why the hell do people waste so much money on booze and fags

[whiteandyelloworchid]

I just do not get it.


Thinking about my childhood, we never had money for days out, or toys only toys I had were box of lego and dinosaur models
We never had money for food or clothes
We were often hungry after tiny meals.

Yet my parents both used to spend loads on smoking
And drinking

And I just don't get it.

[MrsKeithRichards]

Separate issues. People prioritise differently. Some people can easily afford it, some might be better off spending the money elsewhere but are already addicted to legitimate substances.

Who knows?

[SminkoPinko]

cos they is addicted innit

[bootsycollins]

That's really shitty selfish parenting, they put their "needs" before yours. Are the folks still around for you to ask them about it?

[MissCellania]

Because they don't see it as a waste. But yes, you are conflating separate issues, neglecting your children has nothing to do with others spending their own money on whatever they want.

[Mollydoggerson]

I'ld say their minds may have been altered from years of substance abuse. Sorry you went through this.

[bootsycollins]

Fags and booze are fab but feeding and clothing your children aren't optional extras

[WitchCrafter]

The way I look at it is- the taxes they pay on them are used towards our ctc, cb etc

[PigletJohn]

addiction, and they convince themselves it's not an addiction and it's not wrong and they deserve it and it's their only pleasure and it's someone else's fault that haven't got any money left.

Have you ever tried to reason with a drunk?

[whiteandyelloworchid]

Oh don't get them started on taxing, the think the goverment want people to drink and smoke ti collect all the tax

[WorraLorraTurkey]

Unless you're very young, they wouldn't have spent loads of money on it.

I'm 43 and when I was 15yrs old, 10 fags were about 31 pence.

[squeakytoy]

My dad smoked, I never went short of presents or love.

Health risks aside, there is nothing wrong with smoking and drinking IF your kids are not going without because of it.

[SPsFanjoIsSantasLittleHoHoHo]

worra when I was 15 ten Richmond were £2.50

[squeakytoy]

when I was 12, 20 bensons were 38 PENCE!!!!!

[scarlettsmummy2]

Because they are addicted and their love of cigarettes comes before their love of anything else.

[peaceandlovebunny]

they don't have access to heroin and cocaine?

[WorraLorraTurkey]

Oh do one will you SP!!

[fatlazymummy]

OP your parents were probably addicted.
My parents neither smoked or drank but we had very few clothes , even less toys than you did and the only days out we ever had were extremely boring ones that fitted in with my Dad's interests [looking round churches, usually]. When I was a kid family life wasn't so much child orientated, it was more centred around what the adults wanted, usually the Dad. That may also have been a factor for your parents, combined with their physical addictions.

[WorraLorraTurkey]

I've just had a Google to put it into perspective.

In 1976 a loaf of bread cost on average 19p

A pint of milk 8 1/2p

A pint of beer around 32p

10 cigarettes around 22p

So not a massive difference really.

[squeakytoy]

I suppose bread and milk are slightly different. If you multiply the others by 10 the price is about right..

[WorraLorraTurkey]

That's the thing squeaky

Back then, there wasn't shit loads of tax heaped upon fags and booze so even being heavily addicted, didn't mean you were spending shit loads of money on them.

[StateofConfusion]

I know a family like this, dd had no birthday cake as things were tight, even though the Mum makes fancy cupcakes all the time for fun, yet we saw them ON the dds birthday buying £40 worth of tailor cigarettes. Also saying there christmas budget was tight yet buying £15+ bottles of spirits.

Dp likes beer/larger every now and again, but dc3 arriving means we are tightening our belt, I don't drink anyway. Our family doesn't get how we can have a sober christmas, and dp doesn't mind driving to visit people. Maybe we are odd.

[MyNutcrackerSuiteAudrina]

It takes much more out of a family budget now I think, but horrible for you in any case OP. If things were so tight that you had no basics let alone treats then they were addicted and had their priorities all wrong.

I started smoking when a packet of 20 was less than £2 and when I was a child a packet of crisps was either 5 or 10 p. They were full though. You didn't open the bag to find half of it empty.

[Snazzyfeelingfestive]

Sorry your parents were like that OP. I know times were different in many ways then but it's still not inevitable that buying fags (however cheaply) should have come first. My dad smoked though he gave up when I was quite young; however I can be certain that he would never have prioritised buying fags over buying food for his family if they were hungry. Anyone doing that, now or then, is just being incredibly selfish. Look at it this way: at least it has taught you about priorities and you won't do it yourself.

[JoanByers]

Money spent on booze is not wasted.

[bradyismyfavouritewiseman]

Your parents were awful.

It had nothing to do with drinking or smoking. They were/ selfish. If smoking or drinking didn't exist they still would have been the same way.

I used to smoke, if times were tough, it was the first thing to go. I have an occasional glass of wine on a night. If we were struggling, I wouldn't buy it.
you problem isn't smoking or alcohol. It that you parents prioritised their wants over your needs.