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Smoking could be banned outside

It has been over a month since I had my last cigarette. I think now I can say that I am through with smoking and that I have successfully managed to give up the smokes. Today, another £38.50 went straight into my dedicated "stop smoking savings account" bringing the total to well over £200.

I can really recommend setting up a dedicated savings account to everyone who wants to quit the cigarettes. This way you can keep track of all the money you have saved by not buying those packets of cigarettes. In the day and age of Online Banking you can do this within a matter of minutes.

The British press seems to write more and more about 'smoking' and 'not smoking' which is no surprise with the smoking ban just around the corner. Yesterday it made front-page news again in London's Metro:

Westminster council is considering banning smokers from lighting up outside pubs in the West End next year.

Westminster Council is concerned that the ban on smoking inside pubs and clubs - to be introduced next summer - would lead to smokers congregating on the streets for a puff.

Noise complaints rose by 1,000 per cent in Edinburgh after the smoking ban was introduced in Scotland earlier this year.

With many clubs and pubs in residential areas, the council believes the same problems could hit central London.

According to the Evening Standard, the council has asked the Department of Health to give it the power to 'prohibit smoking outside of certain premises'.

Under the proposal, smokers would be fined if caught lighting up.

There also concerns that it will lead to an increase in crime and disorder and that policing the area will be made much harder.

The council also said the great number of smokers would lead to an increase in street cleaning.

Councillor Audrey Lewis said: 'There are already problems outside some licensed premises caused by people standing outside drinking and creating considerable noise for neighbours.

'We are anxious to avoid this being greatly increased by smokers.

'And while clubs are responsible for the behaviour of the people inside their premises we don't want to find substantial numbers of them congregating outside where there is the likelihood of extra work for the police.'

Kate Moss ignores Irish smoking ban

Smoking celebrities Kate Moss and Pete Doherty face a run-in with Irish authorities after ignoring the country's strict smoking ban at a Babyshambles gig at the Music Factory in Carlow last Sunday.

Kate Moss was singing alongside her on-and-off boyfriend Pete Doherty when taking conspicuous puffs on her cigarette.

Doherty was also seen smoking constantly throughout the gig and if prosecuted they could be fined EUR 3000 for what would appear to be a clear violation of the smoking ban which came into effect in March 2004.

Smoke clears in 1 in 5 pubs in London

Today, The London Paper reported that almost one in five London pubs has banned smoking ahead of new laws - and are reaping the benefits, according to a new survey.

A poll of publicans showed that one in five selling the most food had already stopped customers lighting up. Half of those surveyed by the Morning Advertiser, the industry's newspaper, have made, or are planning changes, such as providing outside areas for smokers.

More than one in ten intends to go smoke-free before the ban, which is expected to come into force during the summer next year.

One in three publicans believed the ban would help them give up smoking. Rosie Davenport, Features Editor on the Morning Advertiser, said: "most of the industry has accepted that the smoking ban is now inevitable, even though the Government is still working on the exact guidelines. In our survey, pubs that have already banned smoking are reaping the benefits and are more positive about the future, with 23 percent expecting business to increase after the ban."

3 weeks of not smoking!

Laffy has now reached the major goal of three weeks of non-smoking. 2 weeks is the first killer hurdle. If you can get over 2 weeks you're well on your way. Every week thereafter should make things easier although you need to avoid highly smoky environments. Laffy has now saved over £100 and is considering setting up a savings account to be able to better identify the saving. In case you're wondering, Ralph has also remained squeeky clean reaching the 3 week hurdle 2 days ago.

Do you have a quit buddy story? If so leave a comment and let us know.

QuitBuddy

This blog will follow the fortunes of people wishing to give up smoking. The method used employs a variety of different strategies but is based on basic down to earth assumptions. To quit smoking it is necessary to develop the habits that people who have successfully quit smoking have cultivated. This blog will explore those habits through trial and error and come up with a series of formulas to give up smoking based on people’s different circumstances.

Laffy is a colleague of mine. He smokes 20 a day. After only a week on the programme he is now only smoking around 10 a day. That’s a pretty good start. Laffy wants to quit. He’s tried before but without any success. You have to want to quit. I have given him a series of goals based on a certain number of cigarettes by a certain time of the day. 4 cigarettes by 3 pm (4 by 3). That was yesterday’s goal and he overachieved reaching 5 by 5. Today he had the specific task of not having a cigarette before coming in to work. How did he do…..