Smoking!

Hi anyone and everyone

I have twenty minutes to write this - wish I had longer. 

I hate smoking.  I smoked from the age of thirteen, intermittently, until the age of twenty-seven or so.  I gave up several times, often for years at a time, and always went back on the fags when I was unwell.  In fact for me, smoking is a clear sign that things have gone awry, and I have told my husband that if I ever start again he is to call the mental health team asap.

Obviously, not all smokers are mad.  On the other hand they are all wilfully ignoring the damage that cigarettes are doing to their health and their bank balance, and the environment, and the possibility that the next generation will continue to look up to adult smokers as 'Cool' and so emulate their behaviour.  Another whole batch of young people damaged - nice.

If I had never smoked cigarettes I would have been far less likely to smoke cannabis.  I would not have been mixing with the same sort of people (i.e. troubled, as I was) from such a young age.  I am sure the same goes for lots of others.

What else?  Oh yes.  I am outraged by the fact that prisoners and the mentally ill are the only groups of people who are exempt from the indoors smoking ban  (I am speaking of the situation in the UK, I have no idea what happens in the USA).  I think the reasoning is that these people need 'Pacification and occupation'.  I am quoting from Robert Crampton's article in the Saturday Times, but there is no point in putting a link to that here because you have to subscribe to that newspaper.  I am a subscriber and thus I was able to post a comment under his article to the effect that the alternative reasoning behind exempting these people from the ban is that no-one gives a stuff whether they live or die. 

The poorest people end up in mental hospitals and prisons.  Their poverty is apparent - it is a cause, not an effect of their situation.  (I know it is more complicated than this but as I said I am in a hurry).  SO why not encourage them to give up smoking?  Make them wait for breaks to go outside at least, as others do in their places of work?  Why not go further, and put anti-smoking programmes into place in these institutions?  Maybe then these people would have a chance to gain some pride in an achievement - it is not an easy thing to do, to give up smoking.  They would also gain some dignity - nobody wants to be hooked on anything.  They would feel better physically. 

I could go on, and I wish I had more time.  I might write these thoughts down properly sometime, but anyway, I hope you have got my drift for now.

Now I'm going to get my Toddler, and take him somewhere fun.

Louise. x.