Smoking in Bulgaria

As a non smoker it does not really bother me, there are a couple of places where as you walk in the smell of smoke is a bit obnoxious but I only pay my internet there so never in there long.

@TonyFF Civilised

@TonyFF

It's heading in the right direction in most countries, especially in the EU. From my personal experience, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece used to be terrible... but are now... well, a lot less terrible. :-)

Actually, that's unfair of me. We now have a number of cafes and restaurants that we go to regularly that have completely separate (and enforced) non-smoking sections. This is true both in the big city (Plovdiv) and in/near our village and Kazanlak. I just stick to those, and I refuse to go back to anywhere that's overrun by the smoking community.

Having said that, part of my motivation for buying a fancy bean-to-cup coffee machine was that I was fed up of smokers down the local cafes. Now I can enjoy a perfect cup of coffee, relaxing on my own balcony, with at least 50m between me and the nearest smoker. :-)

Plus, the odds are that we'll live 20-odd years longer than they will, so I kinda think it's churlish to begrudge them a few years of enjoyment of their favourite terrace. Especially, as they also seem to hit the bottle pretty hard too. I don't think it's unfair to say that there appears to be a very retro perspective on masculinity, booze and fags here. :-)

Interesting article about smoking can be found HERE

Doesn't bother me and I'm a non smoker.

@TonyFF

I'm a non smoker , and agree unlike UK public smoking is prevalent in Bulgaria. However I have to accept and respect the Bulagrian  Cluture , where most Bulgarians seem to enjoy a ciggy with their drinks or after a meal .

Bulgaria is a bit like socialising in the Britain before smoking was banned, behind the times I admit , but then so are their property prices.. cant have it all I suppose. 🤷🏻

@gwynj

I agree- things are getting  better... I have been to Bulgaria miltiple times since the end of the 20th century and many things have improved. Specially communications. In the past you had to go to the  Central Post Office to make international calls; rotary pulse dialing:) Wow that was painful:) I am an optimist and hope that the  new generations choose healthier lifestyles ( including not smoking).....

@TonyFF

We can hope.

But... when I'm in Kazanlak I often go do some exercises on their fancy new jungle gym, and this is next to the high school. This is a right shocker at break time when you see half the kids (including the youngest) immediately lighting up or puffing their vapes. That's a lot of kids, and they're doing it openly right in front of the school doors... and nobody thinks this is either out of the ordinary, or any kind of problem for the future. And they're pretty much all (i.e. smokers and non-smokers) on their phones too. I feel like a right reactionary fuddy-duddy... but this is definitely not cool, man. :-)

@TonyFF Whats the score with your opiod crises? Bit rich lecturing us lot for smoking a fag!

In my village you can still smoke with your beer. I do love Bulgaria!

@gwynj we invested in an espresso machine (Philips) as my wife and like to enjoy coffee in and out.  Can't say we've really had any problems with smoking in the last couple of years. When we forster moved to Varna, December 2020, we encountered a few smoky venues, but, as you say, it's a improved and everywhere we go to eat and drink now, has seperate non smoking / smoking areas. To be honest, the worst I experience, is at bus stops, one has to strategically move down wind of the Puffing Billy.  We've also had the occasional taxi that smells like a stale ash tray, but the majority are fine.

I guess with cigarettes as cheap as they are over Most of Eastern and Central Europe, it's little wonder people smoke as much as they do.

    @TonyFF
I'm a non smoker , and agree unlike UK public smoking is prevalent in Bulgaria. However I have to accept and respect the Bulagrian  Cluture , where most Bulgarians seem to enjoy a ciggy with their drinks or after a meal .

Bulgaria is a bit like socialising in the Britain before smoking was banned, behind the times I admit , but then so are their property prices.. cant have it all I suppose. 🤷🏻
   

    -@Mrs Homemaker

This! As a non-smoker, I might not like the fact that people are fagging away around us when we eat at a cafe (often while sitting directly under a Пушенето забранено sign!), but it's not all that long since going out to eat or drink in western countries was exactly the same.

Sorry I do not accept anywhere in the world "the smoking culture". Zero tolerance.

I refuse to enter any establishment that does not have non-smoking area.

It is all a matter of self respect to one's health. If you want to abuse it be my guest but

do not affect others.

Interestingly, none of the Bulgarians I know are smokers, but it's certainly noticeable that many young people do smoke, and apparently the numbers are increasing..

It's why we don't eat out very often, and if we do, eat outdoors or in places we know are non-smoking indoors.

OTOH, despite how much I hate cigarette smoke, I don't think I have any right to come into another country as a guest and tell them how they should do things!

Most of the Bulgarians I know, mostly neighbour women of 60+, don't smoke. Neither do their husbands. Every builder who's been to my house has smoked heavily, but only outside.

@mickeyhart

Speaking of opioid crises here is a verbatim quote  from  the National Library of medicine:

''The opioid crisis in the United States (US) is one of the most high-profile public health scandals of the 21st century with millions of people unknowingly becoming dependent on opioids. The United Kingdom (UK) had the world’s highest rate of opioid consumption in 2019, and opiate-related drug poisoning deaths have increased by 388% since 1993 in England and Wales. "

    I am very surprised nobody raises this topic. Are you guys all smokers on this forum?         -@TonyFF

I still dont understand the issue, if you move to another country you have to accept their culture.

Its as bad as the mobile contracts, "in my country I pay less", so what. You are not in your country you have to deal with what you have.

    In my village you can still smoke with your beer. I do love Bulgaria!
   

    -@mickeyhart

Indoors?

I don't like smelling smoke when I'm eating, but don't mind it if I'm sitting on a terrace with a drink, although I don't like it too close to me/in my face obviously. I gave up a couple of years ago now but my husband still smokes. But in Spain now, where we are at least, they have banned it on the terraces and smokers have to move away, that all started when they reopened after locked down.

99% of the time, I agree on the fact, that if you move to another country, then you have to accept their culture, and I do on almost everything else..... However, if I choose to eat out at a restaurant, no matter what country I'm in,  I do expect to not have cigarette smoke wafting all over me & my food. I think its good manners not to smoke while non smokers are eating/ drinking. (It can't be compared to a mobile phone contract!) Second hand / passive smoke has long been known to cause health problems, and I care about my health!

Thankfully, we have seen a change since we first arrived, and smokers / non smokers generally have designated areas. Having lost both our Fathers in their 60's from smoking related diseases, has had a huge impact on us both, and I think education is key to reducing the "normalising" of smoking in any country. I was amazed to see billboards along the motorways still advertising cigarettes!

We should be educating youngsters about the very real dangers of smoking from an early age Then, and only then, will we begin to address the issue.

At the end of the day, it's  an individuals right to smoke, but it's my right, NOT to be exposed to it.

At the end of the day, it's  an individuals right to smoke, but it's my right, NOT to be exposed to it.
   

    -@Jules999

I'm certainly with you in not wishing to be exposed to anyone's second hand smoke, but both of your premises above are incorrect.

Smokers DON'T "have a right to smoke" and you and I DON'T "have a right not to be exposed to their smoke".

There are laws in individual countries governing where people can smoke in particular circumstances etc but the two "rights" you quote simply don't exist...and they never will while governments rely on their massive tax revenues from the industry.

    @mickeyhart
Speaking of opioid crises here is a verbatim quote  from  the National Library of medicine:

''The opioid crisis in the United States (US) is one of the most high-profile public health scandals of the 21st century with millions of people unknowingly becoming dependent on opioids. The United Kingdom (UK) had the world’s highest rate of opioid consumption in 2019, and opiate-related drug poisoning deaths have increased by 388% since 1993 in England and Wales. "
   

    -@TonyFF

That's not a "verbatim quote from the National Library of Medicine", it's from a very scanty academic paper published in the the British Journal of Pain (and the lead author's one and only publication to date) which concludes that, despite the increase in opioid prescription in the UK - and more importantly, the illicit use of opioids such as fentanyl - morbidity and co-morbidity there are vastly lower pro rata than they are in the US, due to the way the NHS operates and the fact that Uncle Sam has stood back twiddling his thumbs while a full-blown health emergency has unfolded right under his nose.  Perhaps you could enlighten us about what conclusions you are inviting us to come to regarding this pretty insubstantial article in a low-impact journal?

Interestingly, there's a marked dearth of research into what the benefits are of simply leaving those who are the cause of their own misfortune - due to their addiction to illicit drugs, food, alcohol, tobacco products etc - to their own devices. I can only suppose that it's not PC to contemplate such obvious and attractive strategies....

It's a very emotive issue and rightly so, smoking is a huge public health issue.

But the only solution I know to avoid smoke is to only go out to eat and drink at places where I know the no smoking rule is enforced, or choose to sit well away from the smokers at the bus stop.  It's not all that long ago that choosing to go out for a drink in the UK meant being exposed to a fug of smoke. The law changed, and the law is enforced in the UK, but not in Bulgaria.

We truly can't make other people comply with our wishes and pick and choose which laws we want Bulgaria to enforce and which we want them to remain relaxed about. All we can do is exercise  our power of choice.

@JimJ

Fingers were pointed at me that US has opioid crisis and that I have the audacity to  give a speech about smoking. Unfortunately the opioid crisis is not only US problem. And so is the  illegal drugs problem. Even Bulgaria now has illegal drugs. (It was almost unheard of 30 years ago!)

I am glad that the topic of smoking has stirred so much commotion.

The smoking is awful in Bulgaria and it bothers us a lot as non smokers. Especially with kids I find it truly awful having to avoid people smoking everywhere; in front of stores, on the sidewalks, in playgrounds …

It's no surprise Bulgarians have the lowest life expectancy in the EU and live 10 years less on average compared to Western Europeans. Elderly Bulgarians also appear much less healthy than elderly people in Western European countries.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the old diesel cars yet(with the particle filters removed) which is just as large of a problem as the smoking everywhere.

@GoingDutch

Totally agree. The diesel vehicles. My wife and I were in Paradise Mall in Sofia in December and the fumes of diesel from the garage permeated the whole mall. Breathing was quite hard.   My wife made a complaint at the information desk. I am not sure if they did anything about it( the woman made a call on the phone to someone)  but we got out of there  really fast.Yes, unfortunately Bulgarians neglect their health in many ways- that is why life expectancy is the lowest in the EU.

@TonyFF

I don’t think they do anything with complaints or criticism as they don’t see toxic smoke or diesel fumes as a problem themselves. We also observe many things wrong with Bulgaria but you can't change their mindset or behaviour even if it would benefit the health of everybody. The only thing you can do is find a better country to live, we have been noticing the same problems persisting for years and nothing changes.

On the other hand we recently do see some people with Sofia license plates drive newer, cleaner cars and behave better as in not smoking everywhere. Perhaps education and increasing salaries bring some civilization.

@GoingDutch

Or perhaps it's just that those with "the bad habits" are no longer in the Land of the Living....

@GoingDutch

Sorry that you are disappointed. I like Bulgaria. It has pluses and minuses. The prices are still quite low for the American standards. I have noticed a constant increase in prices but  Bulgaria is  still a deal. If you cannot afford a house - renting is cheap.

In the mid 90s I almost bought a house in Sozopol. The house cost  $ 60 K !!!   Massive 3 story house with huge veranda.  The exchange rate was beautiful-  for $1 you got almost 3 leva. But the whole country was suffering...

Gradually  I am seeing rise of the standards of living and together with that hopefully better quality of life.

It is best to live outside of a big city near  the mountains or near the sea so the air is nice and clean. Bulgaria has a lot of open space and small population. There is plenty of room for newcomers.  If you want clean air- it is available. I noticed on this forum a lot of people choose to live in villages- it is nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, to have a dog, cat, other animals, garden and a comfortable house. Trips to the big cities are inevitable ( shopping, culture,  restaurants , doctors) but if you do not live there it is just fine. Only visiting. Then you go home to you nice little Eden.

Pollution is still a problem-  it will take a few more decades the mentality of the people to change. I am sure it will.

@JosieCrew

You can smoke inside both the pubs in my village

@TonyFF

Not seeing any junkies ODed on the pavement out here. So ye mate bit rich lecturing us lot for smoking a fag.

Bulgaria smoking is nothing compared to Spain one for instance, so I would say it is more "civilised" in that respect

@Adriana Petrova

It is offensive to compare Bulgaria smoking population vs Spain. Instead, compare Bulgaria to Sweden, where very few people smoke. Shouldn't Bulgaria strive for better versus having consolation that is not the worst?

@Adriana Petrova

Actually Bulgaria is the worst!

Here are the real numbers: 

The countries that smoke the most in the EU are Bulgaria, with 28.2 per cent of the population consuming tobacco daily, then Turkey (27.3 per cent), Greece (27.2 per cent), Hungary (25.8 per cent) and Latvia (24.9 per cent)

The country with the fewest smokers in the EU is Sweden (9.3 per cent).

@TonyFF

Jeez - Turkey has snuck into the EU?  Who knew! Are you SURE those numbers are REALLY "real"?

Beat me to it!

Though the source is EU published, it does include a few non-EU countries: [link under review]

Quote correction : " In Europe, not in EU".

How about that Your Honor Judge Desiato  !!!

    @
In the mid 90s exchange rate was beautiful-  for $1 you got almost 3 leva.
   

    -@TonyFF

Blimey what year was that?

I would say the exchange rate was very good between around 1997-2002.

There are different numbers depending on where you look (and when), but here is what's in Wikipedia currently (with 2020 numbers, so already a few years behind):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_tobacco_use

Serbia, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Croatia are the worst European countries with just under 40%.

The lowest include Canada and UK at about 15%.

20 years previously (2000), Bulgaria was at nearly 50%, so it's heading in the right direction.

We should note that in 2000, the UK was where Bulgaria is 2020. So it's entirely possible to have a dramatic impact on smoking rates in a relatively short time.

I think the tobacco data doesn't include vaping, which is growing.

More generally...

I'm not sure it's appropriate to describe Bulgaria's smoking as some kind of "cultural"  issue. As discussed by WHO in their reports on tobacco, high smoking rates are found in many poorer countries, as lax regulation allows the tobacco companies to spend heavily on promotion. Indeed, as the developed economies reduce smoking rates, the tobacco companies try to make up for the loss of revenue by focusing on the poorer countries.

Tobacco use is a definitely a contributor to Bulgaria's low life expectancy. But it's not the only one. Bulgaria's life expectancy is pretty much in line with other former communist Eastern European countries, which also have high rates of alcohol use/abuse, and a significant poverty problem (especially with pensioners) due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of savings/pensions in the transition to free markets.

Bulgaria is part of the EU now, so it's subject to many EU regulations that have a dramatic effect. It may still be the poorest country in the bloc, and it may still be running behind the others... but it's undoubtedly heading in the right direction on many issues (not just smoking). Rome wasn't built in a day, eh? :-)