Tobacco and alcohol

I agree, and smoking doesn't cause people to crash cars, beat up wives and children, use obscene language in public, get into street brawls.

Well said Anniebach the list is endless what alcohol does and something should be done and fast

I would like to know the figures of how many smokers and how many drinkers turn up at A & E and many of each attack hospital staff

We were discussing this only this morning. The focus is always on how much smoking costs the NHS. I'm not about to deny this, but it's not the smokers that go on the rampage every weekend in Emergency Rooms up and down the country, which then have to call in extra security staff to deal with violent drunks. That is an additional cost to the NHS on top of treating these louts. And there's the cost of policing city centres throughout the night at weekends, high days and holidays, all down to drunken, loutish behaviour. It's not nicotine which causes the brawls. It's alcohol.
And no, I don't drink or smoke, but I can see how the balance is so unfair. Smokers have for years been made to feel the pariahs in our society while drinkers have no such label.

I've heard it's because the govt. don't want to upset the alcohol companies because they provide so much useful revenue.

On the plus side it was stated on a programme with Mary Portas that the number of young people drinking has reduced considerably in the last couple of years.
If this trend were to continue then perhaps in a few years time our young people will be much 'healthier than the more mature drinkers at present.
I do agree with you Nannybob that alcohol is a big problem in our society and big drain on our resources and should be addressed

Well said Cherrytree I'll drink to that.?
Actually, I don't understand why smoking is considered the big NONO when drunken behaviour is such a problem.I do not smoke, although enjoy a drink or two.

Rose, I think you have hit ion the difference. Smoking, to ant degree is harmful, drinking for most of us (ie, in moderation) is not. It is only those that drink to access that are a potential problem and are in the minority. I drink to excess (as i have tonight) but do not cause a public nuisance or beat my partner,

Because it kills so many and being addictive is incredibly hard to give up. Because it takes it's addict young and ruins their health. As does alcohol.

Smoking is harmful ( to the individual) but heavy drinking is harmful to the family and the wider community.So that kind of drinking is far worse.

There is also heavy drinking that only causes harm to the individual, but going into any city late on Saturday night is a sobering(!) sight.

As someone who has struggled to give up smoking and who, at times of stress, tends to revert back, I do feel it is unfair the way smokers are constantly being criticised and treated like social pariahs. They are even criticised for smoking outside now. Of course, smoking is not a desirable activity and I understand that the smell in a confined space is unpleasant but I really feel it is going over the top now.

Because so many more people drink alcohol, there isn't the same stigma attached to it. In fact, there is more of a stigma attached to those who don't drink alcohol. I don't agree that only those who drink to excess cause problems - even a couple of drinks can for some people loosen the tongue, cause arguments and lead to unpredictable behaviour and accidents. And those who drink to excess cause a great deal of trouble to themselves, their families and everyone else. (Not that I'm anti-drink, I like a glass or two of wine myself but the contrast between how drinkers and smokers are viewed is very noticeable).

rosesarered , I would dispute that smoking does not affect the family, passive smoking can damage the long term health of those around a smoker. I certainly agree that unsocial drinking does cause problems, but the vast majority of drinkers cause no problem whatsoever. I have been a heavy drinker from time to time, but have never got into an argument, had a fight, hit my partner, I have however fallen asleep a few times and done some pretty embarrassing dancing.

GandTea You may be an exception but anyone who works in a hospital or for the emergency services knows the extent to which alcohol is involved in violent acts or accidents.

The Guardian this year reported:

"Alcohol is placing a huge burden on NHS staff, who are having to cope with chaotic and sometimes aggressive behaviour every day as well as dealing with highly vulnerable drinkers, research has revealed.

"The investigation into the impact on urgent NHS care in north-east England, which has some of the highest drinking rates in the country with almost half the population (45%) drinking at risky levels, reveals an alarming picture of emergency departments overwhelmed by the large numbers of people whose injuries are a result of their own alcohol consumption or that of others.

"Up to 35% of A&E visits are down to alcohol, says Balance North East, which has compiled the report."

I think the Government has picked on smokers because they are an easy target. The anti-smoking campaign has picked up speed remarkably quickly, and the vilification of smoking as a habit in some quarters has become almost ridiculous. Here in Wales, we've tried to ban vaping, even.

I don't think anyone is in denial about the harm smoking can do. Yet very little, in comparison, is being done about the harm to the nation of overeating and overdrinking.

No doubt both are dangerous habits. The heavy drinking you see of the young is very worrying. The spirits are the worst. I could never afford them as a young person luckily.

You can probably not compare the two habits of smoking and drinking,. Indeed many are addicted.to both.

I am sure the Police and the hospital staff at weekends would benefit from drinking controls. A lot of this falls on them.

Nice idea at the time to have long pub opening hours......cafe culture!!!.???? Wishful thinking.

It astounds me that some people drink a bottle of spirits before going out with the intentions of getting hammered. The few times I have got really drunk, as a young woman , have put me right off.

The other thing that worries me is the student drinking at University ( we could only afford cider.).

Sorry on rereading my post it is a bit of a ramble......must be the tea.

Smokers are aware of the health risks , most drinkers are in denial and often use the - I only have one or two glasses to relax.

And a smoker doesn't cause the embarrassment for their loved ones that drunks do . Why do I still find a drunken woman more revolting than a drunken man ?

Eloethan , I don't disagree with your post. My point was that smoking does almost always harm the smoker and those around them. regardless of the amount they smoke. By far the majority of drinkers do not cause harm. There is no doubt that there is a small minority that do cause problems to themselves and others. Given that a very large percentage of the population drink, I suspect far more than smoke, the percentage that cause problems is very small, even though it is still a significant number. All drinkers should not be labeled as problematic. I don't think I am any different to the vast majority that drink and cause no problem to anyone.

Annie, I do agree with you about drunken women seeming so awlful. I suppose it is an old fashioned thing thinking that. I do enjoy a drink occasionally, but I cannot understand why some people go out especially to get drunk. Personally I can't see any enjoyment in wakeing up next day feeling sick and with a terribly head, and being unsure what you did last night.

GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO SMOKE.

We constantly being urged to go green. The new cigarette packets are green.

I rest my case

I think that anyone drunk (ie out of control of their faculties) in public is awful.

As you say some, especially the young, seem to go out with that objective. I have been drunk a few times, but never intentionally from the start and not in public.

I can remember police request, that in a particular town centre, women who go out to get drunk should wear knickers !!!!

Smoking, even in moderation is a bad for you and for those around you. Causes a wide variety of diseases and is more addictive than heroin and as smokers will tell you very difficult to give up. This is the same all over the world

Alcohol is already heavily taxed in the UK and causes tremendous social problems but this is not the same in other countries. Very normal on the continent for people to enjoy wine and spirits with a meal every day without getting drunk or obnoxious. The Brits arrive and will drink anything they can get their hands on, as fast as they can and then behave extremely badly. They don't seem to be able to enjoy themselves without drinking and I feel ashamed . They boast about how much they have drunk, a continental will talk about the quality and history of what they have drunk and what food they had with it.

Maybe if we taught people to be more confident in social situations their use of alcohol as a support would change.

I have never smoked but I did run smokestop support groups. I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal and my husband is a continental so I am familiar with a different culture.

Smoking in my opionion is not only bad for your health,but costs the NHS millions in smoking related diseases. Not to mention passive smoking which does affect other people. Also what about parents who smoke around their children and they are affected health wise. I know cases in which this has happened. So yes I do feel smokers are as bad as drinkers.

Smoking is a ridiculous thing to do. We all know what harm is causes. I am so glad I managed to give it up 40 years ago.
However, alcohol causes far more harm in society. A professsor once told me that if alcohol was invented today it would never be allowed. Having been married to an alcoholic for 32 years I have a particular grudge against it.
It makes me sad that it is so widespread now amongst the young. Do they not realise what harm they are doing to their bodies? And I hate the way it is joked about so much and plays such a big part in many people's lives.
Having said all that, one of my philosophies is "Everything in moderation".
(I can't honestly apply that to smoking though) , but a little glass of wine or
a glass of beer now and then is fine I think. But keep it under firm control, that is the thing.