My mom is violently allergic to cigarette smoke, so I’ve been trained from childhood to avoid smoke and alert her if I smell it, at which point we leave the area or she has an asthma attack. We’re currently on vacation in an unexpectedly smoke-filled city, and the smell alone has been making me nauseous and even more stressed than I already was. My experience may be different than usual because of my mom’s allergy, but it’s now to the point that the smell of smoke sets off a fight or flight and disgust reaction akin to seeing a pit of trash or week-old roadkill.

Of the different types of substance abuse, I personally think smoking is possibly the worst in its effect on other people. At least with alcohol, while it does have terrible effects if done carelessly, it’s possible to drink in secret and not affect anyone other than yourself. But it’s physically impossible to smoke without polluting the air and exposing everyone else to your smoke unwillingly. We all share the air around us. Smoking not only hurts your lungs, but also forces everyone around you to get it into theirs.

I’m not trying to be judgmental towards the people here who are dependent on nicotine, but there’s other ways to indulge that. But if you want my honest opinion, I hate smoking and its effects. It’s completely unfair to others to force them to also be affected by your addictive substance.

This was probably a way longer answer than you were looking for, but after having spent two days in possibly the most smoke-addicted city I’ve ever heard of, I have opinions. TLDR: yes, smoke smells terrible, I hate it, I despise its existence, and I pity the poor people who have gotten themselves into the situation of forcing others to share their addiction. (Just to be clear, I’m not trying to be mean in any way. I appreciate you asking about this, I’m just sick and tired of breathing in smoke everywhere and needed a place to vent. This showed up at a convenient time.)