Our straight talking Lancashire lass takes a sideways look at the daily news.
Kate Moss says no to smoking ban
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Do you smoke like a chimney? Are you sick of the brownish tinge of nicotine on your formerly pearly white teeth? Do people complain that kissing you is like snogging an ashtray? Do you have difficuty tasting food? If you answered yes to any of the above, chances are you want to kick the habit.
But giving up smoking is difficult. Hell, there’s an entire industry devoted to it! So if you’re serious about quitting you’re in luck because today is No Smoking Day.
Last year, three-quarters of a million people gave up smoking as a result of No Smoking Day, and many more will stop from today onwards.
And to help you on your way, here are some facts and figures.
- Smoking is the leading cause of serious illness in the UK, including a wide range of different cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease. All big killers.
- Every year, around 106,000 people will die long, painful deaths from smoking-related diseases.
- Smoking makes you look really old and is bad, bad, bad for your skin! The smoke-ravaged skin of a 40-year old smoker is the equivalent to that of a 60-year old non-smoker. And there’s nothing Oli of Olay can do for you.
- Over the course of 20 years, a smoker will chuff their way through £37,000. I’ll say that again. Smoking 20-a day for 20 years will cost you £37,000.
- It makes your breath smell quite awful.
- It’s no fun smoking outside the pub in the rain when your mates are inside enjoying a nice chardonnay!
But for me, here is the clincher. Every year, 7.8 million trees are burned purely to dry cigarette tobacco. Many of these trees are from our precious rainforests. This doesn’t even take into account pulp used for cigarette paper, and the enormous amount of industrial pollution that happens during the process.
It makes you wonder why some people bother. Of course nicotine is hugely addictive, but it’s not impossible to give it up – millions do it every year. And from next year cigarettes will be relegated to ‘under the counter’ produce, along with copies of Razzle. With cigarette displays banned in shops, it’s a little bit of temptation taken away.
All this effort to get smokers quitting is commendable, but the likes of Kate Moss say ‘In yer face No Smoking Day!!!”
During the Louis Vuitton show at Parish Fashion Week, Moss flounced down the catwalk with a fag in her mouth, flouting the smoking ban. It kind of negates the good work of organisations like No Smoking Day and Ash do. Either she really loves smoking, or she’s really stupid. Or both.
I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious, clearly if you want to smoke it’s your prerogative. It’s just that as a chronic asthma sufferer, I genuinely can’t understand how people with perfectly good lungs would want to trash them. Believe me, not being able to breathe properly is no fun.
So give your body a break and give it up! If you want further info on how to kick the habit, visit the No Smoking Day or SmokeFree NHS websites, and good luck!
