[ Post a Response | The Sublime Desire of Cigarette Smoking ]
Posted by M G F on June 21, 2009, 3:04 pm, in reply to "Defiance"
I meant to add my two cents to Marcus' post shortly after he made it. Unfortunately, I got clobbered by the same respiratory bug as his co-worker. I can attest that it hits hard and fast and makes breathing an interesting experience for a couple of days. It felt like my lungs were wrapped with steel bands, and I remain amazed at just how much mucus they can produce.
As for defiance being part of the reward one gets from smoking: I agree that the idea that one is engaging in something taboo is always part of a smoker's desire to smoke. I also think that the nature of one's defiance evolves over time. To use myself and my profession as an example: I was a dedicated smoker long before I entertained the idea of becoming a nurse. When I began pursuing my MSN, many friends and relatives assumed that I would quit smoking. I had no such intention. In fact, I rather enjoyed the fact that as I was learning in great detail just how bad smoking is for me, I was continuing to smoke. A far higher percentage of my fellow nurses smoked when I entered the profession than today. (My first hospital still had a smoking break room for a while) Smoking was also allowed on the grounds and near doorways, and there was no limitation on where staff could indulge. Then, staff was prohibited from smoking within 50 feet of hospital entrances and in no circumstances were we to smoke in the presence of patients or their family members, even if they had stepped outside for a cigarette at the same time. Smoking on the hospital grounds is now limited to one semi-sheltered area almost 100 feet the hospital entrance. (It is right next to the parking lot where city buses stop every 10-15 minutes, and the air pollution is probably worse for the smokers than the smoke they deliberately inhale.) Medical staff members are allowed to smoke only in one area on the hospital roof. To reach it, you have to take a steep, winding, set of 4 flights of stairs. Once there, we have a covered area with a few benches and some big potted plants - on the whole it isn't unpleasant - just a b###h to get to. A few weeks ago, I was on the roof chatting with a nurse who had recently joined the team. She's in her mid 20's, recently finished her MSN, and as we talked, our conversation turned to smoking. One comment in particular stuck in my mind. "Everyone expected me to quit smoking when I graduated and started working here, but hell no! I'll quit one day, but not any time soon."
There's hope for my profession, yet.
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