I stopped using pubs for a quick drink or meeting place years ago, as I wasn't willing to stink of other people's smoke just for the sake of a swift pint. This means I didn't develop a pub habit and, like many non-smokers, I got used to conducting my life without pubs apart from the occasional music night. Banning smoking in pubs may have presented more choice for me, but it didn't make me change my lifestyle. This must be a contributory factor in the problems facing British pubs now.