Smoking ban

[SueC]

I agree with Lori, 100%. When my sister was a bit younger she used to run past smokers , hold her breath (visibly), and say" minutes off my life, minutes off my life."

Love it!

[migirl]

As a non-smoker myself, I completely agree with you guys that the smoking bans are great. The county that I work in just recently banned smoking in all public buildings.

I wonder what you guys think of this, though... A while back there was an article in the paper about a local business that has banned its employees from smoking at all, even including outside of work and in their own homes. Their reasoning was that smokers have more/complicated health care needs than non-smokers (thus burdening the employer with higher health care costs). They even went so far as to say that employees who continued to smoke would be terminated (I have no idea how they would know if their employees continued smoking). Now, I understand that as a private employer that is their right, but I wonder if this is taking it a bit far??

[Auspicious]

I wonder what you guys think of this, though... A while back there was an article in the paper about a local business that has banned its employees from smoking at all, even including outside of work and in their own homes. Their reasoning was that smokers have more/complicated health care needs than non-smokers (thus burdening the employer with higher health care costs). They even went so far as to say that employees who continued to smoke would be terminated (I have no idea how they would know if their employees continued smoking). Now, I understand that as a private employer that is their right, but I wonder if this is taking it a bit far??

If I remember right it was a small town where other employment was hard to come by, too, no? Ugh.

I think it's definitely wrong for them to tell you what legal activities you can and can't do on your own time. What's next, you're fired if you enjoy motocross racing or rollerblading? You're going to have to prove you're on birth control because having babies costs the insurance plan more money?

[spotty_dog]

A while back there was an article in the paper about a local business that has banned its employees from smoking at all, even including outside of work and in their own homes. Their reasoning was that smokers have more/complicated health care needs than non-smokers (thus burdening the employer with higher health care costs).

I think that's cool! But perhaps overstepping bounds. The best corporate policy I've heard of is Nike's. They forbid smoking on their vast campus; smokers have to travel QUITE a distance to stand outside of the fenced grounds for a "smoke break!" And they have a three step incentive program to encourage their employees to be healthy and also to be good citizens. If I recall, employees have to pay a portion of their own insurance premium. But if they A) are non smokers/if they quit they get $50 off of their premium; if they B) sign an agreement that they will exercise a minimum amount, they get another $50, and if C) they volunteer in their community they get another $50 off.

One of my pet peeves is having to travel through a cloud of smoke when I leave any building here on the university campus, as the smokers huddle around the entrances. And I'm more than just peeved when they do it by the hospital entrance across the street from me.

[
One of my pet peeves is having to travel through a cloud of smoke when I leave any building here on the university campus, as the smokers huddle around the entrances. And I'm more than just peeved when they do it by the hospital entrance across the street from me.

I agree! That was the case with most buildings I have worked in. One place instituted a 10 feet from the door rule and that really helped. I used to work by a hospital and went in and out quite a bit, and this always irritated me. Especially when you could see that the smoker was a respiratory tech (via name tag).

I guess that speaks to the addictive nature, though. My SIL smokes like a chimney despite seeing both of her grandparents die from smoking (heart attack for one, emphysema for the other) and her father die of smoking (bladder and lung cancer and emphysema).

[DCJenn]

During our visit to say good-bye to my FIL (who died from complications of lung cancer surgery), my MIL, SIL and BIL all had to go outside frequently for smoke breaks... and my SIL is a nurse.

It gets my husband so upset that he literally can't go visit. He spends the entire visit fuming, excuse the pun. When his mom calls, you can hear her inhaling and exhaling on the phone and he has to hand to phone over to me.

As an ex-smoker, I know how addictive it is- to quit it took: hypnotism, the gum (3x), the patch (twice), cold turkey (1000+ times), exercise, and finally, an ultimatum from my now husband...

I saw an interview once with Steven Tyler from Aerosmith who said it was easier quitting heroin than smoking.

Jenn

[Auspicious]

When his mom calls, you can hear her inhaling and exhaling on the phone and he has to hand to phone over to me.

Yeah, my father had developed this violent cough that was a regular part of our phone conversations. I've always been shocked at the statistic that children of smokers are more likely to become smokers. I think being exposed to my father's smoking pretty effectively turned my brothers and I away from it. Ugh.

His method of quitting: Heart Attack. I don't think he recommends it. He's pretty dignified and a bit of a hard case on the outside (though we all know he's a softie on the inside) so he wasn't too thrilled about, say, all the neighbors watching him hauled out of his back yard strapped to a gurney, or vomiting while strapped down in the helicopter, or having to wear that cute little hospital gown.

So, then he was in the hospital for four days, and of course you can't smoke in the hospital and you can't go outside in the cute gown, so that was a four-day headstart. Plus they set him up with a really good post-heart attack program, which was key, starting with some education and counseling while they had him captive there in the hospital, by some smart nurses who were good at reading him and knowing what kind of tone would get through to him (cause there's a lot of approaches that won't work with my dad). And of course one of the first things was: Okay, you are now done with smoking.

I would say the gum is probably a much better method.

[HeartRN]

Taking care of patients immediately post-cardiac surgery=taking care of many smokers/former smokers. One or our patients reportedly was caught smoking in one of the hospital bathrooms prior to surgery. Although I've never smoked, I can certainly see firsthand how addictive it must be for people. But damn, am I ever tired of people getting their tickers fixed and expecting to do NOTHING to contribute to their recovery or health. It's all about what WE can do for them. Excuse me, but didn't (in most cases), your smoking, overeating, and inactive lifestyle bring you to this point!?!!! And don't you think the fact that your chest was just sawed open might mean that you should consider working toward change (like, perhaps using your leg muscles when we are helping you get out bed, for example!?!????)

Sorry to hijack with a rant, but people can be such ungrateful slugs sometimes. It is really frustrating when the majority of patients behave this way, and tremendously refreshing and surprising when you have a patient who is grateful, contributes to their careplan, and wants to make lifestyle changes. The amazing thing is, the grateful, kind patients are usually 85 years old and really have every reason to complain!

Btw, I'm all for the ban, if you weren't sure!

[Meenah]

Marla, you are so right. The ones who complain the most do the least for themselves.
Luanne