need to ask this one

[Big Wallaby]

All I ask, in smoking, is that you be respectful. My wife's father could smoke right next to you and you wouldn't know if you didn't see it. If there was a situation where he would have been unable to do that, he would remove himself or just not do it.

The big peeve for me is people who take that last drag right before they get on my bus and then continually exhale it as they ride my bus. Cigarrette smoke doesn't bother me until after it's been in someone's lungs... then it reeks like nothing else I can think of except perhaps faeces.

[crystal_crtr]

I grew up with parents who smoked, and didn't give a crap that 1) the windows were up in the car and we were dying in the back and 2) teachers thought I smoked, in elementary. It was bad. I remember crawling on the floor as a kid to get under the smoke cloud. I had burns in clothes, ashes on me, and one time step-dad flicks ashes out of the car window and they come right back in the back window, right into my eye (this was in the summer when it was too hot to keep the windows up...)

Wow that sounds just like my childhood. Where are you at? Is your name Chris? You might be my brother.

[BRWombat]

The big peeve for me is people who take that last drag right before they get on my bus and then continually exhale it as they ride my bus.

It always amazes me the smokers who reek so much it makes my eyes water to be near them, and they're completely oblivious. Reminds me of when I was last house-hunting. I went in one home with an overpowering cigarette smell, and my realtor told me, "The amazing thing is when I show a smoker this same house: they apparently can't notice the smell, but they'll tell me that the house has 'something about it' that appeals to them!"

All the same, though, I'm all for live and let live. If you can smoke without bugging others, fine.

[ktulu]

All the same, though, I'm all for live and let live. If you can smoke without bugging others, fine.

Yeah, and with the lower life expectation of smokers, that means less old people to get in front of me and drive slow on the road. Now if we can just do something about the cell phone users.

Although I do use my cell phone while driving, I drive the same, because driving is priority 1 and cell phone is like somewhere in the million range of important things. My wife usually has to repeat herself a few times before I hear what she is saying because of 1) road noise (Jeep is noisy) 2) I pull the phone away to shift and 3) sometimes a woman's voice goes ignored
:D:

[Princess Susi]

This subject gets my tail feathers all fluffy....

Let me start by saying I smoked for twenty some years, quit on February 19th and have never looked back..but I quit because I wanted to, not because a bunch of self righteous militant non smokers told me I should.

I am guilty of smoking in a non designated area (over by where mission space is now in Epcot) because the map showed a smoking area there. In fact, I was near the smoking area, but until a CM pointed out where the garbage cans with the sand on the top were, I didn't realize I was not in the appropriate spot (this was while MS was being built, so that area was pretty traffic free). Sometimes we don't mean to be SG's and smoke where we shouldn't, and if asked politely, we will correct ourselves.

Now if someone gave me crap about being allergic (it's impossible to be allergic to cig smoke. It may be an irritant, but it's NOT an allergin) I'd laugh in your face and probably blow smoke in it to be an ass. I'd also ask you if you ever stay for the fireworks, because being so "allergic" to smoke would make you allergic to ANY smoke, campfires, fireworks, ect. Please don't give me that "I'm allergic" bullshit, it insults my intelligence (and yours if you really believe it.)

In addition, the propoganda about 2nd hand smoke causing cancer...umm..if you have ever done any research on it, it's in CLOSED ROOMS with ridiculous amounts of smoke. Find me one study that proves 2nd hand smoke in an open air situation for 3 seconds is harmful. You can't, it doesn't exist. So please don't give me that "that baby is getting his life shortened" bullshit. It pisses me off, and I'm not even a smoker anymore.

I had to respond to this post. First I am an ex smoker, I smoked 26 years and quit 10 yrs. ago. I cannot even stand the smell of cig smoke anymore, it makes me nauseous.
Now, to address your "It's impossible to be allergic to cigerette smoke" statement. With all due respect, NO, IT IS NOT! and your "I'm allergic" bullshit statement is an insult to the poster and I did not think personal attacks were allowed on these forums. That is very insulting to the people who ARE ACTUALLY allergic to WHAT they PUT IN cigerettes. One might not be allergic to the "smoke" itself or even the tobacco, but there over 50 (probably closer to 75) different chemicals that they put in cigs to keep them burning and preserve them, etc..etc.. A person CAN be allergic to cig smoke due to the chemicals burning. I would like to know where you fiound the information that makes you SO ADAMANT that being allergic to cigs is "impossible" and "bullshit".
And the statement that; "I'm allergic to cigerettes did NOT insult my intelligence". I BELIEVE the person.
I am allergic to marijuana. I lived in Mendocino County in No Cal for 4 yrs and that is known as part of the "Emerald Triangle" , the prime pot growing area in Calif. Growing season was a nightmare for me, visits to my doctor for allergy meds were common. The stuff grew EVERYWHERE up there, acres and acres of it. My own next door neighbor grew pot in a room with lights ,etc and when I would even get near the door of that house, I would sneeze and puff up. It was much worse when they smoked it near me, the smoke would cause a MAJOR allergic reaction in me. I had to leave, because I literally could not breathe, my throat would constrict, eyes water, sneezing, nose full of snot, etc...etc... all symptoms of histamine reaction to a substance the body is allergic to. Yes, I have studied microbiology and allergies and know what the chemical reactions are in the body when one is allergic and there are many substances that can cause histamines to go completely out of control. Histamines are little body protectors that come from a white blood cell called an Eosinophil. The body senses something that makes it uncomfortable , then sick, and these Eosinophils send out histamines by the truckloads and those are what cause the symptoms of the allergic reaction to the offending substance. Now, these histamines are only doing their job to PROTECT the body, but when the body is overwhelmed by an allergen, they actually become overwhelmed by the histamines as well which are meant to protect them. The histamines are what actually become dangerous and even fatal to the person due to the overabundance of them causing throat constriction and breathing problems. Not everyone is allergic to the same things. You, for example, may be able to eat peanut butter or shellfish, when that same food will KILL another individual. And kill them very quickly, I might add. So, yes, IC, one CAN be allergic to the ingredients or chemicals in cigarette smoke. You have no idea what that person is allergic to, only they and their doctor can determine that through a course of tests, which I myself have run the gamut of, from the scratch tests to the breathing tests to sensitivity tests. I think it presumptuous to declare a blanket statement that "it is impossible to be allergic to cigerettes." It is possible and believe me some allergic reactions are so bad, that some people have to carry a syringe of epi (epinephrine, a drug that will restart the heart if it stops due to allergies!) with them everywhere in case they have such an attack that constricts their breathing to the point of tracheal closure. It can be deadly. There are many more allergies in our world today than just your run-of-the-mill ragweed and dust mites. This world is filled with so many new chemicals and substances, that scientists and doctors are discovering new allergies everyday. You live in the Denver area. We have the finest, bar none, Allergy and Respiratory Research Facility/Hospital in the country, National Jewish. I have done tours of their labs, when I was searching for a place to do my internship and you would not believe what they applied to the skin of some of the lab amimals there and worse, what grew on the skin where they applied it. I saw lab areas where animals were exposed to second hand smoke and other things, and yes, there were some gruesome outcomes. I also toured Denver Medical Hospital labs when they were downtown, the same thing was going on there. All different doctors with their own studies and animals doing various things to rats, rabbits, mice, pigs etc... You need to get information before you make a general statement like the one you made. And there are also studies out there that DO prove second hand smoke can cause cancer, but NOT just cancer, other respiratory diseases, breathing disorders and weaknesses. Asthma is on of the leading respiratory diseases in children and they have linked it to cigerette smoke. I will find the sources for you and list them for you if you would like. It will only take up 10, maybe 100 pages. There are thousands of studies going on at any given time and results released eveyday. One can find almost any research and information to back up their claims and one DOES need to do a little research if one makes a statement as broad based as that was.
Class dismissed.
Susi

[ktulu]

Can I uh, get the cliff notes on that post ;)

[Kwahati]

I had to respond to this post.
<cut for space>
Class dismissed.
Susi

Woah. Slow your roll, there, sister. First I'd like to point to something I just pulled off the internet: "Common symptoms of smoke irritation are burning or watery eyes, nasal congestion, coughing, hoarseness and shortness-of-breath." (attributed to some random website that I don't care enough about to get the name of) That's one of the first hits when I Google "cigarette smoke allergy". It's not defined, according to these people as an allergy, but an irratation. Further, it sounds a whole lot like what happens to every smoker, so maybe it's not an allergy at all OR everybody in the world has the same allergy! I only say this to back up why ICSP might have said what she did. I honestly think the same way, so I knew there'd be something out there to back it up. But like you said: you can find evidence to support any point of view. Honestly, I don't know anything about the science of this, and it seems you do, so my inclination is to defer to you. If you say it's an allergy, fine, it's an allergy. I don't care. That's not the point. The point is that most people who say they have an allergy to it are just making excuses because they don't like it. Big difference here: I'll change my ways of doing something if it actually poses a threat to somebody. I have a roommate who's allergic to bananas. You can be damn well sure I'm quite good about washing the dishes really well after I make banana pancakes for the other two of us. She would die (quite literally) if I didn't. On the other hand, she SAYS she's allergic to cigarette smoke (and the other two of us smoke!) but somehow, when she has something she really needs to say (if we're in trouble, usually), she has no problem walking right through our cloud (out on the porch) to tell us. People lie all the time to suit their needs because people are naturally manipulative animals.

The other point here is that most of you people who don't smoke are jerks. We're busy trying to explain how we go out of our way to be good little boys and girls and keep the crap away from you, and you people are hanging out saying "Good, but if you ever get out of line, here's what we'll do to you!" Further, some of you are bitching about things you can't rightfully bitch about! I'm sorry you don't like the lingering smell on my clothes. I don't much care for the smell of a user I had to replace a computer for. I think it's a cultural thing where women from her country aren't allowed to bathe until after men and so they don't bathe enough or something like that. Regardless, the scent of pungent body odor is offensive. Is there anything I can do about it? No. I can't tell the person because it would turn into a "racism" thing (which anyone here should be able to tell you, I am not a racist). I don't like the smell of women who wear too much perfume either. Can I put them in a perfume wearer's area? Some people are actually allergic to that! But there's not shit we can do about it except push an earlier button on the elevator, get the hell off, and wait for the next one!

Maybe that's the point: get away from what bothers you instead of expecting it to get away from you. We're going to a lot of trouble to isolate ourselves and keep our carcinogens away from you and you're still bitching! Shut up. On behalf of smokers everywhere: we care a little, but not that much! (And I'll have none of this "but what about the children and asthma!" crap. If you're really worried about that, use mass transit, put solar panels on your house and vote democrat. I already do all those things, so I should get a voucher saying I'm allowed to add my insignificant bit of cigarette pollution!)

Thank you for your time and you can begin flaming me...


....


....


...NOW!

[dizneeluvr]

as an ex-smoker myself (quit in 1986) i find the smell of cig smoke and the smell of cig smokers truly gross. their breath stinks the clothes smell and many of them, not all, have no respect for non smokers. susislicker gets kudos for a well informed post. i cannot breathe if i am in a room of smoke, i had to quit going to bingo after i quit. in fact, when my DH and i were in Pleasure Isl in 2002, i couldn't even stay in some of the clubs because of the smoke. my DD is 14 and she was born w/congenital heart defect. i don't want her subjected to cig smoke and i resent the smokers who insist on smoking where they shouldn't be. i'm sure asthma sufferers have the same opinion. there are designated smoking areas for a reason. i was so happy when smoking was banned in restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, office bldgs, etc.
thank you to all the CM who make sure that guests comply w/the rules. we will be in WDW on the 19th of sept. and hopefully won't have to deal with and SG (or be one ourselves) ;)

[AngelEyes]

First and foremost, I smoke cigars, which most people would consider to be worse than cigarette's. Having said that, the only indoor place that I smoke cigars in is a local cigar store. I'm lucky if I smoke 2 a month, BTW.

I had asthma as a teenager. Luckily I grew out of it. I was one of those kids in the back seat with both parents puffing away. Whether or not that contributed I have no idea.

As a cigar smoker I don't mind the smell of a cigar, but the smell of a cigarette can give me a headache in just a couple of minutes. Weird uh?

My son has asthma. (BTW I NEVER smoke cigars around him) Cigarette smoke can cause him to start breathing heavily. Whether it's considered an allergy or not is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned.

I have no problem with people smoking. Just show me and my family the same consideration that I would show you in regards to my cigar smoking. I've never had anyone comment on my cigar smoking simply because I never do it around anyone. If you choose to smoke in public around people, don't be surprised if someone says something to you every now and then. It's the price you pay for smoking in public. That and the black lungs..... :D:

[Princess Susi]

I only posted what I did to give some specific scientific background to the term allergy. And NOT all people who have "SIGNS" of allergies actually have allergies. Their body is simply telling them that this is a toxic substance that does not feel good to it. "SYMPTOMS" are a whole nother matter. They are the things you get when you actually have an allergy or an illness or a malady of some sort. Does everyone who shows "signs" of allergic reaction to cigs have allergies, NO! But do some actually have allergies to some of the chemicals present or even the tobacco in the cigerettes, you betcha! And they show symptoms and those symptoms WARN the person that serious illness or even death is coming.
I am not anti-smoker, I was a smoker. I feel people have the right to smoke and I have no right to tell them not to. Some of the anti-smoking laws are ridiculous, but they do protect those who do not want to breathe smoke which contains toxic elements. I am glad for smoking areas and I am happy to show people where they are, there was a time when I used them myself and I was a very polite smoker. It is the people who are militant about it on either side of the issue that create problems.
As you can see, I SAID, only the person and their doctor can tell if they ACTUALLY have an allergy to the things or if they are simply showing signs of being around toxic smoke. You gotta admit, the jury is in, the things are not called coffin nails for nuthin. They do kill and cause a whole plethora of respiratory ailments, not just cancer and they DO aggravate conditions in the people who smoke them and the people who are around them in the same house all the time. Studies show that Asthma IS aggravated by cig smoke and in some cases the toxins (chemical additives in the cigs) do cause asthma in youngsters. The studies are all there. Cigerettes are not healthy, but that does not mean I am going to chase the smokers down the lane with a burning torch or cigarette lighter. It is their RIGHT to smoke, just as it is a non-smoker's right to NOT have to inhale the second hand smoke. I think we can agree on that point.
I just felt IC's post was somewhat hostile and I did not understand the vehemence with which she went after the comment about smoking allergies. That's all.
I quit smoking because I wanted to. I was tired of spending so much money on the things and I did not like the way my clothes, hair, and breath smelled. I feel better and actually after the first 6 months could taste foods better and smell better, which in some cases I wish I could not. Ever ride the 55 bus from Berkeley to East Oakland! Phew! Now that is one smelly bus! Those were the times I wish I had the cig smell to cover up the really malodorous air!
I am not going to flame anyone, I like everyone here! I just wanted to make it clear that YES, people CAN have allergies to cigs, and it is NOT bullshit to say they do.
Susi