To think we shouldn't be funding this on the NHS?

[AgileJadeDog]

I recently had my first stay in hospital due to a respiratory issue and I kid you not, every other person in the bay smoked+had a smoking related disease.

I have no idea if this is typical in other specialties/hospitals but it really hit me how much gets spent on completely self inflicted stuff. AIBU to think we shouldn't be funding stuff like this?

So they are highly addicted to a substance that is legally available and puts money into the tax coffers?

The answer is to ban sale of tobacco, not punish the addicts. Which is what the government is doing in the long term.

Then what? Leave those you don’t approve of to die in the streets?

humanity at it’s best!

Don't worry OP they're anticipating the collapse of the NHS, and are bringing in assisted dying as a 'healthcare procedure', soon we will all be invited to sunset ourselves in lieu of unaffordable treatments, and the population will be far healthier and happier than it is now.

How will it be determined whether you were driving responsibly or not?

Will there be an assesment before paramedics get there? During? And they decide that no... It's definitely your fault, and leave you and your kids at the roadside...

Smokers pay a ton of tax and many will more than cover the cost of their own medical treatment over the years.

Almost all illnesses and injuries can be seen as self inflicted. Broken your leg through playing sport, or falling off a ladder doing some DIY, or going out in high heels or because you don’t eat enough calcium? Most of us eat carcinogenics in our diet because they are rife in the food system. So where do you draw the line?

In reality, people in lower income areas also have poorer health. Some of this can be argued to be self inflicted due to diet, mobility, smoking. There are a number of reasons why smoking is higher and diet is worse in these areas. Some health conditions may be due to work opportunities such as manual labour or exposure to toxic materials. Either way, you are creating a system that punishes people on lower incomes for things that aren’t entirely in their control. And we have enough of that already.

And here we are at the nub.

You're not directly funding it. That bit of your paycheck? Wouldn't touch the sides paying for your own healthcare.

Doing anything widely known as harmful

Your idea of harmful and someone else's is open to interpretation.

Stop being an arse. So you have never done anything "harmful" then? Never been in a car, or a plane? Never been outside? skin cancer; suns rays are definitely harmful, this has been proven, no treatment for you (or anyone) who has ever been outside.

So someone could have exactly the same issue as you but have a lifestyle you don’t agree with - maybe the odd pint and McDonald’s - so they should be left to die?

This is honestly such an ignorant, self centred attitude to have op.

can you honestly not see how there is so many variables that put make your idea utterly ridiculous?

I paid £80k in tax last year and have never stayed in a hospital before this incident. I think I am funding my own and many other peoples healthcare thankyou very much.

I don't think we should provide NHS treatment to people who start threads on MN and then swerve the inconvenient questions.

98% of bladder cancers are in smokers. I cannot understand why you can even buy them still and now many countries have legalised weed which is linked to paranoia and mh issues. The damage we do to ourselves is ridiculous. However, obesity is also a killer so where do we stop? Or the guy with a failing liver from years of alcoholism. Do we issue leave him in pain?

Well what if they can’t cover it themselves? Do they just rot away quietly then?

There are so many actual issues in society that need to be focused on currently - such as the vast amounts of inequality which underpins many of the examples you’ve given. The fact so many people are living in poverty in this day and age is grossly unfair, really.

I think I’m suffocating from the amount of Tory in your post.

You are over egging your pudding, OP.

I’m a perfect weight. Don’t smoke. Rarely drink. Go to the gym a few times a week.

However I used to binge drink when 18- 25. Smoked from 16-35. My diet was awful and never exercised until I was 35 (but was lucky that I just naturally stayed thin)

Should I be treated for any potential lung cancer or liver disease or heart failure in later life? I had pneumonia last year. Maybe I shouldn’t have been treated? Maybe it was due to my smoking 10 years ago? Or maybe it was bad luck? Which one would you choose?

YANBU.

Yes, I think OP has spaffed a bit too early here. It would've been more effective had he/she/it waited until maybe page 13 before bringing definitely truthful tax contributions into it.

I hope you don't get an exercise related injury, that would be self inflicted. Or choke on your food...

I'm really shocked by these purposely obtuse replies, you know these are all really rare compared to smoking => lung cancer/COPD or obesity => heart disease/diabetes.

I will address the skin cancer bit though, I wear suncream everyday including in winter. You're acting like this is a ridiculous thing to do? Like we don't already know the sun gives you cancer?

I'm presuming you were on a respiratory ward? So you would be surrounded by other respiratory patients. This does not mean the hospital was "full" of patients with smoking-related illnesses. YABU, anyway.

Raise the tax on these products more?

In that case, I apologise, not many 200k earners kicking around.

This makes sense why you don't have much sympathy or experience with health inequality.

I see you are almost perfect. Judgemental, lack compassion but almost perfect.

Where do you stand on rugby? Mountain biking? Winter sports? Not really extreme but certainly injury prone