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.

ivor your post made me laugh! It's true though!

Ivor Do it! Run in and do a lap of McDonalds shrieking 'STOP EATING DEEP FRIED CHICKENS GIZZARDS YOU BIG FATTY BOOM BOOMS'.

I can't run squoosh, it makes me wheeze

ivor you have to do with a cig in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other!

I agree Fanjo, at least the fags covered the smell of old carpet and stale beer!

I don't know anyone who smokes yet is teetotal actually.

Usually, the smoking goes WITH the drinking.

I think excessive drinking, or drink driving and smoking are all stupid. Just because other people are not being sensible (drinking) doesn't make you sensible for smoking!

Smokers have had free reign to smoke everywhere for decades, they made me suffer whenever I went out (chronic bronchitis), my clothes stank whenever I wanted a night out, all those people lighting up when you were about to tuck into your food, all those fag ends everywhere.... my PIL has given DS a nice asthma attack recently for smoking all over him, so I cannot really shed a tear for the smoker.

I won't lecture you or tell you off though, in RL, do what you want, but don't expect my blessing.

Cigar smokers can blow their smoke in my face anytime...it's the best smell ever.

I love walking past a pipe smoker, just a breif whiff. Wouldn't love it so much if I lived with a pipe smoker.

Since all pipe smokers are at least 86 this is unlikely to happen.

Drinking alcohol is the norm now, some people drink every day.
No one slags off drinkers just smokers.
I was in m&s the other day and the drink aisle was packed out
Trolleys full of drink.
Drink bloody drink.

ohhh yes - love a pipe too and the whole rigmarole of stuffing it and lighting it.

A lot of old ladies in Ireland used to smoke pipes - I might become one of them.

Quote Justfloating, the perfume soaked people I'm talking 9 out of 10 times have committed the crime within their own homes before inflicting the perfume of "their" choice on everyone else.

Do you know what I do, I move if it's bothering me that much. Quote

Bit hard to move out of a bus queue or an ATM queue. Also, I have not heard of a large amount of lobbying to get wearing perfume disallowed in public places. If such a lobby does exist or comes into being and has a large number of supporters I would be more than happy to see such a ban enforced as the perfume thing would obviously be upsetting and discomfitting a lot of people.

YANBU

But if you drink less than 14 units of alcohol a week it isn't generally harmful. There is no safe limit for cigarettes. You can have a glass of wine without it affecting anyone else. Whereas even one cigarette can be antisocial.

The majority of people manage to drink within safe limits which are not determental to health and consequently are never addicted.
Can anyone honestly say the same applies to the majority of smokers ?

This an excellent point OP. Sometimes people will justify drinking by demonising other habits.

I dispute that 'the majority' manage to stay within the safe limit, especially people in their teens and twenties. A lot of people I know drink to get drunk, even PIL who you would expect not to.

I have 2 cigarettes about 3 times a week in the evening after the kids have gone to bed. I stand in my garden and have a chat with my neighbours who do the same thing. I can go days without one, I didn't smoke at all for a week in the summer. I like to smoke, I've always liked to smoke. My parents don't smoke at all - never have done.

It costs me about £4 a week (I don't buy any magazines to balance the expense), my husband doesn't smoke - he stopped about 8 years ago. I stopped in all of my pregnancies. I don't drink alcohol at all.

Aside of seeker, who only minds passive smoke because of the smell, can we assume that all the other people being pious about passive smoking don't drive, don't fly, don't use electricity and don't buy products, the production of which causes air pollution? ....No I didn't think so.

Can we assume that smokers don't either, to make up for the fact that their personal contribution to pollution is greater than non smokers?

YABU

And you never see a study that says 'a cig a day will reduce your risk of heart disease'

There's a useful purpose to flying, driving, using electricity and buying products.

There is absolutely no useful purpose to smoking. None whatsoever.

But I like smoking thats the useful purpose to it, just like I like Curly Wurlys, real Coke and HP sauce sandwiches. Its a personal choice - that at the minute is legal [shrug].

But not comparable to safe, moderated drinking

There is so safe, moderated smoking.

Hurrah for wiggles

Also, red wine has 'benefits' but the nhs advice states that whilst red wine may reduce heart disease, or whatever, they also say -

'This is not to say that you should start drinking alcohol if you presently do not.'

So, drinking red wine is not healthier than not drinking..

No*