Why does MN hate smokers so much?

[PalmTreesPurple]

Not all of MN of course but I’ve seen a lot of negativity about it. I understand not liking smoking yourself because of the health issues, I’m a smoker after giving up for nearly a year and I was stupid to start again but it’s a nasty addiction to kick. I only smoke outside, in designated smoking areas, and never around people who are eating/close to other people. I also don’t smoke in places like parks or walking through town. It is either in my garden or in a designated spot. Would a smoker like that bother you, or is it people who don’t have any courtesy, or do you just not like smokers in general?

Not being aggressive at all, just very interested.

Would also like to know if anyone on here smokes themselves?

thing is, there just is no smoking equivalent for having a glass of wine with your dinner. There’s no way to make it not be antisocial. It stinks (and the smell lingers), smoke does affect other people, it’s just generally unpleasant.

This. I still remember being 14 going into the girls’ loo and being annoyed that it smelled of cigarettes. I was only in there for two minutes and headed out to meet my dad and the first thing he asked when I got in the car was had I been smoking. The smell alone is horrendous and off-putting. It doesn’t just go up like some smokers seem to think, it spreads. The smell doesn’t go away and you can usually smell a smoker if they sit near you even if they’re six feet away. The smoker is choosing to breathe in the smoke, everyone around them is usually not and are effected by it. Then you have the ones who see the world as their personal ashtray. I have taken out over 100 cigarette butts out of my front garden alone because such people just flick their butts wherever they please and don’t care who has to clean it up, despite there being bins for them.

I hate smoking for health reasons. I don't hate smokers I have friends who do. That said I hate walking past the door when people are smoking next to it. One of my friends I refuse to go in the house as it reeks of fags, I hate stale fag breath, hate stale fag smell on clothes in the lift at work, hate sitting next to the smell if fags its horrible and I don't think people realise how much they smell. Its a pain in the arse of addiction to kick, my husband is an ex smoker and I know he wouldn't go back. He had a few blips years ago, OP its so hard to do bit you can do it 💪

Oh we have an angrypancake, calm down love.

I gave up smoking many many years ago. Started as a young teen but quit when I decided I wanted to start trying to conceive. I knew I'd never handle the guilt if I had children who had health conditions which might be attributed to smoking and hated feeling like an addict.

I read Allen Carr's Easy Way to give up Smoking and did indeed find it easy despite many previous abortive efforts. I don't miss smoking in the slightest. I felt liberated from the tyranny of having to ensure I had adequate supplies and planning smoking breaks if I was going somewhere where smoking wasn't allowed. That's my skin in the game.

My best friend smokes. Her house stinks and sadly quite often so does she. I see her face financial difficulties because of her addiction, not to mention the shattering effect on her self esteem when she again tries to stop and fails. She has a significant MH condition and smoking to her is a form of self medication (even though it's making it worse in reality). Despite all that I only ever encourage her when she tries, commiserate with her when she fails and I don't comment on the fact she smells unless she asks me gor honest opinions.

I consider putting up with the smell (including on my clothing if I go to her place) a small price to pay for the joy of her company. She is a wonderful person in many ways. She has scars from trauma and an unhealthy coping mechanism. While these make her life harder they in no way diminish the positives she brings to the world in general and me in particular.

I'm not a saint for tolerating her smoking. I'm lucky to have her in my life. I'd rather know a nice smoker than an unpleasant non-smoker any day!

20 years ago it wasn't socially acceptable to behave aggressively towards smokers, unlike now.

Twenty years ago smokers pretty much sparked up where they liked with little consequence.

If not tolerating someone smoking in your immediate vacinity is now 'aggressive' then so be it.

It’s true, I used to smoke pre kids and pre smoking ban and you could smoke anywhere without a thought for anyone else and it is good that things have moved on.

[quote Notredamn ]@SheepandCow you have many posts like this. So I'm not wrong. [/quote]
That's not a suicidal attitude. I meant, why not enjoy life rather than deny yourself something relaxing or pleasurable...all for the sake of living long enough to be neglected. I no longer enjoy smoking but those who do are making a perfectly valid and rational choice.

Fwiw my answer (to the question I posed in your screenshot) would be us all paying higher taxes to ensure we had well-funded care homes, and no further increase to the pension age. A tolerable life is more important than a long one. There's a difference between living and existing. Stress is a big killer. It's has strong links to heart disease, strokes, and diabetes amongst other conditions. Sometimes there's a need for balance. Smoking alleviates stress for some people.

I no longer derive pleasure from a cigarette. For those who do, why shouldn't they indulge in something they find enjoyable. Living longer at all costs is not always the best option. We're all different and in different circumstances and with different life experiences and priorities.

Another poster has it right when they mention quality of life.
Some of us see quality as being more important than longevity. Others disagree. Unsurprising because we're all different. We should respect other people's choices. There are many things that cause others harm, including alcohol and traffic fumes. Anyone who drinks or drives (hopefully not at the same time) is being a hypocrite when they display intolerance towards smokers. We should be grateful to smokers because a poster up thread is right. The NHS is fucked without the billions raised in tax from smokers. I wonder how many here would be happy to pay higher tax to replace the tax from smokers. Or do you think smoking is Very Bad but it's ok to let the NHS fall apart and also to leave people in abject poverty with all the health consequences that brings?

I don’t hate smokers but I do think they almost always smell of smoke, even if they haven’t just had a cigarette. The smell permeates hair, clothes and breath and no amount of mints or perfume gets rid of it. So if I have to be in close proximity to a smoker for any length of time I hate having to put up with the smell.

None of my neighbours smoke but I think if they did and I could smell it in my garden I would be annoyed about it!

We all have smells we don't like. Smells that other people like or don't mind.

I hate the smell of fish but have to accept other people like eating it. I don't like traffic fumes (which have the same health impact as passive smoking). Other people might hate a particular perfume. (Some can be rather sickly to be fair). And, whilst I still like the smell of cigarettes, I can't stand the smell of weed. It's like BO on steroids. Horrible. I find it lingers far longer than tobacco smoke too. Other people don't seem to mind it. We're all different.

Well if smokers are selfish then so are fat people

They stuff their faces until their waist is huge. Sponge off the NHS for diabetic treatment etc. Or gastric bands. They take up more than their fair share of space on bus seats etc.

No worse than smokers!

And drinkers to that point!

My DH smoked until last year and I have to say I find a lot of the comments on this thread ignorant and offensive.

He was never "common", "stupid", "selfish" or any of the other incredibly judgemental labels that have been thrown around on here. He had an addiction and he has now dealt with it. Don't get me wrong, I am fucking delighted he gave up but the fact that he smoked for 20 years in no way means his character is irredeemably tainted.

I work with people with lung cancer and I know that the exact judgemental attitudes on display in this thread contribute to lung cancer being diagnosed at later stages as people don't present to their GPs with symptoms like persistent coughs, because they expect to be told that they smoked/used to smoke so what do they expect? This in turn leads to higher mortality rates.

I hope all the judgeymcjudgeypants posters here lead totally healthy lives, healthy eating, exercise, no alcohol, never used a sunbed etc...

It affects other people. It makes other people ill. I've seen a loved one die from lung cancer. I'm not signing up for that, or other smoker associated illnesses/diseases. I'm not choosing that for myself or my kids. But it's not a proper choice when it's inflicted on us thanks to passive smoking.
Someone with fish breath because they had kippers for breakfast is none of my concern. Whereas the stench of smoke which permeates everything, is a concern because once again, it's someone else's choice that everyone else has to put up with. Whilst the offender will just deny that it gets everywhere, clings, and stinks! Such is the delusion.
Car fumes? Irrelevant. It makes no sense to point out one bad thing in life as justification to have another bad thing because then you just have double the bad thing and more people fucked because of it.

Why do you hope that, popcorn? What has any of those things got to do with smoking? This thread is about smoking. If someone has ever been on a sunbed and doesn't eat a healthy diet 100% of the time, how does that affect anyone else? Or are you trying to say that people who drink alcohol, use sunbeds and eat sugar should smoke and make their chances of poor health even greater? For what reason?

OP - do you have any children? I know you are considerate but they will smell of smoke too.

One of the most embarrassing memories I have is being told off by a friend's parents when we were in high school for smoking in their living room.

We didn't smoke. I smelled of smoke because my Dad and Step Mum smoked.

My DH (well before he was my DH) smoked too. If I was driving and I wanted him to give me a sweet - he had to do it with his cigarette free hand because his fingers were so smelly and tasted horrible. I told him it was me or the cigarettes. He's been a non-smoker for 18 years now.

Sorry OP - but you will smell and waft it around with you where ever you go.

Good luck giving up.

I'm probably not explaining myself well @Notredamn so I apologise for that. And I agree smoking is different from the other things I listed because it can directly impact on someone else's health. And to be clear, I despise smoking. Giving up was the best thing DH has ever done for himself and for our family. The point I am trying to make is that smoking or having a history of smoking doesn't inherently make someone a bad or weak person, which a lot of people on this thread seem to be claiming.

You're not making sense @Notredamn
You say you're against smoking because of the effect on others. Yet you dismiss car fumes as irrelevant. Despite scientific evidence these fumes are as harmful, if not more due to the high levels of exposure. I posted a link about this from the RAC's own website. We have an increasing number of childhood asthma cases. Traffic pollution is a acknowledged cause.
I'm not knocking driving. It gives us freedom and independence. It just seems rather hypocritical to condemn smokers if you drive on a regular basis (apologies if you're a non driver).

Because it’s antisocial, drains the NHS with its ill effects on health and affects other people passively. Is that enough reason for you?

Yeah I don't drive, @SheepandCow, which is also irrelevant your car fumes point is irrelevant because this thread is about smoking, therefore people are giving their opinions on the topic, as opposed to car pollutants. Like I said, anyway: one doesn't negate the other.

You can carry on with your passive aggressive 'you aren't making sense' comments all you like, because the last time you tried saying I was 'confusing you with another poster', I posted a screen shot of yourself making the exact claims I said you were earlier in the day. There's only one of us here who isn't making sense.

notredamn I've given my views. Your argument doesn't make sense to me but it might to someone else, who knows. We're all different. Some people like to have a whipping boy, in this case smokers. Some of us see that as ignorant intolerance.

If you choose to misunderstand or misinterpret what I've posted, there's little I can do about that.
I'm out.

I am a sociable smoker and yes I cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke!! Lots of comments on here about it being common and associated with people with low intellect!! Well I can honestly say that the people I know who still smoke are all professional high achieving individuals. I do feel very annoyed when I see teenagers etc smoking because they have been educated to really understand why not to smoke!!

@Overthinker1988

Hmm a lot of hypocrisy here I think. I bet most people on this thread have been drunk at some point. Alcohol is also a carcinogenic, bad for your health in general, makes you smell like a keg and is anti social when done to excess, which loads of people do, regularly. It puts a huge strain on the NHS, police and other services. Yet anyone anti-alcohol on MN is accused of being judgemental and people get defensive over their "wine-o'clock". As someone who rarely drinks more than 1-2 drinks, I hate being around excessively drunk and rowdy people at social functions/in the park on a sunny day/when in town on a weekend night. I think it's anti social and selfish, and ruins the atmosphere. If I voiced that I'd be called a party pooper and told to lighten up. But smoking is apparently The Worst Thing, even though it's been banned in indoor public places for years and there's minimal risk to your health when people smoke outside. It takes literally seconds to walk past someone smoking and you're in more danger than when breathing in toxic car fumes 24/7 if you live in a city. So yeah, people smoking in doorways isn't something I can get worked up over. I say this as an ex smoker who hasn't touched cigarettes in 7 years.

Last time I was drunk was before I was married (my DH has never seen me drunk) so that was 40+ years ago.

And I don't particularly like drink now and I really don't like being around people who have clearly been drinking (I don't mean one or two)

@SheepandCow

I'm not even a big fan of smoking anymore. I don't miss it. I just don't like the ignorant intolerance directed towards smokers, who are contributing massively to the national pot and causing no more harm (and in many cases, less) than many other harmful activities. We also need to ensure we have properly funded well run - and safe - care homes. And protection of pension rights. No more cuts, no further increases to the pension age...If we want to encourage people to live longer.

Well, I'd rather my mother had lived to see her grandchildren if it's all the same to you.

Sorry, I don't feel any gratitude to smokers and I'd rather do without their 'contributions'

@summerfruitsrainbow

Well if smokers are selfish then so are fat people

They stuff their faces until their waist is huge. Sponge off the NHS for diabetic treatment etc. Or gastric bands. They take up more than their fair share of space on bus seats etc.

No worse than smokers!

And drinkers to that point!

OFGS!!

Interesting reading the ‘drain on the NHS’ comments.

Every last person on this thread, every single one, will have done something in their lives that increases the likelihood they will need the NHS. The finger pointing is as embarrassing as it is stupid.

In any event, there are health economic arguments around the cost of smokers - balancing the high taxes on these products against (sorry) the likely earlier death of smokers actually saving the health system money. It really is rather more complex than the people who froth at the mouth over smoking would have you believe.

I’m a life-long non-smoker and public health system doctor.

And like a PP - I don’t like the smell of cigarettes but it pales in comparison with the stench of tinned tuna.