Smokers?

[BayView]

I have mostly worked at golf clubs over the last 30 years.

All of them have kitchen and bar staff - jobs that are not highly paid, generally.

In almost every case, I see the majority of them outside on their breaks puffing away. This also seems to apply to most pubs and clubs.

And it makes me shake my head; today we have unlimited information on the health dangers and the costs of smoking, and yet these people - some old but mostly young, are still indulging in an activity which is dangerous to their health, and will keep them poorer - something they cannot afford to be doing in their lower-income job if they want to get out of the rat-race.

What the?

 

[Nards]

Im a registered nurse, and what always amazes me are the number of nurses and other health workers who slip out to have a smoke on their break! Everyday we work with people suffering illnesses directly and indirectly related to smoking - its bizarre (to me!) I must admit, in the last couple of years I have noticed a decrease since no-one is allowed to smoke on hospital grounds anymore (which is great I say!), that's not to say they no longer smoke, just cant at work...

I'm loving that in Fremantle you can no longer smoke in the pubs - its great to come home without the stink in your hair! Wonder if the new rules have affected the pub industry there (dont know if it applies everywhere...)

I live in the NT now, where smoking laws are years behind everywhere else..it sucks!

Nadia (clearly a non-smoker!)

 

[weg]

I've noticed in my workplace in the last few years that most staff on minimum type wages smoke and those in the 60K to 200K professional incomes it is very much the minority.

Infact it's not unusal to see 50% to 80% of the former smoking outside on any given day and only 10% of the later. I've probably worked with a few hundred different people over the years with most being over 30 so not a small or young group.

My hunch is not that the professional people know better but that they place more value on what money can buy them (they did afterall go out to attain higher paid employment) and that they want to live longer enjoying it.

 

[PrimeCommercial]

Coming from a reformed smoker, let them be.

You'll probably find half of the people on big wages smoked in their younger years anyway.

today we have unlimited information on the health dangers and the costs of smoking, and yet these people - some old but mostly young, are still indulging in an activity which is dangerous to their health

Same about the dangers of eating fast food, drinking alcohol, speeding in cars, riding bikes with no helmets ........but people still do it. I'm glad we're all different, that way we're not all competing for the same IP

 

[wylie]

I am sure that a few weeks ago I heard something on the news about the pokies revenue being considerably lower since smoking was banned...... fabulous!!

Less people smoking and less people playing the pokies can only be a good thing.

 

[travelbug]

I am sure that a few weeks ago I heard something on the news about the pokies revenue being considerably lower since smoking was banned...... fabulous!!

Less people smoking and less people playing the pokies can only be a good thing.

You would think so. BUT many clubs are putting up prices to cover losses usually made on gambling.
Before I moved (and we were poorer) we used to go to the club every Tuesday night for the $2 dinner. For our few dollar membership we used to get a free meal on our birthday, a Christmas party for the kids and the $2 member dinner every week. That is being discontinued due to lack of funds. A lot of clubs are doing it tough.
People that gamble will find another way of gambling.

My mum's a smoker and at her club they used to have smoking pokie areas but as most people smoked it was really crowded. The non-smokers ended up in there too as they had no-one to talk to. (I hope they didn't complain about the smoke

I have never been interested in smoking but I know if I had started I would have a hell of a time trying to quit. I can't even stop eating chocolate and that's not addictive.

I hate eating overseas where it's allowed and people light up in the middle of your meal. We are lucky here I think.

Just a quick story.
None of our friends smoke. The only person my kids had seen smoking was their nan. One day a guy came to visit and he lit a cigarette. My daughter just kept staring at him (she was about 5). I said "what's the matter?". She said "But he's not a nanna". She assumed only nanna's smoked.

Both my kids hate smoking. Lucky.

 

[wylie]

My youngest, when he was about 6 saw someone smoking and quietly said to me "that man is cigaretting".

 

[Hoffy]

My 5 year old calls them "stinky sticks".

 

[pennyk]

I I can't even stop eating chocolate and that's not addictive.

Chocolate not addictive...... you've got to be joking. I think its every bit addictive as cigarettes!!


We went on a Caribbean cruise a few years ago, and the boat was a non-smoking boat. No-one had smoked on it during construction even. But ours was the last non-smoking cruise. They just didn't make enough money from both gambling and drinking to make it profitable. So, they needed to let on the smokers to raise their revenue!
Pen

 

[Mokey]

It's almost a Darwinian thing, isn't it, when people know that a certain behaviour will probably end up killing them but are silly enough to continue to do it anyway. But then again, smoking rarely catches up with people before they are old enough to have kids.

 

[twobobsworth]

President Elect loves a smoke. What an intelligent man.

I would like to see an pack of smokes cost $100.

 

[Perp]

My youngest, when he was about 6 saw someone smoking and quietly said to me "that man is cigaretting".

My 5 year old calls them "stinky sticks".

I love it that my 7yo son couldn't remember what cigarettes were called. For some reason he was recently mentioning them, and he said "you know, those things people put in their mouth and set on fire"

 

[RumpledElf]

My 7yo thinks smoking is Really Cool because her dad smokes. She also thinks fish is the best meal in the universe because that's all he feeds her. Personally I loathe both of them (fish and cigarettes that is). I sincerely hope he's given up his pot habit or I am going to have a real problem teenager.

I live in an area where most people are on a pension or benefit of some sort, and most people here smoke, drink and do drugs (mostly ice, pot is a bit hard to grow in this climate), and usually from a very young age. Makes you wonder. And then they look at us like we are green with an extra head when we say we bought another house - how can we possibly afford it

 

[dave99]

I think many people give up smoking when they have kids - explains why lots of younger people at work smoke out the front, but not so many older ones.

Everyone knows the health problems from smoking... But when people are addicted, rationality goes out the window...

 

[GreatPig]

I live in the NT now, where smoking laws are years behind everywhere else..it sucks!

I assume you mean everywhere else in Australia, but Asian countries are the pits for cigarette smoking. I've been to Japan three times, and while I loved the country, the cigarette smoking there totally sucks! It's everywhere.

GP

 

[Y33]

Great Pig,

Japan is very slowly catching up.

10 years ago you could smoke anywhere but now it is becoming more restrictive.

The main problem is that the govt owns a third of Japan tobacco and spend money on advertisements about being a good polite smoker. Recently that put warning labels that smoking may be harmful to your health.

 

[geoffw]

the cigarette smoking there totally sucks! It's everywhere

I thought it was the smokers who did the sucking?

 

[DavidMc]

I've always thought that a smoker is sometimes a sign that someone couldn't reject peer or social pressure as a teenager. Nobody actually enjoys their first, second or even third smoke, it's weird you have 'force' yourself to become addicted.

I do feel sympathy for smokers though, I have my own vices I find hard to give up - and they're only psychologically addictive.

 

[The Y-man]

I can't even stop eating chocolate and that's not addictive.

I thought there was some study done which went to look at the compounds in chocolate (not just caffeine) that made you chemically dependent on them.....

Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[twodogs]

Same about the dangers of eating fast food, drinking alcohol, speeding in cars, riding bikes with no helmets ........but people still do it. I'm glad we're all different, that way we're not all competing for the same IP

Eating fast food doesn’t fumigate the person who has to stand next to a smoker and is just trying to breathe.

Smoke if you want to, but just like speeding in cars etc smokers should not let their activity endanger/annoy those nearby. Especially kids who have no choice in the matter. Smoking next to a kid is no less selfish and thoughtless than not putting a seat belt on one.