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I am a reformed smoker and as non smokers have rights so do smokers. It is legal habit yet we are making smoker feel like what they are doing is a crime. Smoking helps our taxes due to excise that is put on to cigarettes. I quit nearly 6 years ago and went cold turkey do I miss them every now and then I do. But I will not take it up again.

dedja wrote:Well done Phil ... smartest move you've ever made.

I hope so Dedja...

Got a bit tough when I was sitting on my @rse after my knee reconstruction thinking about smoking, but didn't give in to the cravings...

I certainly enjoy waking up without coughing up crap and and breathing a little easier, now to try and control the kg's from building up too much !!!

Well done Phil, brilliant effort!!

I know just how hard it is to give up, because I haven't managed to do it yet and pray that someday soon I can get off of the evil filthy things!

Mrs P is 8 days without them and doing it surprisingly easy.

I've never smoked in my life. The smell of the stuff makes me physically sick. But I don't mind if other people want to do it.

GirlPower74 wrote:I've never smoked in my life. The smell of the stuff makes me physically sick. But I don't mind if other people want to do it.

I tried it a bit about age 11 but never really took it up.
I take Strawb's point about it being a legal habit and smoker's having rights too, but it is a problem when you can't enter a building without inhaling the stuff because of all the people hanging around the doors.
Too much exposure tends to give me migraine, but if I'm careful I can avoid it usually.
It was much worse for my wife who had severe asthma later in her life, and even a small dose of any smoke could trigger a bad attack.
[It was a neighbour burning off grass before approved hours, and before we got the house sealed up for it, that actually triggered the attack that killed her.]

Psyber wrote:

GirlPower74 wrote:I've never smoked in my life. The smell of the stuff makes me physically sick. But I don't mind if other people want to do it.

I tried it a bit about age 11 but never really took it up.
I take Strawb's point about it being a legal habit and smoker's having rights too, but it is a problem when you can't enter a building without inhaling the stuff because of all the people hanging around the doors.
Too much exposure tends to give me migraine, but if I'm careful I can avoid it usually.
It was much worse for my wife who had severe asthma later in her life, and even a small dose of any smoke could trigger a bad attack.
[It was a neighbour burning off grass before approved hours, and before we got the house sealed up for it, that actually triggered the attack that killed her.]

Psyber that's terrible and I'm sorry to hear that ...

I have a little boy who is 7 and has been admitted to hospital twice with asthma and pneumonia, plus at least 4 other trips to the emergency dept for just his asthma. It's scary how quickly he reacts to smoke so any smokers who don't think their habit is hurting anyone else is full of cr@p...

It's scary how quickly he can go from breathing normally to barely being able to breathe at all...

Rant over

Jase wrote:Psyber that's terrible and I'm sorry to hear that ...

I have a little boy who is 7 and has been admitted to hospital twice with asthma and pneumonia, plus at least 4 other trips to the emergency dept for just his asthma. It's scary how quickly he reacts to smoke so any smokers who don't think their habit is hurting anyone else is full of cr@p...

It's scary how quickly he can go from breathing normally to barely being able to breathe at all...

Rant over

Too true.

I have had many asthma attacks in my life - 2 as an adult where they reckon I only just got to hospital in time.
And many as a kid.

My eldest son also an asthmatic - I remember going to the doctors because he was having trouble breathing - and while in the waiting room I thought he had fallen asleep on the carpet floor - however it turned out that he had deteriorated so much he was just basically lying there - much to my horror on realising - the doctor scooped him up and raced him onto the oxygen etc - we were in a Royal Flying Doctor clinic - so that was lucky !!

One in relation to smoking though...

When I was 15 I was in a hotel with my family.

Some guy lit up a cigarette right next to where my mum and I were sitting - we knew him (although not well) - my mum asked him would he mind moving away a bit with his cigarette - that I was asthmatic - within a split second he took a huge drag on his cigarette turned to me and blew the whole mouthful of smoke into my face - he thought it was hillarious - I was in hospital having a major asthma attack within about 30 minutes.

At least asthma is understood more now - I remember my year 7 teacher making me do laps of the school oval as he thought I was 'faking' having an asthma attack / not being able to breathe - he believed me when I basically collapsed - I still remember my mum marching through the school gates and heading straight for him

A Mum wrote:

Jase wrote:Psyber that's terrible and I'm sorry to hear that ...

I have a little boy who is 7 and has been admitted to hospital twice with asthma and pneumonia, plus at least 4 other trips to the emergency dept for just his asthma. It's scary how quickly he reacts to smoke so any smokers who don't think their habit is hurting anyone else is full of cr@p...

It's scary how quickly he can go from breathing normally to barely being able to breathe at all...

Rant over

Too true.

I have had many asthma attacks in my life - 2 as an adult where they reckon I only just got to hospital in time.
And many as a kid.

My eldest son also an asthmatic - I remember going to the doctors because he was having trouble breathing - and while in the waiting room I thought he had fallen asleep on the carpet floor - however it turned out that he had deteriorated so much he was just basically lying there - much to my horror on realising - the doctor scooped him up and raced him onto the oxygen etc - we were in a Royal Flying Doctor clinic - so that was lucky !!

One in relation to smoking though...

When I was 15 I was in a hotel with my family.

Some guy lit up a cigarette right next to where my mum and I were sitting - we knew him (although not well) - my mum asked him would he mind moving away a bit with his cigarette - that I was asthmatic - within a split second he took a huge drag on his cigarette turned to me and blew the whole mouthful of smoke into my face - he thought it was hillarious - I was in hospital having a major asthma attack within about 30 minutes.

At least asthma is understood more now - I remember my year 7 teacher making me do laps of the school oval as he thought I was 'faking' having an asthma attack / not being able to breathe - he believed me when I basically collapsed - I still remember my mum marching through the school gates and heading straight for him

We know of a little girl 5 years old who last year had an asthma attack at her grand parents place near Mallala. The grandma packed up the kids (there were 2 other sisters with them) and started to drive to the Medical Clinic. By the time they had got there, 10 minutes later, the little one and died in her 12 year old sisters arms...

Any time my little one has an attack now, it's an ambulance ride...

If any pr!ck intentionally blew smoke into my little boys face, he too would be making a trip to the hospital....

Jase wrote: We know of a little girl 5 years old who last year had an asthma attack at her grand parents place near Mallala. The grandma packed up the kids (there were 2 other sisters with them) and started to drive to the Medical Clinic. By the time they had got there, 10 minutes later, the little one and died in her 12 year old sisters arms...

Any time my little one has an attack now, it's an ambulance ride...

If any pr!ck intentionally blew smoke into my little boys face, he too would be making a trip to the hospital....

That's very sad re the little girl
And I bet the grandmother kicks herself every day.

I can't remember what happened after the guy blew smoke into my face - I think I was just in total shock - but my mum was pretty fiesty back then - I'm sure she would have given him 'what for' he wouldn't have known what hit him ....lol

Psyber wrote:I take Strawb's point about it being a legal habit and smoker's having rights too, but it is a problem when you can't enter a building without inhaling the stuff because of all the people hanging around the doors.

If there's one thing worse than smoking it's...

Smokers with a victim mentality who squeal about "smokers rights".

Smoke if you want. But not around me. Coz I don't want your foul stench wafting in my face.

Grew up in a family of smokers and I absolutely hate it with a passion...

Magpiespower wrote:

Psyber wrote:I take Strawb's point about it being a legal habit and smoker's having rights too, but it is a problem when you can't enter a building without inhaling the stuff because of all the people hanging around the doors.

If there's one thing worse than smoking it's...

Smokers with a victim mentality who squeal about "smokers rights".

Smoke if you want. But not around me. Coz I don't want your foul stench wafting in my face.

Grew up in a family of smokers and I absolutely hate it with a passion...

Same.

My brother and I absolutely hate cigarette smoke - my mum was/is a smoker, my dad, step father, step mother, grandparents, everyone around us smoked.

The doctors told my mum she should stop smoking when I was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 12 - she never did.
My grandfather died of lung cancer at a very young age.
My mum smoking since she was 14 - now 60 - I can only imagine what her lungs look like

Luckily my kids hate the smell of cigarette smoke also - so I doubt they will ever be smokers.

Any people who want to know just what smoking can do to you at an early age, happy to talk with them about my dad, who we lost nearly four years ago at only 52 from emphysema, after being a smoker since he was 15. I used to be a smoker myself, many moons ago, so won't get stuck into smokers too much, but the sheer cost of it, plus the health risks, make me wonder if, in around 40 years time, our grandchildren will be amazed that people used to indulge in such a habit, which may then be illegal (taxation windfalls aside).

I'm a smoker and I never smoke in the car or around the kids etc but I will always have a smoke in the designated smoking area at a pub etc and always will as long as I am allowed to do so. I don't whinge about where I can and can't smoke, but I get pissed off if someone has a go at me for smoking while I am smoking in that designated smoking area.

i got myself hypnotised back on the 8th november followed by having an ankle fusion the next day which made me immobile, suffice to say i havent touched one and its been 72 days, i must admit that sometimes i might feel like one, but no real cravings at all

Apologies in advance to those that do smoke, but I have never and will never understand it.

To those that have given up well done, you've just added both quality and years to your life.

To those that respect others when they smoke, also well done.

My father tried hard to get enough cancer to kill himself a few years ago but luckily didn't succeed. He used to cough his guts up every morning for years and years until diagnosed with the big C.

Thankfully he hasn't touched it since.

Mum, my 13yo has asthma and if someone blew smoke in her face to hospitalise her I would end up in front of a jury.

dedja wrote:Apologies in advance to those that do smoke, but I have never and will never understand it.

To those that have given up well done, you've just added both quality and years to your life.

To those that respect others when they smoke, also well done.

My father tried hard to get enough cancer to kill himself a few years ago but luckily didn't succeed. He used to cough his guts up every morning for years and years until diagnosed with the big C.

Thankfully he hasn't touched it since.

Mum, my 13yo has asthma and if someone blew smoke in her face to hospitalise her I would end up in front of a jury.

It's strange - I can remember the incident clearly but can't remember what exactly happened after the incident.
Maybe I just knew that it wasn't going to be good and have blocked out if there was any altercation etc - interesting.
But does make me sit her and think - what would have happened to that guy if I had indeed had the asthma attack and not come out of it.

I just always put it down to asthma not being well understood all those years ago when I was a kid.
Pretty sure that kind of thing wouldn't happen these days.

I think you're right about the better awareness these days. My daughter also has a nut allergy and that is much, much better understood as well thankfully.

A Mum wrote:I just always put it down to asthma not being well understood all those years ago when I was a kid.
Pretty sure that kind of thing wouldn't happen these days.

Both awarenesses Ma' .. The better understanding of the serious nature of Athsma (I knew heaps of kids at primary school suffered from it but I didn't think it was any big deal) and also the pure evil that is smoking - I'd bet a fair packet that many wouldn't have touched that first cigarette if they'd known what is now known.

I really hope the cost of cigarettes and reduction in public smoking area's has a dramatic effect on the kids of today and the likelihood of them taking the habit up .. Whilst I know some still will, I really do think we'll see the number of smokers decline dramatically in the coming years.

I think it's already declined dramatically - when we were kids just about every adult we knew smoked.

If I look around family and friends now - maybe 1 or 2 out of 10 smoke.

Unfortunately there still seems to be the odd kid around the age of my kids who smoke because they think it's 'cool'
Just hope they don't get 'addicted' before they realise it's not 'cool'.

Not having a go at smokers either - your choice - but I would ask the smokers on here that question:
If you could go back in time would you have taken up smoking?
You're right CP - I would assume most wouldn't.

One thing I've always found quite bizarre is the link between smoking and a lower socio-economic demographic.

Why is it that the people that need the money the most are the ones that smoke the hardest? Same with drinking and gambling.

I'm sure there's been plenty written about it, I've just never gone out of my way to look it up. My wife is a social worker, I should probably just ask her.

I would say only about 20% of people I've known have been smokers.

My dad goes on and off, mostly on these days. It makes me sad because he has also been obese all his life, and I worry that the combo will mean he won't have much time with future grandkids.

You'd think he'd learn - his dad died of a heart condition linked to smoking, and mum's dad eventually died of emphysema after struggling with it for the last 20 years of his life.