So last year my city council narrowly passed a smoking ban. Since Jan. 1 this year everything has been smoke free, including restaurants and bars. And it has been wonderful. I can now go to a bar with friends without having to hold my breath when somone walks by (in case they are a smoker) or if I need to go use the bathroom or something. You see, I have asthma. Normally, its well controlled, but smoke is one of those triggers that can really aggravate it. It can start me up coughing or wheezing or worse. Plus, I just hate the smell of smoke. I don't wear strong perfumes or scents or anything-- I try to be considerate too. So the ban was passed. And it has been nice. Also if DH goes out with friends after work he no longer smells when he comes home!

We recently had city council elections. The Mayo, a piper smoker, is planning to call for a vote to immediately repeal the smoking ban. Unfortunately it will probably get repealed.

I think this is very silly for a couple of reasons. No. 1: My state is waiting on a signature from the govenor to pass a Statewide smoking ban starting in Jan. The Gov said he will probably most likely sign. No. 2: If the buisinesses and everyone had six months to prepare for going smoke free, shouldn't they have six months to prepare to go back to smoking? And since it has been five months, aren't they used to it by now. They claim it is hurting buisiness, that smokers are going elsewhere. Maybe a few people-- I don't see that when I go out. Places look just as crowded to me as they always did. Besides, we only have small towns immediately around my city (pop about 180,000) There aren't many other places for people to go unless they are willing to travel.

So what are they going to do, repeal a ban so they can smoke for six more months? How bad is their nicotine craving? This just seems crazy to me.

Any thoughts?

yeah but in three MORE years, ill be thin...and the smoker will be...???

LMAO...

All i know..is that when i moved to a state where its banned, i was finally able to quit, and my life got better.

Oh...and god bless those losenges (commit) LOVE Those and i accredit them COMPLETELY with being able to have finally quit. I found myself addicted to them after cigarettes, then little birthday cakes after those (every thursday...if i made it another thursday, id go get another. did that for a few months).

I hated the gum, welbutrin just put me to sleep.

I will always vote in favor of banning it in any way (cigarrettes and smoking). Im sorry if it offends, you guys know i love yer smokey stinkin bottoms.

You'll just have to extinguish your smokes at the border, and i'll even wash your clothes....

we can still be friends.

It seems that fat folk are welcome in Maine. I think that I will visit Quebec instead. They say that there is less smug up there and the scenery is just as nice.

If you smoke, you wont be happy in maine anyway. We dont like that kind.

yeah but in three MORE years, ill be thin...and the smoker will be...???

You will still be a smug judgemental

Yeah, a full breathing, living whatever you once called me..where will you be?

By the way, and this is on another note entirely, what is wrong with your dear son? It seems that your stance on smoking is linked up to this....?

I smoked for 23 years. for the last 19 of those i was at three packs a day. I smoked at work, i smoked at home. My sons are very close to me, and like other smokers, i thought i had "rights".

In dec of 2004, my then 15 year old son suffered a stroke. He was in good health and had no other risk factors. He lost use of everything below the T3 area.

To this day he is still in physical rehab, and goes periodicly for phenal blocks in various muscle groups to try to get things responding. He cannot walk without a full leg brace on his left leg. His control of his bladder and bowels, as well as the use of any reproductive organs is gone. He had not yet gone through puberty when this happened. he uses a straight catheter to urinate.

Im glad hes alive.

He is too.

This happened in dec 2004. I spent a month with him in the hospital in Bangor. No smokes, i didnt even think about it, i was so into what was happening in front of me with him and wondering what hapened. Each doctor that we talked to verified that he had NO other risk factors other than second hand smoke.. Then they flew him out to a hospital that specializes in spinal cord damage and recoverey (craig in inglewood colorado) and i went home to be with my other sons. It came back fiercely. I quit everyday until Feb 2005 (two months later) before I was able to finally walk away from the last one.

I put it out midway.

I quit everyday. i would fail at different times of the day, very expensively too, because i would throw away all packs then go buy another, throw it away, then the next day buy another.

The losenges were the biggest help for me. I went through two vials of those a day for the first SIX months as well as patches (yeah i know your not supposed to, but i was doing anything i needed to do to not go get that new pack of smokes). First id go a day, then a week, then a week and a half, then a month..then two..then finally a year. then two years.

thanks for asking.

Its why i cant be nuetral.

I'm certainly sorry to hear of your son's illness. That is a very tragic thing to go through, for him and for you. I'm really sorry this has happened. I understand your aversion and the reason behind your adamant posts. God bless you both..

Uh green, speak for yourself.

I smoked for 23 years. for the last 19 of those i was at three packs a day. I smoked at work, i smoked at home. My sons are very close to me, and like other smokers, i thought i had "rights".

In dec of 2004, my then 15 year old son suffered a stroke. He was in good health and had no other risk factors. He lost use of everything below the T3 area.

To this day he is still in physical rehab, and goes periodicly for phenal blocks in various muscle groups to try to get things responding. He cannot walk without a full leg brace on his left leg. His control of his bladder and bowels, as well as the use of any reproductive organs is gone. He had not yet gone through puberty when this happened. he uses a straight catheter to urinate.

Im glad hes alive.

He is too.

This happened in dec 2004. I spent a month with him in the hospital in Bangor. No smokes, i didnt even think about it, i was so into what was happening in front of me with him and wondering what hapened. Each doctor that we talked to verified that he had NO other risk factors other than second hand smoke.. Then they flew him out to a hospital that specializes in spinal cord damage and recoverey (craig in inglewood colorado) and i went home to be with my other sons. It came back fiercely. I quit everyday until Feb 2005 (two months later) before I was able to finally walk away from the last one.

I put it out midway.

I quit everyday. i would fail at different times of the day, very expensively too, because i would throw away all packs then go buy another, throw it away, then the next day buy another.

The losenges were the biggest help for me. I went through two vials of those a day for the first SIX months as well as patches (yeah i know your not supposed to, but i was doing anything i needed to do to not go get that new pack of smokes). First id go a day, then a week, then a week and a half, then a month..then two..then finally a year. then two years.

thanks for asking.

Its why i cant be nuetral.

Wow. I have no words for this. Strength to you and to your sweet son.

I, too, am most dreadfully sorry for your son and for yourself. What a terrible experience for your family. I now understand the reasons why you are so adamant on this issue. Thank you for answering my question. My kindest thoughts are with you and your family.

I'm sorry that you guys think I'm not empathetic to the addiction of smokers. I am. I just think that other people should come first. I think that smokers should have the right to kill themselves with their smoke as much as they want to, I just don't think they should have the right to take other people with them.

And I think that Lizrbit points out something important in her post. As strong as your addiction may be, when something becomes much more important to you than feeding your addiction, you can break it. I think we're all evidence of that, attempting to break our food addictions, because we realize that our lives or our health or whatever it was that made us decide to have surgery is more important to us than the pleasure we get from eating a box of donuts or a loaf of steaming hot sourdough bread. We may need help to do it, but we do do it. It may be the hardest thing that you ever do, but when you have something that is so much more important to you, it's possible.

I think we're all evidence of that, attempting to break our food addictions, because we realize that our lives or our health or whatever it was that made us decide to have surgery is more important to us than the pleasure we get from eating a box of donuts or a loaf of steaming hot sourdough bread. We may need help to do it, but we do do it. It may be the hardest thing that you ever do, but when you have something that is so much more important to you, it's possible.

I didn't get a band for my life or health, I got a band because I want to look good. I used to model lingerie and I want to be that size again. Nothing in the world to do with health, that's just a great extra that came along with it. Perhaps horrible, yet true.

Fixing my food addiction wasn't hard in the least as far as a decision to be banded. Fixing my food addiction is a done deal, I CAN'T eat the things that got me fat and I'm okay with that.

I discovered the band on 11/6/06, had surgery on 12/6/06, I plan to lose 102 lbs and have plastic surgery before 11/5/07. Everything from start to finish in a year. That's my goal.

Now smoking, I have yet to overcome that. If they had a band for smoking that does not allow me to smoke regardless of how hard I try, then I could kick that too.

It's never a good idea to attack more than one serious addiction at a time, anyway. Time changes things, we all do things on our own time. Some of us found our bottom with food quicker than others. Same thing with smoking or heroin. Just as with the band, it's a very personal journey and no amount of coaxing from someone else will help. You gotta wanna..

lizrbit: so sorry that you had to see the complications of smoking in this way. I feel for you and your child. And please, don't be offended by my statements below. They are not geared toward you.

My mom/dad/stepdied all died from complications from smoking before they hit 60. We never had anything growing up. No new school clothes, wore my brothers hand me down stuff, etc. But my parents always had smokes and beer. To this day, I hate them for that. My siblings and I don't smoke for many reasons, but I do understand addiction.

I believe that everyone has rights. Smokers have the right to smoke, I have the right to eat myself to death, Americans have the rights to buy guns. But no one has the right to harm another. If you want to kill yourself, do it, but don't take anyone else with you.

This is the reason I support smoking bans in public places. I think smokers should be respectful of others rights, just as we must respect theirs. But they can do it at home.

I don't want to be hit by a stray bullet either, even though the hee-haws have the right to buy guns.

But give me a stray brownie fudge sundae any day...