Job Discussion Forums

[ryouga013]

I have a huge problem with the smoking Japan as well. it seems that no one cares about anyone else if they are a smoker. Same in the states. In Japan, however, the place that is known for its polite behaviour is lost especially on this one note. Shop owners are too afraid to tell people not to smoke even if someone tells them because it might offend the smoker.

The comment about the JRs becoming nonsmoking is true I think but I know in Nagoya it is prohibited to smoke at any of the cummutor lines. but, for those in dire need of a smoke it is only a 2000yen ~ 20AUS ~ $17US fine if they even bother to fine the person. One of my friends have resorted to taking the law into his own hands and used his *raise the dead only to kill them again* gas in front of anyone who lights up in the prohibited areas. It is funny see a smoker trying to run through a different variety of smoke I simply ask them if they can't read and are so stupid that a foreigner has to tell them to not do that.

As for bars etc, I still hate smoke, but for me, it is a bar. Bar: a place for people to smoke and drink. I know of plenty of people that only smoke when they drink, and honestly, if they want to do that, that is fine, just not for me

[pastis]

[rampo]

Hate to hijack this thread but does anyone know what to do about the sore eyes that you get from being around too many smokers?

[DNK]

Have you tried Visene? I've found a nice hot shower can clear me up after that, since I need one anyway to get rid of the smell. Nothing like having your bed stink like a bar for the next week...

[europe2seoul]

[Quibby84]

or wear googles when you are around smoke, or a complete gas mask....

[DNK]

Goggles and gas masks leave marks and get uncomfortable after a while, so I would not advise such ideas.

Start coughing violently all over the people who are smoking until they leave? Find a way to phlegm on demand.

[JimDunlop2]

Actually, sometimes it's as easy as speaking sternly (but very, very politely) with an offending establishment's management...

I was bothered by the fact that I have to swim through a sea of smoke in front of my *ahem* HEALTH CLUB........... So I spoke with the manager to see if (barring eliminating it completely) they would at least consider moving the bloody ashtray away from the sliding glass doors so that the smoke wouldn't enter the building and get sucked all the way to the entrance of the locker rooms whenever those doors open and close.

A few days later... lo and behold, the ashtray had been moved.

I consider it a PARTIAL success, because at least I don't have to put up with the smoke inside anymore... Although I WAS trying to impress upon them that the very fact that they HAVE an ashtray in front of a health club provides a piss-poor image of a healthy lifestyle.

1. Eat a healthy, low-fat, low-sodium, carb & calorie-balanced supper
2. Go to the gym
3. Do cardio to improve and benefit blood circulation and respiratory systems
4. Wash it down with a health/sports drink to replenish lost ions and minerals
5. Leave the gym, and immediately smoke a couple of cigarettes to undo steps 1 - 4
6. Repeat

I just don't get it I'm afraid.

I'm not out to offend any smokers who fit into that pattern ... but could someone please explain the logic to me? Because I really don't get it...

[canuck]

I really dislike how people smoke, underground in the subway stations, even in front of no smoking signs. I say something every time. Not one person has ever refused.

[Sour Grape]

[JimDunlop2]

Sour Grape: Oh, I certainly don't disagree with you.... My steps 1-4 are healthIER than the ones you put up. But I'm just wondering -- if someone is indeed motivated enough and health-conscious to take the trouble to do those other things, then it would stand to reason that quitting smoking would be somewhere on the list.

I have a friend who, after moving from a very sedate job (tech support for a computer company) went into construction and started drywalling. He quit smoking because with all the physical activity he was doing, he lost the DESIRE to smoke. Anyone else experience this? (I'm genuinely curious).

Otherwise, I know that often logical doesn't make its way into the equation. When we were (recently) in Thailand, our scuba diving instructor smoked so I asked him how he figured that smoking was compatible with being a full-time scuba instructor... His answer... "It's not." And the look in his eyes said that he really wished he could give another response but was stuck in his situation.

[Bugsy]

[pastis]

[-3E-]

[J.]

Is what makes it so hard to quit. Many people smoke not only because they are physically addicted; actually that's not so hard a habit to break. Though it's sneaky-- even though the nicotine gets out of your body relatively quickly, if you smell smoke you can be tempted to relapse for a long while, even a year or two in some cases. I used to dream I was smoking long after I stopped. (Not sure if it was a consolation or a warning.)

Anyway, the other component of smoking is that people use it to handle stress, something like having a drink. It becomes so automatic that you don't even realize what situations are stressing you until you give it up. Then you start to notice that you want a cigarette when you are on the phone to your mother, have to visit the Doctor, have to teach a tough class etc.. In my experience, the key is to find a substitute for the smoking until you can adapt to the stress. I chewed tons of sugarless gum, packs a day. It didn't worry me too much because gum is not addictive, and was rather easy to stop after the danger period was over.

Other things like listening to music, exercise, taking a walk or bicycle ride are things that you can add to manage stress. If you can do that, chances are that you can stop smoking.