No, You Cannot Borrow a Cigarette

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

As someone who smokes I am aware that I annoy a copious amount of people on a daily basis, whether it's because I unintentionally get smoke in their face, trust me I've been coughed at countless times despite the fact the person who is offended it stood about 20 foot behind me, or because I'm getting in their way as I try to light a ciggie in a crowded high street, and then there are those who just generally look down on me because of the dirty disgusting habit that they hate.

Yes I am aware that it is dirty and disgusting but at the same time I am addicted, in the same way that alcoholics are addicted to drinking or crack addicts are addicted to crack, and in most cases in the same way I'm addicted to eating like the pasty scoffing moaners who look down on me as they hastily try to make their way to Greggs only to be blocked by me and my annoying craving.

However us smokers also have a number of hates when it comes to other smokers, yes we get annoyed by the fact that non-smokers continue to moan about the smell even though we are stood outside huddled amongst some questionable people trying to get some warmth whilst the British weather hammers us with rain, wind, snow or all three at any given time. But that aside the biggest hate I find that comes with being a smoker is the exasperating question that is regularly asked "can you lend me a cigarette?"

Well quite frankly the answer to that question is no. It seems that other smokers who may have left theirs at home, can't afford to buy any or just don't want to smoke their last one quite yet, feel that as a fellow smoker I have a moral obligation to give them a cigarette because I can feel their pain. Yes I can feel your pain and I myself have felt it, but I wouldn't approach someone who is minding their own business in the street and ask for one of their fags, and then hurl abuse at them when they say they can't give you one.

Firstly I would not be lending said cigarette as I will probably never see you again in my life, therefore you will not be giving me one back in the foreseeable future, so what you really want to know is can you have a cigarette. The answer by the way is still no. Also at about £7 a pop for 20 fags that works out as 35p for one, which at the moment is frankly too much money to waste on someone I do not know.

This apparent 'moral obligation' that should be shared amongst smokers where the giving of cigarettes to strangers should be done freely does not apply to anything else though. For example I am a human, which mean I need food and water to survive and on many occasions I have been starving whilst walking past people eating, yet if I was to approach someone and ask them for a chip, a bite of their sandwich or a sip of their drink I would probably be looked at in disgust and given abuse in the same way I'm given abuse when I refuse to give someone a fag, because this is deemed as socially unacceptable, unlike the handing out of cigarettes.

This then brings me to the biggest annoyance of a smoker, the social smoker. Yes we have all encountered them at some point during our smoking life, a non-smoker who has had too much to drink and thinks they will look 'cool' with a ciggie hanging out of their mouth. Now we all had to start smoking somewhere, which probably happened when a friend who smokes gave us a fag, but these people don't smoke, won't smoke and probably look down on smokers during the daytime when they are stone cold sober. They also haven't ran out of fags on their night out prompting them to ask to have one of yours because they never brought any with them. This everyone is the most annoying, either you smoke or you don't, you cannot just decided to smoke on a whim on a night out and take everyone else's.

So next time you get annoyed whilst looking at a smoker, just stop and think about how annoyed they are at other smokers, social smokers and those who look down on them, because they are probably more annoyed than you, which is most likely the reason why they need a fag in the first place.

Is a Minimum Price Really a Good Idea?

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

With the announcement that the government is proposing a minimum price on alcohol in England and Wales in order to tackle problem drinking, and in turn reduce the levels of alcohol related crime and ill health you have to wonder, is it actually a good idea?

There are many people that will say it is a good idea and some research carried out by Sheffield University shows that a minimum price would reduce alcohol consumption by 4.3%, which in turn could lead to 2,000 fewer deaths and 66,000 fewer hospital admissions within 10 years of implementing the scheme.

However you only have to look at the smoking ban and the increase in the price of cigarettes in recent years to see how this could work. Yes there will be many who have quit smoking because of the price rise and I'm sure there are those who rejoice in the fact that they no longer smell like an ashtray after a night out, but the fact of the matter is people still smoke and young people are still beginning to smoke at a young age.

Those who enjoy smoking or are addicted to it will go out of their way to find a cigarette often turning to a cheaper cigarettes or a roll ups, or in some cases buying cigarettes instead of items they need such as food. So it makes you wonder, will the same thing happen with alcohol? Will people just go to a cheaper alternative such as booze cruises in the same way that people stock up on as many duty free cigarettes as they can on their return home from a holiday, to either smoke them or sell them.

On the issue of cheaper alternatives there are also those that are much more dangerous than the odd booze cruise or suitcase filled with duty free. Ten years ago who would have imagined that we would be reading stories about people using bath salts as a drug in order to get high? Will an increase in alcohol turn people to these alternatives? Probably not but it is obviously going to be a risk that is always present and maybe a little more so if alcohol becomes unaffordable to many.

On a more positive note the increase isn't expected to affect drinks in many pubs, which could be a good thing due the decrease in people visiting their local pub since the smoking ban was introduced with people opting to stay in with a cheaper alternative. However where as pubs may get a little more custom, remember people don't really have the money to go crazy down the pub all the time at the moment. Also many shops may get less and less custom as they rely on drinks offers to secure customers, which could have a negative effect on employment if these shops where to subsequently go out of business.

But lets not forget one of the key points; this raising of the alcohol price will hurt responsible drinkers the most. Whereas a significant amount, nearly 25% of the population are drinking excessively, there is still that other 75% who aren't drinking irresponsibly and are subsequently being punished for the behaviour of others.

A minimum pricing on alcohol doesn't look as though it will have as big an effect as the government are hoping for, because as it has been proved in the past if an individual wants something then they will find a way of getting hold of it, even if it means going hungry for a little while. Yes they do have a tricky situation on their hands and some will no doubt accuse them of trying to implement a nanny state. But this is a time when most people can't afford many luxuries due to unemployment or being part of the working poor. For many the odd trip to the pub has now become a rare treat, so they've had to opt for a few drinks at home, which now looks like it may become a very rare treat for many and another of life's few luxuries they can't afford.