To be flabbergasted that more than 20% of the population still smoke - really?!?

[LaurieFairyCake]

I've just heard this on Radio 5 If someone had asked me what I thought was the percentage I'd have guessed about 5%?

Anyone else surprised? I know about 300 people roughly and I don't know anyone that smokes. In my family I know one, my BIL, who does.

Anyone else surprised by that statistic?

Smokers are more fun to be around- PMSL I've heard it all now!

I don't think there's anything sanctimonious going on at all. I don't see it as a moral or ethical issue- apart from where someone is smoking while pregnant or in an enclosed space with their kids, because then you're inflicting it on a foetus or a child who can't choose.

Not a 'moral' issue at all- just a dirty and bizarre habit, which is NO different to drinking to excess or stuffing yourself fat with fast food every day (which is why I find those comparisons really bizarre- its not like any of them are good!)

I couldn't give a toss if people are daft enough to smoke, I just think there are way better things to spend my money on than choosing to donate more tax to the exchequers coffers. I'd also hate any of my own kids to smoke, and that's enough reason to not do So in itself, since a smoker parent increases the chance of the kids starting , and neither could I be arsed with sneaking about pretending to teenage kids I don't smoke, they're not daft and would smell it on my clothes and hair if I did

50% chance of dying of a smoking related disease? thats incorrect. its 18%.

18% of the 21% that smoke actually means 3% of the population die of smoking related diseases.

■In England in 2008 21 per cent of adults reported cigarette smoking, the same as in 2007 and lower than 39 per cent in 1980. Prevalence continues to be higher among men than women, though the difference in 2008 is reduced compared with recent years, with 21 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women reporting cigarette smoking.
■In England in 2009 three in ten secondary school pupils (29 per cent), had tried smoking at least once and 6 per cent were regular smokers (smoking at least one cigarette a week). Girls were more likely to smoke than boys; 10 per cent of girls had smoked in the last week compared with 8 per cent of boys.
■In England in 2008/09 two thirds (67 per cent) of current smokers reported wanting to give up smoking, with three quarters (75 per cent) reporting having tried to give up smoking at some point in the past. Around two thirds (69 per cent) of adults report that they do not allow smoking at all in their home, an increase from 61 per cent in 2006. Four in five people (81 per cent) agree with the smoking ban in public places.
■In England in 2008/09 an estimated 462,900 hospital admissions of adults aged 35 and over were attributable to smoking. This accounts for 5 per cent of all hospital admissions in this age group.
■In England in 2009 an estimated 81,400 deaths of adults aged 35 and over were attributable to smoking. This accounts for 18 per cent of all deaths in this age group.

BTW - smokers contribute 11.1bn in tax to the UK revenue - of which 2.7bn is spent on the NHS

Where does the other 8.4bn go? If you didn't have smokers who would that 8.4bn be raised to plug the deficit?

Probably going on Arms spending troisgarcons. Another good reason not to smoke IMO

I'm surpriused it isn't higher...what did it used to be, say in about 1980? Nearly everyone in the world seemed to smoke in those days.

DP smokes and I don't. He said he should give up but I don't have a problem with it and it's part of his character...though clearly I'd still love him if he didn't. I occasionally steal a puff, though I've only ever smoked one entire cigarette in my life as it makes my throat hurt.

I only like roll ups. And I hate other people's smoke with a vengeance, unless it's roll ups when I can tolerate it.

My thoughts are that unless I'm being smoked near and don't want to be, people can do what they like. But it's bloody expensive now isn't it?

The comparison with people eating fast food is largely irrelevant. The smell of cigarettes permeates other people's atmosphere and is harmful to everyone, not just the person who is smoking the cigarette.

Fast food, while smelling vile, is only damaging the person eating the ammonia washed, fat, sugar, flour combination.

what did it used to be, say in about 1980?

Twice as high.

highest groups of smokers are (a) the over 50's (b) school girls under 16.

AlOuise- and quite apart from that argument, some people persist in talking about smokers and unhealthy eaters as though they are separate groups. Look at Scotland, which has the highest proportion of smokers in the uk. Or more specifically Glasgow which has an exceptionally high rate. Then look at the figures for obesity, general unhealthiness and mortality rates (from other aspects of poor lifestyle, not just smoking)
It ain't rocket science.

I think you only have to look at the people smoking outside bars and restaurants to realise how many people still smoke. I have friends who go outside for one when we are out. Walk through the West End and you'll see people all "penned" in outside a pub smoking. You can barely get through the crowd to get into the pub!

If smokers made a 'lifestyle choice' and it didn't affect me then of course I wouldn't give two hoots whether they wanted to kill themselves slowly. Christ, they keep me in a job - we amputate legs when people lose their blood supply - they don't tell you THAT on the fag packet. (Incidentally no one mentions smoking related disability - COPD, stroke, peripheral vascular disease)

But it DOES affect me doesn't it.

My father died when I was a teenager. I expect he thought 'oh I won't be one of the whatever%.' If I had thought he had said 'I know doing this is life limiting, I make my choice and I don't care' - well that would hurt me, as his daughter. I know for a fact that had he not smoked he wouldn't have died.

I can smell smoke on you, and no I don't comment because I am polite. You'd be surprised.

I get smoke blown in my face EVERY DAY. I have to walk through a cloud just to go through the entrance to work, anytime I walk anywhere people are smoking in the street, walking down the road, outside shop entrances. There is no avoiding it. And it doesn't harm me? How do you know that? I am breathing in someone else's poisonous habit. I'm sure most of you here are horrendously polite smokers who go out of your way not to let it near non smokers - unfortunately I don't come across these people much.

And most sadly, (for me) it sticks to the hair and clothes of my friends and family. It invades their homes. They don't realise this but I can smell it, my FIL will stand outside our front door and have his fag, then expect to come in and cuddle my daughter. This disturbs me.

In retrospect, "I hate smokers" was a tad harsh. I actually hate smoking. And that strong word - hate - yes I mean that with all my heart.

Blimey this is still rumbling on. Well I suppose it would.

I'm still not sure I understand the automatic assumption that if you smoke you are probably also fat. I'm not. Very few of the smokers I know are. I guess it goes with the assumption that if you smoke you are weak-willed and lacking in moral fibre.

Which is presumably where the assumptions about smoking and class distinctions also come from.

Lots of assumptions. I wonder if those assumptions will be discussed over many bottles of wine. Which is fine because it's socially acceptable and doesn't harm anyone else.

Latsia well said

We have a new generation of kids like my 17 year old DS who know its not good for you but don't care. BTW we don't smoke and always have told him about growing up in a smokers house.

BatCave that's not to trivialise your point or that of anyone who has lost someone to a smoking related disease. I think your last paragraph is exactly the point that no smoker can argue with.

Batcave, I hate it too when I don't want it near me, and every day this happens - you go down a subway under a road and someone's coming up towards you, fag in hand, not even smoking it just carrying the thing, and you know it's going to be hard to breathe down there without feeling sick.

Other people's smoke generally does make me feel sick, and when I'm pregnant it's far far worse, but short of banning smoking in all public places (such as in the street) I'm not sure what can be done.

I think I kind of excuse it in DP and other people who are 'older' as it was just normal when they were growing up. Someone my age who smokes I tend to think of as a bit, well, less intelligent or else just unfortunate. But then I don't know many people my age who do.

Except that smokers don't just check out from incurable cancers but an array of other conditions as well. Smoking offs more people from non-cancer diseases than it does cancers e.g. ischaemic heart disease, stroke, COPD, myocardial degeneration and so on......

Oh! I do apologise. I am grateful to smokers for checking out early due to incurable cancers and other diseases.

Better? ;)

"BTW - smokers contribute 11.1bn in tax to the UK revenue - of which 2.7bn is spent on the NHS" - troisgarcons (link to source?)

and they cost the NHS... (drumroll please) over £5bn a year. Yeah, thank heavens for smokers propping up the NHS.

If the money wasn't spent on smoking it would likely be spent on other optional / recreational things and would still bring tax money into the treasury. But with significantly less cost to the NHS. (Not denying that other things can end up costing - for example if smokers switch to drinking or eating lots more that can of course have a health impact too, but not all ex smokers take up similarly risky habits - so would these other things really cost the NHS anywhere near as much as their smoking does?)

Not surprised at the 20% figure personally - feels like nearer 90% wandering round town on a Saturday. No family or friends smoke anymore, knew plenty that did in my 20s, but they've all given up. Watched enough family members die from horrendous cancers to know that I would never, ever, smoke - why increase your risk of a slow agonising death for a few minutes "pleasure"? There are other pleasures in life that are far less damaging.

They aren't assumptions - look at the data about socio economic groups and smoking/ eating habits etc. Its nothing to do with smokers lacking 'moral fibre' because it's not a moral issue! It's a lot more to do with ones own attitude to Health issues. Certain Socio economic groups ARE more likely to smoke, be obese, have worse mortality rates than others. Simple fact.

Yes but you WILL die whatever ....so 50 /50 smoking or non smoking doesn't mean much. Plenty of early deaths on "the why not to have children too late thread" on AIBU. What if your not a long term smoker...take it up at 40/50 years...Yes but you WILL die whatever ....so 50 /50 smoking or non smoking doesn't mean much.

About 90% of smokers have started by the age of 18. The percentage starting at 40/50 is miniscule. So yes, your risks are lower if you start at 40/50 but your risk of dying earlier than you otherwise would or of suffering ill health from smoking is still higher than that of a lifelong non smoker. The good news is that if you stop in middle age before having cancer or some other serious smoking related disease you can avoid most of the excess risk of death from tobacco.

50% chance of dying of a smoking related disease? That?s incorrect. It?s 18%

No, it's correct. Long term smokers ? i.e. people who started young and continue to smoke ? do have a 50% chance of dying of a smoking related disease. That statistic is not plucked out of thin air. It comes from major epidemiological research following millions of smokers worldwide. Many sources will provide this evidence but e.g. ?Mortality from Smoking in Developed Countries 1950-2000? Peto, Lopez et al is just one example. One quarter of these smoking related deaths will be in old age, so one could argue that even though you are still dying at a younger age than you otherwise would you have to die of something?..But, a quarter of the excess deaths happen before age 70. Overall, smokers lose eight years of non-smoker life expectancy (or 16 years for the half who are killed by the habit) and 20 to 25 for those killed in middle age (5-10 years for those killed at older ages).
These stats of course do not even take account of those who are not killed by the habit but ?merely? suffer poor health from e.g. COPD.

I've often thought it'd be good to stand in the middle of a smoke crowd outside a shop/pub/hospital and fart, to show them it's grim when your 'fresh air' is polluted. The thought of dragging my arse to the shop at all hours to spend £6 everyday really baffles me.

My mother, brother, SIL and in MIL smoke, they ming as do their houses. My uncle has lung cancer, he smokes. It's not big and it's not clever. Though most of the people who smoke round here are quite big...

Not suprised about the stats really. You only have to go into town on a day and you see plenty of people smoking.

None of my closer family or friends smoke, which I admit I am really happy about. Means we never have any issues of them smoking around us/DD etc.

But some people I work with do, and some of my extended family so.

I am suprised so people do smoke as from what I can gather it costs a fortune!

My nana smoked for years anad years, pretty much from being a teenager. Then one day she was told at the hospital she must stop if she wanted to get well. After so many years of smoking that day she just stopped. And that was it, she has never smoked again. She just didn't buy them again, and she never accepted one of anyone again. And she didn't avoid people who smoked either - so not even a case of out of sight. She still saw/sees family and friends who smoke, and still went to the local club, etc. Just goes to show - if people really wanted to smoke, they can.

What trope said. My wonderful Grandfather was pretty much immobile due to COPD for many years prior to his death, he was a heavy smoker for decades and when he started smoking no one knew the risks.

So, after we've banned/imprisoned all smokers, who can we criticise in a politically correct way?
MN needs us, so we can be called every name under the sun, without any deletions.
Please take me as a willing sacrifice, I'm big enough to know my own mind.
Carry on People, while I stand outside enjoying my fag.

I'm poor, (probably) obese, am a goth into the metal scene and don't smoke! Out of all my friends only one person smokes, and she's a nurse! xxx