I must admit when i was a smoker and the ban came into being on July 1st it was annoying having to stand outside like a naughty schoolkid to have a smoke (one of my reasons for quitting) must be a lot worse for them now in this cold wet weather.
Now i am a non smoker the ban seems so much more sensible and must help people quit not having to sit in smokey places or go outside freezing.
Good luck all keep up the good fight we are all non smokers now 
I always thought the ban was a good idea as I did really want to quit. I chose to quit smoking to coincide with the ban. The selfish reason was that I work in a pub every Wednesday evening and am normally left on my own in the bar while the landlord goes upstairs. Popping out for a cigarette was not gonna be an option unless the pub was dead. The thought of going a whole shift without having a cigarette filled me with dread. It gave me reason to try to quit again but, I wasn't gonna hold my breath. I am now 5 + months into my quit and do believe that the smoking ban has made this quit more bearable than the previous quits. To be able to sit in a pub and drink without people smoking around you is great. The general discussion when the ban came in was 'It'll never last! The government will have to drop it due to public protest'. 5 months later in windy conditions, I see hoards of smokers going out in groups like it's the normal thing. I think it has encouraged more and more people to quit. Thats gotta be a good thing.
People talk about it being 'a infringement on their civil rights' and 'another example of the government telling us what they can and can't do'
I think these people are just jealous of non-smokers.
I think it's the best thing the government could of done!
I agree Boudee - where has freedom of choice gone these days. The smoking ban for instance - can't smoke here there and everywhere, but you can still go and buy them from every street corner and carry on killing yourselves. As long as you do it in the privacy of your own home and don't offend anyone. The countries gone arse over tit when you're too scared to voice an opinion on just about everything these days for fear of getting arrested. :mad: Do you not think though that we have become a nation of "put up and shut up".
I know that you all have a different view to this than I do but maybe I'm seeing it from my own selfish perspective.
I think its a good idea because it make my quit easier without others smoking around me and I no longer endanger my life by passive smoking either.
However I do also agree that a total ban is needed but we know that the government won't give up the huge revenue from the tax on cigarettes. I don't agree with that!
My answer was to the question 'Has this quit changed your view of the ban?' not 'Has this quit changed you view of the British government?' cos I already have an opinion of them and it's not a good opinion, but thats another story.
I agree all that you have said on this matter Boudee.
It is like becoming a stepford wife, having to do what we are told.
Love Joan
OMG didn't realiase it was THAT big!! Sorry folks:eek::eek::eek:
I haven't changed my view on the ban. I was agin it then and I'm agin it now. Don't get me wrong I'm delighted that I've quit for this long and hope that this time it's for good but I'm in the camp that thinks that the government is just going too far in the extent to which they are telling grown up people what they can and can't do. I'm a bit dismayed to see how many pubs are desperately quite during the week. The days of the snug home from home pub where a big grown up person could go after a hard days work and relax in like company with a pint a newspaper and cigarette or cigar will be just a distant cosy memory. Instead what we'll have is clean smelling hygienic bars with not many people in them, and po faced people w*nking on about how they can now go to a pub and their clothes don't smell when they go home - but THEY don't go to their local pub often enough to replace the income from displaced smokers.
Nor will it all end here - no sir. We've heard how they are considering making it an offence to smoke while driving because apparently its dangerous. Hmmm where's the statistics that say that loads of people are crashing their cars as result of being distracted by smoking.
This is all just about the economics of healthcare and the next soft targets for the Government will be drinkers and overweight people. You've probably already noticed that since the ban has come in, these two issues have been very much more frequently in the news........
Some very good points made on this thread.
I can see what you mean its unfair on Publicans if they are losing lots of trade mind i think cheap supermarket booze also plays a part in this as well thats not to say smoking hasn't hit their trade because it seems like it has a lot.Another problem i got told about now, is people outside smoking have been a bit noisey as you would expect and were i live a lot of clubs/pubs are in residential areas and there have been complaints about noise levels from nearby residents.
Dickeyboy makes a good point it was only the other day on TV it was said being overweight was probably more dangerous for you than smoking.I agree with you all about the Government i think they make it up as they go along.
I can also see Barneys point especially him working in a pub it must be better for non smokers which we all are now.
To sumerise im back to square 1 i can see the good and the not so good points of this ban :D:D
Although I didnt begin my quit until the 23rd I was well along the path of beginning it when the ban came in on the 1st July so it didnt bother me too much, also during that 22 day spell think I only went in a pub two or three times so never really got used to it either way to be honest.
Although I now enjoy pubs being smoke free, I still think having very well defined smoking sections would have been satisfactory. Making them cut of, say in a corner of a pub, have doors and fan extractors etc should have been enough. As for the workers having to put up with the smell and second hand smoke effects (which the evidence for is neither here nor there) then that should be part of the interview process really, making people aware. Your not going to take a job as a bricklayer and then complain about heavy lifting. Its common sense.
Am I on the right forum????
Surely a ban on smoking in public places is a god send to us people giving up smoking and to the health of everyone in this country!
I really can't believe that none of you who are all giving up smoking, don't think this ban is a good idea!
I can see everyones arguement about 'freedom of choice' but we don't have a choice in the matter so we might aswell be positive about it.
Who has been down the pub since the ban and found temptation easier to avoid cos of the ban?
I only wish that they would make tobacco an illegal substance.
I agree that this country is going a bad way, for example, immigration, Yob culture, political correctneses The list goes on and on.
Freedom of choice is a good thing as long it the choice made doesn't have harmful effects on others.
my sentiments exactly
hence why i think there should be a divide in pubs one for smokers and one for not
and gas masks for the workers 
You do know that if they had done that instead of a total ban, you'd still get people moaning about it!:rolleyes:
No-one is gonna be happy with whatever happens! We're all have different opinions which is why we are so unique. We'd be a bit boring if we all agreed!
I'm gonna shut up now!
Hi Everyone,
It's me and I am still smoking although I am planning my quit tomorrow (Monday 10th Dec), but I just had to view my own opinion which will probably annoy everyone
Firstly I'd like to make it clear that I believe in peoples freedom to do and say what ever they like.
I am a smoker but I have never smoked in a buidling and don't believe in doing so. I know its going to kill me if I don't quit, I also know that it can damage non smokers also, and I believe that any smoker who smokes in a confined area with non-smokers have a total lack of moral standards. A typical example is parents smoking in a car with their kids in the back :mad:
However I don't like eating or drinking in a smokey environment (even though I am a smoker) so if I know that a restuarant or pub has a smokers present then I choose not to eat or drink there.
I think what I am trying to say is that whether you are a non smoker or a smoker we all have choices and everyone knows the potential consequences.
The ban should not have been allowed in my opinion (Please note that the ban didn't affect me in any way as I don't smoke in buildings).
If an establishment chooses to be non-smoking then fine, if it chooses to be smoking then fine, as long as employees and customers are fully aware of that then it's upto the individual whether they want to work or enter the building.
I firmly believe that smoking is a filthy digusting habit, but discriminating purely against smokers is wrong.
Lets face it, smoking should have been banned from cars and in homes where children are present (and don't have a say)... An adult can make the choice not to enter a smoking environment a child cannot...
The ban is just another half hearted attempt by the government to win some votes...
Thats me done... How many people did I piss off... 
A little late on the debate but everyone is referring to the ban as if the Uk and its government are the only country doing it and that somehow reflects on our lack of freedom. What about New York and the rest of the US and Ireland ! Countries like Spain and France are thinking of it too. All Western culture is realising that smoking is ridiculous and unacceptable, when was the last time anyone felt really comfortable smoking anywhere inside where there are other non-smokers, including smoky bits in pubs?
They say quitting smoking is as hard as coming off heroin, so there will soon be a time when cigarettes will be illegal as they should be. Our grandchildren will think it's unbelievable that we could buy them from a corner shop. In the meantime the big tobacco companies are marketing and selling frantically to the third world, where personal health is nothing compared to getting through each day due to poverty and lack of food.
There is anger here about government telling us what to do, what about anger that these big corporations are still making the horrible things. Now that's immoral.
Blimey! Someone who agrees with me!:eek:
You need to look past the 'the government' or 'Freedom of choice' and look at the long time benefits of this ban. A healthier country for everyone.
So many people have decided to quit smoking due to it, myself included. I reckon I would still be smoking if the ban hadn't come into effect. It was the ban that made me give it another go!
How many of you have gone to the pub and felt so smug when people keep having to go outside in the horrible weather, just to feed their habit?
This is what anti-smoking campaigners and groups including this very website have been campaigning for for years.
I am looking at this ban as a benefit to the health of everyone. I am not looking at it that my freedom of choice has been taken away.
I know! I know! I won't shut up will I!:rolleyes::p
can see both sides of the coin. while im glad i dont have to smell smokers in the pub, i cant see why they couldnt have a air con room to have a cig in comfort, thats the reasonable answer, but the goverment seem to want to humiliate smokers ailienated to useless shelters, while they can puff away all they want in the houses of parliment. who can agree with that from a so called democracy ?
well mine's a nice firm "yes" too..!
when i smoked i was in the "rassen rassen rassen rick rastardly, smoking ban, freedom of choice, who do they think they are, my grandfather didn't die in two world wars for this...camp"
now i'm a non-smoker pubs are brilliant..!
sitting in a smoke filled pub was tempting, going outside in the wind and rain is a no-brainer.
now i can go to the cinema with my kids and sit through an entire film without sneaking out midway through and coming back stinking..!
As an ex-smoker i now want nicotine available only mail-order or from licensed premises. A ban on personal importation of tobacco and Public flogging for smoking in the street...
however......
I reserve the right to alter my views if I fall off the nicotine wagon.
can see both sides of the coin. while im glad i dont have to smell smokers in the pub, i cant see why they couldnt have a air con room to have a cig in comfort, thats the reasonable answer, but the goverment seem to want to humiliate smokers ailienated to useless shelters, while they can puff away all they want in the houses of parliment. who can agree with that from a so called democracy ?
Maybe THATS why they went to Panama,dossy!!!!!!hehe
but the goverment seem to want to humiliate smokers ailienated to useless shelters, while they can puff away all they want in the houses of parliment. who can agree with that from a so called democracy ?
I did hear about that at the start of the ban! I'm not sure if they can or not?:confused: Had a look on the net and can't find any recent statements about it. If they can, then yeah thats well unfair and a typical example of why most people arguements are just about the government.
I thought of something else aswell!!:rolleyes:
If this ban had come into effect lets say 20 years ago, I do wonder if I would of started smoking in the first place?:confused:
I do hope that now my wife and I no longer smoke and with this ban that my son won't take up smoking when he's older.
I'd love for the government to ban cigerettes, if they're not available then I wouldn't smoke...
The underlying problem is the government will never ban cigarettes as its such a big income for the tax man.
Exactly the same problem with petrol and the environment, BMW have developed an alternative fuel car that is green friendly (Over 5 years ago now) and it has the same performance as their petrol engines.
If the governments of this would were that bothered about the environment and smoking they'd have phased out petrol cars long ago and done the same with tobacco...
It's all a balance between getting as much taxes in and keeping the voters happy on both accounts. The bottom line is that they don't really care about the environment or smokers, their primary goal is getting elected again.
I think this post should of been called,
'What do you think of the British government?'
While I agree with every single one of you about the government that they don't care about us! I do agree with the ban.
This 'selfish government' have passed this legislation after being dogged by anti-smoking groups and campaigners for years. They could of brought in this ban years ago but have chosen to do it now as it probably benefits them now for whatever reason but probably to carry favour with the voters and make their image look good.
My arguement would be, Are you against the ban because you don't think it will benefit the country? or are you against it because it was brought in by a government that you don't agree with?
Are you against the ban because you don't think it will benefit the country? or are you against it because it was brought in by a government that you don't agree with?
I think the ban will benefit the country, however the ban shouldn't have been needed. Even as a smoker I refused to eat or drink in a smoking environment because its a disgusting habit, I made that choice. Other smokers didn't affect me because I avoided them.
I think my biggest gripe is that if something is going to be banned then do it properly rather than a token gesture.
What about smoking in cars... It's equally, if not more dangerous than being on a mobile phones... Who's ever dropped a burning ciggy in their laps while driving???
I don't like the government, I am a Conservative voter ( Albeit they're a bunch of useless tulips now also ).
So for me it isn't the fact that I dislike the government (which I do). It's just that the ban hasn't been implemented properly.
Again I say, how many poor kids are in the backs of cars with adults smoking... That's just wrong, yet the government must believe that this kind of secondary smoking is okay... :rolleyes
I think my biggest gripe is that if something is going to be banned then do it properly rather than a token gesture.
What about smoking in cars... It's equally, if not more dangerous than being on a mobile phones... Who's ever dropped a burning ciggy in their laps while driving???
I don't like the government, I am a Conservative voter ( Albeit they're a bunch of useless tulips now also ).
So for me it isn't the fact that I dislike the government (which I do). It's just that the ban hasn't been implemented properly.
Again I say, how many poor kids are in the backs of cars with adults smoking... That's just wrong, yet the government must believe that this kind of secondary smoking is okay... :rolleyes
I can totally agree with you there Gav!:D
:(We all seem to agree with the ban, and myself included wish cigs were banned altogether, then nobody would smoke. however where would it all end? Im begining to feel the sceptical eye on me because i like to drink, remember the feeling anyone ? and now im gaining weight with quiting the weed im feeling another health issue may raise its ugly head Ahhhh! We are plied with propaganda, subtle yes but foolish to ignore. on one thread a none racist declared they could not say what they wanted to for fear of being called a racist. what happend to " i may not agree with what you say, but i will die for your right to say it" ???????
Maybe THATS why they went to Panama,dossy!!!!!!hehe
He he! for the Panama Cigars i suspect LOL LOL
hehe i see people in here are getting hot under the collar
so just to add to the steam........................................
I hate the government, down with the ban, down with the ban and down with the ban
I hate the government, down with the ban, down with the ban and down with the ban
yes ok i am leaving now 
flipping heck calm down 
Maybe this naughty corner should have an extension built! Its getting a bit crowded here!
Im begining to feel the sceptical eye on me because i like to drink, remember the feeling anyone ? and now im gaining weight with quiting the weed im feeling another health issue may raise its ugly head Ahhhh! We are plied with propaganda, subtle yes but foolish to ignore.
I read that and it reminded me of something that I found out last night up the hosptial.
My wife was giving birth to our daughter and I remembered that a colleague of mine mentioned that in his hospital when his wife gave birth they had a Burger King and a Subways as the eating places.
Turns out the midwife last night know of two hospitals in the UK that has McDonalds in them (Nice and healthy and a good example to all patients with illnesses due to being over weight, a McDonalds or Burger King is obviously a well balaned and nutritious meal).
There you go, it just goes to show its all about making money.
CONGRATULATIONS Gav, well done to you and your family.[ expanding family he he!]
Congratulations!!!!!
Your friends and your quit?
Your Perfect Quit Scenario
Roll call! - The state of your quit?
