Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Get Over It

It's been a lot of fun reading people's comments on the website for our local newspaper here in Peoria, but I do feel sorry for them.

"... My husband and I are both smokers and we have decided we will no longer patronize bars and restaurants due to this smoking ban. I find it hard to believe this will not impact the bars and restaurants in Illinois. ... it's just hard to believe this will not impact especially the smaller business owners. The other thing is I'm still waiting for a ban on stinky perfume. I have asthma, that is not triggered by my smoking, but perfume will send me into a attack instantly..."

Hmm, your cigarette smoke doesn't bother you, but perfume does? I too, have asthma that is mostly exercise and allergy induced and smoking was the dumbest thing I could do to myself. When I went to bed and laid there wheezing and coughing, I was in denial, too.

While I do feel that the Illinois Statewide Smoking Ban is going to hurt some businesses and cost the state a whole lot of tax dollars as more and more people quit, I think smokers need to get over it. Now 36 days into my quit, I find myself thinking of myself as a true ex-smoker. It's a nice feeling. As a smoker, I wasn't thrilled about the smoking ban but there's not a whole lot you can do about it. As an ex-smoker, I'm relieved by the ban, simply because that means less temptation for me and my husband to light up, less exposure for my children and a whole new set of places that we and other family members who are highly sensitive to second hand smoke can go back to for eating out. (I'm free for lunch anytime, Mom-In-Law...LOL.)

The biggest change in myself since quitting has been that I am open to admitting to the denial that I so frequently defended as a smoker. It was bad for me. It was making me sick. It made me smell awful. Even though I smoked outside and never in my minivan, the smell of it on me was not healthy for my kids and now that I've gotten whiffs of it on others here and there, I'm sorry that I ever made my kids smell it and didn't give them the choice.

9 comments:

maggie said...

On the one hand, I do love the idea of being able to go certain places without smoke, but on the other hand, I'm still annoyed by bans. Washington state has some of the toughest including not being able to stand outside a building to smoke (in some areas, this would put smokers in the middle of the street as the only legal place to smoke) and not being allow to smoke while going through a drive-thru in your car. My apartment building has now gone non-smoking, too, and while I am relieved not to have smoke coming in the windows, and am glad I quit when I did before it went fully into effect, I do actually feel for smokers who moved into their home only to be told that they also must stand a certain distance from it to smoke outside in the rain (since smoking inside or near the building is completely banned). I do think that somewhere in all of this there is a middle ground, but it's way too much easier in our society right now to just go out of our way to beat up on smokers in the form of further than necessary reaching bans and undue tax burdens. Still, I do think it would be nice to go to certain bar-like places without the whole smoky room thing that keeps me from going at all anymore... Like I said, I have some mixed emotions on stuff like this ;)

lynda w said...

Our state's ban is strict, too. Not within 15 feet of any public window or entrance. While I agree that it is a person's right to smoke, I agree that the nonsmoker has a right to not be exposed to it.

However, I never thought about how it would effect smokers that live in apartment buildings. I'm not sure if I agree with banning a person from smoking in or around their home. Why can't they just make certain buildings smoke free? I also think that bars should have been given the option if they wanted to be smoke free or not.

One thing I haven't heard anything about is what are they going to do about people that smoke in their cars with their kids in them too? That bothers me more than anything else, but I guess it's not that much different than smoking in your house when you have kids.

maggie said...

I'm with you that there seem to be some things addressed perhaps too much with others not at all. Definitely an interesting issue. Thankfully for us it no longer has as much impact on our daily lives since quitting!

Mz Diva said...

We also have strict bans that went into effect when I was still smoking! Oh was I heated. I managed to survive and smoke anyway. For an addict, where there is a will, there is definelty a way! Now I am glad the temptation is gone. Hell, even Las Vegas the city of sin has cracked down on where you can light up!
Peace,
Diva

lynda w said...

Are people still allowed to smoke in the casinos and other indoor areas? That's what hurt me the last time I went there as a nonsmoker. I'd love to go back, but don't want to be around all the smoking.

maggie said...

As far as I know, casinos are still fair game. Reno definitely was this time last year, which is largely why we aren't going this year (historically I don't do well in smoky casinos as a non-smoker and return to being a smoker by the end of the trip...). Casinos and bars in lots of places will be the last hold out. Hey, what about on the riverboats up in Joliet area or Illinois side of the Quad Cities with the tougher laws in Illinois? Smoking? Non? Somehow exempt?

lynda w said...

I'm not stalking my blog comments, really. I've been stuck at the computer all night emailing back and forth with other PTO people on this Rock The House School Fundraiser stuff. I hate when problems arise. That's why I got here so fast. LOL.

From what I hear the riverboats all have to be smoke free, too. Smokers are not happy.

maggie said...

Smoke-free on the riverboats will make at least on of my relatives *very* happy. Makes sense, I guess.

Mz Diva said...

Smoking is still allowed in most all of the casinos but in the shopping areas, buffet lines and a lot of other places, people can not light up! Certain casinos have WAY better ventilation than others. I was at the WYNN and there were WAY more places people could not smoke and I was with a friend who HATES cigarette smoke and he had no complaints. Also, I did not see as many people s,moing even in the casino and there were a lot of non-smoking gambling areas. On the other hand, we were staying in the Tropicana and not only did the ventalaiton not really do its job but even the non-smoking rooms had a lingering odor. I could even smell it and I was smoking at the time! I am going to go to Vegas when I feel more secure.
Peace,
Diva