Question to all the die-hard non-smokers on the boards.

In My Humble Opinion
21

No offense Breezy, but the reason you can’t smell them is because you smoke too.

My mother smoked the entire time I lived at home, chain smoker. She quit finally due to health problems, and has actually apologized to me “I never realized it made everything smell that bad.”

I used to get teased in school for smelling like I was the chain smoker. I could never get it out of my clothes, hair, shoes etc. Really.

So, I have no problem if people want to smoke, but it makes me very sad to see my mother not be able to cross a room without having to rest for 20 minutes because she has the lungs of a 90+ (and is only 60)…

22

Why yes. I have friends who are still stinking, weak-willed junkies who lack any self-respect or discipline, and whose spineless, whiny surrender to their nicotine habit makes me want to vomit every time I catch a whiff of their sickness - I mean, they’re still smokers.

More interesting than anything I have to say to them about their disgusting habit is the many times they approach me and ask how I quit. Not because of how many times I have tried to help them, but because they are too puss to actually follow through with the quitting process once that first genuine craving hits them. I believe that virtually all smokers would quit today, right now, if they were strong enough.

23

Lilacs: I do smell it on some people. Not to mention, I haven’t always been a smoker. When I wasn’t a smoker, there were still people I couldn’t smell smoke on, even though I know they smoked.

Incidentally my boss doesn’t know I smoke, and he has never once hinted about a smokey smell on me. He would be sure to point it out, too, if he had ever noticed it.

24

My mother smokes the CHEAPEST cigs you can get and they SMELL 3 times worse than say marlboro’s. I know there is a difference in tobacco… maybe that explains why some do not carry the odor.

Her washing machine is broken, so I wash her clothes… and no matter what I use they still smell. :frowning:

25

I smoked briefly as a teen, but it lost its appeal, making quitting easy. Since I smoked once, I don’t necessarily mind people who smoke now, as long as they smoke where it’s ok, as in their own house or a designated public area. The one thing I do not like is someone smoking while I’m eating.

Other than that, if someone wants to smoke, hey, it’s their life, even if they’re an adult relative (children, obviously, should not be allowed to smoke). Just don’t develop lung cancer and then try and sue the tobacco company. Take some personal responsibility.

As far as the comments referring to cigarette smell, trust me, if you smoke, most non-smokers can smell it. People who smoke usually can’t smell it on themselves, or in their houses, for the same reason that people who have BO can’t smell it on themselves.

Odors, like so many other things, are subjective. I know people who can’t stand the smell of curry and think the house of an Indian person reeks. I don’t mind the smell at all.

Some people just can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke or its remnants on clothing or furniture. That person may have an association with the smell that triggers an unpleasant reaction, manifesting itself as an abrupt comment: “You smoke. You stink like crap.” I have a friend who grew up with both parents smoking, and she always felt trapped in her own house. She would go outside just to breathe clean air. Smoke brings back bad memories for her.

Others are more accepting of it. I don’t especially like the smell of a smoker’s house, but I don’t have to live there. If I go to a concert, I expect that my clothes will reek of cigarette smoke afterwards.

Non-smokers should accept that people will smoke, but they should also expect to not have smoke blown in their face. Smokers should accept that there are people who don’t appreciate the smell of cigarette smoke or its lingering in fabrics.

Finally, if you smoke AND drink coffee, please don’t breathe in my face. Your friggin’ breath stinks. Bad.

26

Many (most?) of my friends are or have been smokers, not to mention just about everyone I’ve dated for more than a few weeks. To me, it’s a non-issue – they’re grown-ups, it’s their business, and smoke doesn’t particularly bother me as long as it’s not in my house or car. Then again, I wouldn’t describe myself as a “die-hard non-smoker” (I find self-righteousness much, much more annoying than smoke.)

27

Not to mention that I said I would never say this to anyone.

And Lilac is right. Everyone’s sense of smell accomodates to a smell they are surrounded by. Smokers can’t tell that they smell.

28

Yep. Some smoke.

Amazingly, I got an ex-g/f to quit by constantly ribbing her about it.

She’s back on it now though.

See, I told her she’d literally die without me.

29

I do not smoke and I prefer to not be near people that are smoking. I hate the way it smells and it burns my eyes. I have few friends that smoke. The ones that do smoke are considerate. They do not smoke in my house or vehicle.

I once house sat for some friends while they were on vacation. Even though they were not there, my clothes smelled like smoke when I got home. I guess it was just in the carpets and fabrics, etc.

I hate walking out of a mall and having to hold my breath getting through the cloud of smoke right outside the door.

Strange, but… I like the way a pipe smells… and I enjoy watching certain people smoke… only certain people. It’s weird, I know.

30

"… die-hard non-smokers …"

This phrase struck me as a bit odd. I normally think of death from smoking-related illnesses as a particularly hard way to die.

I had a chance to learn to play pool with a friend off mine, but had to bail on that plan because all the pool halls were usually full of smoke. I don’t go to clubs/bars for similar reasons. And if I get a few good whiffs of second hand smoke while eating, it kills my appetite immediately. Nothing sucks like being hungry, going to a restaurant, sitting in the no smoking section, and due to either inconsiderate people smoking there, or poorly implemented separation of smoking/no-smoking sections, having your food served and not be able to eat it. And I’ll still have to pay for the meal anyway.

I’ll ask people not to smoke in my house, during meals, or in a car. Other than that, rude or hostile behavior towards smokers would only result if they were rude first. Tit for Tat.

31

I’ve never smoked. I know several people who do. That’s their business. Just don’t smoke around me when I’m eating, and please don’t use the expression, “smokers rights.”

32

Yeah. They all know I don’t smoke and don’t like the habit, but I don’t make a practice of condemning smokers, whether they be friends or strangers. I also don’t find myself in situations where they can smoke (work, eating out, our home) so their lighting up never becomes an issue.

33

smoker checking in… and yes, we smell, especially after a particularly heavy session of smoking (pool halls, bars, parties, etc), occasionally I’ll wake up in the morning and wonder if something is burning, nope, just my clothes from the smoke filled room the night before… and my gloves, oh god, my gloves… they smell like a burning slaughter house (yuck, leather holds that smell forever)…

some of my non-smoker friends enjoy making comments to me… quite possibly because I always agree, maybe it gives them some ammo when talking to smokers that deny their odor.

I try to be a good smoker… I almost always go outside (well, if it’s a pool hall or a smokey bar, I’m staying right where I am :wink:

oh well, it’s getting cold again… probably time for my annual “It’s too friggin cold to go outside and smoke!” quitting session, which normally works for a few months, until it’s “not too friggin cold to go outside and smoke”… maybe I’ll remember that I don’t actually like smoking (this time), and succeed finally.

34

Don’t stop trying bobo. Maybe this time it will work. Good luck.
:slight_smile:

35

I don’t have any friends who smoke. This isn’t out of any conscious effort (it’s not like I said, “Hey, you smoke, you’re not my friend anymore.”), but it’s fortunate. I don’t think I could handle being around someone for any length of time who had the lingering odor or smoke about them.

I had a co-worker who smoked that I was fairly friendly with. Every time I would walk out the door and he was there, smoking, I’d say to him, “You know, those things’ll kill you.” It kind of annoyed him. He noticed that I usually visited the snack machine once or twice a day. So he started giving me a hard time about my eating junk food. I made him an offer: I said that I’d give up junk food if he’d give up the cigarettes. I meant it, but he didn’t take me up on the offer.

36

I’m an EX-smoker rather than a non-smoker. I’ve found Ex-smokers to be the least tolerant of all when it comes to friends that smoke.

Breezy, whether or not your boss says anything, I find it hard to believe that s/he can’t smell it on you. I can tell when paper has been mailed to me from a smoking household just from the smell.

My dad was a life long smoker and died last August from emphysema. It’s a gruesome way to die.

And as for the OP, I happily tell my friends that (a) they stink when they smoke, and (b) they’re slowly killing themselves.

37

I used to have very few friends who smoke, then I moved to New York. It was surprising at first how much a part of the culture smoking is here.

I will occasionally comment on the fact that someone smokes but only if they bring it up and/or are receptive.

38

That’s one of my pet peeves, too.
I’ve noticed signs on the doors of some stores around here that say smoking is prohibited within 50 feet of the door. I love it.
I hated having to walk through a knot of smokers just to get in the door.

39

My father used to smoke, but the whole family got him to stop - he is thankful for it.

Most of my friends don’t smoke, and the two smokers we know are trying to quit. Yeah, we give them a hard time, which is good motivation.

40

Try caustic soda next time. :smiley: