Smoking around the world • Hacker News Board

Re: Smoking around the world

#101

Post by ionised » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:29 AM UTC

alkonaut wrote: post #85

What's going on in Indonesia? Men are increasingly smoking like chimneys, while the rest of the world is more or less on the same downward trend. It only being men also suggests it isn't a suddent economic change like lifting tobacco taxes. Some cultural change suddenly made it cool for only men to smoke (again). Is Mad Men running on every channel?

When advertising cigarettes became illegal in many western nations, tobacco companies shifted their attentions to developing markets like Indonesia.

Smoking is a big and growing business over there.

Re: Smoking around the world

#102

Post by ionised » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:39 AM UTC

mixmastamyk wrote: post #27

One of the few things I despised about traveling in Europe was people smoking inside like it was the 70's. Almost lost it over a couple puffing away in the dairy section of the super market, managed to keep my mouth shut. Shame because I otherwise loved my time there.

Can't say I've ever spotted anyone smoking in the supermarket in my 32 years in Europe.

Re: Smoking around the world

#103

Post by Kurtz79 » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:41 AM UTC

mtrovo wrote: post #92

I remember one of the big chocks for me when I arrived in Germany from Brazil was to see how common is to see people smoking, not only in the street, but inside bars, clubs. My state in Brazil banned cigarettes inside buildings when I was very young so going out and coming back smelling like a chimney was like going back in time.

Not sure how it is now, but when visiting Germany a few years ago it was also weird to see tobacco normally advertised on billboards, while it is illegal in most EU countries.

Re: Smoking around the world

#104

Post by aedron » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:42 AM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #56

elorant wrote: post #20

I quit the damn thing some 13 years ago and I've never looked back since. Best decision I've ever made. Earned back my life, I'm in my mid forties and my physical endurance is way better than what it was in my twenties. The thing that most smokers don't realize is that smoking is like taking heroin. You're addicted to a substance that's slowly and silently killing you. Just a couple of years ago I lost a very good fr…

My dad was a smoker most of his life. He quit in his 50s. Years later I asked him if he missed it, and his answer was "every single day."

I quit smoking 25 years ago and still miss it. But no regrets, with the horrible smell from breath, clothes and hair, ruined furniture, not to mention adverse health effects, I would still rather go without it.

Re: Smoking around the world

#105

Post by dageshi » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:45 AM UTC

flukus wrote: post #83

paulie_a wrote: post #41

While I quit daily smoking years ago I will never give up cigars. Even my doctor has zero issues with that. According to the CDC there is essentially no risk even smoking up to five a day. I am definitely substantially lower than that though.

> According to the CDC there is essentially no risk even smoking up to five a day No risk or unknown risks? Last I looked into it there was no research on the health effects of smoking < 5 cigarettes a day either.

There are some risks in terms of your mouth/lips. Cigars are a lot less harmful because it's customary not to inhale them, you can obviously but the vast majority of cigar smokers don't. They also appear to be far less addictive than cigarettes, personally I would say they aren't addictive at all, during the winter in the UK I don't smoke any for 3-4 months, during the summer I only smoke a couple a week.

Re: Smoking around the world

#106

Post by atlasunshrugged » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:46 AM UTC

kbart wrote: post #100

mixmastamyk wrote: post #27

One of the few things I despised about traveling in Europe was people smoking inside like it was the 70's. Almost lost it over a couple puffing away in the dairy section of the super market, managed to keep my mouth shut. Shame because I otherwise loved my time there.

First of all, as other comments have mentioned it's really not a common sight in Europe. Actually, I haven't seen anybody smoking inside a supermarket during my whole life living in Europe (>30 years) and traveling there extensively. Secondly, even if it were common, your indignation seems strange as you come to a different culture and judge people according to your customs. Do you honestly believe that the whole con…

Agreed, although my time here in Europe has been much more brief (moved to Berlin in 2017 then Estonia 2018) I've never seen anyone smoking in a supermarket or nearly anywhere else inside in Europe with the exception of Berlin bars which are egregious offenders but I would consider an anomaly in W. EU at least

Re: Smoking around the world

#107

Post by melenaos » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:46 AM UTC

This is so sad for Greece and for us who doesn't smoke

Re: Smoking around the world

#108

Post by Kurtz79 » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 9:58 AM UTC

point78 wrote: post #74

Very disappointed in EU here! Such a disgusting habit that kills and leads to large quality of life loss later in life. Needs to be severely reduced or banned altogether. Seeing 15 year olds smoke is a huge societal failure.

It is probably an issue with in-depth set culture, there is definitely less stigma here than in the US, although not for the goverments not trying.

In most EU countries, anti-smoking campaigns are frequent, packs must show huge labels with death warnings, advertising is illegal, as well as smoking in public enclosed spaces.

Still, the trend is downward in all countries.

Re: Smoking around the world

#109

Post by slazaro » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 10:00 AM UTC

It seems that it's impossible for people to show charts without making mistakes in data presentation. This website is literally for showing data, and I'm not an expert and I still see errors all over.

For instance: Secondhand smoke deaths by age [0]

They show absolute numbers. You can see that for 70+ year olds, the quantity is increasing at 2016 compared to 2010 and 2005. But, how do we know that it is because the rate is increasing, or just because there are more 70+ year olds? If they had shown each age range divided by the total amount of people in the age range, it would have prevented this.

Every time I see absolute numbers in any kind of data visualization, immediately an alarm goes off I start to analyze whether that makes sense or they needed percentages, and many many times they messed up.

[0] https://ourworldindata.org/smoking#secondhand-smoke-deaths-b...

Re: Smoking around the world

#110

Post by KozmoNau7 » Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 10:03 AM UTC

rmm wrote: post #91

squiggleblaz wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can include the brand name in Australia, but the format is precisely specified including valid fonts and sizes. Names are also regulated so they can't imply a health claim (like afaik "Mild"). It would be instructive to do an image search for "Australian cigarette packaging" if you want to see exactly what they look like. I gather a lot of smokers like to use boxes to put their cigarette boxes in so they don't h…

As an Aussie smoker with friends who also smoke, the packaging makes absolutely no difference to us. It was an oddity when it happened, everyone spent time comparing which photos were the most disgusting and now its just background. Also people buy smokes they like the taste of, the packaging/brand had/has no effect on what people buy.

But is that not simply the perspective of someone who has already smoked for a number of years, and who doesn't really care about the presentation?

As far as I understood, the point was to make the packaging less enticing to potential new customers?