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January 27, 2006
News Flash: Smoking is harmful!
Having grown up in California, I have been shocked at how much people smoke here. Do people realize how harmful it is? Sometimes I think that they don't. In Cali, smoking is greatly looked down upon and people know the great risks of doing it. Even if people are smoking, I don't have to smell it because there are laws against smoking in most public places. If you want to kill yourself, fine, but don't kill me while you are at it! Check out this recent article that puts California ahead of the times once again. I wonder how long it will take everyone else to catch on....
Posted by laini at January 27, 2006 12:33 PM
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I think people DO realize that smoking is harmful but they simply don't care. I've come across quite a few smokers in my job and every time we discuss it, I hear things like, "I know I need to stop" or they tell me about some random uncle they have that smoked all this life and never got cancer. So it's pretty much addiction and denial. You're right though, I don't want to be around it! Chicago just enforced a no smoking ban in restaraunts...yeah!
Posted by: Julie at January 30, 2006 02:01 PM
Why do people start smoking in the first place? Is it rebellion or a social thing? I just don't see any other reason why someone would start something that has no positive benefit to you, unless it was for one of those above reasons. But seeing that I have never smoked before, I guess I don't know the pleasure or whatnot that is involved in doing it. I understand how hard it is to stop, but why start in the first place?
It bothers me that society makes it so easy for people to continue this unhealthy habit as well. For example, when my husband was working at Provident, all the guys he worked with would take smoke breaks like every hour. So while Ben was stuck inside having to do all the work, everyone else was out taking 20 minute breaks every hour or so. Just doesn't seem fair to me. I am sure it would be a lot harder for someone to keep up a smoking habit if they weren't allowed to take smoke breaks all day long. And I think it would be good for people to be forced to eat entire meals without sitting there in the restaurant smoking.
I understand it is an addiction and addictions are very hard to quit (hence why they are addicting). But it just seems to me that if people really knew the extent of how much damage they were doing to their bodies and bodies of those they smoke around, they would make more of an effort to quit. But I don't think that people really believe that they could die from this stuff.
That's my rant for the day....
Posted by: laini at January 30, 2006 05:43 PM
I started smoking in the Army out of a need to do something on guard duty. You couldn't read or do anything useful because you had to keep scanning the horizon. After about three weeks of this when the guy next to you asks for the 75th time "would you like a smoke" - you say "sure, what the heck..."
When I landed back in the U.S. I swore to some friends that I would not light another one - and I didn't.
Now I haven't smoked in 15 years.... dang I'm getting old... but every once in a while when I'm in the checkout line at the grocery store I catch myself thinking about buying a pack.
Posted by: stelmodad at January 30, 2006 06:07 PM
When Greg and I were working in food services for our summer job he would always joke about taking his "smoke break" even though he didn't smoke. It was his way of pointing out how unfair it was that the smokers always got so many extra breaks so they could go fill there lungs with toxins while those of us who didn't smoke held the fort down. I didn't really appreciate it when they all dissapeared every hour or so.
There are a few people I love dearly who smoke and I dread the day we have to deal with the health problems they will most likey incur later in life. That is the reality, even though they are the ones who will be sick, we will all suffer because we love them. (hint, hint to a very special and dearly loved uncle of my children)
Posted by: sara at January 30, 2006 06:27 PM
Thank you for saying what I have wanted to say out loud for forever. I wanted to write a letter to the editor about how rude it is to smoke in public places, but I always chicken out and put it off. It really bothers me when I'm pregnant, or when I'm out with my kids, because most smokers act like its their right to share their smoke with the rest of us. A very brave friend of mine has taken to asking smokers to put out their cigarettes around her when she's pregnant or when her kids are around. It usually makes the smoker visibly uncomfortable, but they do put out their cigarette.
Posted by: Karen Monahan at January 30, 2006 08:31 PM