I gave up smoking 4 months ago today and I know that it is a bit of a cliché, but it is one of the best/hardest things I have ever done.
Anyway, I was the only smoker in the Ho hum household and also with the ban on smoking in public places I very rarely come across smokers nowadays.
Last week was different though as my family and I were on holiday in Majorca, where there is not a smoking ban in public places.
Hanging around by the pool during the day and watching the entertainment in the evening with loads of smokers around me made me realise just how much cigarette smoke stank and how pervasive it is. No matter how much a smoker tries to wave his/her hand it does little to really disappate the smoke and smell.
Certainly in the last 10 years or so I have become aware of how offensive my habit was and as a result I used to find areas away from people to have a smoke, but when I was younger I did not really care that much about where I would light up. Then, as my habit became an addiction and I virtually lost all sense of taste and smell, I became oblivious to how much it stank.
I guess the 5 ages of my smoking career have been:
1. non-smoker
2. psychopathic smoker
3. oblivious smoker
4. conscienscious smoker
5. ex-smoker
Now it would be hypocritical of me to say ban smoking completely and I people should be given the choice about whether or not to smoke, but I do wish that psychopathic and oblivious smokers could be made to realise how annoying their habit is to non-smokers and modify their behaviour accordingly.