Tag: smoker

If you have quit smoking or are trying to quit, what is your biggest challenge?

I quit smoking in 1971. Except for a few cigars I haven’t smoked since and my last cigar was in 1977. Have you quit or are you trying to kick the habit? I quit cold turkey without a support group or any kind of medicine or other aid. Once I firmly decided to quit I had no trouble staying quit, but I did backslide several times on the way to successfully quitting. I never doubted I could kick the habit, though it was not easy to quit after years as a smoker.
Between my first serious attempt to quit smoking and my final successful attempt there was a span of six years and probably four or five tries to quit. It was not easy, and the hardest part was being around other people who smoked. In one of those tries I was smoke-free for nearly three years before I backslid into the habit. So I respect anyone who has tried–failed or succeeded–and I fully sympathize with those who have the habit and want to quit.

Great answers, everyone. Thanks for participating. If you’ve quit, congratulations. If you’ve tried and failed, I respect your efforts and wish you the best.

The cost is one factor that helps me stay quit. When I last smoked cigarettes cost about 40 cents a pack.

How do you get someone to stop smoking at work?

I started a new job a month ago. I was so happy because I finally got decent pay and health insurance. Unfortunately, this was too good to be true. One of my coworkers smokes in the office. I have asthma and am allergic to cigarette smoke. Everytime she lights one up, I start smothering. I told my boss in person about my health condition and all he said he’d do is put up automatic door closers on the doors around her (she smokes in the doorway of the building so she can stay by the phone). Well, about 2 or 3 weeks went by, and he’d still not put anything up. I decided to email him and tell him again. I asked him if he could ban smoking indoors completely. Well, finally he decides to put those automatic door closers on there. But guess what, she props her door open! It’s terrible!

Anyway, have any of you dealt with smokers at work. How do you get someone to stop. The bad thing is, my boss is a smoker too! So he doesn’t care! If they don’t stop, I’m going to have to find another job!
Well, about speaking to her directly. She can be very mean. She was very ugly to me at first, and then someone talked to her for me, and now she’s nice. I don’t know how she’d react if I told her to stop.
The reason she smokes in the doorway is because she’s a dispatcher. If she goes outside completely, she’ll miss a call or something on the radio.
I did talk to my boss. He’s a smoker as well and does not care about my condition. Also, if I cause a big stink about this, everyone is going to dislike me because the majority of people there seem to smoke. The other non-smokers are medics and get to get away. I’m an office person and always have to be there. Eh, it sucks. 🙁