passive smoking - is it a myth?

McGinty

I was watching "memoirs of a cigarette" on Channel 4 as the smoking ban has just started in England and the show was discussing the relationship between the cigarette and society over the last 50-60 years. A lot of those who were interviewed did not believe in passive smoking (most were smokers) so I am interested in opinions here.

Personally I do believe that smoking in close proximity to others will cause illness, apart from the medical data, I have experienced it and caused it to others. My parents smoked when I was a child, I developed asthma, then I stupidly started smoking at 16, when I became pregnant I went off them and didn't smoke until my son was six months old. He suffered chesty coughs a lot when I smoked, when I quit in 2001, his coughs and colds stopped. Stupidly again I smoked back in 2005 for a year, my son started getting coughts again (even though I smoked out of the window - I live in a flat), I quit again - this time for good because of chest/health problems, and I feel very strongly that smoking does affect other people's health. Also now when others smoke around me I suffer very painful lungs, congestion and tiredness even after a few hours with company who smoke.

Another aspect I found that when I did smoke it took away my confidence as I felt like a right **** for smoking, I knew I was causing damage to my child and didn't stop. I'm interested in your views about passive smoking and did smoking affect your confidence?

Archeron

I would say that yes, without a doubt they have serious negatives on health. To cut a long story short, I am off them nearly 2 years now, but now work with two smokers, so am around smoke a litte more once again. I am starting to get coughs and splutters which had faded for ages. Totally my fault, as I prefer to still take a break outside with the smokers (to get some "air" ) but there you go. All my family have stopped smoking in the past few years, all being 6 people) and the noticable difference in all their healths is staggering.
I guess that when I did smoke I chose not to notice the affects of it, or else I convinced myself that everybody had a cough, not just me.

McGinty wrote:

Another aspect I found that when I did smoke it took away my confidence as I felt like a right **** for smoking, I knew I was causing damage to my child and didn't stop. I'm interested in your views about passive smoking and did smoking affect your confidence?

As for this, I would say again, Yes, but not negatively. When smoking was legal in pubs, a ciggarette would give me confidence, perhaps like a crutch. I think I always held onto the childish notion that there was something cool about smoking, and that helped me also, particularly trying to chat women up. Whenever I felt nervous or intimidated or anxious, a smoke would, apparently, help me feel better about it.

However, when the smoking ban came in first, I felt horrible. People smoking outdoors, particularly in tight streets of towns, were almost spat on by some people. I had four complete strangers comment to me about smoking outside O Neills pub in Dublin in the one smoke at one stage, so that kind of always put an uncomfortable element to what used to a pleasurable experiece. I am still glad though, as I am 100% that the ban was a huge factor in my giving up to begin with. As well as that, I began to found that the uglier elements of society began to accumulate around a lot of smoking areas. In many pubs, towards the end of the evening, the smoking garden started to look like all the drunkest people in town were locked in together. Thats not a reflection on smokers in any way, I just found that a lot of scum (smokers and non smokers alike) would be in these smoking rooms.

I think with what you say about the damage you were doing to your child are a little hard on yourself. I grew up in a house where mum and dad smoked like troopers, and all my elder siblings took it up at 13, as did I. The attitude to smoking, in my opinion, has really changed in ireland over the past app. 5 or so years. Before that, smoking around kids wasnt considered negative, it was considered perfectly normal. The important thing is that you have stopped now, so are doing a great thing for you and your kid. Well done.