for it ben kick the new addiction. fistandantilus..well what can i say you have shown in your own words you dont know what the hell you want lol..how did you ever get in the army? are you sure you didnt join the scouts and thought it was the army..

listen f***wits, its not a contradiction at all. Its just you been a perdantic #@#@#@#. Its obvious I was referring to public buildings. I think smoking outside is a lot different to smoking in a confined area ie indoors.

As for bencrests addictions, did they affect anyone elses health like smoking does? An extreme example but if i liked snorting asbestos would you be happy if I walked into your local pub and did it next to you? You want to f*** up your own health fair enough but why should it affect my health.

As for how i got in the army? erm having an iq above 140, been 6 foot tall 13 stone, been able to dead lift over 150Kg, leg press over 300kg and still been able to run 4 miles in 25 minutes.

The problem with this world is f***wits like you who think they have the right to do what they want and f*** to anyone else.

[fistandantilus]

Tobacco smoke contains dangerous chemicals
The most damaging compounds in tobacco smoke include:

* Tar – this is the collective term for all the various particles suspended in tobacco smoke. The particles contain chemicals including several cancer-causing substances. Tar is sticky and brown and stains teeth, fingernails and lung tissue. Tar contains the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene that is known to trigger tumour development (cancer).
* Carbon monoxide – this odourless gas is fatal in large doses because it takes the place of oxygen in the blood. Each red blood cell contains a complicated protein called haemoglobin; oxygen molecules are transported around the body by binding to, or hanging onto, this protein. However, carbon monoxide has a greater affinity than oxygen for binding to haemoglobin. This means that the heart of a smoker has to work much harder to get enough oxygen to the brain, heart, muscles and other organs.
* Hydrogen cyanide – the lungs contain tiny hairs (cilia) that help to clean the lungs by moving foreign substances out. Hydrogen cyanide stops this lung clearance system from working properly, which means the poisonous chemicals in tobacco smoke can build up inside the lungs. Other chemicals in smoke that damage the lungs include hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides, organic acids, phenols and oxidising agents.
* Free radicals – these highly reactive chemicals can damage the heart muscles and blood vessels. They react with cholesterol, leading to the build up of fatty material on artery walls. Their actions lead to heart disease, stroke and blood vessel disease.
* Metals – tobacco smoke contains dangerous metals including arsenic, cadmium and lead. Several of these metals are carcinogenic.
* Radioactive compounds – tobacco smoke contains radioactive compounds, which are known to be carcinogenic.

Respiratory system
The effects of tobacco smoke on the respiratory system include:

* Irritation of the trachea (windpipe) and larynx (voice box).
* Reduced lung function and breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways and excess mucus in the lung passages.
* Impairment of the lungs' clearance system, leading to the build up of poisonous substances, which results in lung irritation and damage.
* Increased risk of lung infection and symptoms such as coughing and wheezing.
* Permanent damage to the air sacs of the lungs.

Circulatory system
The effects of tobacco smoke on the circulatory system include:

* Raised blood pressure and heart rate.
* Constriction (tightening) of blood vessels in the skin, resulting in a drop in skin temperature.
* Less oxygen carried by the blood.
* Stickier blood, which is more prone to clotting.
* Damage to the lining of the arteries, which is thought to be a contributing factor to atherosclerosis (the build-up of fatty deposits on the artery walls).
* Reduced blood flow to extremities like fingers and toes.
* Increased risk of stroke and heart attack due to blockages of the blood supply.

Immune system
The effects of tobacco smoke on the immune system include:

* The immune system doesn't work as well.
* The person is more prone to infections.
* It takes longer to get over an illness.

Musculoskeletal system
The effects of tobacco smoke on the musculoskeletal system include:

* Tightening of certain muscles.
* Reduced bone density.

Other effects on the body
Other effects of tobacco smoke on the body include:

* Irritation and inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
* Increased risk of painful ulcers along the digestive tract.
* Reduced ability to smell and taste.
* Premature wrinkling of the skin.
* Higher risk of blindness.
* Gum disease.

The male body
The specific effects of tobacco smoke on the male body include:

* Lower sperm count.
* Higher percentage of deformed sperm.
* Reduced sperm mobility.
* Changed levels of male sex hormones.

Impotence, which may be due to the effects of smoking on blood flow and damage to the blood vessels of the penis.

The female body
The specific effects of tobacco smoke on the female body include:

* Reduced fertility.
* Menstrual cycle irregularities or absence of menstruation.
* Menopause reached one or two years earlier.
* Increased risk of cancer of the cervix.
* Greatly increased risk of stroke and heart attack if the smoker is aged over 35 years and taking the oral contraceptive pill.

The unborn baby
The effects of maternal smoking on an unborn baby include:

* Increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.
* Low birth weight, which may have a lasting effect of the growth and development of children. Low birth weight is associated with an increased risk for early puberty, and in adulthood is an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
* Increased risk of cleft palate and cleft lip.
* Paternal smoking can also harm the foetus if the non-smoking mother is exposed to passive smoking.
* If the mother continues to smoke during her baby's first year of life, the child has an increased risk of ear infections, respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, croup and bronchitis, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and meningococcal disease.

Diseases caused by long term smoking
A lifetime smoker is at high risk of developing a range of potentially lethal diseases, including:

* Cancer of the lung, mouth, nose, voice box, lip, tongue, nasal sinus, oesophagus, throat, pancreas, bone marrow (myeloid leukaemia), kidney, cervix, ureter, liver, bladder and stomach.
* Lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
* Coronary artery disease, heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
* Ulcers of the digestive system.
* Osteoporosis and hip fracture.
* Poor blood circulation in feet and hands, which can lead to pain, and in severe cases gangrene and amputation.

think I am a #@#@#@#, fair enough, but call me it in 40 years time and see if your still all for it. Having a grandfather die of lung cancer, an aunty by bone cancer at 40 years old and a family friend having to have both legs amputated directly caused by smoking I have no wish to follow the same route. They were all life long smokers