Producer Amy moving to Radio 1 Breakfast

[MaryMary]

I agree with you on the whole - except the bit about not knowing where to go for help. You'd have to be a cretin to miss all the advertising on that subject. Thats more a case of deciding to plead ignorance in order to stay in denial, in my opinion.

[Riz]

They frown upon underagers

I dunno, ive never been in the situation where ive needer help for this sorta stuff, but i assume its embarassing to admit you have a problem

[MaryMary]

Probably. Apparently nicotine is more chemically addictive than heroin. No wonder its so hard to give up - you've got the chemical addiction to break, plus the social "habit" part of the whole thing. Yet again, I don't know why anyone starts.

[Kelly]

To be honest, I have no idea why I started and I regret it too. Thing is, there are aspects of it that can improve your life. I have loads of friends that I met whilst outside smoking. But it also makes chest infections much worse and your ability to run is screwed, not that it makes much difference to me; I'm too fat to run anywhere!

[Olly]

It also increases the risk of heart disease, cancer etc. etc.

I don't see how there are any positives to it at all.

My dad died just over 3 months ago from a heart attack (at 48 ), and he hadn't smoked for nearly 30 years, wasn't overweight, cholesterol and blood pressure were pretty much normal... anything you do to increase the risk is crazy in my opinion.

[Mike]

My Great Grandad smoked all his life and passed away when he was 87

[Olly]

I think 50% of smokers die because of their habit.. that's 1 in 2, half...

[Lucinda]

I don't know why people start smoking. One of my friends does it because he says it relieves stress. He started at about the time he turned 16. He figured I didn't really approve, and since, he's stopped talking to me. It doesn't help that cigarette smoke makes me cough for about a week afterwards. We used to be pretty much best friends, and now I haven't seen or spoken to him in months. He just kind of drifted away. Whenever I saw him, he was completely hammered and chain smoking.

I don't know if it will make a difference raising the age for buying cigarettes. I have personally never seen the appeal of it. It's true: the Government want the tax revenue from cigarettes, so their efforts to stop smoking will be fair half-hearted.

[goldengirl]

Fab idea It's a yucky habit to have so would be better if it was more difficult for children to start!!!

[MaryMary]

Fab idea It's a yucky habit to have so would be better if it was more difficult for children to start!!!

Absolutely - but the question is, will raising the age you can legally buy them to 18 actually HAVE that effect? I don't think it will.

[goldengirl]

Absolutely - but the question is, will raising the age you can legally buy them to 18 actually HAVE that effect? I don't think it will.

It's easier to pass for 16 than 18 so maybe?

[MaryMary]

Possibly, but its still missing the point - if young kids want to get them, they can - and still will be able to even if they do this.

[goldengirl]

If people want anything they will get it my point is that it may be slightly more difficult for some of them if the age is higher.

[MaryMary]

I agree - but realistically we need something which will have more than a possible slight effect. The only measures which would have a positive, measurable and governable effect would be measures this government - and any other - would never take, like a blanket ban on smoking outside of your own home, or raising the cost to £35 a packet, or refusing NHS cover to smokers......smoking has to be stamped out, not tiptoed around.

[Geezer7348]

Personally I think that people who smoke and need transplants related to their smoking or drinking should be put at the bottom of the waiting list, there are people who through no fault of their own require transplants. Smoking is self inflicted and if people want to blacken their lungs with tar then let them smoke themselves to death, harsh reality but In my opinion these people had the choice and they obviously picked the wrong one.

[MaryMary]

Personally I think that people who smoke and need transplants related to their smoking or drinking should be put at the bottom of the waiting list, there are people who through no fault of their own require transplants.

Oh how very, very deeply I agree with you................

[Bexy]

Would you still feel the same if the person who smoked and needed a transplant or operation was a member of your family or someone you cared about?

[Geezer7348]

Would you still feel the same if the person who smoked and needed a transplant or operation was a member of your family or someone you cared about?

I, as an ex smoker think that it's only right that people who havent taken smoked/drinked in copius amounts should be the priority. I know the damage tobacco can do as it killed both my grandfathers. Certainly one of them died before I was even 8yrs old so he would only have probably been in his 50's/early 60's.

[Bexy]

I know too, I even made my ex boyfriend give up smoking because I didn't want to see anything like that happen to someone I cared about again.

I just think that there's many factors involved, it's not always as black and white as it seems.

[MaryMary]

Would you still feel the same if the person who smoked and needed a transplant or operation was a member of your family or someone you cared about?

I think I would, although I understand what you are saying. Not everything in life is easy or pleasant though, and the solution to people killing themselves and costing the NHS millions by smoking is not going to be achieved painlessly.

I've been on a transplant waiting list for two and a half years btw.

[Bexy]

Not everything in life is easy or pleasant though...

Is anything? *sigh*

I've been on a transplant waiting list for two and a half years btw.

Which just goes to show, like I said, that not everything is as simple as it seems. Obviously your situation effects how you feel, and other people's past experiences effect how they feel. I don't know what the solution is, but I really do hope that everything works out for you soon.

[Lucinda]

It's not that black and white. Should we refuse to pay for health problems caused by obesity as well? Should we refuse to pay for people who break their legs skiing or skateboarding because it was self-inflicted? Should we refuse to treat people who were injured while fighting?

The NHS was set up in 1948 (or thereabouts) to treat everyone for free, and despite its failings, it sort of does that. I had an economics A level question on this last year: should the NHS charge smokers for their treatment. It's difficult to say what health problems are caused by smoking. Some non-smokers get lung cancer, so you can't label something as purely a smokers' problem.

There isn't really any easy answer to the smoking issue. I don't think you can really exclude anyone from the NHS, because it raises too many more issues. At the moment the high tax on cigarettes is supposedly compensating for the additional strain on the NHS but the NHS has huge problems as it is (a completely separate issue though).

[MaryMary]

It's not that black and white. Should we refuse to pay for health problems caused by obesity as well? Should we refuse to pay for people who break their legs skiing or skateboarding because it was self-inflicted? Should we refuse to treat people who were injured while fighting?

The NHS was set up in 1948 (or thereabouts) to treat everyone for free, and despite its failings, it sort of does that. I had an economics A level question on this last year: should the NHS charge smokers for their treatment. It's difficult to say what health problems are caused by smoking. Some non-smokers get lung cancer, so you can't label something as purely a smokers' problem.

There isn't really any easy answer to the smoking issue. I don't think you can really exclude anyone from the NHS, because it raises too many more issues. At the moment the high tax on cigarettes is supposedly compensating for the additional strain on the NHS but the NHS has huge problems as it is (a completely separate issue though).

Totally true. I'm well aware that the measures I aspire to are not do-able in this country. But I do believe that it is possible and desirable to go some way towards the idea that those of us who do not deliberately make ourselves ill should not have to continually subsidise those who do. I'm not saying it wouldn't be complex, but I really think it needs to happen.

Also, Bexy (sorry, I still haven't worked out how to quote multiple posts in one reply....!), you're quite right in that my own situation has caused me to think on these subjects more than I might have otherwise, but thankfully neither my condition nor my treatment is affected by any of these issues, so thats a relief!

[Jono]

Right then, all hell about to break loose on Monday?

[Kelly]

Not over here. *is smug*