`smoking to or not to do

Shame on your doctor. He blames others for your poor health...If non-smoking laws are not enforced where you live, perhaps you can avoid those places.

Environmental airborne pollutants are much more prevalent than "second hand smoke" ... and in most cases more harmful!. The main difference is that activism is better served by attacking little Joe Public rather than culpable industries. Thus the sad position of "it's better than doing nothing.?? Perhaps this may be true, in a warped sense of responsibility. Activism for a "cause" is sadly becoming self serving for funding campaigning. Too bad there are so many well intentioned people that are being manipulated to support these charlatans.

You smoked, you got sick ... who are you trying to blame exactly?

You might want to investigate a new "movement" that's starting against "THIRD hand smoke" which could apparently be even more lethal ..... just bring your money .... /sarcoff

What do locals laws, tariffs or even availability have to do with you or anyone else addicting yourself to a well known stimulant-toxin?

Isn't the freedom to choose whether to destroy your body/life the hallmark of any democracy or moral belief system?

(an ex 40 yr smoker)

Around here you can't smoke indoors in public places, restaurants bars etc. Sure is nice eating in restaurants now. Before the ban there were smoking and non smoking sections in restaurants. What a joke. I used to leave little cards like business cards in restaurants that said this.

"Having a smoking section
in a restaurant is like
having a peeing section
in a swimming pool."

On the otherside it said this.

"Cigarette smoke is the residue of your pleasure. It
contaminates the air and pollutes my hair and
clothes, not to mention my lungs. This takes place
without my consent.

I have a pleasure also. I like to drink water. The
residue from my pleasure is urine. Although vitamin
filled, would you be annoyed if I urinated on your
head and clothes without your consent?"

@dodo - were you a smoker, and if so, how many cigs did you smoke a day?

I am not sure I exactly understand what Dodo is saying, although I think that (s)he had pneumonia and isn't fully recovered after 2 years.

Regardless if Dodo smoked or not, he expresses an expectation to fully recover from an illness. And if he doesn't fully recover in a specific time frame it must be somebody's fault.

To be sure, I empathize with anyone who is ill. We live in an imperfect world, with hazards both natural and man-made.
In the US, we are Not guaranteed safety, health nor comfort, no matter how much we are told to expect them, or how much we want them.

Patronize businesses that vigorously enforce the smoking ban.

if smoking caused your pneumonia, then I would be staying a way from 2nd hand, 3rd hand and any other smoking establishments. It's not fair to blame the smokers (though they are at fault). What I mean is you aren't going to stop them from smoking. You have to stay away from them. Best of luck in getting better. It will not happem overnight as you are aware.

BRAVO!

I can feel the abhorrence coming through. I can't tell you how many meals I've had ruined in restaurants before bans went into place. I'm allergic to the smoke. My nose immediately swells up so I can't breath well, and my eyes start to burn. I actually stopped eating in restaurants because of this.

I just checked a map of where there are no statewide restrictions on smoking. Nothing really surprising. Fortunately, I can live whereever I like and enjoy my meals smokefree.

http://www.smokingoutsidesolutions.com/support/u-s-smoking-b...

Smokers will quit (if and) when they want. Back in 1998, my mom was in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer center in NYC. She wanted to get better. Some say they do, but do they really? On my way in to donate platelets or to just visit there were always a few outside the front door in hospital gowns, some holding dripping I/V poles puffing away. Why should my insurance money have to pay for those that really don't want to get better? You want to smoke yourself to death, please party on, just don't waste my insurance payments, the hospital's time or my general lung health while you do it.

I am not suggesting that smoking caused the problem what I am saying is, dealing with second hand smoke exsasperates the shortness of breath,it is like putting a huge elastic band around your chest. yes I smoked 30 years ago.

camerabob encore!!!!!!

who should have more rights? The property or business owner or the customer or anyone coming onto your property?
If you believe someone should be able to walk in off the street and legally tell you what is and what is not allowed on your property then keep pushing for more bans.
Smoking isn't a right but being able to smoke or not smoke within your business or on your property should be the owners right to choose, not someone with no financial or legal interest in the property.
As a customer you have the right to choose to enter or not enter a business. If enough people agree with you the business owner will change or go out of business.
I quit smoking over 20 years ago and prefer places that don't allow smoking but I've never believed I should be able to tell someone how to run their business nor what they can do on their property.
Isn't it great when the majority can pass laws that outlaw behavior they find offensive. It's great till the shoes on the other foot.
The peeing in the pool argument is absolutely laughable. If someone owns a pool and you know they allow people to pee in it why would you patronize their pool? If smoking offends you and the business owner allows it why would you go there?

The same could be said for many (not all) obese people as many are over weight because of life style choices they freely make or don't make everyday.
My point is many people do or don't do what they should do. Should we include people who drink to much or ride motorcycles and don't wear a helmet?

It is very hard to quit smoking. I never rag on a friend or relative if they smoke.

A long time ago I swore I would never buy a pack of cigs for anyone. This was after I spent an overnight in a hospital ER with a friend that had an almost life ending asthma attack. To this day If I am in a 7-Eleven and they asked me to, I still flat out refuse to buy 'em. They ask me why, and I tell them I like having them around. If they want to commit slow, painful suicide, that's on them. That's the extent of 'ragging' on my friends that I do. They never, EVER take offense.

Thank to all who has replied . To clarify, I am male, was never sick worked out,hard, three times a week 1 hour + each time, yes I smoked, 30 years ago. I am not blaming the smoking dealing with second hand smoke it to blame every time I pass somebody smoking. Thanks again, have a smoke free life. I am Canadian so the 3 weeks in hospital was free??????.

This sounds like a non-smoker's comment. It took me 10 years to quit once I decided I wanted to. I tried every program I could find and just couldn't shake the habit. That is until I found a program that used nicotine gum, then I was able to quit smoking, literally, overnight. That was 26 years ago. It took me a year and a half to taper off the gum. Nicotine is highly addictive except, I understand, to about 10% of the population.

I don't condone smoking, nor do I understand why people start now that we know the effects, but I do sympathize with those who have, and are, trying to quit but haven't been able to accomplishing it yet.

Quitting is very tough during the first 2-3 weeks. After the initial 3 weeks period, the craving is gone. How do I know? I was a smoker for many years before quitting for many years. I then picked it up again for some years before quitting again. It's been on and off since then I lost count how many times I've been a smoker/non smoker. I did it cold turkey whenever I think it's time to quit. No patches needed. I've been cleaned since 2006. Not a single one except being a second hand victim in Las Vegas casinos. Hate the smell.

What does this bolded statement mean?

If you occasionally start smoking again, you never really quit. It used to irritate a friend of mine when he told me he could quit any time he wanted to because he had done it many times so he knew he could quit. I'd remind him that if he took up the habit after 'quiting" he really didn't quit, he just took a hiatus.

In New York the cost of a pack is in excess of $10.00 (more for some) Thats $100.00 or more a carton. I see people who can just about buy food for their families buying cartons.
These people need help!
If there was less graft and payoffs in the industry they could just outlaw them.
In Florida they can smoke in casinos, in NY it is against the law to smoke indoors there.

I quit smoking more than 20 years ago, and suffer the consequences of my choice to smoke every day. Starting to smoke is probably my only serious regret.

I encourage people to quit and use myself as an example of why people shouldn't start smoking. But I don't judge people who smoke. It doesn't really make me feel any better and it doesn't help them.

While I benefit from smoking bans in restaurants (allergic and very irritating to me), I am as against the bans as much as I am red light and speed cameras.

Let businesses decide if they will allow smoking and the free market will decide if they stay open. Have cops issue citations, not some distant cousin to Dr. Zachary Smith's handywork.

Though I hate the smoking bans, I also lovethem as I don't get sick in restaurants, so it 'appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds'.

I agree with with camerabob on the part about really wanting to quit. I had smoked for 35 years back in 1988 and had a skin ulcer on my ankle that I had been trying to get healed up for about six or seven months. After changing doctors it was determined that I had really bad circulation in that leg. The doctor mentioned that it would improve my circulation if I didn't smoke, and at that point I was willing to do anything to get the ulcer healed. On will power alone I quit smoking and with the new doctor we had it healed up within a couple of months.

Nowadays the price of cigarettes alone would be enough incentive to quit. I still remember that I paid $11.76 for the last carton I bought.

Agree with Last Mrk's comments.

Larry Hagman of Dallas TV show fame used to carry a small fan and if someone in a restaurant smoked near him, he would aim it at them.

I never smoked, nor my wife. We avoid smoke, and go elsewhere to dine if it is allowed.

Just got a report back from cardiologist that at 70, there is no plaque, no blockage and veins have the elasticity of a 52 year old person.

Self riotous about it? .....You bet.

rvoutrider, Congradulations I am jealous

Does anyone remember the TV commercial with Yul Brynner he made pre-death where he said something like 'I'm Yul Brynner. I smoked, and now I'm dead of lung cancer. Don't smoke, or quit if you do.'

Oh, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNjunlWUJJI

I smoked for over 30 years and in 1988 got a skin ulcer on my right ankle. It was determined that I had very bad circulation in that leg due to some old injuries. I started going to a doctor in February of that year and finally changed doctors in September because this guy was doing me no good whatsoever. To make a long story short my new doctor made a casual remark that if I could quit smoking it would help my circulation, and by then I was so desperate to get healed I made myself a deal. Normally a carton of cigarettes lasted me about a week, and the deal I made myself was that I would start cutting back and when that carton was gone I would be done smoking. That carton lasted me about three weeks and when it was done I was done. To my amazement it was the easiest thing I have ever done. Anyway the moral to my drawn out story is, I believe if you don't really truly want to quit you never will.

Health problems are a great motivator.

Not quite so, I drive by hospitals where ambulatory SMOKER patients are standing outside wearing their hospital gowns, sometimes even attached to a portable oxygen supply.

A number of years ago, a friends wife who was a chain smoker had a cancerous breast removed. All the while still smoking. Within a year she had the other breast removed, still smoking like a chimney. She barely lasted one more year!

Health problems apparently do not deter hard core smokers!

I myself am still trying to quit.

Of course there will always be people who mindlessly repeat anything they're told to say/think/do. It's seems to be all part of this "PC" manipulation/control which has been consistently growing in our society.

... I drive by the hospital and see hospital staff, judging by their garb, outside smoking. If anyone should know better, it should be them.