Smoking
My wife and I don't smoke and never had. She comes from a non-smoking family, I come from a smoking family. My grandfather who lived with us and my mother both smoked all my life. It was due to smoking related illnesses that killed my grandfather and my grandmother (but she died when I was three, so I didn't include her above). He had poor circulation due to the smoking and had to get both legs amputated, with around 15 years between each leg. It was the 5th heart attack that kill him.
All that was a lead in to this. When you don't smoke and are not around it very often, how sensitive are you? My wife is allergic to it, I'm just extremely sensitive to it. I can smell when a smoker has been in my house even if it has been awhile. I can also smell the smoke off myself when I've stood too close to a smoker.
In October, I'm going to Ireland for a vacation. My sister is a smoker now and is planning on picking me up. I've already talked to her about not smoking around me, I don't like it and want to avoid it where necessary. But alas, she is young and incredibly self centered still and says that if she picks me up in her car then she can smoke if she wants to. I know this, but I don't like it.
So, a question. Is it wrong for a non-smoker to expect for a smoker to not smoke around them?
All that was a lead in to this. When you don't smoke and are not around it very often, how sensitive are you? My wife is allergic to it, I'm just extremely sensitive to it. I can smell when a smoker has been in my house even if it has been awhile. I can also smell the smoke off myself when I've stood too close to a smoker.
In October, I'm going to Ireland for a vacation. My sister is a smoker now and is planning on picking me up. I've already talked to her about not smoking around me, I don't like it and want to avoid it where necessary. But alas, she is young and incredibly self centered still and says that if she picks me up in her car then she can smoke if she wants to. I know this, but I don't like it.
So, a question. Is it wrong for a non-smoker to expect for a smoker to not smoke around them?
posted by Jeremy at 8:03 PM
2 Comments:
Now that is a hard question.
I am a non-smoker, my hubby is a smoker. He does not smoke in "my" car or in the house.
I personally ask people not to smoke when the children are with me. My son has asthma. Generally, when I explain this, most are fairly accomidating.
In general though, when it is just me, in someone else's enviorment, I try not to say anything. I've found most people are respectful to non-smokers who are respectful to them. Meaning, I don't tell them they can't... and they try to keep the smoke from going to me.
But of course, you are talking about a sibling. That may be a whole other ball of wax... or, uh, cloud of smoke. (haha sorry, know it was a lame word-play, but couldn't resist)
I have always respected the right of my friends who smoke the right to smoke in their own home and even outside of mine... you're right, it is a whole other cloud of smoke!
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