The Nicotine Huddle

Is it my imagination or is there a new Civilisation, a new bread dwelling outside of todays Pubs, clubs and Restaurants.
I remember the days when going down to the local was a great experience. You may have the one or two punters outside on the mobile conversing with his or her other half. It once was a quiet place to be, somewhere you could take a deep breath before entering these smoke filled living and breathing establishments.

To my amazement last night, on arrival at the local watering hole, I had to fight my way through the Nicotine huddle that had congregated on the steps of the local. I just wanted to have a quiet pint and enjoy the World Cup on the Big Screen T.V. There seems to be many more people that now spend more time outside the pub than inside. The white smokey haze that build up outside would have put any Icelandic ash cloud to shame. It was a true sight to behold. The beer garden seemed to be empty of smokers, they needed to huddle with each other, they felt the need to belong to these door dwelling creatures of habit. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining at all, it just interests me the way things have changed. I'm sure there are many a relationship that have sparked outside these establishments, a quick glance at a fellow smoker, offering to light up a comrade in arms. "You wouldn't have a light"? been the overused cliche of the night. Its a real ice breaker if you ask me.

I found myself outside with an addicted Cigarette Smoking friend where the atmosphere was 3 or 4 stages uptempo compared with inside the pub. Do smokers really have more fun? Maybe they do! It was the group mentality I enjoyed, everyone there was a smoker, like minded people who had created a place to combat the various smoking bans that currently outlawed fellow Nicotine chasers in pubs and clubs across the Uk and Ireland.
The ban seemed to clear the air in the pubs and clubs inside anyway. But what it also created was a sub culture of smokers that wouldn't lie down. They needed their fix and this surely was their compromise, this place was a symbolic free haven where they could smoke their cigarettes and be social animals all over again. They hunted in packs, they came in droves.

Could this place be infiltrated by a reformed smoker like myself....Not sure if I was successful, but I gave it a try. I asked a few lads if they were happy about smoking and 80% showed me a want and need to give up. So this new smokers Haven, this refuge could possibly be a place where quitting could be discussed but maybe not practiced. Maybe I wasn't so welcome after all. It would defeat the Huddle's purpose. I was a spanner that wouldn't put a stop to this small and new society. Anyway Huddle on guys and I will see you outside your local sometime soon!! And one thing I forgot to say earlier. There are no pros to smoking.

The Nicotine Huddle