The main reason why there are over 15 million ex-smokers in Britain since the 1960s is the social
revolution that is taking place. Yes, I know: health followed by money are the main reasons why we should want to stop, but then they always have been. We do not actually need cancer scares to tell us that cigarettes shatter our lives. These bodies of ours are the most sophisticated objects on the planet, and any smoker knows instantly, from the first puff, that cigarettes are poisonous.
The only reason why we ever get involved with smoking is the social pressure of our friends. The
only valid :plus' smoking ever had was that it was at one time considered a perfectly acceptable social
habit.
Today it is generally considered, even by smokers themselves, to be an antisocial habit.
In the old days the strong man smoked. If you didn't smoke, you were considered a cissy, and we all
worked very hard to become hooked. In every pub or club bar the majority of men would be proudly
inhaling and exhaling tobacco smoke. There would be the permanent fall-out cloud, and all the
ceilings that were not regularly decorated soon became yellow or brown.
Today the position is completely reversed. Today's strong man doesn't need to smoke. Today's strong
man is not dependent on a drug.
With the social revolution all smokers nowadays are giving serious thought to stopping, and
today's smokers are considered to be generally weak people,
The most significant trend that 1 have noticed since writing the first edition of this book in 1985 is
the increasing emphasis on the antisocial aspect of smoking. The days when the cigarette was the
proud badge of the sophisticated woman or the tough guy have gone for ever. Everyone now knows
that the only reason why people continue to smoke is because they have failed to stop or are too
frightened to try. Every day as the smoker is pilloried by office bans, extended bans in public places
and attacks from holier-than-thou ex-smokers, so the mannerisms of smokers are changing, I've
recently seen situations that I remember as a boy but 1 haven't seen for years - like smokers flicking
ash into their hands or pockets because they are too embarrassed to ask for an ashtray.
I was in a restaurant some years or so ago. It was midnight. Everyone had stopped eating. At a time
when the cigarettes and cigars are normally rife, not one person was smoking. I conceitedly thought,
'Ah! I'm beginning to make an impression.' I said to the waiter, 'Is this now a nonsmoking
restaurant?' The reply was negative. I thought. That's strange. I know that a lot of people are
stopping, but there must be one smoker here.' Eventually someone lit up in a corner, and the result
was like a series of beacons going through the restaurant. All those other smokers had been sitting
there thinking,' Surely I can't be the only smoker here.'
Many smokers won't smoke between courses now because they feel so self-conscious. Many not only
apologize to people on the same table but also look around to see if they'll get flak from elsewhere. As
every day more and more smokers leave the sinking ship, so those left on it become terrified they'll be
the last.
DON'T LET IT BE YOU!