I was talking to a friend who is still a smoker recently about the UK ban on smoking in enclosed spaces. Naturally he feels quite miffed that he is now unable to light up while at the pub and expressed his annoyance at the pressure he now feels to quit the habit.
"If I gave up of my own accord then that would be fine." he said; "But the fact is that I still enjoy smoking, so why should I quit just because the government say I should?"
I think the defining message there is that he still 'enjoys' his cigarettes. Of course, what he really means is that he is very much addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. The so called 'enjoyment' is simply the body's gratitude for getting another fix of a powerful drug it has become dependant on. Trust me; I was a smoker for 23 years and I have been there!
Anyway, my point is that if you are a smoker looking for help on quitting, don't expect to find a way to stop the 'enjoyment' or wake up one day and decide that you don't like it any more. It does take a certain amount of willpower to quit, even with NRT or other support, but it can be done as I have proved. Just be realistic about it and don't kid yourself with excuses.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Hooray For A Smoke Free England!
I spent my first evening at The Willows, a formerly smoke filled pub, last night and what a breath of fresh air it was. Smoking in enclosed spaces has been banned now for almost a week and it seems to be working well - and for once I didn't find my clothes stinking of stale cigarette smoke after getting home, what a bonus!
It seems that lots of pubs are building outdoor shelters to placate their smoking clientelle, but The Willows hasn't bothered yet (It remains to be seen if they will in the future). So it was quite a sight to see the smokers standing outside huddled in their little groups. I expect this will become even more of an inconvenience when winter sets in and they have to stand in the cold and rain. So it could encourage many to give up smoking altogether.
My belief is that not only is the smoking ban good for non-smokers, whether they are people who have quit the habit or people who have never smoked, but by encouraging them to quit it is a good thing for smokers too. I know many smokers might disagree, but the evidence will speak for itself in years to come as we see a reduction in smoking related deaths.
And while there are still many stubborn smokers who insist they don't want to quit, I don't know of any ex-smoker who regrets giving up the habit.
It seems that lots of pubs are building outdoor shelters to placate their smoking clientelle, but The Willows hasn't bothered yet (It remains to be seen if they will in the future). So it was quite a sight to see the smokers standing outside huddled in their little groups. I expect this will become even more of an inconvenience when winter sets in and they have to stand in the cold and rain. So it could encourage many to give up smoking altogether.
My belief is that not only is the smoking ban good for non-smokers, whether they are people who have quit the habit or people who have never smoked, but by encouraging them to quit it is a good thing for smokers too. I know many smokers might disagree, but the evidence will speak for itself in years to come as we see a reduction in smoking related deaths.
And while there are still many stubborn smokers who insist they don't want to quit, I don't know of any ex-smoker who regrets giving up the habit.
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