Smoking at Withdean (again)

[MidlandSeagull69]

i smoke where i want because i can, sorry if you inhale a few puff's of smoke but it won't kill you, there are things i don't like about sitting in the cramped stands at withdean but i just get on with it,

few examples

fat people sitting either side of you
kids either side of you (mothers if you don't like my swearing then take your brats to the family stand)
people who comment constantly about the play when it is glaringly obvious that the level of there footballing knowledge stops at sunday pub standard.

 

[berkshire seagull]

Yeah you can't beat a good puff at the match,and its open air anyway at the withdean so whats the fuss,so whats next ban smoking for Q-ing up for tickets.

 

[Commander]

I smoke but understand that it is annoying. I try to only smoke a couple in the game and keep it down close to the floor to not annoy anyone. Would be annoying if they banned it, don't think it is necessary as long as people are sensible.

 

[CAFC Matt]

Smoking and non-smoking seats?

They never work. We tried that and soon gave up with the idea. Partly becasue the stewards were to lazy to do anything about it

 

[clapham_gull]

Ok, pretty much the response I expected. Pretty split.

So I'll open this up a bit.

The people smoking DONT BOTHER ME, as an ex-smoker myself I find it hypocritical to ask them to stop.

However, what if an elderly fan sitting next to me who finds it hard to breathe at the best of times, is finding the constant smoke that drifts his way distressing and causes him to cough.

Say, we aren't talking about the odd cigarette, say we are talking about chain smoking throughout the game.

Lets also say that there is usually a young boy sitting next to the smokers who finds it obviously uncomfortable but feels unable to do anything about it.

It is obvious to the smokers that those around them find their smoking very uncomfortable but they still persist in chain smoking.

Is it up to those around them to request that the club move their season tickets to somewhere where the club can not guarentee that the same thing can happen.

If you were in the position of the smokers what would you do ?

I'm genuinely interested, and I'm not as I say anti-smoking.

 

[CAFC Matt]

If some old person was struggling to breathe then I wouldn't have one. I would wait till Half/Full time.

 

[clapham_gull]

As an ex-smoker I not in the anti-smoking camp because I understand exactly where smokers are coming from - especially at a match at the Withdean !

But I have thought a lot about why I used to smoke and the rationality behind it.

I have come to the conclusion that smoking didn't make me feel good - it just made me feel normal. Its nicotine withdrawal that made me shit, and a cigarette brought me back to normality. The problem was that the cigarettes made me feel shit again, but not as bad as not having one.

Very funny drug nicotine.

People who have never smoked just don't understand. But now from speaking to people and observing, I see a whole group in society who never have had the need to smoke and find smoke very, very uncomfortable.

I am definately not in that group, but I feel that when we start talking about peoples rights - these peoples rights have been ignored for far too long.

Anyway, I never got over fags and still carry around a pack of nicotine chewing gum when I need a hit.

I get laughed (understandably) by smokers because of my addition to chewing gum. But its so much cheaper - and I can "smoke" - whenever and wherever I want. Plus - its doing me very little harm.

If you ask a local council, I'd bet they'd rather ban gum than fags, but I'm extremely careful with it !

They were very "clever" with the gum though. It's very much like smoking a fag, and very difficult to give up.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I just reckon it's bolleaux that smokers at work get special rights that non-smokers don't get. Reckon us non-smokers should be allowed to slope off for a can of Stella every other hour of the working day. That'd go down well...

 

[dougdeep]

Ban it. It's a fire hazard.

 

[Bwian]

I'll agree not to smoke at a game on the same day when people stop consuming alcohol before/during games & breathing their fumes over me.

Somewhat different complaints don't you think?

A bit of beer breath is non-toxic whereas cigarette smoke is.

Beer breath doesn't cause involuntary coughing-smoking does.

Beer breath doesn't make your neighbour's clothes stink-cigarettes?

Beer breath doesn't send ash flying all over the place when windy-cigarettes?

Beer breath doesn't make a person's eyes sore and watery-cigarettes?

What about food breath too? Flippin' 'eck, if you've just had a pie then I'm going to let my smoke irritate your eyes, nose and lungs and just for good measure I'll also try and make your clothes smell like an old ashtray by the time you leave. That'll teach ya for having steak and kidney pie on your breath.

Finally, beer breath is not a threat to a neighbour's health whereas smoking definitely is.

I'm an ex-smoker who until earlier had absolutely no problem with my partner smoking indoors-I didn't like her brand of cigarettes but they never used to bother me and not once did I fancy a cigarette, she just got on with her smoking and that was that.. Then, in the spring this year, I noticed my eyes were always sore and my lungs were burning (I used to smoke 2 packs of Marlboro Reds a day without that happening). It's now got to the point where I can't breathe properly if somebody is smoking nearby-more so indoors.

 

[CAFC Matt]

Ban it. It's a fire hazard.

Don't mean to be sounding offensive but at the Withdean!!! How

 

[Eggmundo]

i smoke where i want because i can, sorry if you inhale a few puff's of smoke but it won't kill you, there are things i don't like about sitting in the cramped stands at withdean but i just get on with it,

few examples

fat people sitting either side of you
kids either side of you (mothers if you don't like my swearing then take your brats to the family stand)
people who comment constantly about the play when it is glaringly obvious that the level of there footballing knowledge stops at sunday pub standard.

Jesus, this is probably the most arrogant post i have ever seen...Congrats

 

[clapham_gull]

Must admit that one of the funny things about cigarettes is you don't notice how bad they are for your health until you give up.

When you smoke your body gets so used to the effects, that your immune system somehow goes into overdrive to protect you from the effects.

I have to avoid smokey pubs now - can't go in them.

This is something that alot of smokers don't understand - I didn't.

When you don't smoke and avoid smoke, but then get near smoke its shit, really really shit for some people.

I'm generally ok at the withdean, but feel very very sorry for some people who are suffering. All for that fact that one person can't wait 45 minutes.

 

[smudge]

I've never smoked in my life, but it's sods law that when one of the foul breath/stained teeth/brown fingered, smokers sparks up, then the smoke makes a bee line for me!!

Had to sit next to a chain smoker last night, (his knowledge of footie wasn't that brill' either!)

 

[Yorkie]

As an ex-smoker I have NO problem with smokers. It's not as though Withdean is a confined space. I choose not to smoke but that doesn't give me the right to dictate to smokers.

I am the same.

 

[Safeway]

I smoke but understand that it is annoying. I try to only smoke a couple in the game and keep it down close to the floor to not annoy anyone. Would be annoying if they banned it, don't think it is necessary as long as people are sensible.

Pretty much the same with me. I'll have a fag by the toilets etc but tend not to so much during the game. Partly because if we score then it could end up in someone's eye.

Agree that it would be annoying if you couldn't smoke at all though. At Reading it was a bit daft to have to walk under the stand just to have a puff.

 

[clapham_gull]

I am the same.

If the smoke is physically affecting someone, do they have the right to dictate ?

That's my question really, I'm seeing other people physically affected and they feel uncomfortable questioning the smokers.

The original post was putting myself in position of others. Whilst you might think non smokers shouldn't be able to dictate to smokers, why should smokers dictate that non smokers should inhale their smoke ?

I would also argue that the Withdean is a confined space. If two people are smoking in the next front two seats and the smoking is blowing DIRECTLY in the faces of the people behind, then the fact that the Withdean is outside is a non argument in my opinion.

Banning smoking in the seats does not undermine smokers rights to smoke, they can smoke at half time, before and after the game.

 

[Yorkie]

If the smoke is physically affecting someone, do they have the right to dictate ?

That's my question really, I'm seeing other people physically affected and they feel uncomfortable questioning the smokers.

The original post was putting myself in position of others. Whilst you might think non smokers shouldn't be able to dictate to smokers, why should smokers dictate that non smokers should inhale their smoke ?

I would also argue that the Withdean is a confined space. If two people are smoking in the next front two seats and the smoking is blowing DIRECTLY in the faces of the people behind, then the fact that the Withdean is outside is a non argument in my opinion.

Banning smoking in the seats does not undermine smokers rights to smoke, they can smoke at half time, before and after the game.

Nobody has the right to dictate. If those people are being physically affected then it is up to them to do something about it.

You cannot fight everybody's battles for them.

I can understand you opening it up for discussion but all I have said is that as an ex smoker it doesn't affect me.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Smoking in a confined public space = selfishness, pure and simple. If smoke could be controlled so that it somehow magically didn't stray more than an inch from the smoker's body space then nobody would give a f***. But it's the equivalent of somebody putting their washing out and the next door neighbour lighting up a big and smoky barbie. Smoke goes sideways, forwards, backwards, a load of folk probably ended up with ash smudges all over their new club shirts, people five seats downwind of somebody they never even met before gets doused in smoke and ash for an an hour and a half. It's selfish bollocks. End of.

 

[Yorkie]

Funny you should talk about a barbie.

I came home tonight from a barbie on the beach organised by work and I can smell it on my clothes now.