Sometime in the '80s cigarettes went to $1.00 a pack and this pack a day smoker went cold turkey. Hey Blertles, got any ice cream to go wih that cake?

John.E

I too am off the booze and ciggies......7 years off the booze and 2.5 years off the cigs. The cigs were tough, used lozenges and then got hooked on them...just about rotted my teeth. Glad to say I am nicotine free for 1.5 years now. Life somehow seems at a very even keel doesn't it Jeffo???

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I Can't Explain

glad you stopped smoking the death stick!!

my dad stopped smoking about 16 months ago and has been a lot happier.

shortland street actors convinced you on tv did they?
but in all seriousness, good job

Congrats to all! I gave up smokes seven years ago. Nasty habit, but if you like it I got no problem with it. Just not for me

I would be keen to hear from you guys what triggered you to take it up in the first place?

Talk about a tax increase getting passed through parliament at light speed, seems I gave up at the right time!

Check this out gang, this made headline news in NZ:


Tobacco tax goes up 10 percent from midnight, raising the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes by about a dollar to around $11, and two more hikes are in the pipeline.

The Government brought the legislation to Parliament under extraordinary urgency today and it will go through all its stages, putting in place three excise duty increases of 10 percent -- one at midnight, the next on January 1 next year and the third on January 1 2012.

Loose tobacco used by pipe smokers and to make roll your own cigarettes is being socked with a 14 percent increase immediately to bring it into line with cigarettes, and then the 10 percent rise that affects all tobacco products.

Because the increases are cumulative, prices will rise by about 33 percent over the next two years.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia, a strong anti-smoking campaigner, introduced the bill and said the debate on it was going to be about life and death.

"We know that putting up the price is a powerful tool to reduce smoking," she said.

"It forces people to cut back, but more importantly it provides a strong incentive for smokers to quit and helps dissuade young people from over starting to smoke."

The Quit Group said it was preparing to see the number of people contacting Quitline for help to quit smoking to double or even triple.

"The last time we saw a significant taxation increase for tobacco was back in May 2000. Overnight we saw our call volumes almost triple from 6000 to 16,000 calls per month," Quit Group chief executive Paula Snowden said.

"We fully expect to see an increase in quit attempts, which is great, and our advisors are there to help people using the tax increases as a prompt for thinking about those other, more sustainable reasons for overcoming their addiction."

While it took on average six serious attempts to break the habit for good, those who contacted Quitline were five times more likely to succeed, she said.

Mrs Turia said 21 percent of New Zealanders over 15 were smokers and tobacco caused 5000 deaths a year.

"For too many years we've turned a blind eye to this...the price of cigarettes has plateaued and the reduction in the number of smokers has stalled," she said.

"Helping smokers quit is a priority of this government and one of our health targets."

Labour supported the move, with associate health spokesman Iain Lees-Galloway saying the party had consistently argued for measures that encouraged people to quit smoking.

"Sadly, legislation to increase the price of tobacco does not address issues such as point of sale advertising," he said.

"Tariana Turia says she personally supports removing point of sale tobacco advertising, so why isn't it happening?"

ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas said the Government was already getting about $1 billion a year in tobacco excise, and the increase would disproportionately impact on poor people.

"You have to weigh up the benefits that might or might not flow from this with individual freedom," he said.

"The 'I know what's best for you' mentality is getting out of hand...our flight from individual responsibility never ends."

Sir Roger said that if the Government believed that raising the price of tobacco really worked, it should increase it by much more.

"Why not put it up 600 percent, then you would fix it," he said.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said it expected some smokers would quit in response to the tax increase.

"However a bigger increase would have resulted in great numbers of smokers quitting," said ASH director Ben Youdan.

Last year the tobacco industry discounted prices heavily by around $1 per packet, so even with this increase we are treading water in terms of tobacco affordability, he said.

"We've seen that the tobacco industry has an ability to take smaller margins and absorb tax increases, and we hope they do not exploit this opportunity to encourage quitting.

"The upside of a staggered approach is that it will give smokers and the support systems around them the time to prepare for quit attempts on a large scale."

The Salvation Army said it applauded the move, but wished the Government had the courage to act as harshly against alcohol.

"We hope a government willing to recognise the harm tobacco causes will have the courage to more heavily tax alcohol, which has even wider community costs and detriments," Salvation Army spokesperson Major Campbell Roberts said.

The Drug Foundation said the decision on tobacco put the prime minister's rejection of an excise increase for alcohol in stark contrast.

"International and local experience consistently shows the effectiveness of excise tax increases on changing smokers' behaviour -- it helps current smokers cut down and deters potential new smokers from starting," foundation executive director Ross Bell said.

"The same can be said for alcohol excise tax increases. Research shows that raising the price of alcohol can reduce alcohol-related harm; it reduces drinking by heavy drinkers and deters moderate drinkers from becoming heavy drinkers."

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners welcomed the excise tax, saying it would improve the health of many people.

Despite progress in tobacco control, more than one in five New Zealanders still smoke tobacco regularly and smoking prevalence was much higher for Pacific peoples (28 percent) and Maori (44 percent), the college said.

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if your parents smoked, well, at least you had access, once you saw the cool kids doing it, lite up.

seriously, nicotene is a vaso-constrictor, that causes a brief moment of psychic stimulation, that is why artists writers and most problem solvers would lite up because it can break the log jam of thought to get you closer to an answer or color or note that you may be looking for. cig's also can put off hunger, and during the depression and war years cigs were less expensive than food, let your family eat what was available for dinner you would go have a smoke. no where on a pack of cigs does it say smoke these until you croak that was a human error although the cigarette companies didn't help.

good thread and good for you Blertles and all of the former smokers, hopefully I will join the non-smoking ranks one of these days.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

My Stepdad was a very heavy smoker- a pack or two per day since he was a teeneger. Last year, he had a terrible cough during winter that eventually turned to bronchitis, then to pneumonia. He was coughing and weezing all nite and couldnt get any sleep one night, and the next morning his right lung collapsed, and his left lung had severe pnuemonia. He couldnt breathe at all and he was in trouble.

Mum was in the kitchen fixing up his breakfast and ironing his shirt, and he staggered out and he couldnt breathe and he was in dire straits. He said he couldnt breathe, he was sweating like mad and Mum called 111 and got the ambulance- they gave him oxygen and straight away the paramedic said she had to get him air-lifted via helicopter to Auckland Hospital (they live semi-rural).

Cut a long story short, he was told that he had emphasima and he had less than 5 yrs if he wanted to keep smoking. He was told by the doctor that he will die if he didnt give up. That knocked his pride in the guts, so He stopped straight away. The problem was that he was such a heavy smoker that his body couldnt cope without the nicotine- so I think even today he may still be on patches.

But anyway- he said to me that while he was in the helicopter, he had a near death experience and he was almost "right on the edge" if you know what I mean. If it wasnt for the 111 call, the paramedics and the airlift- He would be dead. Putting that bluntly, he is lucky he doesnt have oxygen- although things have changed for him, he gets tired easily these days and he cant stay up too late. Straight after the 6pm news, he goes to bed.

All from smoking.



Hahahaha Thanks mate I dont watch shortland street- I cant be bothered with it anymore Campbell Live or Family Guy on C4 for me

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Where would the Government get all that revenue if people really stopped smoking. Increase the soda pop tax?
If they really wanted people to stop smoking they would just make it illegal and let it join the under ground with pot sales. The Government don't won't the underground economy get that money.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Absolutely true CV. Thats also why they push unproven and highly questionable quit aids, along with fear tactic stop smoking campaigns.

We've heard off several people on this thread who suffered life threatening trauma's as a result of smoking. That made em quit, thats the level of fear it takes to get someone to pack up. Showing a few dead bodies on cigarette packets. That doesnt do anything to influence people. As a smoker the first thing I did after seeing any of that stuff was reach for a cig. It had stressed me out and the first thing I needed was my comfort blanket made by Benson and Hedges. It's the same reason why they promote replacement therapy as a valid aid to giving up but refuse to educate on the nature of addiction. How the hell can you cure a nicotine addict of nicotine addiction by giving them nicotine. It's utterly insane and doesnt work. You dont treat alcoholics by giving them pure alcohol and you certainly dont treat heroin addicts by giving them pure heroin.
The simple fact is that nicotine addiction isnt that bad an addiction, its just very very easy. It's easy to do, its easy to get hold of your drug. It makes billions for government as does its supposed quit aids.

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No no and no