I agree kendall. IT is self-preservation. I can't think of too many things more intolerable than second-hand smoke,and yes -- even for a smoker. At least, this smoker! (who always smokes outdoors and as far away from the crowded stench of those horrible public smoking areas as I can possibly get).

My son, who is a light smoker, just moved into a bachelor apt in a nearby city. He was so pressed for time -- only a week to find a place and move before he started him new job -- and found he hadn't check the place out carefully enough. He was SO disappointed to find that the other tenants smoke in the house. He tells me he's been tempted to start smoking inside himself so that the stink won;t bother him so much, but so far he's refused to give in. And he's looking for another place asap because of it.

I'm so sorry to hear about your voice, kendall. My voice is sometimes gravelly from my own light smoking (less than 10 a day usually), but hey - some people find that sexy. Not that what other people may or may not find sexy matters much at all ...

When I am in 'my own space' (ie my own car, my own back yard, out for a walk by myself etc) and I decide to light up in the presence of obnoxious, arrogant holier-than-thou people who take it upon themselves to "correct" my behavior and my choices, well, lighting up is an act of self-preservation too. IE - don't like it?   Then please, do us both a favour and take a hike! It's a big, big world out there, and there's more than enough sweet fresh air to go around for the next billion years - if we eventually manage to curb the burning of fossil fuels, that is.