I remember when I was at school all the cool kids smoked. It was like you wasn’t cool if you didn’t smoke. God knows why, smelling bad must have been ‘in’ when I was younger. Unfortunately I was never one of the cool kids, and to be honest I never really wanted to smoke to get in with them. I was quite happy as I was. They all used to huddle together in a far corner of the school yard, way out of the way of any teachers and have a cheeky smoke. As I went to an all girls school, it was also a major bitching and bonding sessions. That’s what girls do, bitch and bond, just in case you boys didn’t know! I was never invited into these sessions, and I didn’t really feel that left out.

A few years later a friend of mine tried giving up smoking. He had smoked for years and years and it was a rather difficult task for him. He did very well with it for a while, but the part he missed most about it was the social aspect, and the feeling of fitting in. At the time I just didn’t understand this, and thought he was making excuses. One comment he made was regarding lunchtimes and breaks at work. He said that all his friends and all the people he had a laugh with went outside at lunchtimes and he was left inside, with what he referred to as ‘the boring folk’, this is something that really bothered him, and in the end he gave in and joined the popular group.

Now as I said I have never understood this, as I have never smoked. However I have noticed something at work…..It appears all the ’fun’ people do actually smoke. Now I know at first look this seems like a really ridiculous comment, but honestly viewing the situation the majority of lively people trundle outside at break times and lunchtimes to get their quick fix. Whether it be raining or snowing. There they are laughing and joking with each other and seem to be not noticing that they are catching pneumonia as they do it.

Smoking is never a habit I wanted to take up, and I still don’t. I don’t personally have anything against it. With many things in life it is up to individuals what they do, and they live with the consequences of it, as long as they are willing to do that, then they can do what they like. It seems now the powers that be want to cut out the social aspect of smoking all together, as those that don’t smoke don’t want to be surrounded by it. Something I do understand. I’m not sure cutting it out completely is fair though. It seems to have happened immediately and there doesn’t seem to be any give and take with it at all.