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thingstodo · 11-05-2006, 04:40 AM

I quit 18 years ago after practicing quitting many times, once for over a year. My decision after finally understanding all the reasons behind my need to smoke. Here's are a few of the ways other smokers still impact me:

- when I'm at a traffic light and I have to change my AC to recirculate because the smoke coming from the car next to me is coming inside my vehicle
- when a butt flicked from the car in front of me bounces off the road and explodes on my windshield
- when I walk pretty much everywhere and the biggest form of littering is butts
- when my health insurance rates go up because I have to insure smokers, and yes, all the other people engaged in non-healthy behaviors. Thank goodness the company I work for now charges a $60 per month surcharge on health insurance if you are a smoker. Perhaps they'll add these charges for overweight and other people that drive up the cost of healthcare
- I can't go into a bar and actually sit at the bar without having smoke in my face - which makes trips to SF nice (and now Marriott Hotels) since they are smoke-free inside
- in order to walk inside a mall I have to walk through a smoke cloud to get through the front door
- when someone comes in from a smoke break at work I have to smell them for at least 30 minutes
- I have seen wrecks caused by smokers that drop their cigs, are trying to light them or bump a lit butt and send ashes flying. I nearly had a wreck years ago doing the same thing

I guess I think there's a time and a place for everything. Everyone has a right to do what they want as long as it doesn't have a negative impact on others. Trashing our parks and roads with litter, making me subsidize your health care costs and making me walk through a gauntlet of smoke just to shop are just a few of the ways I feel my right are being disreagarded by smokers.

Not sure if this goes to the heart of the original question but for what it's worth, those are my thoughts on the subject.

11-05-2006, 04:40 AM	#11 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	I quit 18 years ago after practicing quitting many times, once for over a year. My decision after finally understanding all the reasons behind my need to smoke. Here's are a few of the ways other smokers still impact me: - when I'm at a traffic light and I have to change my AC to recirculate because the smoke coming from the car next to me is coming inside my vehicle - when a butt flicked from the car in front of me bounces off the road and explodes on my windshield - when I walk pretty much everywhere and the biggest form of littering is butts - when my health insurance rates go up because I have to insure smokers, and yes, all the other people engaged in non-healthy behaviors. Thank goodness the company I work for now charges a $60 per month surcharge on health insurance if you are a smoker. Perhaps they'll add these charges for overweight and other people that drive up the cost of healthcare - I can't go into a bar and actually sit at the bar without having smoke in my face - which makes trips to SF nice (and now Marriott Hotels) since they are smoke-free inside - in order to walk inside a mall I have to walk through a smoke cloud to get through the front door - when someone comes in from a smoke break at work I have to smell them for at least 30 minutes - I have seen wrecks caused by smokers that drop their cigs, are trying to light them or bump a lit butt and send ashes flying. I nearly had a wreck years ago doing the same thing I guess I think there's a time and a place for everything. Everyone has a right to do what they want as long as it doesn't have a negative impact on others. Trashing our parks and roads with litter, making me subsidize your health care costs and making me walk through a gauntlet of smoke just to shop are just a few of the ways I feel my right are being disreagarded by smokers. Not sure if this goes to the heart of the original question but for what it's worth, those are my thoughts on the subject. __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy. Last edited by thingstodo; 11-05-2006 at 04:44 AM..