Please Don't Smoke

This post could, and will eventually contain some points about how harmful the act of smoking is to the physical body, but I am writing this to express my strong dislike of smokers. I understand that smokers, are addicts, just like many others, who are addicted to drugs, drinks, television, video games or even sex(yes, that is the new one doing the rounds, sex-addiction. huh?). And honestly if anyone has an addiction that they can nurture without harming others, its none of my business to poke my long nose anywhere, but smoking, well its wrong left, right and centre from where I see it. The smoker himself/herself, has consciously decided to burn his/her lungs, but that in no way means they can burn mine. My tolerance towards smoking has gone from high to nearly zero in that last few years. I just cannot stand it anymore.

Smokers smoke everywhere, anytime, anyplace, and they expect the rest of the world to just sit around and inhale the toxic fumes they emit, which is just disgusting. On two recent occasions, I have come back home enraged because of inconsiderate, and addicted smokers. On one occasion a lady brought her child to play, in the play area of the park, got out of the wood chips covered ring and smoked away to glory, as if the smoke would not come into the area the kids were playing. I gave her the dirtiest look I could garner. In a second, more horrifying incident, I saw a three or four month old baby being carried by a woman(possibly the mother) who was happily puffing away on her cigarette, and walking along with a man, doing the same. The baby was right in her arms, inhaling in every breath, the toxic fumes. If you cannot quit smoking, atleast don't breathe it out into your baby's lungs woman, I felt like screaming out.

Image picked up from another blog.

Smoking is a terrible addiction. Its great that the government here, is more proactive about discouraging it. One look at the cigarette packs is enough to scare someone. It has graphic images of terrible diseases caused by smoking, and one needs to see it to believe just how scary they are. (I am not putting them up here, but for some really frightening images, go to this blog, from where I have picked up the image above.) But then they are smokers who will not be daunted by such things ofcourse. I would have nothing against them, if they smoked within their own homes, and ingested all those fumes themselves, but when they let it out in the air, especially near the BB it just totally and completely infuriates me. Because this is one addiction that harms people around the smoker as much as it does the smoker himself or herself. And then people who have never smoked in their lives and neither wish to, end up bearing the ill effects too just by being around them.

A couple of things I believe every smoker should always keep in mind is, not to smoke in the homes of other people, nor in public places. Since most malls here, have strict no-smoking policy, every entrance and exit will be crammed with smokers out for a puff before going back in for their time at the mall, so there is no way one can enter or exit the mall without inhaling some of the noxious fumes. While I often end up holding my breath for a few seconds, I cannot actually pinch the BB's nose shut, to keep the fumes away from him. Many of you, who read this, may think I am being overly uptight or stuffy about this. But trust me I am not. I have no issues with drinkers, who drink themselves, without unleashing the effects on others. Smoking is different, because it creates passive smokers out of everyone who is around, and it is unfair. If I am not a smoker, why should I face the ill-effects, because someone else cannot control their urge? And imagine the little baby, with the parents blowing smoke rings into her face at such a young age, what is that doing to her delicate body and health.

One of the many online sites describing the ill-effects of smoking, is what I am linking up here, and asking you to tell me after reading this, whether it is acceptable to fall prey to the ill-effects without ever having taken a puff yourself ?