(It Sucks Being a Smoker) in Ireland

It really sucks being a smoker in Ireland. A pack of 20 ..eeh.. 19 is no less than 7,45 European Union Credits. But unlike what, for example, the Dutch government is trying to do, the Irish do allow capitalizing on the effects of the ban. Almost every bar, cafe or restaurant has some sort of semi-enclosed area (complete with heaters) where smoking is allowed, pushing the limit of the definition of "outside" in the law - whatever that may be.

The good part is of course that the ban doesn't really hit you until you get to a small pub. But it also sparks some curious advertising, like this one at the airport:

Kinda peculiar, hey? Especially considering that these ads don't actually encourage you to stop with smoking, ie nicotine addiction... I have tried nicotine gum on long-haul flights, and trust me, it doesn't work. If you just don't smoke you go through craving once and then enter some vegetative state. When using nicotine gum, you experience the nicotine withdrawal over and over again, which doesn't really do you any good, considering you're already crammed up in an aluminium tube at the mercy of the airline, in a center seat, with probably a big and/or fat person having the chair next to you (why does that always happen to me?). So don't do it.

Anyway, it's not all bad in Ireland - Dublin is actually a very nice city (largest population in the world wearing sweatpants and trainers on weekdays) with some stuff to see, and generally nice people (prepare to booze up). It sucks being a smoker there, but otherwise I like the place - hence the brackets.

The picture on the left was something written on a wall on Lower Rathmines Rd. It's probably a reference to a song I don't know.