A Smoking Rant

[DrFaroohk]

10 Things People Should Know About Smoking

1) Smoking is currently not illegal. So right now it's just a disgusting habit that you don't like. Stop acting like we smokers are responsible for 9/11 and dead kittens.

2) There's a huge difference between smelling something and ingesting something. I realize that to smell something there are molecules in the air, but its a miniscule amount. Just because you smelled cigarette smoke on my jacket doesn't mean you're breathing in all the smoke. Just like there's a difference between walking into a smelly bathroom and actually eating a bowl of shit.

3) COUGH COUGH COUGH! If the smell of a puff of cigarette smoke caused an asthma attack, you got way bigger problems than cigarettes. You need to get to the hospital and have yourself sealed in one of those bubble-rooms.

4) Cigarette smoke is not that monster from Lost. It doesn't take on a humanoid form and stalk through the area seeking out those who are vulnerable to especially bad air quality, like young children or adults with lung problems. It doesn't know how to open doors and windows. It's not going to stalk around the parking lot at Target.

5) Yes I realize it stinks. Guess what else stinks? That perfume you bathed in, the Axe you drenched your clothes in, your farts, your BO, and your car exhaust. These are all things in the air along with cigarette smoke, and some of them are as bad if not worse, so get your priorities straight, huh? I realize that some are things we can't do without - that doesn't magically make them less dangerous.

6) Being in a sealed room full of smoke all the time is very, very bad for you. Expect to die in a matter of weeks. Walking by me on the street and catching a stray whiff of smoke is negligible and should be treated as such. Don't act like I just gave you cancer. Because I didn't. Get over yourself.

7) Second hand smoke: Remember, the smoke has been drawn through the length of the cigarette and through a filter. Then its gone into my lungs which have further absorbed much of it. Then by the time it's reached you it's gone through the air and been further diluted. Unless you're standing right in front of me, with your lips pressed to mine as I exhale, you're getting an extremely minor dose. Again, you get more toxins from car exhaust.

8) The "I'm allergic to it!" excuse is getting old. I know some people are genuinely allergic to cigarette smoke and they're easy to spot because they walk around in gas masks. The rest of you are just trying to find excuses to justify being bitchy and crass. And you're easy to spot because you don't throw a fit until you actually know its cigarette smoke - if you really had a problem you'd start sputtering and coughing before you even really smelled it. Get over yourselves and move on with your life, or get some serious medical care because you need it.

9) Cigarettes are NOT more or as addicitive as heroin. If it was, you'd see people out giving handjobs in dark alleys for a cigarette.

10) Hey remember last night at the restaurant you saw your waiter go outside to have a smoke and you were totally disgusted? Well guess what - if not for that cigarette he would have beaten the shit out of you. Which would you prefer?

[the_std]

3) COUGH COUGH COUGH! If the smell of a puff of cigarette smoke caused an asthma attack, you got way bigger problems than cigarettes. You need to get to the hospital and have yourself sealed in one of those bubble-rooms.

I have asthma, and yeah, a tiny amount of cigarette smoke can set it off. I do not have bigger problems. I carry my inhaler with my everywhere I go and I avoid cigarette smoke in all situations where I possibly can. It doesn't mean my asthma is out of control, cigarette smoke just happens to be one of my big triggers. That means that, when I can't avoid breathing it in, guess what? COUGH COUGH COUGH!

8) The "I'm allergic to it!" excuse is getting old. I know some people are genuinely allergic to cigarette smoke and they're easy to spot because they walk around in gas masks. The rest of you are just trying to find excuses to justify being bitchy and crass. And you're easy to spot because you don't throw a fit until you actually know its cigarette smoke - if you really had a problem you'd start sputtering and coughing before you even really smelled it. Get over yourselves and move on with your life, or get some serious medical care because you need it.

There are different levels of allergic. Someone could die just from getting a faint whiff of it, or, if you're like me, breathing it in sets off allergic reactions like asthma and significantly increased mucous production, giving me a really drippy nose. Yes, my reactions are far less severe than Hypothetical Dead Person's, but they're still allergies.

10) Hey remember last night at the restaurant you saw your waiter go outside to have a smoke and you were totally disgusted? Well guess what - if not for that cigarette he would have beaten the shit out of you. Which would you prefer?

This is just gross generalization. Not all people turn into you when they can't get a cigarette.

[Boozy]

9) Cigarettes are NOT more or as addicitive as heroin. If it was, you'd see people out giving handjobs in dark alleys for a cigarette.

I agree with some of the points you've made, but I have to address this one. The biggest reason that smokers don't need to resort to the methods other drug addicts use is because cigarettes are a) cheap, b) legal, and c) don't give the user a high that precludes holding down a job or apartment.

It has nothing to do with the addictive properties of nicotine, which has been shown time and time again to hook more casual users than heroin or cocaine.

[Greenday]

9) Cigarettes are NOT more or as addicitive as heroin. If it was, you'd see people out giving handjobs in dark alleys for a cigarette.

I've been offered head in exchange for packs of cigarettes when I used to work at a pharmacy. Don't tell me it's not addicting.

[McDreidel09]

3) COUGH COUGH COUGH! If the smell of a puff of cigarette smoke caused an asthma attack, you got way bigger problems than cigarettes. You need to get to the hospital and have yourself sealed in one of those bubble-rooms.



8) The "I'm allergic to it!" excuse is getting old. I know some people are genuinely allergic to cigarette smoke and they're easy to spot because they walk around in gas masks. The rest of you are just trying to find excuses to justify being bitchy and crass. And you're easy to spot because you don't throw a fit until you actually know its cigarette smoke - if you really had a problem you'd start sputtering and coughing before you even really smelled it. Get over yourselves and move on with your life, or get some serious medical care because you need it.

So I'm just over-reacting,huh?

I don't care if people smoke. That's their thing. However, I CANNOT be in a closed area with it. It does set off mild allergies that lead me to cough ALOT. My best friend is a smoker. He smokes in his own car and in the garage. However, he is courteous enough to have the window rolled down for me or have the garage opened a bit so I DON'T start coughing. If we are outside, it doesn't get me because it's the open air.

I know I have bad lungs. I always had bad lungs, but not enough where it makes it impossible to live and go about my business. I have been deemed healthy enough to pursue sports and workout by my doctor, so it's not THAT bad.

So...generalize much?

[blas87]

I just hate being treated like a leper because I smoke.

I don't smoke indoors anywhere, save for my bf's room, and we don't like to smoke in there because it's so small and smells so awful very quickly (any other time of year we can suck it up and go outside).

And I'm not a "dirty" smoker. Mostly due to smoking outside, most people only get whiffs of it on me (the only time I'd be a dirty smoker is a night at a bar that still allows smoking)....I bathe myself and religiously wash my clothes, including jackets and other outerwear, so that I don't smell bad. There are people with bad BO and awful perfumes/colognes that smell worse than me coming back in from smoking outside.

I really don't mind smoking outside of bars if there are beer gardens or porches or any place that is HEATED. People smoked in bars for many, many, many, many years before it became a huge sin. There were nonsmoking bars BEFORE it was made illegal to smoke in ANY bar. Thanks a lot, assholes.

[Greenday]

I really don't mind smoking outside of bars if there are beer gardens or porches or any place that is HEATED. People smoked in bars for many, many, many, many years before it became a huge sin. There were nonsmoking bars BEFORE it was made illegal to smoke in ANY bar. Thanks a lot, assholes.

You mean before non-smokers stopped putting up with it? And as I've pointed out in other threads on smoking, I had NEVER seen or even heard of a non-smoking bar until the ban began.

[blas87]

We had non-smoking bars all over here. The owner(s) of the bar simply did not want smoking allowed. Sure, there were more smoking bars and most bands only played at the smoking bars, but that's the way it was. Now they are all non-smoking, and now you can't go out for a Friday or Saturday night without freezing your ass off for a smoke.

God save us all in northwest Wisconsin this July when ALL of Wisconsin goes smoke free and we can't just flee to the next city over to be able to smoke at the bar.

[the_std]

God save us all in northwest Wisconsin this July when ALL of Wisconsin goes smoke free and we can't just flee to the next city over to be able to smoke at the bar.

I agree that courteous smokers suffer because of the actions of the non-courteous ones, but hearing this from smokers... Poor, poor you, having to deal with the consequences of your decisions. I feel for you, I really do, while I'm warm inside because I choose not to smoke. Imagine that.

[Greenday]

I agree that courteous smokers suffer because of the actions of the non-courteous ones, but hearing this from smokers... Poor, poor you, having to deal with the consequences of your decisions. I feel for you, I really do, while I'm warm inside because I choose not to smoke. Imagine that.

Heroin addicts don't freeze their asses off just to get their high.

And hearing about courteous smokers suffering...well, you are the EXTREME minority. You are too few and far between and because the majority of smokers are completely inconsiderate towards those who don't smoke or are bothered by smoke, the couple considerate ones have to suffer.

[jackfaire]

6) Being in a sealed room full of smoke all the time is very, very bad for you. Expect to die in a matter of weeks. Walking by me on the street and catching a stray whiff of smoke is negligible and should be treated as such. Don't act like I just gave you cancer. Because I didn't. Get over yourself.

It doesn't bother me because it is a stray whiff every once in awhile. It bothers me because the way the streets are most of the second hand smoke goes behind the people smoking and I have to walk the same direction so the smoke hits me. Then there are all the people smoking at the train platform that don't care I have to be around it and I am the only non smoker in my apartment complex and the smokers stand on the balcony near my home.

I am exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke and yes it bothers me because I am unable to get away from something I don't want.

I don't wear cologne at all unless going on a date. I had a grandmother that was allergic to most things that smell.

Plus I don't think half the smokers here inhale cuz it seems like more smoke is in the air than in their lungs.

[Cats]

9) Cigarettes are NOT more or as addicitive as heroin. If it was, you'd see people out giving handjobs in dark alleys for a cigarette.

I started typing a response to this before reading the other posts, only to discover Boozy pretty much said nearly word-for-word what I had typed out.


Anyway, I'm somewhat sensitive to smells, so I dislike the act of smoking. As a note since it was mentioned, I am ALSO bugged about people who oversprayed their perfume, especially if it's Axe. Ditto for some cleaning sprays (like Lysol). Can't stand bleach either. I think people who may be in the same boat as I am complain about the smoke most often simply because it is encountered far more frequently than others.

What seriously bugs me a lot about smokers is people whining about when the prices go up. No matter how healthy or unhealthy the habit is, it is not my price to set. If you want to feed your habit/addiction, you pay the price just like everyone else does (and note, I feel the same way about people who are hooked on their coffee as well). Here, we're like a 15 min drive from the state border, where they are cheaper on the other side. If you want them cheaper so damn bad, go there and buy them by the carton, and you'll even have more than offset the price of the extra gas. This is the #1 customer complaint I hear, and frankly, it's extremely annoying.


And not that it happens to me, but it does to my mom - I don't like smokers who think because they need to have a smoke every few hours, they are entitled to extra breaks.


Anyone out there who smokes, smoke your brains out, I don't care. Just be courteous about your smoke around others who may be sensitive to it, and don't bitch to cashiers about the prices. And no break hogging. That's all I ask.

[telecom_goddess]

I just want to say I agree completely with what DrFaroohk and blas are saying. You are not going to die from second hand smoke..and there are WAY worse smells out there that *I* have put up with personally. And if I want to stand on my balcony and smoke I have that right...it's outside and it really isn't going to affect anyone else.

I don't smoke in the house anymore even through I grew up with that....it does stain the walls something awful.

[McDreidel09]

.I don't smoke indoors anywhere, save for my bf's room, and we don't like to smoke in there because it's so small and smells so awful very quickly (any other time of year we can suck it up and go outside).

And I'm not a "dirty" smoker. Mostly due to smoking outside, most people only get whiffs of it on me (the only time I'd be a dirty smoker is a night at a bar that still allows smoking)....I bathe myself and religiously wash my clothes, including jackets and other outerwear, so that I don't smell bad. There are people with bad BO and awful perfumes/colognes that smell worse than me coming back in from smoking outside.

See, you're the kind of smoker I like. You're considerate. I've run into smokers that refuse to roll down a window if I ask them to and even explain to them that I will have a huge, involuntary coughing fit if they don't. They still didn't. Needless to say, I am not around those people anymore.

If you're outside, there is no reason for people to hack and cough on purpose to get you to stop. If you're in a place that allows smoking, that's fine. Personally, I would not attend those places. If you don't want to deal with cigarette smoke, then don't go to a place that allows it. Why? Most likely, there will be smokers there lighting up.

[Greenday]

You are not going to die from second hand smoke

So second hand smoke isn't a completely unnecessary addition to my life that doesn't contain plenty of dangerous carcinogens? And I for some reason should have to hold my breath, not intake oxygen which is necessary to live unlike cigarettes, while entering a building so people can feed their addictions? Right...