SMOKING.......JUST THE FACTS

[Guest guest]

Well Kirsteen, Here in the US, there are entire cities that are NO SMOKING,

ANYWHERE, inside or outside. They are banning it in bars/pubs and that's fine IF

the owners' are ok with that, but for the city or state to come along and make

it MANDATORY for them to have no smoking in these businesses???..........these

bar owners are going to lose a LOT of business,....sad, but true!

Unfortunately, a lot of people who go out for the evening to have a few drinks,

(myself included) are going to smoke. I'm perfectly fine with sitting outside

to smoke, just give me a table and have a waitress bring me drinks, YEAH, I'm

good to go!!!

It's a tough call, and I personally am ok with smoking in open areas, not cooped

up inside.............but geez, let me smoke SOMEWHERE, Please?

Kirsteen wrote:

Hi i'm just curious as to what you mean by 'no smoking' outdoors. I live in

Scotland and last year we banned smoking from all public buildings, places

of work etc. the only place people can smoke here is in private homes or

outside. I don't smoke, I used to, but now I've got asthma and smoke makes

it go crazy. Even without the M.E.

[Guest guest]

Well Kirsteen, Here in the US, there are entire cities that are NO SMOKING,

ANYWHERE, inside or outside. They are banning it in bars/pubs and that's fine IF

the owners' are ok with that, but for the city or state to come along and make

it MANDATORY for them to have no smoking in these businesses???..........these

bar owners are going to lose a LOT of business,....sad, but true!

Unfortunately, a lot of people who go out for the evening to have a few drinks,

(myself included) are going to smoke. I'm perfectly fine with sitting outside

to smoke, just give me a table and have a waitress bring me drinks, YEAH, I'm

good to go!!!

It's a tough call, and I personally am ok with smoking in open areas, not cooped

up inside.............but geez, let me smoke SOMEWHERE, Please?

Kirsteen wrote:

Hi i'm just curious as to what you mean by 'no smoking' outdoors. I live in

Scotland and last year we banned smoking from all public buildings, places

of work etc. the only place people can smoke here is in private homes or

outside. I don't smoke, I used to, but now I've got asthma and smoke makes

it go crazy. Even without the M.E.

[Guest guest]

I stopped for awhile but now back to smoking. I only have the four cigs left

so i am not going to buy anymore.Also the prices here in Florida have gone

up almost $1.00 so another good reason to try to quit. I don't allow anyone to

smoke in my living room. I try to go out on my terrace if not i smoke only

in my bedroom and spray Lysol on the A. C. Filter.

Blair

[Guest guest]

I stopped for awhile but now back to smoking. I only have the four cigs left

so i am not going to buy anymore.Also the prices here in Florida have gone

up almost $1.00 so another good reason to try to quit. I don't allow anyone to

smoke in my living room. I try to go out on my terrace if not i smoke only

in my bedroom and spray Lysol on the A. C. Filter.

Blair

[Guest guest]

>

> Well Kirsteen, Here in the US, there are entire cities that are NO

> SMOKING, ANYWHERE, inside or outside. They are banning it in bars/pubs and

> that's fine IF the owners' are ok with that, but for the city or state to

> come along and make it MANDATORY for them to have no smoking in these

> businesses.......

Ah I see the difference now thanks. Here, in Scotland, you can't smoke in

pubs or restaurants or any public building or building where people work.

But you can smoke outside so pub owners have put ashtrays outside and you

see lots of people standing outside pub doors smoking. A lot have made areas

with seats, garden umbrellas etc. You can't, however, ask a waiter to serve

you there.

There was a lot of opposition here with pub landlords screaming it would

damage their business etc. However, statistics have shown that it hasn't

really affected it at all. Sales and revenue haven't been affected. Whether

it's the same people going and either not smoking or going outside for a

smoke or whether more non smokers and those affected adversely by it are now

going out, is much harder to quantify.

Kirsteen

[Guest guest]

Ohio passed a smoking ban last fall and it went into effect during the winter

and actually the bars and restraunts are reporting an increase in business. Not

sure why the bars? Oh and the bowling ally's have seen a huge increase in

business - especially with families. I dont' thinkk it will hurt in the long

run, but I do think prohibition of smoking is unacceptabel - if you want to

smoke in the privacy of your own home and vehicle and you choose to smoke

outside, then so be it. That being said, if a parent smokes and knows that it

causes thier child health issues and still refuses to quit, they can and have

had their children removed by protective services. I have seen this happen quite

often. Not a good situation, but one where irresponsibility in protecting your

child by continuing to smoke in thier pressence, does require legal action.

Have a great holiday you all

[Guest guest]

Morning Jane, what a roller coaster <sigh>. I think the stress of moving is

one of the worst things for us- not only is it the work involved, but the

adjusting to new water, air quality, etc. etc. - changing environments can

be very hard on us. Not to mention a huge crisis with your daughter - I've

been through some stuff with my kids (not this) and it is so heartbreaking.

I so hope she is getting better and getting help.

I hope

everything settles down for you now. TC, Aylwin xox

[Guest guest]

Goodness you do have a ton of stuff going on. How is your daughter

doing now? Where is your son going to college? What kind of business

are you starting? I hope things calm down soon, I know stress makes us

much worse.

Sandrea

[Guest guest]

I'm just curious, what cities totally ban smoking? I am not a smoker

and truthfully am grateful that restaurants have become no smoking as

well as government buildings. But I've lived in 6 different states I

think and never heard of any that banned smoking outside all together.

I currently live in ME.

Sandrea

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

Ahhh, smoke... I became addicted to cigarettes when in High School as

it was something the 'bab kids' did and I was sort of kind of one of

them or just .. never exactkly 'fit' as a 'good' kid. And boy did that

habit stick! It is SO hard to quit, and of course the people weho have

the most difficult time (factoid here) are 'depressed females.' I've ..

well, ALMOST stopped since this past Christmas. The reasons being ..

I'd tried before, NYC has a vigorous advertising campaign going and I

can't believe I am immune to it. Their ads are REALLY heavy duty as

they SHOULD be. It's not a pretty way to die regardless of which way it

brings this about. I've used the inhaler things; the person who wrote

the original prescription did it for 'menthol' and Oh! do they ever

taste DREADFUL! I know I have been 'on'them longer that I should be but

it beats cigarettes. I'm still a nicotene addict. And many who HAVE

stopped for a year or more still are affected by the damn smoke smell!

It's just having the motivation to do it and no one can force it; this

is something which needs to come from within.

Love, Jane and her hound

> ,

> There is just NO telling is there? lol

> I have ALWAYS tried to be a courteous smoker.....even when driving

>my kids and their friends somewhere? I dont' smoke in my OWN CAR,

>just so as not to offend!! I know how unhealthy it is and I'm

>frustrated that I have been unsuccessful at quitting for good,

>but ...............hopefully, someday, I will. Until then, I will NOT

>blow smoke your way! lol

> Thanks for the support!

[Guest guest]

She is doing much better now thank God..........now we're in the middle of the

whole college admission thing and trying to finish a house we are rehabbing

(that's the new full time business!).............it's just been crazy!

Thanks for your support Alywin..........

STL Jane

Aylwin wrote: Morning

Jane, what a roller coaster <sigh>. I think the stress of moving is

one of the worst things for us- not only is it the work involved, but the

adjusting to new water, air quality, etc. etc. - changing environments can

be very hard on us. Not to mention a huge crisis with your daughter - I've

been through some stuff with my kids (not this) and it is so heartbreaking.

I so hope she is getting better and getting help.

I hope

everything settles down for you now. TC, Aylwin xox

[Guest guest]

Yeah! It's been CRAAAAAAAAAAZY here and I'm just trying to keep my head above

water! LOL.

My daughter is doing better, I think part of the problem was the anti-depressant

she was on (PROZAC). My middle son is headed to Missouri State University, so

he will be here in state, but 4 hours away..........I'm going to miss him

terribly, but I sure can't wait until all this college stuff on MY part is done!

WHEW........

Hubby and I have been rehabbing houses on the side (we were both employed full

time until the last year) so, we took the leap in Jan of this year and he

started his own company. He is also a realtor so, between the two, he's a very

busy guy. We are almost finished with our latest rehab project and seriously

considering moving in. He has mentioned that maybe, there is something in this

house that is making me ill, or at least preventing me from getting better.

Aside from that , we absolutely LOVE this rehab house and it has everything

we've been wanting in our own house. So,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I'll keep you

posted!!!!

Thanks for your concern and support....I can always count on that here!

Much Love,

STL Jane

[Guest guest]

_____

From: CFAlliance [mailto:CFAlliance ] On

Behalf Of Jane

Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 5:13 PM

To: CFAlliance

Subject: Re: SMOKING.......JUST THE FACTS

She is doing much better now thank God..........now we're in the middle of

the whole college admission thing and trying to finish a house we are

rehabbing (that's the new full time business!).............it's just been

crazy!

Thanks for your support Alywin..........

STL Jane

Hi Jane, so glad that crisis is past for you. Be careful around new building

materials re: offgassing of formaldehyde etc. from plywood & most new

building materials. TC, Aylwin xo

[Guest guest]

_____

From: CFAlliance [mailto:CFAlliance ] On

Behalf Of Jane

Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 5:13 PM

To: CFAlliance

Subject: Re: SMOKING.......JUST THE FACTS

She is doing much better now thank God..........now we're in the middle of

the whole college admission thing and trying to finish a house we are

rehabbing (that's the new full time business!).............it's just been

crazy!

Thanks for your support Alywin..........

STL Jane

Hi Jane, so glad that crisis is past for you. Be careful around new building

materials re: offgassing of formaldehyde etc. from plywood & most new

building materials. TC, Aylwin xo

[Guest guest]

We have a city here, Creve Coeur, a suburb of St. Louis that has banned it, now,

whether it is strongly enforced.............THAT is another issue! LOL

Sandrea Kornblum wrote:

I'm just curious, what cities totally ban smoking? I am not a smoker

and truthfully am grateful that restaurants have become no smoking as

well as government buildings. But I've lived in 6 different states I

think and never heard of any that banned smoking outside all together.

I currently live in ME.

Sandrea

[Guest guest]

Thanks Aylwin..........I do try to be careful with ventillation and such and

also to really pace myself. Hubby is VERY understanding and even he is the one

to say " Jane, you are looking tired, you better just go on home

now........thanks for all your hard work " .............it's FINALLY here, the

understanding and compassion I've been waiting for him to show since the

beginning of this nightmare!!!!

I mainly just paint and do a lot of clean up for showing the house. I did get a

little buzz once from painting with oil based primer in a not well ventilated

bathroom. Had to sit out the rest of the day...........LOL..........Oh well. I

haven't noted a lot of chemical sensitivities so far, so I am very fortunate

that way, compared to SO many others here.

[Guest guest]

Without disputing the *risks of smoking* for all (but varying among people,

genes, etc.), there are a number of reasons that people with ME/CFS actually

feel better smoking. {Both Dr. Cheney and Klimas have reported this}. Dr.

Cheney even said that smoking is one thing keeping some with Diastolic Heart

Dysfunction upright/vertical. One of several compensating factors for low Q,

meaning they are " living on adrenaline " .

Cognitive Focus is another reason. The Nicotine patch has been used for CFS and

Alzheimer's.

In studying additional reasons for smoking addiction, Scientists found something

about MAO(B?) and Dopamine. This is from smoking itself, not just nicotine. IT

has been known for over a decade that one form of Parkinson's advances more

slowly in smokers. I've just seen a study finding less essential tremor in

smokers.

I also found a study that showed that when exposed to Carbon Monoxide poison,

smokers were the last to succumb. This and the focus may have finally explained

why, in spite of MCS, I could navigate through alot of rush hour traffic easier

when smoking? When not, I can smell every engine, every tire, like an

assault....and very spacy, not even safe driving.

There may be other effects happening also. (Oh, raising *low* blood pressure

might be one).

The obvious awful delimma is none of this stops the other damages. Especially a

problem for long term, older ME/CFS patients who smoke. I suppose it's like the

hideous long term effects of some drugs we've taken, or others with other

diseases. Like the risks of radiation or chemo for cancer. {My Mom alsmost lost

toes and eyesight from taking Coumadin!}

The treatment/compensation can extend function/life and/or harm/kill the

patient.

By the way, do you know that cigarette companies have steadily added nicotine

over the last few years? Making them *more addictive*. How did we not know that

before??

You can look up any of the above. Some doctors/oncologists know some of this.

Then, too, of course is the massive social/fellow human impacts.

Anyway, most of us thought this frickin ME/CFS disease would be solved by now

and we'd be smoke-free, frolicing through the tulips

Katrina

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Katrina.very interesting info and it explains a lot for me. I'm

hoping that, at 3-4 per day of additive free, natural tobacco plus a bit of

the gum, I'm minimizing any harm - plus, I do have strong lungs, for which

I'm thankful. BTW the gum alone did not do it, I think it is a whole herb,

synergistic combo effect, not just the nicotine - for me anyway. I am so

reactive to so many drugs that this feels actually the least harmful,

strange as that may seem. I'm very grateful to have access to whole tobacco,

not laced with additional toxins and extra nicotine. When I switched, many

years ago (and was quit for a good long time too), I went through withdrawal

from the extra chemmies LOL. Aylwin xo

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane, how lovely that your hubby is getting it and being so sweet! I've

had terrible chemical sensitivities, so that's why I was a bit worried you

were doing restorations! I'm glad you take care, though, all that stuff is

toxic, whether or not we react. Xo, Aylwin

[Guest guest]

Oh, I agree 110%, whether we are sensitive to it or not, they still aren't good

for ANYONE! lol..........The lovely part is that I get to get some of artistic

cravings out. This recent house we have rehabbed has beautiful pillars that are

at the entrance to the dining room. The house had major smoke damage (which I

never worked in while hubby cleaned 2 story house for a month! ugh!!!) Anyway, I

got to faux finish the pillars and my greatest compliment is when the neighbor

drove by the house and went home and asked her husband " did they put marble

pillars in that house? " ......I was THRILLED!

[Guest guest]

Here in , California you can't smoke outside within 20 feet of

any public place...unless you are walking through. So basically you

can't stand anywhere and smoke, you have to keep on moving.

I am curious though as to how many of us are smokers or former

smokers. Is it a cause or a symptom? Curious.

As for the lady who was spraying Lysol in her AC, that is a pretty

strong chemical to be putting into your air. It's for disinfecting

surfaces and not for air freshener. That stuff makes me super sick,

but I am just a canary.

>

> I'm just curious, what cities totally ban smoking? I am not a smoker

> and truthfully am grateful that restaurants have become no smoking as

> well as government buildings. But I've lived in 6 different states I

> think and never heard of any that banned smoking outside all together.

> I currently live in ME.

> Sandrea

>