Have you ever smoked habitually, Dart? I'm betting you havent. You and Jemy are gonna break out your textbooks and look up "smoker", and think you have all the answers for us.
I don't use textbooks - I use my ability to perceive and comprehend.
Yes, many years ago I smoked out of habit. I quit easily, though, because I started late and only smoked for a couple of years.
My knowledge of this subject not only comes from my observation of people, but my own experience as a smoker at about 19-20. Yes, i have been one of the walking chimneys myself. I smoked for about a year and a half or so, maybe 2 years, and in that time I thought I was pretty damn cool. I was primarily addicted to the act of smoking, not a chemical addiction. I'm not saying that nicotene was irrelevant, but overall I enjoyed the taste and smell of smoke. I liked to draw the taste in before I even lit the thing, then lighting it up is all the sweeter. I liked the fact that I could instantly relate with someone else I didnt know, the other smokers lurking around the designated smoking spot. Us rebels. I liked the way i appeared while smoking, i was just like Johnny Bender from the Breakfast Club!
Whereever your knowledge comes from, you don't seem to know anything about the nature of addiction or what makes people smoke.
You see, they don't start smoking because they want to affect other people negatively - EVER. Read that again. They NEVER start because they want to affect others negatively.
Realising that is the first step.
They tend to start without knowing too much about exactly what it will do to them or their bodies - and the vast majority start smoking at a young age, where experience is limited.
If people dont like it, tough shit. It's a free country. In fact I'm glad you dont like it. Deal with it.
I'm somehow not surprised this was your attitude, but it's not a universal attitude amongst smokers. In fact, a LOT of smokers go out of their way not to let it affect others negatively.
But even as stupid as that position was, it wasn't really what you believed - and you know it. It was just a natural defensive reaction because you were a habitual smoker - and you're the sort of person who'd rather reverse yourself entirely - so as to not admit being wrong.
Very much like your position on gun control and how you keep harping the same bullshit over and over.
And when I quit, it wasnt some shaky longing for a physical feeling plaguing me, i missed the act itself. I felt uncomfortable in social situations, and even alone, because I didnt have my little break from the world I gave myself every hour. My de-stresser, my ruminator. That little personal "time out" that I could sit there and stare at the floor, and think about things. While looking and feeling damn cool.
So, you should understand something about the challenge of quitting when physically addicted. Surprising you don't have much sympathy - or is it?
My wife says the same thing, and she smoked for 15 years. It's primarily the act of smoking that hooks you. 20 years ago it seemed like it was far more prevalent, at least it looks like it's waning in popularity and hopefully on the way out.
Of couse it's going away, and that's a good thing. It's bad for your health and we all know it.
Doesn't change that it's addictive and that a lot of people excel at being in denial. But that's being human - and blaming everyone for being human is useless.
And i know that I pretty much answered all my "questions" from my original post here, they werent really questions at all but ranting observations. I came home, my house smelled like crap, and I realized that this is a new fact of life living here. We've worked hard, saved up, and actually got a little lucky and now have kind of a dream home in a nice neighborhood. Now I have to watch my windows, and that enraged me beyond belief. Maybe I need to just simply go have a talk with my neighbor.
You freaked out because you don't like the smell of smoke. It bothers you because you're not in control of your own home. I understand that, and I can sympathise with the reaction. Your rant was still ludicrous, however.
Actually, i'm gonna go play some Trek. I cant believe I've been sucked into banging out huge posts again. I need to rant to vent, then let others do all the arguing. This is a waste of valuable time off work.
It's what happens when you vent in public. Trust me, I have more experience with compulsive posting than most people.