View Full Version : Smoking in the 1990s
As a lifelong non-smoker I reached the age of 13 back in 1990 (30 years ago) and from then onwards it seemed as if smoking rates were on the increase, despite the health risks already being well-known by then, and even awareness of risks concerning passive smoking was already a thing by then, but it seemed that most people didn't give a damn, and more teenagers and young people seemed to be taking up the habit than ever before during the most part of that decade (apart from me, of course). It really used to cause me great discomfort and inadvertently anxiety having to be in the thick of it all back then, almost always with no choice. Even many non-smokers, although obviously disapproving of the habit in the grand scheme of things seemed a lot more blasé about it all, particularly when letting visitors who smoked light up in their houses, vehicles, etc, and I even recall some fully-grown adults who had previously never touched any tobacco products in their entire lives suddenly started to smoke, typically citing stress as the foremost reason for doing so.
I often wonder if the economic crisis of 1990-93 was one of the major factors for the seemingly sudden upturn in smoking rates during the first half of said decade?
Perhaps it could have also been the 'keeping up with the Jones's' thing, especially being the norm in pubs, clubs, restaurants, etc, and still even many workplaces.
When we had the last major economic crisis in this country in 2008-11, I don't recall any upward trends in smoking rates, though of course (for better or worse), smoking had been outlawed in pretty much all indoor environments and workplaces since July 2007, coupled with increasingly tighter restrictions being able to purchase tobacco products ever since, which probably helped.
Did anyone else on here think that smoking (counting only conventional tobacco products and not illicit drugs, etc) seemed disproportionately prevalent during the decade of the nineties, and possibly why?
Don't get me wrong, this thread is in no way intended as an out-and-out bash at smokers in general, as I am sure the vast majority of them nowadays indulge in their habit appropriately and responsibly when and where it is still permissible.
MyNameIsTerry
26-03-20, 20:21
I think you would need to look further back. It was common to get on the fags at young ages in our parents and grandparents time. And well beyond.
I think you would need to look further back. It was common to get on the fags at young ages in our parents and grandparents time. And well beyond.
Yes I am well aware of that Terry.
What probably skewed my perception of the smoking situation in the UK back in the early-mid nineties was the fact that due to me 'growing up', not only was I suddenly becoming more aware of certain 'adult' issues and generally discovering the wider environment around me most of which previously went over my head, I was suddenly more able to visit more places where smoking was commonplace, such as pubs, which in most cases back then you had to be at least 14 to enter them provided you weren't purchasing or consuming any alcoholic drinks (though many did often slip through the net).
Also the now-ubiquitous Internet/WWW didn't really start to become a 'mainstream' medium until after about 1997 or so (as I can recall from my own personal memory), so pretty much all info related to official stats and the like was basically restricted to books in the local library which were often already out-of-date, and general personal day-to-day observations, which like I said, can often be skewed against true reality.
But as far as school kids and smoking were concerned back then, it just seemed as if teachers/school staff had an 'oh let's just leave them to it' type of attitude. Same with shopkeepers who still persisted in selling both fags and booze to underage kids, despite the warning notices on display in most shops.
With this morning's news headline about the govt's proposed war on obesity in the UK, it reminded me of this thread I started back in late March about the perceived smoking epidemic during the first half of the 90s, and the fact that much of society was seemingly caught napping over the potential health hazards associated with said habit, especially with those in the food industry fearing potential loss of revenue if so-called 'junk food' TV commercials are outlawed pre-watershed, and of course the 'human rights' brigades also getting indignant, which of course happened during the anti-smoking campaigns from the late 90s through the mid-2000s, and constant complaints about the so-called 'health fascists' and 'nanny state' sticking the knife in, and the proverbial 'never did us any harm' when they were younger.
Pamplemousse
27-07-20, 12:42
Did anyone else on here think that smoking (counting only conventional tobacco products and not illicit drugs, etc) seemed disproportionately prevalent during the decade of the nineties, and possibly why?
Don't get me wrong, this thread is in no way intended as an out-and-out bash at smokers in general, as I am sure the vast majority of them nowadays indulge in their habit appropriately and responsibly when and where it is still permissible.
No, IMO it definitely fell compared to the 70s and 80s. My parents both smoked twenty a day each and I remember schoolfriends asking me if I smoked too because of the smell on my clothes. Father stopped in '77 after his first heart attack, Mother in '82 when it was having an effect on her breathing.
I can remember when the full ban on public transport was introduced a group of... well, it's hard to be PC about it but let's just say they came across as inbred cretins got on a train and started smoking, because in their view "90% of people smoke". Numerous complaints were made to the guard but as always, they do nothing because they want to avoid conflict.
No, IMO it definitely fell compared to the 70s and 80s. My parents both smoked twenty a day each and I remember schoolfriends asking me if I smoked too because of the smell on my clothes. Father stopped in '77 after his first heart attack, Mother in '82 when it was having an effect on her breathing.
I can remember when the full ban on public transport was introduced a group of... well, it's hard to be PC about it but let's just say they came across as inbred cretins got on a train and started smoking, because in their view "90% of people smoke". Numerous complaints were made to the guard but as always, they do nothing because they want to avoid conflict.
That's the trouble isn't it, the easiest option has always been to just give in to the rule-breakers, in order to 'keep the peace'.
Probably one of the main reasons why shopkeepers and bar staff in pubs used to just serve under-agers booze and cigs regardless of it being illegal because they didn't want to be on the receiving end of abuse and retribution had they refused to serve them, coupled with the fact that they were obviously in pursuit of £s at the very same time, and youngsters have for eons been attracted to booze and cigs, possibly due to the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome!!
Definitely never for me though!!
Pamplemousse
27-07-20, 20:41
That's the trouble isn't it, the easiest option has always been to just give in to the rule-breakers, in order to 'keep the peace'.
Probably one of the main reasons why shopkeepers and bar staff in pubs used to just serve under-agers booze and cigs regardless of it being illegal because they didn't want to be on the receiving end of abuse and retribution had they refused to serve them, coupled with the fact that they were obviously in pursuit of £s at the very same time, and youngsters have for eons been attracted to booze and cigs, possibly due to the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome!!
Definitely never for me though!!
Funny, the pub we lived next door but one to (our house was built on the pub's land by the son of the publican at the end of the 19th century) when I was a kid had a little 'offy' - and I can remember being sent there aged seven or eight to get forty fags for my parents. Malcolm the landlord knew they were for my parents.
I did try a cigarette aged eight, under the watchful eye of my mother - and no, that was enough! Shrewd move on her part, I guess. I can remember being offered them again by schoolmates when I was thirteen or so, and declining. Never, ever felt the need or desire.
Sounds like your mom was rather lenient in letting you experiment with an oily rag back when you were 8.
I bet if that was today the Social Services would probably be having a field day!!
I buy those herbal fags:yesyes:
WiredIncorrectly
01-08-20, 16:36
Pretty sure the intention of cigarettes was to cull the population at the same time as making money from taxing them. Kissinger and his pals have been caught out many times. Mass genocide. Too many of us.
I sit here while smoking a cigarette. The b*****ds got me.
https://live.staticflickr.com/1324/1071649711_b28b121c58.jpg
Actually, tobacco helped get the US going, Hollow. Jamestown and Virginia as a whole would never have been successful colony without it. I'm not saying Kissinger is innocent, but it goes back way before him.
Would you like to attend one of my re-education camps? ;)
Lenco, I remember Heroin-chic from the 90s. I think you may have something with this. The emaciated, pale, sickly look was certainly the "in" thing.
WiredIncorrectly
01-08-20, 19:30
Actually, tobacco helped get the US going, Hollow. Jamestown and Virginia as a whole would never have been successful colony without it. I'm not saying Kissinger is innocent, but it goes back way before him.
Would you like to attend one of my re-education camps? ;)
:roflmao:
Lenco, I remember Heroin-chic from the 90s. I think you may have something with this. The emaciated, pale, sickly look was certainly the "in" thing.
Wasn’t the Camel Toe in vogue in the 90’s too.:roflmao:
Ugh, yes! I still have to pull some teen girls aside in class and explain how that's not a good thing to be showing that! :S
Wasn’t the Camel Toe in vogue in the 90’s too.:roflmao:
I'm sure I read somewhere that was one of the things that started the teen smoking craze in the early 90s (mostly in the USA but perhaps also in the UK, mainland Europe and Australia).
I also read (probably in the same article) that imagery and scenes depicting smoking in popular entertainment (films, TV dramas, music videos, magazines, etc) increased considerably between 1990 and 1996. I remember seeing the front cover of the 'Pulp Fiction' soundtrack album (also with the 'Parental Advisory' logo printed directly in the bottom left-hand corner as a substitute for the more usual sticker) depicting a woman holding a burning cigarette on display in shops back in the day and feeling absolutely disgusted by it and my dad responding with 'Well they need to sell CDs', as if he was rather blasé about it at the time!!
And to promote something detrimental to our health and wellbeing as cool and macho?
Yeah right!!
https://live.staticflickr.com/1324/1071649711_b28b121c58.jpg
Ewwwwwww!!
That ad would be considered totally beyond the pale nowadays!!
Now up to the present-day smoking situation.
I read a report online (can't remember the site) that was published back in late March when we first went into national lockdown, that feared that more people might turn to smoking in order to help them cope with the loneliness and general pressures associated with the lockdown, and the other potential fallouts from the pandemic in general (e.g, job losses and subsequent financial difficulties), which so far has still proved unfounded, as many smokers have actually quit in record numbers since March, when CV really started ravaging this country. (it was mentioned in the news the other week).
I think another factor behind the initial fears of a possible CV-fuelled upturn in smoking rated was the plethora of misinformation circulating online at the time that suggested that smokers may have been less susceptible to catching the virus, but the complete opposite is the reality, and those myths were probably being engineered by pro-smoking camps, and no doubt, conspiracy theorists with an agenda!!
Like I already said above, it never came to pass, and the vast majority with a brain actually realised that.
What's really increased smoking here is the use of vape products. Not only do they not taste/smell like cigarettes, a lot of kids don't think they're bad for you. They don't understand that nicotine is addictive, and any foreign substance put in your lungs pretty much aren't good for them.
We once owned a Beagle but had to let it go because it smoked 40 a day.
We once owned a Beagle but had to let it go because it smoked 40 a day.
LOL :roflmao:
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-20, 04:16
What's really increased smoking here is the use of vape products. Not only do they not taste/smell like cigarettes, a lot of kids don't think they're bad for you. They don't understand that nicotine is addictive, and any foreign substance put in your lungs pretty much aren't good for them.
That was a concern here but I think I recall some research showed it wasn't having that much of an impact.
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-20, 04:19
Now up to the present-day smoking situation.
I read a report online (can't remember the site) that was published back in late March when we first went into national lockdown, that feared that more people might turn to smoking in order to help them cope with the loneliness and general pressures associated with the lockdown, and the other potential fallouts from the pandemic in general (e.g, job losses and subsequent financial difficulties), which so far has still proved unfounded, as many smokers have actually quit in record numbers since March, when CV really started ravaging this country. (it was mentioned in the news the other week).
I think another factor behind the initial fears of a possible CV-fuelled upturn in smoking rated was the plethora of misinformation circulating online at the time that suggested that smokers may have been less susceptible to catching the virus, but the complete opposite is the reality, and those myths were probably being engineered by pro-smoking camps, and no doubt, conspiracy theorists with an agenda!!
Like I already said above, it never came to pass, and the vast majority with a brain actually realised that.
The press were pushing anything & everything down our throats to get clicks. It's like how anti [insert party or institution name here] becomes a headline but reading further revealed its from some unknown source or merely speculation by one, often biased, politician/bureaucrat/office tea boy.
But it shows us we perhaps aren't the sheep certain paranoid people think we are? :winks:
The press were pushing anything & everything down our throats to get clicks. It's like how anti [insert party or institution name here] becomes a headline but reading further revealed its from some unknown source or merely speculation by one, often biased, politician/bureaucrat/office tea boy.
But it shows us we perhaps aren't the sheep certain paranoid people think we are? :winks:
I think you're right there Terry.
Sadly the press, especially these days, just seem to whack out any old guff willy-nilly simply to cause some reaction, often without any regard for the potential consequences, and also in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and often the most gullible within our society.
You've got it right, gentlemen. This is why education is so important--we need to teach people how to evaluate sources and information and avoid all-or-nothing thinking. Support your local teachers!
You've got it right, gentlemen. This is why education is so important--we need to teach people how to evaluate sources and information and avoid all-or-nothing thinking. Support your local teachers!
Sadly (and dare I say it), some teachers themselves have even been known to have the 'just avoid the issues entirely' ethos, rather than attempting to address them in a practical and tactful manner. I don't mean all teachers, just some and absolutely nothing personal intended against you AV, and I do agree that many teachers unfairly get it in the neck the world over, especially as they often have to perform mega thankless tasks. Just like doctors, nurses, social workers, police officers, firefighters, etc.
Yes, statistically there are going to be some bad apples in every profession. The teachers I see that have stopped trying to address them are ones not supported by their school districts. It's an often thankless job. Yes, we get paid, but on salary, not for the amount of hours we put in. We don't get paid in the summers, and even though many of us have as much higher education as other professions such as lawyers and doctors, we are compensated far less. If we all supported public education like it should be, we could work on improving it. Here at least, it seems as if people just complain about it, but don't do anything to help.
Pamplemousse
11-08-20, 18:39
You've got it right, gentlemen. This is why education is so important--we need to teach people how to evaluate sources and information and avoid all-or-nothing thinking. Support your local teachers!
The Tory Government removed critical thinking from the National Curriculum. Can't have people thinking for themselves, can we?
The Tory Government removed critical thinking from the National Curriculum. Can't have people thinking for themselves, can we?
So demand it back. You can't give up on your public education.
MyNameIsTerry
11-08-20, 22:39
So demand it back. You can't give up on your public education.
I think that might have been sarcasm :winks:
MyNameIsTerry
12-08-20, 01:07
What's really increased smoking here is the use of vape products. Not only do they not taste/smell like cigarettes, a lot of kids don't think they're bad for you. They don't understand that nicotine is addictive, and any foreign substance put in your lungs pretty much aren't good for them.
Maybe the kids will give them up to be Covid cool?
http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/08/vaping-linked-to-covid-19-risk-in-teens-and-young-adults.html
LOL I doubt it, Terry. In my area, it's really not the vaping of nicotine products, it's the vaping of marijuana that's the problem. Not that marijuana is addictive as nicotine or as toxic, but if your brain is not fully developed, it can do a lot of harm.
I think that might have been sarcasm :winks:
Yes, and no. I don't know how the educational system works there, but in the US, a lot of people have just written off their public schools. Instead of voting for school board members who actually know what they're doing and supporting tax measures to help schools, they just get a voucher for a charter school or send their kids to private school, completely ignoring the problem. If people have an issue, work to fix it, keep resources going to our schools; don't ignore the problem and then complain about why people are so stupid.
The Tory Government removed critical thinking from the National Curriculum. Can't have people thinking for themselves, can we?
I think so-called 'critical thinking' had already started to peter out of the National Curriculum long before May 2010. And I say that as a non-Tory!!
Definitely more a case of easier to just avoid certain issues altogether rather than attempt to address them in any way. And not just in education either.
The misinformation/fake news thing for example, has seemingly been ignored and allowed to fester for far too long now with many people just shrugging it off as 'free expression', and it's only been over the last couple of years that many have finally woken up from their 'napping' and started to take the issue more seriously, despite the horse long having bolted from the stable.
Back to smoking in the 90s. I seem to recall, as the decade wore on, a lot of school staff back then (at least in my area) having a bit of a 'let's just leave them to it' kind of attitude over kids lighting up, and I remember one of the tutors at our local college I attended after leaving school in July 1993 saying to me 'Well nearly everybody smokes these days so get over it'!!
She was a bit of an ignorant, 'can't be bothered' type anyway, and by about mid-1994, following endless argy-bargies with that useless tutor (especially following an incident where another student with a bit of a screw loose set a firework off in the toilets whilst I was in one of the (open-top) cubicles and that tutor being totally dismissive and telling me to 'pull myself together' when I reported the incident to her), I had basically thrown in the towel with that course, especially as my other fellow students on that particular course at the time were mostly 'low-life'-types who had a penchant for bullying and name-calling, and I was fair game for them, especially having AS.
Apologies for boring you all with yet another long-winded essay of my past!!
Earlier this year I watched an old 1993 episode of 'The Bill' on YouTube where there was a scene in a video game shop, and it had an ashtray on the front of the till counter (presumably for use by customers) and remember wondering if that particular store was still typical of the time or actually behind the times in terms of permitting smoking, especially as most shops had already banned smoking by then.
And I know it's a fictional TV drama, but the actual shop itself might have been real. If the latter, that episode in which it was featured could have made it more famous, albeit advertising their leniency towards smoking on the premises!!
MyNameIsTerry
13-08-20, 05:31
LOL I doubt it, Terry. In my area, it's really not the vaping of nicotine products, it's the vaping of marijuana that's the problem. Not that marijuana is addictive as nicotine or as toxic, but if your brain is not fully developed, it can do a lot of harm.
There will be lots of that here too. Easier to smoke in the street as the police can't see a funny looking ciggie. The rise of the electronic roach!
Yes, they say it's not addictive but haven't we all seen or come across people who's lives revolve around it and the rest suffers?
There will be lots of that here too. Easier to smoke in the street as the police can't see a funny looking ciggie. The rise of the electronic roach!
Yes, they say it's not addictive but haven't we all seen or come across people who's lives revolve around it and the rest suffers?
Exactly.
I've seen my daughter try to give up smoking many times now. She does well for a few days before there's a 'fag break' and she gets offered one. At least the only room in the house where she smokes is her bedroom. It stinks like an ash tray, the rest of the house just stinks.
I've seen my daughter try to give up smoking many times now. She does well for a few days before there's a 'fag break' and she gets offered one. At least the only room in the house where she smokes is her bedroom. It stinks like an ash tray, the rest of the house just stinks.
That is sadly one of the reasons why many still continue to take up smoking, simply to 'fit in'.
I know smoking is bad on one’s health but what about grog?and the problems around it,Domestic Violence for one:mad:
I have yet to encounter some woman who has been belted around by a partner who smokes.
Also there is no labelling on alcohol and still advertising on the idiot box and promotional contracts with sports I just don’t get it.
There's labeling here on alcohol in the US. Wow...we're actually ahead of another country in something :scared15:
I know smoking is bad on one’s health but what about grog?and the problems around it,Domestic Violence for one:mad:
I have yet to encounter some woman who has been belted around by a partner who smokes.
Also there is no labelling on alcohol and still advertising on the idiot box and promotional contracts with sports I just don’t get it.
What's 'grog' when it's at home?
Surely the containers of most alcoholic drinks contain specs on alcoholic content and general ingredients.
Here in Blighty they have the drinkaware logo and website address also printed on them.
And why do you consider domestic violence committed by partners who smoke a bigger deal than that committed by non-smokers?
The only thing I can think of off hand is that they are deliberately burning the person on the receiving end of their brutality with their lit cigarettes!!
Pamplemousse
16-08-20, 19:11
What's 'grog' when it's at home?
Old Naval slang for watered-down rum given to sailors in the 18th century.
MyNameIsTerry
16-08-20, 23:37
Old Naval slang for watered-down rum given to sailors in the 18th century.
And later a substitute for booze.
MyNameIsTerry
16-08-20, 23:39
What's 'grog' when it's at home?
Surely the containers of most alcoholic drinks contain specs on alcoholic content and general ingredients.
Here in Blighty they have the drinkaware logo and website address also printed on them.
And why do you consider domestic violence committed by partners who smoke a bigger deal than that committed by non-smokers?
The only thing I can think of off hand is that they are deliberately burning the person on the receiving end of their brutality with their lit cigarettes!!
Lola was stating the problems of alcohol related domestic violence. She was highlighting how the authorities restrict cigs on health grounds yet booze is not clamped down on to the same level.
Lola was stating the problems of alcohol related domestic violence. She was highlighting how the authorities restrict cigs on health grounds yet booze is not clamped down on to the same level.
I get the idea now.
I like "grog" but I prefer "straight-barrel" better ;)
Lola was stating the problems of alcohol related domestic violence. She was highlighting how the authorities restrict cigs on health grounds yet booze is not clamped down on to the same level.
Whilst on the subject of DV, Victoria Derbyshire issued an extremely harrowing account on the BBC News website yesterday (in response to the upturn in DV rates during the national lockdown), who stated that her own dad was a violent neanderthal control freak-type who wasn't just regularly indulging in wife-battering (of her mother), but also had a tendency to regularly whack her (VD) with belts, sometimes over the most trivial of misdemeanours.
It does seem that increases in rates of DV (and child abuse) are almost par for the course during periods of widespread hardship, not only during this pandemic, but also during most past 'crises' such as the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-09, the second Iraq war in 2003, the 1990-93 recession (and pretty much all those that came before it), the 1984 miners' strike, the 1978-79 'Winter of Discontent', the 1973-74 oil crisis and the accompanying three-day working week, to name but a few.
Sorry Lencoboy but it doesn’t take a pandemic or wars and the rest you speak of for DV in the home.
There's labeling here on alcohol in the US. Wow...we're actually ahead of another country in something :scared15:
I think we're always number one when it comes to litigiousness! I'm in law school and took a Torts class last year. Warning labels was a whole section!
LOL Good to know, Erin. If only some people came with warning labels ;)
MyNameIsTerry
22-08-20, 04:55
Canada is well ahead on supplements over us. A few years back I remember a Canadian member telling me about the labelling of ingredients which was far ahead of us. Just look at magnesium supplements as an example where it doesn't tell you the elemental value.
Sorry Lencoboy but it doesn’t take a pandemic or wars and the rest you speak of for DV in the home.
I agree that those things don't necessarily cause DV itself, but times of grave adversity most certainly can serve as a potential trigger for it.
On the other hand, I also believe that certain people (especially those who already have a bit of a screw loose themselves) have a tendency to deliberately use times of adversity and hardship as a vehicle and an excuse to indulge in their neanderthal-like antics, assuming they might be more able to get off scot-free. Not that I agree with it though, in fact quite cunning and conniving IMO.
I've even heard of some people who have allegedly abused vulnerable people in their care saying 'It's the cuts wot made me do it'!!
Blame game galore!!
Yesterday evening I was looking at some old photos of our family camping holiday in France back in August 1992 (when I was 15) that was through the 'Freedom Of France' strand (anyone remember them) and I remember one evening my parents invited this 'neighbouring' family of campers also from England into our tent for a couple of hours the one evening as some kind of social 'get-together', and the parents of that family both lit up in our tent without even asking my parents if it's OK if they smoke in our tent. All they did ask is 'could you pass us your ashtray please?'
Even though both my parents gave up smoking themselves over a decade earlier, neither they nor those who lit up in our tent even seemed to give it as much as a second thought back then.
Would be virtually unthinkable nowadays!
Mind you, a non-essential trip to France (or any other country) at all is completely unthinkable right now at this moment in time, for obvious reasons.
Like I told my kids. If one has a $10 per day smoking habit and starts smoking at 20 years old if instead of smoking they invested the $10 per day in a nice simple stock fund by the time they were 65 they would have $765,876
That is a pension plan. But like I told the kids if you smoke don't worry you won't need a pension.
Pain! How's it going?
Hahaha that's hilarious!
Another one said...I want to die in my sleep like my uncle did. I don't want to go kicking and screaming like the rest of the people in his car.
Thanks man! You too! Keep the faith! 👍
Haha, smoking from the 90s and alcohol? I'm not particularly eager to consume alcohol. Hmm, why someone needs to know about it? Cigarettes at that time were much better than now, I guess. And alcohol is something I wouldn't say I like to talk about.
'Cigarettes at the time were much better than now'?
Kind of sums up the general perception that nearly everything was far better in the past, and most things today are rubbish, even oily rags!
Both my parents smoked. I was passive-smoking while I was in the womb but pregnant women did smoke in those days. Did it stunt my growth? Well I'm 5ft nowt and fit into the 'petite' bracket, except I point blank refuse to pay more money for less cloth!! :lac:
Anyway...
Mum puffed away until the day she died. I like to think she'd have had a few ciggies and a pot of tea to see her on her way? She couldn't have handled me without nicotine. (or whiskey) :ohmy:
Sometimes I get a random whiff of Silk Cut, and I say, 'MOTHER, IS THAT YOU?' :yesyes:
Things generally were better in the past - crisps used to fill the packets, for a start. These days, I open a packet and wonder where the sodding crisps are! :mad:
Oily rags? PWOAR! I love the smell of engine oil. Gets me going - no idea why? Hubs had to literally drag me out of the transport museum at the Black Country Living Museum a few years ago..
I know. I'm weird. :yesyes:
Both my parents smoked too. In fact when I first started smoking it was by pinching them off my dad. I don't think I really got addicted to them until my late teens, but snaffled my first one when I was 13. I then 'practiced' doing it in the bathroom until I could inhale in public properly (I guess peer pressure must have been involved).
Back in the day I was a menthol girl and would plumb for Consulate or More, I felt particularly sophisticated with a More (as I sat in the park in my school uniform), by the end of my teens I rolled my own - back then without a filter.
I remember going to France with some friends and smoking Gaulois (not sure if that's spelt right) and I think even Woodbines went through a fashionable phase when I was around 18.
I also am rather embarrassed to admit that I once was at the doctors and he asked if I smoked. I merrily said 'oh yes, but I've switched back to menthol lately as I have a bit of a cold'. I was obviously quite delusional about the health benefits of smoking in my youth.
Oh and NoraB, my mum smoked right until the end, in fact she was halfway through one when she died, it was just fortunate that she smoked rollies as when it fell on the floor it just went out and didn't set the rug on fire.
Both my parents smoked. I was passive-smoking while I was in the womb but pregnant women did smoke in those days. Did it stunt my growth? Well I'm 5ft nowt and fit into the 'petite' bracket, except I point blank refuse to pay more money for less cloth!! :lac:
Anyway...
Mum puffed away until the day she died. I like to think she'd have had a few ciggies and a pot of tea to see her on her way? She couldn't have handled me without nicotine. (or whiskey) :ohmy:
Sometimes I get a random whiff of Silk Cut, and I say, 'MOTHER, IS THAT YOU?' :yesyes:
Things generally were better in the past - crisps used to fill the packets, for a start. These days, I open a packet and wonder where the sodding crisps are! :mad:
Oily rags? PWOAR! I love the smell of engine oil. Gets me going - no idea why? Hubs had to literally drag me out of the transport museum at the Black Country Living Museum a few years ago..
I know. I'm weird. :yesyes:
Surely women still smoke whilst pregnant, though obviously in far lesser numbers today than in the past.
Hello, I have just returned to NMP after a long time away. Lots of things have happened in my life, some sad and some happy. One of the best things that came along was the birth of my one and only Grandaughter. Who is now thirteen years old and a smasher. i am getting to the point-----
I have always smoked,even secretly around a corner out of the way.
May 3rd 2021, My other half had gone for his early walk, he took his mobile with him. (which he rarely does) anyway i had to ring him as i had a feeling that a giant was standing on my chest. He ran home and rang an ambulance. I had a heart attack. I spent five days in hospital. i am on medication for the rest of my life. i have had no communication with any friends. i cannot talk to anyone, I thought I could tell you this to make me feel satisfaction in some way----and to any smoker's take heed please. love to all xxx
Oh Magic...It is so good to hear from you but I'm so sorry to hear about your heart attack..Please talk as much as you want to on here. You are amongst friends here xxxx
How are you doing now, Magic? I take it smoking is banned now? That must be hard as a lifetime smoker xx
Hi Pulisa,
It's been along time since a have been on NMP, but I remember you for your understanding and kindness to folk on here. My last smoke was May3rd about two hours before my heart attack. I have not touched a ciggy since. I still have a packet unopened. They are going into the waste bin for tomorrows collection. I hope you are keeping well and your family xxx
You should be incredibly proud of yourself because stopping smoking cold turkey is a huge achievement. I'm so sorry you have been ill and can only wish you healthy years ahead and plenty of happy times with your lovely granddaughter xxx
Oh Magic it is so good to see you on hear again:hugs:
I will put some funnies on here for you.Xx
I came back on last year and always thought of you and your gentleness and kind words.
Connie xx
Hi Connie, thank you. Missed this message. Hoper you are ok xxxx
I recall during the latter half of the 90s, which were my early years at my previous day centre, being lambasted for my indignation towards people smoking around me by a staff member who, ironically, was a lifelong non-smoker, and said staff member likened my 'discriminatory' attitude towards smokers at that time to racism!
She also believed my attitudes at that time were non-PC. 'Political correctness' (PC-ness) however, seemed to be one of many 'buzzwords' back then in the 90s.
Just to reiterate, I don't have a hatred of smokers as individual human beings.
Last night I was watching a video on YouTube which was a documentary about Blackpool Pleasure Beach, that was filmed during 1997 but aired around early 1998.
There were scenes of an indoor arena with an ice rink that was run by this arsy manager called Amanda, who seemed like a female Sergeant Major, who not only had a penchant for barking out orders aggressively but also had a fag in her gob inside said arena whilst being interviewed!
One of the park managers, a big burly bloke with a West Country accent was also an arsy 'Sgt Major'-like barsteward barking out orders and was seen smoking on screen the one time.
Finally there were a couple of male youths who got done for assaulting the girl entertainers who were dressed up as animals.
All pretty shocking stuff which would never be allowed now in these more enlightened times of the 2020s, not just the managers smoking indoors (and in front of the general public) but also the young girls who were dressed up as animals who got attacked by those youths whilst entertaining the public, plus they could barely see out of their animal outfits, so no doubt the H&S and child protection brigades of today would also be having hissy fits!
God, how times have changed!
Last night I was watching a video on YouTube which was a documentary about Blackpool Pleasure Beach, that was filmed during 1997 but aired around early 1998.
There were scenes of an indoor arena with an ice rink that was run by this arsy manager called Amanda, who seemed like a female Sergeant Major, who not only had a penchant for barking out orders aggressively but also had a fag in her gob inside said arena whilst being interviewed!
One of the park managers, a big burly bloke with a West Country accent was also an arsy 'Sgt Major'-like barsteward barking out orders and was seen smoking on screen the one time.
Finally there were a couple of male youths who got done for assaulting the girl entertainers who were dressed up as animals.
All pretty shocking stuff which would never be allowed now in these more enlightened times of the 2020s, not just the managers smoking indoors (and in front of the general public) but also the young girls who were dressed up as animals who got attacked by those youths whilst entertaining the public, plus they could barely see out of their animal outfits, so no doubt the H&S and child protection brigades of today would also be having hissy fits!
God, how times have changed!
That documentary about Blackpool Pleasure Beach was produced by the BBC, presumably throughout 1997 and aired in early 1998.
I recall staying at my second respite unit at the time and seeing it on the TV there one evening (circa February-March 1998) and my only real memory of it was the youths assaulting the girl entertainers dressed up as animals.
Strangely I didn't recall the scenes depicting the senior staff members smoking and acting stroppily within view and earshot of the general public, which somehow seemed to go over my head at the time of its original airing, but the staff smoking indoors and especially in front of members of the general public would most certainly be unthinkable today.
Plus I could never imagine 11-12 year old girls being allowed to play the dressed up animals today either, especially in these days of rampant paranoia over child abuse in general.
However, out of curiosity I have just done a bit of research on Wikipedia of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and the 'stroppy' smoking woman on the 1997/98 BBC programme is called Amanda Thompson OBE, and has been the managing director of the park since 2004, so she obviously can't really be that terrible a person, plus perhaps I was being a little judgemental and taking the programme at face value.
Perhaps she's now a changed person and less volitile than she was back in 1997, plus maybe she no longer smokes, and certainly not indoors in front of punters since 2007.
You've really got a problem with smokers, eh Lenco?
The past is what it is. People smoked. (I smoked) Go back a few decades and people were encouraged to smoke; it doesn't make them bad people..
You've really got a problem with smokers, eh Lenco?
The past is what it is. People smoked. (I smoked) Go back a few decades and people were encouraged to smoke; it doesn't make them bad people..
True... former smoker here. Yes Lenco, times have definitely changed in the last 30 years. No sense in dwelling on it but I do understand that is what your dragon focuses on.
FMP
You've really got a problem with smokers, eh Lenco?
The past is what it is. People smoked. (I smoked) Go back a few decades and people were encouraged to smoke; it doesn't make them bad people..
I don't hate smokers as persons Nora, as I've said before, nor do I think they're all bad people; it's just that there's times and places for people to indulge in such a habit (nowadays anyway).
You're right that smoking was more normalised in the past, and many often didn't give the social implications of it as much as a second thought. Obviously the Blackpool Pleasure Beach BBC documentary from 1997-98 is 'of its time', and of course depicts the 'social ethos' and general societal attitudes of the late 90s era, some of which we may find more questionable against many of today's standards.
I guess I must be subconsciously falling into the typical trap of 'wokeness' in finding certain things from the past 'offensive'.
You've gone back to living in the past again. What's stressing you out?
You're right that smoking was more normalised in the past, and many often didn't give the social implications of it as much as a second thought.
The majority of people smoked. It was a social thing to smoke. There were ash trays and cigarette vending machines in most every public place (including hospitals) not to mention advertisements all over the TV and in papers and magazines. Things are different now (thankfully) but the past is there to learn from Lenco..
Obviously the Blackpool Pleasure Beach BBC documentary from 1997-98 is 'of its time', and of course depicts the 'social ethos' and general societal attitudes of the late 90s era, some of which we may find more questionable against many of today's standards.
Take a look at social media on any given day. On that interview in the 90s there was one woman being a grumpy git; on social media there are millions..
I guess I must be subconsciously falling into the typical trap of 'wokeness' in finding certain things from the past 'offensive'.
When I get stuck in my past it does me no good at all Lenco and stresses from the now are generally the trigger for the behaviour. There's an obvious pattern with you too so I'll echo what Blue's said..
What's stressing you out?
I do hope you'll feel able to tell us, Lenco? It can't be easy for you at home.
The majority of people smoked. It was a social thing to smoke. There were ash trays and cigarette vending machines in most every public place (including hospitals) not to mention advertisements all over the TV and in papers and magazines. Things are different now (thankfully) but the past is there to learn from Lenco..
Take a look at social media on any given day. On that interview in the 90s there was one woman being a grumpy git; on social media there are millions..
When I get stuck in my past it does me no good at all Lenco and stresses from the now are generally the trigger for the behaviour. There's an obvious pattern with you too so I'll echo what Blue's said..
What's stressing you out?
There's quite a few things stressing me out right now. The main thing being my mom's worsening dementia issues, to the point where she's now started to develop incontinence issues and refusing to use the toilet to do her business, which is also resulting in my poor dad being at his wits end with her, and the SS being increasingly difficult to get hold of, especially due to their endless arbitrary chopping and changing of everything.
Also, like many others right now, I'm increasingly disillusioned with the political situation in this country of late, especially the endless 'one-upmanship' and 'whataboutery', when the opposition parties are referenced, especially in blatant attempts to deflect from the relentless 'scandals' concerning the current loser in Number 10, and many of his fellow cronies!
As far as people being 'grumpy gits' on TV documentaries in the 90s vs people being 'grumpy gits' on social media and online in general today are concerned, remember there can be a lot of 'fakery' in the latter instance.
But I guess it's also been known for people to 'play up' to the cameras in TV docs too (and even the news to a certain extent on occasions) for maximum impact; the term 'sensationalism' springs to mind!
True... former smoker here. Yes Lenco, times have definitely changed in the last 30 years. No sense in dwelling on it but I do understand that is what your dragon focuses on.
FMP
There are probably many things that went on in our house when I was a child, even long after both my parents quit smoking themselves in the early 80s, that I would probably find shocking now had they been captured on video back then, probably even including many of my own (mis)behaviours!
But like all of you have said, the past is the past; it's been and gone and there's no point in dwelling on it forever more.
I imagine your dad must be exhausted and angry? Does this make you more angry with the world? Does living in the past and getting angry distract you from your mum's behaviours?
There's quite a few things stressing me out right now. The main thing being my mom's worsening dementia issues, to the point where she's now started to develop incontinence issues and refusing to use the toilet to do her business, which is also resulting in my poor dad being at his wits end with her, and the SS being increasingly difficult to get hold of, especially due to their endless arbitrary chopping and changing of everything.
This must be incredibly difficult for you and your dad. And, yes, stress like this will be a massive trigger..
Also, like many others right now, I'm increasingly disillusioned with the political situation in this country of late, especially the endless 'one-upmanship' and 'whataboutery', when the opposition parties are referenced, especially in blatant attempts to deflect from the relentless 'scandals' concerning the current loser in Number 10, and many of his fellow cronies!
I know what I need to know re politics. The rest can do one. I don't need the stress..
As far as people being 'grumpy gits' on TV documentaries in the 90s vs people being 'grumpy gits' on social media and online in general today are concerned, remember there can be a lot of 'fakery' in the latter instance.
Fakery, yes, but also social media has enabled Joe Public to mouth off in a way that they were not able to before - and to the masses!
My local area's FB group is full of people gobbing off and being horrible. LEAVE GROUP? Hell yes! :lac:
Lenco, I'm so sorry about what's happening at home. My heart genuinely goes out to you. I understand why you get hung up on the past because I do the same. However, I can recognise the damage that it does to me and as a result I do try and make better choices where I can..
Maybe steer clear of the news for a while, be more selective in how you spend your time on social media, and there will be fewer triggers for you?
Focus on the things that bring you happiness - you deserve it.
Thanks Nora and BI for your understanding.
I know I was probably overreacting a bit to the YouTube video about Blackpool Pleasure Beach from 1997-98, as it reflected its time, plus it just predated the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, after which 'anti-social behaviour' (ASB) started to become a 'buzzword' that has basically since continued to this very day.
One thing I do miss about that era is the 'buzz' surrounding popular music back then, where people would queue overnight outside HMV (and other likewise stores) ready to stampede en masse for the latest albums from many popular artists of the time (and of course not forgetting the Princess Di tribute CD single from Elton John) the very moment it hit 9am on Mondays, which is now all sadly only a memory that we're highly unlikely to experience again due to most popular music being consumed via the Internet nowadays.
Apart from the aforementioned phenomenon of smoking in indoor public places (and workplaces) still being fairly widespread, the latter half of the 90s in general also seemed like a far more innocent, carefree and less restrictive period, but at the same time I wouldn't necessarily want to go back to those times lock stock and barrel, and then probably end up wishing I was back in 2022 with all our creature comforts we so take for granted today!
One thing I do miss about that era is the 'buzz' surrounding popular music back then, where people would queue overnight outside HMV (and other likewise stores) ready to stampede en masse for the latest albums from many popular artists of the time (and of course not forgetting the Princess Di tribute CD single from Elton John) the very moment it hit 9am on Mondays, which is now all sadly only a memory that we're highly unlikely to experience again due to most popular music being consumed via the Internet nowadays.
My son and I were watching The Goldbergs the other day and there was a scene where there was a queue to see a film. My son's never had to queue to see a film so I told him that this used to be the norm and that I had to queue for four hours to see Grease...
Personally, I prefer not having to queue..:yesyes:
Apart from the aforementioned phenomenon of smoking in indoor public places (and workplaces) still being fairly widespread, the latter half of the 90s in general also seemed like a far more innocent, carefree and less restrictive period, but at the same time I wouldn't necessarily want to go back to those times lock stock and barrel, and then probably end up wishing I was back in 2022 with all our creature comforts we so take for granted today!
There are some things from the present which are invaluable. I feel safer having a phone with me when I'm out and I feel better as a parent knowing my son has a phone and he can contact us if he's in trouble. I am grateful that his experience as an autistic human is different to mine and most importantly that his school experience is a positive one. At least, it has been since we got him out of mainstream.. I like being able to shop online when the world gets too much for me. Also, social media and the internet has given me a 'voice' that I didn't have before because of my verbal communication issues. A lot of autistics say the same.. So, lots of reasons to like the present. But I do miss the simplicity of the 1970's...
There are some things from the present which are invaluable. I feel safer having a phone with me when I'm out and I feel better as a parent knowing my son has a phone and he can contact us if he's in trouble. I am grateful that his experience as an autistic human is different to mine and most importantly that his school experience is a positive one. At least, it has been since we got him out of mainstream.. I like being able to shop online when the world gets too much for me. Also, social media and the internet has given me a 'voice' that I didn't have before because of my verbal communication issues. A lot of autistics say the same.. So, lots of reasons to like the present. But I do miss the simplicity of the 1970's...
'Swings and roundabouts' with the merits and demerits of both the past and present.
I quite like to watch the 'Back in Time For...' series on BBC. I love history anyway but it's interesting to see how people cope with going back in time and losing all of those home comforts we have now. I think it's hard to go back to those times having the 2000's as a comparison? Growing up in the 70s, I knew that I had it better than my brother did in the 60s, and my parents in the 40s, but it was still hugely simplistic with a lot less choice than what my eldest kids had in the 90s and what my youngest has in the 2000's..
Having too much choice in too many things, I have discovered, is not compatible with my brain..:scared15:
Having too much choice is the bane of our society. Hasn't made us happier, just more materialistic. I'm all for the simple life with limited choice and greater satisfaction with what you've got.
Having too much choice is the bane of our society. Hasn't made us happier, just more materialistic. I'm all for the simple life with limited choice and greater satisfaction with what you've got.
I find it INCREDIBLY stressful P..
I think it's that it demands a whole different skillset. Taking the internet as an analogy, you've got all these wonderful things laid out before you but you have to know what you're looking for or you could land up in some strange and unpleasant places.
It's all about knowing how to ask the right questions.
I think it's that it demands a whole different skillset. Taking the internet as an analogy, you've got all these wonderful things laid out before you but you have to know what you're looking for or you could land up in some strange and unpleasant places.
It's all about knowing how to ask the right questions.
I was introduced to the world of online chat rooms in the mid-2000's..
Horrendous..
One bloke invaded my box (not a euphemism) and asked me what I was wearing on my feet. Me being me, answered truthfully. 'I'm wearing my slippers mate. One's got a hole in'. Then he was gone. :shrug:
Another bloke (in his sixties, it turned out) was trying to chat up young women and he buggered me off for being too old for him. (I was 36!) :unsure:
Funny thing, I actually met my other half online 20 years ago, before it was what everybody did. There's always been a huge number of creeps out there, though.
I was introduced to the world of online chat rooms in the mid-2000's..
Horrendous..
One bloke invaded my box (not a euphemism) and asked me what I was wearing on my feet. Me being me, answered truthfully. 'I'm wearing my slippers mate. One's got a hole in'. Then he was gone. :shrug:
Another bloke (in his sixties, it turned out) was trying to chat up young women and he buggered me off for being too old for him. (I was 36!) :unsure:
Why certain individuals insist in knowing almost every minute personal detail about total strangers, it is totally beyond me.
He would've been a foot fetishist, Lenco.
Why certain individuals insist in knowing almost every minute personal detail about total strangers, it is totally beyond me.
As BI says, dude was pervy.
. There's always been a huge number of creeps out there, though.
Definitely.
I also found the whole, ASL thing hilarious. Blokes would PM me with just this; ASL?
I had to Google it at first mind..
I mean, dude, make an effort? Maybe start with 'Hi' or 'Hello'. :lac:
There was also this bloke from America who wanted to 'fly me to New York to eat lobster'. Shame I don't like lobster. Also, he had a wife. She didn't understand him apparently. :whistles:
Sort ya marriage out mate and bother me no more!
Then there was this other total weirdo who I came across online. (I ended up marrying him) :roflmao:
Honestly? If something were to happen to my husband I would not be wanting a replacement.. (so anyone on here who's been attracted by me good looks, wrinkled stockings, and graphic BM descriptions can think again) :emot-prettywink:
I intend to get myself a huge deerhound instead. :yesyes:
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