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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel annoyed with smokers outside the hospital entrance

199 replies

Sistermoondance · 19/05/2011 15:53

I am sitting outside the hospital entrance waiting to be picked up. Thoroughly annoyed as they rescheduled my appointment without telling me.

And everywhere I look there are no smoking signs- on the benches and on the Walls saying that smoking is prohibited. And all I can smell is smoke from about 10 people- either patients or visitors. Can these people not read!!! And if I can smell it I am breathing it in and so are the other poor patients who've come out for fresh air!

I haven't said anything as I don't want to start a row, but I am seething. Either these people are visitors in which case they could walk somewhere where people are not sitting, or they re patients in which case going without a fag would do them good!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

OP posts:
trixymalixy · 21/05/2011 07:51

It really is that disgusting to a non- smoker, but I guess smokers and ex smokers are never going to fully understand.

I really don't give a shit if people want to smoke. I couldn't care less if someone is smoking in the street or in a carpark or outside a pub. They are allowed to smoke there and I can walk away.

Outside a hospital it is not allowed and we have no choice but to walk through it. It would be best if the hospitals had a dedicated smoking area away from the entrance, but I'm fairly certain that it would make no difference as the smokers would be far too ignorant and selfish to walk a few extra feet.

Al0uiseG · 21/05/2011 07:57

That's bollocks about smoking being harder to give up than Heroine! Nicotine is out of your system within 48 hours. I stopped buying cigarettes, I had nothing to smoke. Easy.

BluddyMoFo · 21/05/2011 08:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Al0uiseG · 21/05/2011 09:44

:o

Olifin · 21/05/2011 10:02

YANBU

I am a smoker but I wouldn't smoke outside a hospital. If I was a patient, I would look upon it as a good opportunity to stop. No-one needs to smoke. I smoke because I choose to.

Islandlady · 21/05/2011 10:42

First of all a Hospital can try to ban people from smoking on their premises however they cannot cite anti smoking legislation to do so, as asl only covers enclosed spaces and semi enclosed spaces like bus stops so the hopsital by banning smoking are applying their own rules which has nothing to do with the law of the land, and the law of the land will always supercede
an organistions 'rules'.

Thery can of course try to eject smokers from their premises, but how whould that work, they cant thow out a patient in a nightie and attached to a drip onto the streets and I would imagine that no hospitals wants the bad publicity that would come if they forceably ejected someone taking a five minute break from sitting by their dying relatives bed or has just been told that they have a fatal illness, no security guard or anti smoking officer should have the powers to eject and ban someone like that.

The only way a hospital can apply their rules is by providing a smoking area and insist that people use it.

Any Hospital that makes a blanket ban on smoking but fails to provide a smoking area cannot complain if the smokers just go where they please.

My Local hospital has a big sign saying its a no smoking hospital and I ignore it as I know they cant enforce it by law, not in the grounds anyway. However I never smoke by the doors and carry a portable ashtray with me so I dont drop ash or butts on the ground - I then put the contents into a litter bin once I know the butt is out and safe.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 21/05/2011 10:46

trixy... To all extents and purposes, an ex-smoker is going to understand far better than you do. I quit because I hated the smell, really hated it. I didn't have a very difficult time stopping but, before I did stop, I worried about how hard it was going to be.

All the time I smoked I had to plan my smoking activities around my time - where and when I could smoke, how I was going to cover up the smell of smoking and how I was going to have to face the disapproving looks.

I'll never smoke again but I can certainly empathise with smokers, even if I can't stand the smoking habit myself. Some ex-smokers are even more anti-smoking than non-smokers are. Now... what do you know about it?

trixymalixy · 21/05/2011 11:07

I know several ex smokers who go mmm when they walk through a cloud of someone elses smoke. I know how vile it smells.

What I don't understand is why the hell you did it if you hated the smell so much? Bloody stupid. I know that.

whiteflame · 21/05/2011 18:46

Like it or not spiderslegs, the social acceptability of smoking is on the decline - you can't smoke on planes, buses, or even in restaurants now. I also don't find it at all compelling that you're trying to claim the moral high ground as being tolerant and accepting, when the best thing for everyone would clearly be if people weren't smoking at the hospital entrance.

It is frankly ridiculous to suggest that smokers are a 'persecuted minority' onager. The message that smoking is very bad for your health is finally getting through, and of course people are going to look unfavourably on people who are not only choosing to do it themselves, but are inflicting it on others.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 21/05/2011 18:49

trixy.. I was 17 and stupid. I always hated the smell. If I was 17 again and about to start I would give myself a sharp slap. Confused

I really, truly hate the smell of it. I have no idea why I did it for 20 years Blush

claretandcheese · 21/05/2011 19:27

So those of you who smoke in the doorway won't object to me pointing a fan in their direction as I walk past then?

sc2987 · 21/05/2011 22:29

YANBU. By the way, there is evidence that smoking eight cigarettes outside and then going back inside and sitting near someone has the same effect as smoking five sitting near them (the smoke is carried back in on their clothes/breath etc), so it is a lot more damaging than people realise. And it's still illegal to smoke around the entryway; it's still hospital property, not like the pavement. I always think it's ironic that the hospital in Bristol (which also has smokers outside) is on one of the busiest main roads; not great for patient health either!

RedbinD · 21/05/2011 22:32

Do you really mean illegal? Or just against hospital rules. Evidence of the effect of 8 fags would be appreciated.

FrameyMcFrame · 21/05/2011 22:38

I think people often need to smoke more at hospitals. My Mum gave up smoking for years but then started again suddenly when my Dad had a brain hemorrhage.

Don't be so judgmental of these people, you've got no idea what they're going through.

FrameyMcFrame · 21/05/2011 22:40

She gave up again soon after though :)

Islandlady · 21/05/2011 22:55

sc2987 did you not read my post it was only about 5 before yours

Smoking in hospital grounds is not illegal IE it is not covered by anti smoking legislation, any attempt to ban smoking by the hospital is covered by their rules and NOT enforcable by law, they do actually know this.

The only people they can legally ban from smoking on their premises is their own staff and they do this through their employment terms and conditions IE if the employee has signed a contract of employment which states they are forbidden to smoke on hospital premises.

iscream · 22/05/2011 05:35

Al0uiseG, I just googled it, and it does seem a bit exaggerated. I heard it years ago, before the internet. Although there is no vomiting, pain and so on. I guess they mean the urge to smoke that stays with you? It is more of a psychological addict than heroin. www.losangeles-hypnosis.com/manual2.html
So forget my heroin comment, since I can't edit that out.
I quit (smoking after 22 years) easily as well. Because I devolved asthma and it scared me. I imagined my kids at my bedside as I hacked my lungs out dying, and it worked for me. My husband had to use patches though.

spiderslegs · 22/05/2011 05:44

you bunch of cunts, why, why, why, why do I have to stand outside in the rain smoking my lovely fag, which could have been a lovely , lovely , nice fag inside, with my lovely wife and a lovely glass of brandy/wiskey/ gin. // cigar. you fucking twats (sorry for the language, it;s just the way I feel), you are diliuting humanity, we have at most 20 years to live, shouldn't we be enjoyng ourselves rather than imposing our misguided judgements on others.....

I smoke, my lungs, my money, I can't smoke inside, you've got me there - well done.

However, My body, my choice.

Bollocks to ya.

spiderslegs · 22/05/2011 05:46

My husband's words btw - he was incensed

spiderslegs · 22/05/2011 06:05

I don't know what to say - really , am beat, the weight of moral opprobium weighs heavily....

You win.

Well done.

I hope you're happy.

Really.

Al0uiseG · 22/05/2011 07:46

Gosh, he sounds like a happy chap to be around.

Babieseverywhere · 22/05/2011 08:35

Maybe a middle path might be to encourage, the hospital shop to stock those e-cigs.

That way loved ones could buy them for the very sick and they could get their nicotine hit and stay tucked up in bed. Or patients themselves might chose to swap to e-cigs just for the duration of the hospital stay and 'smoke' when and where they want.

LynetteScavo · 22/05/2011 08:44

YANBU

My local hospital has a recording booming out every now and again saying "Smoking kills!"

The sympathy for smokers on Mumsnet amazes me.

trixymalixy · 22/05/2011 09:13

I am ecstatic that I can now enjoy a lovely lovely lovely glass of wine in a lovely lovely pub with my lovely lovely DH and lovely lovely friends without vile vile fag smoke stinging my eyes, making my hair and skin stink and damaging my lungs. I love love love that I can nip in for a quick pint and not have to go home to shower and wash my clothes and coat to get the stink off me.

I plan to live more than 20 years thank you very much and not have a 1 in 2 chance of dying of a smoking related illness, and I can enjoy my nights out much more now I don't have some fool's misguided and selfish addiction imposed on me.

You smoke, your body, your choice. I don't , My body, my choice. If you could have your choice without imposing it on everyone around you without their consent then that would be fair enough. You can't, so fuck off outside and freeze.

The majority of people in this country don't smoke and thank god we have won, common sense has prevailed and made Britain smoke free. The sooner they ban it completely the better IMO. Although hypocritical governments will never do that.

Bollocks to you.

Al0uiseG · 22/05/2011 09:18

Agree with Trixy, completely.