# Loud bars not so loud after smoking ban?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 2, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012 "2010-03-02T17:50:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012/1 "2010-03-02T17:50:49Z")

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[Inspired by this thread:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=554162) does it seem to anyone else that bars don’t seem quite as loud since smoking was banned?

I’ve been going out a lot lately and just realized this.

In the past I always hated the stale smell of smoke and the ringing of my ears (especially the morning after smell of my hair and taste in my mouth).

I can’t say I recall a place being too loud in quite a while (not to say it isn’t still loud, but instead not _too_ loud, as in making me want to leave.)

Am I just totally losing it?

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012/2 "2010-03-02T17:58:52Z")

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You’re losing it, sparky.

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**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012/3 "2010-03-02T18:54:58Z")

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Well…I guess they might be a _smidge_ quieter, based on the fact that at any given time there will be a few people outside smoking rather than in the bar talking. But I haven’t noticed a big change. Most of the loudness comes from the music. Even if it’s not too loud (like just a jukebox,) people still have to talk over it, and then other people have to talk over _those_ people, and so forth.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012/4 "2010-03-02T20:01:39Z")

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The loudest bars in Indianapolis are the non-smoking ones, oddly enough (Scotty’s downtown, Brother’s in Broad Ripple).

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-bars-not-so-loud-after-smoking-ban/531012/5 "2010-03-02T20:30:50Z")

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The three loudest bars I’ve ever been in are non-smoking.