OK Hosp. Smoking Ban

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 28, 2004

Good. A whole building full of pipes that contain oxygen and lit cigarettes give me nightmares.

smk1, LPN · Aug 28, 2004

As i am allergic to cigarrette smoke this would make my day, not more wheezing and coughing when you work next to someone who just got back from a smoke break.

allnurses Guide · Aug 28, 2004

There are a couple of threads about this subject but I have no idea as usual how to link you to them. Computer illiterate, that's me :rolleyes:

I will say that this has already happened in CA and I love it.

People complained about NO SMOKING in restaurants 10 or so years ago when that bill passed in CA but boy is it ever nice to eat in a restaurant without breathing cig smoke. And the feared decrease in clientele never happened.

I took my daughter to Reno 3 years ago to see Mary Chapin Carpenter and we walked into the hotel/casino and she was shocked to see people smoking inside a building. She had never seen it.

As one of our docs say, if you are well enough to walk outside to smoke, you are well enough to go home.

I realize it sound callous. I freely admit to hating cigs. I grew up in a home with both parents smoking and I hated it.

steph (aka anti-smoking zealot :rolleyes:

Trauma Columnist · Aug 29, 2004

Fantastic - I wish Illinois would follow suit.

directcare4me · Aug 29, 2004

I would just like to say that I am in total agreement with eating places being totally non-smoking. Even though I smoke, I do not like to eat in a smoke-filled building. The ban that she is talking about though, doesn't just include inside buildings; we haven't smoked inside for years. But supposedly, smoking will not be allowed ANYWHERE outside the buildings. It's my understanding that this is a move to improve the health of all of us. I do wonder how they are going to enforce it with adult patients and visitors. They can fire us, I guess. But I don't know what they can do to non-employees.

I don't know if I think it's fair to pick this one health issue to focus on, and force those with this habit to refrain from it for 12 hours at a time. There are other health issues that are almost as serious as smoking; but I am not hearing about them removing candy bar and coke machines from the premises, to force everyone to eat less fattening foods.

I am also not ignoring the second-hand smoke issue; but I believe there are ways to remove the smoking from the mainstream traffic outside, so that no one has to pass through it.

What do you think of it, LadyBugLass?

smk1, LPN · Aug 29, 2004

I would just like to say that I am in total agreement with eating places being totally non-smoking. Even though I smoke, I do not like to eat in a smoke-filled building. The ban that she is talking about though, doesn't just include inside buildings; we haven't smoked inside for years. But supposedly, smoking will not be allowed ANYWHERE outside the buildings. It's my understanding that this is a move to improve the health of all of us. I do wonder how they are going to enforce it with adult patients and visitors. They can fire us, I guess. But I don't know what they can do to non-employees.
I don't know if I think it's fair to pick this one health issue to focus on, and force those with this habit to refrain from it for 12 hours at a time. There are other health issues that are almost as serious as smoking; but I am not hearing about them removing candy bar and coke machines from the premises, to force everyone to eat less fattening foods.
I am also not ignoring the second-hand smoke issue; but I believe there are ways to remove the smoking from the mainstream traffic outside, so that no one has to pass through it.
What do you think of it, LadyBugLass?

the difference is that if someone eats a candy bar it only affects their health, i won't go into respiratory distress over that. When someone comes back from break smelling heavily of smoke, my eyes water, my nose itches and runs, i start coughing and sneezing, and if its really bad, I have an asthma response. I completely understand that people want the freedom to smoke, and I am fine with that in the privacy of their own home, but when their choice to smoke affects mine NOT to, I do get upset. :imbar Anyway that's my opinion. :uhoh21:

directcare4me · Aug 29, 2004

the difference is that if someone eats a candy bar it only affects their health, i won't go into respiratory distress over that. When someone comes back from break smelling heavily of smoke, my eyes water, my nose itches and runs, i start coughing and sneezing, and if its really bad, I have an asthma response. I completely understand that people want the freedom to smoke, and I am fine with that in the privacy of their own home, but when their choice to smoke affects mine NOT to, I do get upset. :imbar Anyway that's my opinion. :uhoh21:

And you're absolutely right. I too know that feeling, as perfume is not banned in my workplace. Some people, both men and women, wear some kind of a scent that really burns my nose. And usually they wear a lot of it, and it is very uncomfortable to work in close proximity to someone like this. I try to move away from them if I can; I have even gone and gotten a mask to wear to filter out the irritating scent if I have to be close to them for a period of time. That works pretty well, for me.

Since most people are very surprised to find out that I do smoke, I wonder if the smokers who come back from break smelling so strongly are using the "designated" smoking areas, where the smoke is contained in a small enclosed area. I cannot stand these areas myself, and usually find an out-of-the-way place in the open air.

But not for much longer I guess.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 30, 2004

"Having a no somking section in a room is like having a no peeing section in the pool"

allnurses Guide · Aug 30, 2004

"Having a no somking section in a room is like having a no peeing section in the pool"

Very true :chuckle

The smoking ban I was referring to in CA in hospital ALSO includes no smoking on hospital grounds . . you have to take a walk to smoke.

steph

LadyBugLass · Sep 1, 2004

I am a TOTAL anti-smoking freak, but I really see some problems with that law.

As long as I don't have to be around the second hand smoke, I don't mind if people have to smoke; the little shelters and huts are fine by me.

Alot of "caring" healthcare professionals don't seem to notice that people smoke as a way to relieve stress; it's a coping mechanism, albeit a destructive one. It is also PHYSICALLY addictive. Now, for some people, hospitalization is a great time to quit, a good scare like chest pain or bronchitis can be just the incentive that you need to change. But other patients, and vistors too, are under stress that would drive anyone CRAZY, and they are just trying to get through each moment without screaming, crying, and hitting someone!! This might not be the best time for a "lesson" in how bad cigarettes are for you. THEY KNOW THAT SMOKING IS BAD!! :rolleyes: It is one hell of a hard habit to break, and I feel awful for anyone who is struggling to quit.

directcare4me · Sep 1, 2004

I am a TOTAL anti-smoking freak, but I really see some problems with that law.
As long as I don't have to be around the second hand smoke, I don't mind if people have to smoke; the little shelters and huts are fine by me.
Alot of "caring" healthcare professionals don't seem to notice that people smoke as a way to relieve stress; it's a coping mechanism, albeit a destructive one. It is also PHYSICALLY addictive. Now, for some people, hospitalization is a great time to quit, a good scare like chest pain or bronchitis can be just the incentive that you need to change. But other patients, and vistors too, are under stress that would drive anyone CRAZY, and they are just trying to get through each moment without screaming, crying, and hitting someone!! This might not be the best time for a "lesson" in how bad cigarettes are for you. THEY KNOW THAT SMOKING IS BAD!! It is one hell of a hard habit to break, and I feel awful for anyone who is struggling to quit.

This has been bothering me too, probably more than my own forced deprivation. I can use the gum or patch, and lots of deep breathing. I don't look forward to it, but I will cope. However, I agree completely with you. These families are all under stress; some are watching a loved one die. This is not the time to ask (force) them to also undergo withdrawal. As a former avid NON-smoker myself, I know how much I didn't understand about the addiction, both physical (to the nicotene) and emotional (the very act of smoking).