Poll... curious about how many CPAP users smoke.

[Fredman]

I can't speak from personal experience however, smoking and obesity are only bad for your health if your health is bad because you smoke or are obese. I know perfectly healthy smokers and obese people. It is all their lifestyle choices that impact their health more than the fact that they smoke or are obese.

Yes I understand what you are saying and essentially there are those that are obese and/or smoke that are "healthy"...that is at this moment. Of course no one is immune to dis-ease and obviously genetic, environmental and other factors all play a role.

We all make choices and essentially, I guess we all have to decide on the quality of life we want to live from now until our last breath on this earth.

I love 6PtStar's signature line:
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting: "Wow what a ride!"

[CamiTampa]

When I did smoke I tried to be considerate, but what is considerate to me may not be to you.

What is considerate?

Not smoking in the room you are in or not smoking in the room you may be in later?
Not smoking in your car or not smoking in any car?
Not smoking in a restaurant or not smoking on the street in front of the restaurant?

Where is the line in the sand? If smoking is such a scourge on society then why don't they just ban it, make smoking illegal.
Too much tax money would be lost, that's why.
So non smokers, (including us stopped smoking non-smokers,) need to be considerate too.

[Fredman]

When I did smoke I tried to be considerate, but what is considerate to me may not be to you.

What is considerate?

Not smoking in the room you are in or not smoking in the room you may be in later?
Not smoking in your car or not smoking in any car?
Not smoking in a restaurant or not smoking on the street in front of the restaurant?

Where is the line in the sand? If smoking is such a scourge on society then why don't they just ban it, make smoking illegal.
Too much tax money would be lost, that's why.
So non smokers, (including us stopped smoking non-smokers,) need to be considerate too.

CamiTampa, yes this can be an emotional issue and sometime reformed smokers and non smokers can sound very righteous. I feel smoking is a scourge to our health...BUT we all have the right to either smoke or not to smoke that is our RIGHT and you are right there is a fine line. I think you are sooo right we need to be considerate of each other. But then again we can stir the pot and get everything boiling and rumbling! Tonight I learned of Snoredog's passing and he often would tell it the way "it was". I will miss him for his passion and knowledge.

[kteague]

Well, that turned into an interesting discussion. I have never lived in a smoking household, but certainly have been in many. I would be offended if anyone came into my house or car expecting to smoke. And I would never go into someone else's home or car and expect them to do any differently than they usually do, though my friends who smoke try to be considerate of me. Or maybe they just don't want to listen to me hack and wheeze or have an asthma attack. The same will happen if around strongly scented products on someone's person or in their clothing. I took my last ride on a city bus a few years ago when all the combined scents shut down my airways and the bus driver stopped in the middle of a downtown street in rush hour to attend to my distress. Scares the crap out of me (though not publicly ) that I have been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease (probably due to lab chemicals). Slow suffocation is near the bottom of my list of preferred ways to die.

Strangely, when my breathing is not acting up, I kinda enjoy the smell of fresh cigarette, pipe, or cigar smoke (HATE old smoke). Where I live nearly every place is mandated nonsmoking. I have mixed feelings about that even though I have trouble with smoke. I even have to avoid Cracker Barrel in the winter due to the fireplace. If I walk down a public sidewalk and someone's dryer vent has the whole block smelling of fabric softener, I may be in trouble. In some venues I feel I have a right to be unoffended, such as the workplace, but other times I feel it's on me, the one who knows her limits, to not expect the whole world to cater to me. Be considerate of me yes (whatever that means), but I don't expect the world to revolve around me. None of my musings are about health care costs or the environment - just the daily living aspect. I didn't not take up smoking for any noble reasons. For one, I was too poor and worked too hard for my money, and due to vanity - I liked the compliments I got on my "pretty white teeth".

IzzyB- As far as the coworker's perfume that adversely affects your health and well being, you have every right to expect a non-offensive workplace environment. Her perfume and your possible smell of smoke are two different issues. I personally think you should talk to her about it privately, and from what you say, I'm sure it would not be a confrontational approach. Maybe even with a compliment on how you wish you were able to indulge in such lovely scents as she wears, but you can't. Tell her you know she enjoys her perfumes, but ask if it would be asking too much for her to refrain from them at work. You'll know by her response if you need to take it any further. If someone then brings up your smell of smoke as being offensive, you'll have to figure out how to handle it. Two close friends of mine smoke, but you would hardly know it due to their intentions to not be evident. Maybe you're not as evident as you fear since you are so conscious of it. Don't let that be the reason you don't address the other.

[WearyOne]

I don't smoke. Never have and never will. (My dad did, though. He quit after he had a heart attack at age 53.)

If someone else wants to smoke, that's fine by me, as long as I don't have to smell it. Within 15 minutes of being near only one smoker, I get a headache, my sinuses stop up, and my throat starts hurting. (Same thing happens for me with strong fragrances, although I don't run into that as much as cigarette smoke.)

Being overweight CAN be a factor for OSA; I don't know if smoking cigarettes is or not.

Being overweight, as I am, is a huge health risk for lots of things (as I have been finding out recently, more than I knew), but smoking definitely is as well. But when I'm sitting in a restaurant with my small plate of food, what will ruin it is if I have to smell smoke from cigarettes (pipes or cigars), or some lady's heavy application of perfume, not from any obese people across the aisle.

Pam

[Debjax]

Hubby and I used to smoke, although we did not smoke in the house at all. Hubby had his last cigarette at 1:30 pm on August 13, 2005. He did not know at the time that he would be quitting after that cigarette, but figured it out a few hours later when he had his massive heart attack at 45 years old. I quit the next day. Neither of us has smoked since. I can say that since he quit smoking, his snoring dropped by decibles and on some nights is non-existent.

[Beckyboo]

I do not smoke and never did.

[One Tired Puppy]

Looks like I missed this poll too. I was a very heavy smoker for about 35 years. I have been off cigarettes for over 12 years now. When I smoked it didn't occur to me that I might be offending anyone if I smoked in their home, car or anywhere near them. Back then we didn't have all the information on second hand smoke we have today. Even before I quit I had heard about the harmfulness of second hand smoke but it just didn't hit home for me...maybe because I was so addicted and needed my fix I couldn't allow myself to think about it affecting others? I would have smoked in the shower even, if there was a way to do it. I would never answer the phone without first lighting up. My breathing became very wheezy, my clothes got holes in them, and my daughter said I smelled like an ash tray.

When my daughter got married and became pregnant she told me she will not bring her children into our home if there is any cigarette smell in my home or on me. Since my daughter had moved to Ohio and I live in Ontario and we only see them twice a year I didn't want to lose the privilage of seeing my grandchildren. This scared me as I enjoyed smoking and only partly wanted to quit because of the smell and the money wasted. I tried everything but couldn't get below 6 cigarettes a day and that only lasted a couple days and I would be back up to 2.5 packs a day. It literally took a miracle to get me off the cigarettes for good.

I am so glad my daughter gave me that ultamatum because I feel better, probably smell better and save a whole lot of money. I breathe better (except maybe while sleeping) and I know I am not spreading second hand smoke to my grandchildren. Three of them have asthma.

I think I can see both sides of this situation. I know very well how strong an addiction cigarettes are for many people. I was one of them. Some people have an easier time of quitting than others. Some just can't seem to do it. My brother-n-law, and my younger sister both smoked to the end. Both of them died of cancer. My older brother tried to quit just before he died of cancer. My husband had part of a lung removed due to cancer. He was a heavy smoker.

I have to admit that people smoking at the bus stop bothers me as would their smoking anywhere bother me. It is the smoke, not the person that bothers me. I understand the person probably hasn't had loved ones die of cancer or they may think differently. I think the problem is when you are addicted you just can't think what is best for others...you can ony think about what you need or feel you need at that moment. I usually try to be not near them as I don't want the smell of smoke on me either. More importantly I don't want smoke in my lungs. I just got them cleaned up this past 12 years. If the person comes over to me to talk and they have a cigarette I will try to gently tell them that the smoke bothers me as we have had cancer and no longer smoke. Then I will explain that is why I quit and try to avoid second hand smoke. I think most people will understand and not be offended. I am not asking them to butt out but just letting them know I don't want to inhale cigarette smoke anymore. If they want to talk they can chose to put their cigarette out or they can just walk away.

I am not making a judgment on them as I have been where they are. I am simply choosing to not inhale others cigarette smoke.

Addictions cause selfish behavior which isn't intended to be selfish... it's just the nature of addiction.

Been there...done that.

Anne

[birdshell]

I'm not and never have been a smoker, but I have breathed in a lot of second hand smoke. That comes from my age, as there wasn't always a separation of smoking and non-smoking lounges and restaurants and bowling alleys and bars and...you get the drift. I now have developed a sensitivity to smoke of all kinds. I cannot be exposed to
cigarette smoke without getting a sinus infection.

I remember reading that the problem is the way that we treat each other earlier in this thread. I tried to go back to find the post to give that person credit, but alas! I could not find it. It seems that personal attacks are ALWAYS a problem. We should remember that we are unhappy with the behavior, not the PERSON!

It seems to me that the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at President Bush was not solving anything. He was attacking the president, but to what end? He certainly did not help his cause, IMHO. He just made himself look crazy, which detracts from his beliefs to the rest of us. I mean, even if he WAS right and had some very valid arguments, no one really focused on the facts or the opinions, did they? (I must admit I didn't mind how he seemed to feel--but wouldn't throw shoes to communicate that fact.)

However, I have a friend who recently quit smoking and I learned a few things from her classes:

The problem with smoking ISN'T that the nicotine is so bad for you, but rather all of the additives and the fact that they are burned. Burning substances often makes them more highly toxic. (And believe it or not, there are additives in smokeless tobacco, too.)

Nicotine can be gotten in many other forms nowadays. If the addiction to nicotine is too strong, then why add to it the additives? Why not go for the nicotine as an alternative via patches, lozenges, gum, and so on. This not only preserves the life of the nicotine addict and others nearby, but also makes it nice for others to be around a "smoker".

Tobacco Additives: Cigarette Engineering and Nicotine Addiction

CDC--Dept of Health and Human Services: Overview of Tobacco Products--Tobacco Additives

So, if you want the really pure nicotine, unadulterated by the approximately 600 additives that create about 4,000 compounds when burned...just realize that it isn't getting to you by way of breathing in smoke. Of course, we are not even discussing the other physical actions and habits that affect the whole picture.

BTW, how many of us who are smokers and non-smokers are addicted to caffeine?

[Zoot]

I do not smoke in the house, car, or at work. I only smoke if I am having drinks. I can go days without a cigarette, then let a beer or cocktail hit me and I immediately reach for a pack.

[DreamStalker]

As Karen said - "We should remember that we are unhappy with the behavior, not the PERSON!".

My previous posts were NOT personal attacks but rather a frustration over the behavior of smokers who don't feel there is anything wrong with smoking in public.

Like I said in my previous post, everyone has to take a crap ... and some folks (less than 20% if the thread poll is correct) also have to or like to smoke ... that's cool we all gotta do what we gotta do. The issue I have is with the behavior of where they do their deed ... not the fact that they have to smoke or want to smoke or have a right to smoke.

[birdshell]

YES! Well said, Roberto.

Karen,
Who finds most smokers to be considerate

[CamiTampa]

The smell of a flame touching animal flesh will make me vomit. Should I let all the backyard BBQers in my development know that they are not being considerate? How about Burger King?
BTW : I'm not a vegetarian. I can and do eat meat, just not meat touched by a flame.

Bad example I know, but we all need to learn to be considerate, not just the smokers. The non smokers too.

[Debjax]

BTW, how many of us who are smokers and non-smokers are addicted to caffeine?

Unfortunately, my doctor made me go pretty much caffeine free about 8 months before I quit smoking after a bad mammo showing massive calcifications. Now I am a decaffeinated former smoker. Can't be near cigarette smoke now, makes me gag. However, I do hover over caffeined beverages inhaling deeply.

[DreamStalker]

The smell of a flame touching animal flesh will make me vomit. Should I let all the backyard BBQers in my development know that they are not being considerate? How about Burger King?
BTW : I'm not a vegetarian. I can and do eat meat, just not meat touched by a flame.

Bad example I know, but we all need to learn to be considerate, not just the smokers. The non smokers too.

I know what you mean ... the smell of cooking or cooked eggs makes me vomit. I'm not a vegetarian either. I don't and will not eat eggs cooked or uncooked. I don't expect others to stop cooking or eating eggs though.

The example is uhhhh ... different because people that vomit at the smell of flame touched meat or cooked eggs are not just a minority, but a very very small (and weird) minority. Non-smokers are not such a small or weird minority (well I guess some could be weird but that doesn't matter) from what I can tell .... but who knows, maybe this poll does not represent all populations no matter how one slices and dices the stats.

As for Burger King, I stopped going there as well as ALL fast food joints once I wised up to the poison they were selling to unsuspecting patrons (going on 4 years of being fast food free now).

BTW - I am considerate and go out of my way not fart or burp in close proximity to other people and I expect the same in return ... but I'm just weird that way.