From Jeremy Wells Sent Thu, Jul 23rd 1998, 19:05
From Jeremy Wells Sent Thu, Jul 23rd 1998, 19:05
I thought I'd add my 2 cents to this thread: Almost all of my friends smoke. I don't. I have no choice but to put up with it. For the most part, they are pretty conscientious and don't smoke inside my house, etc. I just live with my clothes smelling like smoke and being affected by allergies and asthma from smoke. I find it very interesting that most people who smoke don't realize they smell like smoke and make things (like cars) reek of the stuff. When I try to explain to someone who smokes that when I go out to a club and come home I feel like I want to take a shower because of the way I smell, they just don't get it. I would be overjoyed if the world was a smokeless place. I'd feel and smell better--as would a lot of other people. As to whether second hand smoke causes people to become ill...some evidence *does* support this. It has been statistically shown (for many years now) that children who grow up in households where their parent's smoke have a higher incedence of respiratory problems and illnesses. People who smoke aren't bad people (or else why would I put up with it), they just have no control over their addiction to nicotine and need cigarettes as a crutch to deal with social situations. I often envy my friends who smoke when they are in a new social situation. The cigarette gives them something to do and relaxes them (and can also stimulate some interaction). Whereas all I can do it twiddle my fingers. I think eventually, cigarette smoking will become less and less prevalent. I have found as I'm getting older that society tends to segregate older smokers into the "lower classes of society". I.e., it is often viewed that highly successful business people do not smoke. Blue collar workers do. (BTW, this is not my opinion necessarily, I'm just reflecting what I've heard and observed). -Jeremy