One thing i cannot live without

I am so glad the no-smoking ban came in over here, gigs are so much nicer now I can breathe and don't stink afterwards.

I recently quit.
I still smoke one every few days, but at least I quit buying tobacco.
I miss my Golden Virginia, but hey, I can live without it, can't I?
CAN'T I?!

HAHA! you're not the only one von, I've cut down.. but still haven't 'really' tried to quit yet

I'm an addict

I've never been a smoker and I can't see even one good reason to ever become one. There are no benefits at all.

Neither there are in drinking, or smoking weed, or even in eating at McDonald's, PoA
And, if you look closely at the subject, you will see that most of what we do is done in an unhealthy kind of way. Listening to music at high volumes can hurt your ears, walking in the streets of Milan is worse than smoking a cigarette... OK, that's no excuse for ruining your health a little more smoking, but you see, smoking tastes good. It's unhealthy, but it's nice to smoke, that's the point.

And then again, if one is aware of the dangers of smoking and just doesn't quit it, it's his personal choice, isn't it? No one forces you to smoke, still tobacco tastes good. So yes, there is a benefit indeed. Hedonistic, irresponsible, but still a benefit.

(haven't smoked for three days now, have smoked three cigarettes in the whole last week. Me rules \m/)

The benefits of smoking weed is getting stoned. The benefits of smoking cigarettes are..fulfiling your craving to smoke?
Anyway, i don't smoke (cigarettes) but i don't care about people smoking. Most of my housemates smoke,hah but i won't let anyone smoke straight cigarettes in my room!
It is kind of nice coming back from the pub or a gig or whatever and not stinking. But its annoying if you want to smoke something else at a gig...
ahh, you smokers!

SMOKE!

Well, of course it's something that partly feeds on itself, but then again, smoking is not just a way to no longer feel the need to smoke at least for a while ( ). There's a simple yet tangible pleasure in filling your mouth and your lungs with smoke; it tastes good, it's not that different from, let's say, eating a chewing-gum.

That said, I still believe that quitting has been one of the wisest choices in my life. And I totally second you all about the pleasure of going into a pub or something and not stinking after the night/show/concert/whatever.

Sounds good. I don't think that it's applied to concerts here yet. I think that in Germany, pups, clubs etc. still have the option to choose whether they want to be a no-smoking-location, and I bet that most venues hosting gigs won't give up on allowing cigarettes. But then again, I can't quite remember the last gig I attended in my home country, so things might have changed in the meantime. At least I hope that they will be changing soon. It can be hard to get some fresh oxygen if 80% of the audience are smoking, especially at overcrowded gigs. The weed smokers in Holland are no better either. And as some of you already pointed out, it's just annoying that you have to air your clothes for days after wearing them at gigs, not to mention that it's hard to wash the stink out of your hair with a sole shower. When I get home late from a gig, I don't want to wash my hair for hours before going to bed, but on the other hand, it's disgusting to go to sleep stinking all over. I'm always wondering why smokers have to be so fucking arrogant. Every morning when I walk from the bus stop to my wannabe-work, several people blow their pestilence into my direction and I always feel the urge to pull out a gun. They just don't care about anyone but themselves. One should take into account that passive smoking as such is even more harmful to health than smoking yourself.



100% seconded.



Very true... Even though I don't see what "PoA" is supposed to mean.

I quit some 3 years ago and I'm definitely not planning to start again.
No benefits from alcohol? I mean, ok, it's not as healthy as pure low-sugar fruit juice, but then in the sense of socializing while drinking a few glasses of wine or beer it is quite nice in the sense of getting a little less sensitive and don't take things too seriously...

Piece Of Art, as I was answering him
Should have quoted him.



Well, yes, you're right, but then again, that's something you can apply to cigarettes too. Lots of people start smoking because it makes 'em feel cooler and more, ehr, "socially accepted". So if you tend to be shy and you're with your friends, a cigarette in your hand can make you feel definitely calmer, more relaxed, and help you in socializing.
I'm not saying that's something good, not at all. It's just a trick that almost every 16-year-old shy guy learns sooner or later.
And maybe, but it's just a thought that occurred to me right now, it's harder to quit if you started smoking because of its social aspect. 'cause cigarette after cigarette, pack after pack, you start to associate the feeling of something warm burning in your hand with the feeling of being cool and interesting. This may even take the pleasure out of the act of smoking, making it something like, let's say, dressing in a certain way. Dunno if it's clear... in my head, it definitely is

Personally, I started smoking weed, then I came to cigarettes. There was a time when I smoked when I was very nervous or bored, then I understood there was something wrong in that and I cut down the dose a little bit. Recently, my girlfriend's father was operated for a lung tumor, and that really scared me. So I started the long, perilous way of quitting.
And I'm doing fine. Ain't I? AIN'T I?!

Sure, but in some sense it depends far more here. I mean, I don't need to drink when there is no atmosphere or no friends. But if you start smoking, it's simply more than just socializing, despite it can add something to the atmosphere. Smoking rather tends to make me kinda dizzy and nervous than happy and sociable... I guess it's individual to a certain extent.

Yep, seconded.
In fact, drinking and smoking are both bad habits in the end, but it turns out that drinking is way easier to control and get the fun out of.
Maybe.

In the end, getting stoned is best.

With regards to the smoking ban creating a smoke free atmosphere at gigs - I have started to notice a much worse smell that had previously been hidden... Body Odor!

haha, very true!
Also, in venues or pubs , if you're unlucky enough to be standing near the toilets you can also smell disinfectant ( amongst other less agreeable odours!)

I hate to have to go outside a pub or a bar to smoke. It's bloody freezing. I'm all for the smoking ban in public spaces, but I think there should be ventilated smoking areas too.

There should just be a sign outside pubs.

People can smoke in here if they want to, if you dont like it, dont go in.

Dunno how the situation is in other countries, but here in Italy, law does allow you to make "smoking permitted" areas in a pub.
It's just that pub owner don't even think about it. I suppose it's because it'd cost a lot of money, can't think of any other logical reason.

Luckily we have a pub here in Milan where you can smoke. And yes, not only cigarettes.

Please tell us more Von... sounds like the kind of place Esoteric would feel like hanging out after a show