to be really bloody tired of people getting on their high horses about smoking, whilst drinking their 3rd glass of wine?

[Mimstar]

I get it - smoking isn't a great habit. But neither is drinking, drinking alcohol has plenty of harmful consequences - not just long term health problems, but instant in some cases - i.e people often make bad choices when they are drunk, drunk people are unpleasant to be around.

Disclaimers -

For those of you who will say 'I only drink half a thumble of wine a night, so it's not the same' - One cigarette a night, or a couple at a weekend - unlikely to do much harm.

For those of you who will say that you have lost somebody to a smoking related illness, I do appreciate how awful that is and I'm sorry for your loss. However, I have lost two family members to drinking related matters, and I do not constantly lecture people who are buying a bottle of wine.

I am not saying it's okay to smoke around children, or to smoke all over people who don't smoke.

I don't have a problem with smoking or drinking, but I find people who judge smokers who have no problem with getting drunk very infuriating.

Okay, so now I'll be flamed.

The majority of drinkers, really? I could give you far more examples of unacceptable drink fuelled behaviour that I have experienced than I could about smoking.

See I wouldn't mind that too much, although it would still bug me that 1/2 people were leaving the conversation for at least 5 minutes a time a few times in the night. It ruins the flow of conversation.

I smoke 5-6 fags over a weekend. Always outside. I enjoy it and have no plans to give up (have cut down loads though and yes, feel better for it gritted teeth)

I drink a bit too.

Never mind third glass of wine, my sister must have been on her eighth glass of wine when she was bollocking me and BIL for going out for a fag on a night out a while ago. We were the only two smokers so went out together and I think we had a grand total of 3 fags over 4 hours. Wow, such selfish bastards eh? Every time we got up we got a load of abuse - 'selfish', 'antisocial', 'stinks'. Well since you've had 2 bottles of wine dear, you willl probably be pretty 'antisocial' yourself all day tomorrow. So shut up! And you feel like you just have to take it. Pees me off though

Yes you did Clipped. You said 'what are you on about', basically implying I was talking rubbish. Maybe all that smoke has damaged your memory.

Mimkstar - Yes the majority of people who drink are not excessive drinkers who roll home drunk on a regular basis, abuse their families etc. Of course there are some drinkers like that and their impact is dreadful, but they are still not the majority of drinkers.

cailin its just like people who come out and spend all night on their phones! I hate that!

I'm not going to stop smoking just because someone else doesn't. I wouldn't leave them alone though and take all smokers with me at once. But like I said I don't have many non smoker friends.

The health care costs of treating alcohol related illness and injury is about £2.7 billion. The cost of smoking-related diseases are £5 billion.

However, alcohol has wider social implications than smoking, as it is also a major factor in other social problems, such as violent crime and road traffic collisions.

I don't have a problem with people nipping out for a smoke, even if it leaves me sitting on my own. I used to hate it though when a gang of us would go out for a meal and the one or two smokers in the group would assume we would all sit in the smoking area to facilitate them.

Don't thinks theres any evidence of that just yet Jusfloating. I do however think youre rather zealous in your opinions which can't be good for your bloodpressure.

You'd also have to do rather a lot of "passive" smoking for it to affect you. An hour or two with the kids at grannies (who smokes) isn't going to give them cancer for god sake.

People should be far more concerned about what's ommited of the backsides of planes etc.

Yabu, smoking is disgusting., it pollutes the air and we all have to breathe that. Oh, and at least I don't have people breathing wine breath all over me at work. Maybe we should put all people who have 3 glasses of wine and over in prison. guess the only problem then would be building enough prisons to lock away all those people.

out of the backsides of planes of course.

I dislike the adjectives now directed at people who choose to indulge in a legal habit called smoking.

Disgusting
Lazy
Thick
Anti-social
Inconsiderate

Et al........

It's almost like we're (the collective "we") are naughty little schoolchildren doing something really wrong. Needs to be hidden away, all hush hush.

I agree that anyone who chooses not to smoke should not have to inhale other's cigaretter fumes. I agree that it can be harmful to some. I agree that children shouldn't be around smoker's fumes.

I DO disagree with the descision to ban smoking in all public places without a public consultation/vote. I DO resent being treated like a child, I am a grown up who pays handsomely for a legal activity and I do my level best to be considerate about it.

Christ, if my pal walked out because I left her alone for 5 to have a cig outside, I'd let her go. How demanding is that?!
Bye then!

I currently work in tobacco control and a lot of the people I work with are so anti-smoking you wouldn't believe it! I am not too extreme (although sometimes in meetings I pretend that I also would like to see smoking banned forever!!) maybe because I used to smoke and know how hard it is to quit (and also how enjoyable it can be on occasion!). I do occasionally try to persuade the people I love to quit smoking, but only because I generally care about their health, not because I am really anti-tobacco. However, I would hate, hate, hate it if my kids started smoking, which is why I am in favour of any tobacco control measures aimed at preventing children from starting to smoke, e.g. banning vending machines and displays of tobacco in shops.

popcorn I have over 3 glasses of wine but I smoke too so any chance of there been a smokers area in this prison?

Nope, not overzealous Clipped. Just not in agreement with you.
And its not cancer I'm worried about, it's the horribleness of being forced to breathe in yucky smelly smoke that makes me feel physically ill. I have never been made to feel ill by a plane flying overhead.

What about calling all those people using such adjectives boring zealots

I don't smoke in my house but friends parents who live alone smoke in their kitchen.

Only people I know that smoke indoors.

I'ts causing you far more damage Just.

I don't like the smell of strong perfume, now that makes me sick when near it. I'm not banging on about it though am I.

Ban strong perfume, in fact cut off the fingers of people that squirt it too liberally.

'I DO disagree with the descision to ban smoking in all public places without a public consultation/vote. I DO resent being treated like a child, I am a grown up who pays handsomely for a legal activity and I do my level best to be considerate about it'

Could not agree more. The government want people to continue buying as many cigs as they can carry, because they need the taxes, but they still persecute people who smoke. Twunts. This hiding cigarettes behind screens in the shops business is just ridiculous - like hiding sweets and biscuits from children because if they see them, it will only put the idea in their heads. Grrrr.

Clipped, if someone starting spraying perfume around in front of you at the bus stop or in the ATM queue or, in the old days, at the table beside you in a restaurant, allowing it to go over your clothes and hair, I would consider them extremely rude and inconsiderate.

Putting aside cancer cause by passive smoking and people killed by drunk drivers etc. the main difference that I see between drinking wine and smoking cigarettes is that a glass of wine can have health benefits for the drinker whereas a cigarette is never beneficial to the smoker.

I agree that you can do what you like to yourself but if it effects vulnerable people in your life its makes meh judgeh'!!

It's interesting isn't it? It feels like over the last couple of years the social acceptability of smoking has turned completely, it's now not seen as acceptable by the bulk of people, not just not something they want to do, but is a sign the person who's doing is weak/stupid/chavvy.

I wonder how long it will be before it's banned all together, i'd give it 10 years, I really can't have imagined in the 90s that a smoking ban would come in for pubs and be generally accepted and complied with.