I’m, gradually, working on becoming a non-smoker. That’s no easy task, as apparently many people will have relapses. (And frequently, it seems.) I’ve often been concerned about what will happen when there’s not only smoking all around me, but a lot of it. Will I cope, or will I need to leave the situation before I get too tempted? Hard to say. I can assume that I’ll be able to resist all I want, but when it boils down to it, I think I really need to just be there to make my final conclusion.
Tennessee legislators passed a law that goes into effect October 1st, I believe. Basically, all restaurants and many other public places are now going to be required to go non-smoking. (Though, many of them are, anyways.) For bars/clubs, they can be smoking and be 21+, or be non-smoking and be 18+. There seems to be a bit of controversy with this, and since it does apply to me, i thought I’d chime in…
Smokers need to be accommodated. There are still a lot of people who smoke, and get a lot of enjoyment out of it when they’re at a bar. (I know I did. Drinking is one of my ‘triggers’ to smoke.) At the same time though, it can often get way too smoky in one room, like if there’s a show. Smoke eaters can only handle so much, or so it seems, before they aren’t any good anymore. I have yet to go to a bar that has some kind of balance, or a good way to get rid of the smoke. Sometimes, it’s almost unbearable, even for smokers.
I’ve never really gone into depth with non-smokers as to just how comfortable they are in a smoking environment. I would imagine though that if they had a choice, most would choose non-smoking. The only bar that, off the top of my head, I know of that has dedicated non-smoking portions would be Tribe. (And, it seems to work out pretty well for them since I believe they still have those non-smoking sections.) Unfortunately though, a lot of bars don’t have a way to do this inside, and many don’t have the space to make a patio for smokers outside.
Bars have a choice in Tennessee. They can choose to be ’smoking’ and be 21+, or they can be 18+ and be non-smoking. Though, this ‘choice,’ still doesn’t make much sense. If you’re 18, you can legally buy cigarettes here in Tennessee. (And I imagine in most other states as well.) I can understand that the Tennessee legislators wanted to keep people from taking up smoking, but the ‘choices’ they have given bars will probably only divide it’s patrons and cause quite a bit of issues. In retrospect, it would have been nice for them to give this a little more thought to make sure there wouldn’t be any major issue, but that hindsight can be a bitch sometimes.
Ultimately, it should be up to the patrons of the bars to decide if they want to be a smoking bar or not. If bars can do it right, setting up a nice, covered and heated (in the winter) patio might be a fair trade off. That way, they can go run for a quick smoke, while the non-smokers can enjoy their, fresher, air. Maybe that is truly the only way everyone could be happy. The only question though, are bars willing to take those extra steps to accommodate both sides, or will they give in to one group or another?
I’m not really sure what to say since I HATE smoking other than, I feel all public establishments should be smokefree unless they have an area that can be separate and accomodate smokers. I love going to a certain club downtown to watch shows but I really do have trouble breathing and my eyes water from the incredible amount of smoke that ends up accumulating in the air. I really don’t know how smoker’s stand it…even if they get a rush from the nicotine, how can they stand sitting in a film of discoloring, stinking ash and smoke? I agree, there should be some kind of SUPER FILTER to clean the air if that’s going to be how it is, otherwise, they should have a separate smoking section that doesn’t mix with non-smoking ares.
I don’t know how many people smoke inside their homes but if they were to take a wet cloth and wipe a wall with it, they would see a definite color difference. That smoke stains! It settles into your clothes and makes smokers smell like an ashtray…it really is the truth and truly is not appealing to non-smokers.
I know it’s difficult for non-smokers who fall for smokers. It’s really difficult to remember when you’re cuddling on the couch, and your significant other suddenly has to get up and go outside, that it’s an addiction that usually dictates that behavior. It’s even worse during or after an initmate encounter. For those who enjoy smoking for the sake of smoking…not really sure that I can say anything because I’ll never understand that. I’m just glad that my significant other has made the choice to stop smoking and is really putting forth the effort. I really appreciate it and will do what I can to support him. I would imagine it’s difficult now but in the long run, I beleive he’ll have improved energy, health and save some money along the way.