COMMENT
but these days hardly anyone I know now allows smoking in their home. There is an exception to this iron rule: me
used to being ushered out of doors when I needed a fag, and I’m bound to say that I wasn’t all that pleased about it. That, however, was then. I am now a non-
Top draw I
WORDS ALAN COCHRANE ILLUSTRATION STEPHEN DAY
t is one the last great social taboos: seeking to smoke cigarettes in someone else’s house. As a long-time smoker I was well
smoker, or at least an ex-smoker, having given up thirteen years ago; but I have been appalled by the pariah status now accorded to those who still love a cigarette. This treatment has intensi- fied since 2006’s ban on smoking in public places. Smokers have become the ‘disappeared’ of society. They vanished from offices and pubs overnight, and are now reduced to huddling in doorways or sheltering under umbrellas outside their once-favourite watering holes. It has been a terrible price to pay for what is,
after all, a legal habit. And public disapproval has merely redoubled the private antagonism towards smokers. Those opposed to the habit had always forbidden puffing under their roofs,
and my wife. We both quit the fags on the same day, 7 January 2001 – I remember the last drag well – but although the craving has gone (in fact it took no time at all to kick the habit), we still like the smell. Now, I know there are many who say that passive smoking is just as dangerous as the real thing, but we just think that banning guests from lighting up is a bit off. Consigning them to the outer darkness –
Inviting smokers to your home only makes sense if you allow your guests to light up indoors
e.g. the back door – is also pretty bad; after all, what’s the point of inviting someone to your home if the only place you can have a blether is outside on the doorstep. In any case, in our already draughty Victorian house, having another door open, especially in winter, is not really advisable. Our generous attitude in this direction is not
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well known, or at least it wasn’t until recently. Then, at a recent gathering chez nous, I told one smoker that of course she could have a fag and, no, she didn’t have to go outside for it, even though she said that was her normal experi- ence at the homes of even her closest friends. After I’d rummaged around and found some- thing to serve as an ashtray, our guest smiled contentedly as she inhaled her first drag. On seeing this another guest demanded,
somewhat shrilly: ‘You’re not letting her smoke in here, are you?’ I replied defiantly in the affirmative, expecting to have to defend my right to do whatever I liked in my own house. But to my surprise, she grinned widely and said: ‘Oh good, can I have one too?’ as she fished a packet of Silk Cut from her handbag. In no time at all, there were four women
happily puffing away at the fireplace with several others, again all women, joining them occasionally and mooching the odd fag. There might have been a distinct fug for a
bit, but it was far from being objectionable and none of the other guests protested. Indeed, a couple of husbands confided that their wives were indulging in something that they were not allowed to do at home! Smoking is a health hazard and perhaps
we’d be better friends if we reminded our pals of this instead of encouraging them in their craving. But they’re all adults and know the risks, so why should we lecture them? Having said all of this, I should be clear
about one thing – we don’t expect our home to be turned into a smokers’ refuge. We don’t want our addicted friends to start queuing up outside the front door with all manner of phoney excuses just to gain entry and have a few drags in the warm. That would be taking friendship a bit too far.
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