No ands, ifs, or Butts
By Dr. Ann
@drannhh (15219)
United States
November 22, 2008 11:10pm CST
The photo below looks like a trash receptacle to me, but some people think it is a great opportunity. We are seeing more and more people going into public ashtrays and taking the used cigarette butts to "recycle."
Recently while hubby and I were eating lunch we saw a woman lurking a short distance from a smoker, waiting until the cigarette was thrown down on the sidewalk, and then she ran up and in one swoop grabbed the still-smoldering remains of that other person's cigarette and put it in her mouth and walked away smoking it.
If you were having lunch and you saw that, would it make you lose your appetite?To us that was shocking.
Does that sort of thing happen where you live? Would you ever do that? I have to warn you that I think that is sort of gross. I met a young girl once who had a special little pouch she carried with her everywhere and when she saw cigarettes like those in the picture below, she would take a few and save them in her pouch to smoke later.
What are your thoughts on this?
8 people like this
10 responses
@neededhope (1085)
• United States
23 Nov 08
This is disgusting. That's how I feel about it. I wouldn't be desperate to smoke someone elses cigerette. But than again I don't smoke. But i would think people who learn of how many germs are out there. And how many problems your health issues you could get if you smoke after someone or even drink after someone.
Do people honestly even think about these things?
Is it really worth to smoke after another persons cigerette? And it's even worst because you don't know the person. All you can know is the person has AIDs or mouth fungus.
This is disturbing and quite sicking. I would lose my lunch over this or I may run after them and ask them why. Just to see there embarassment may make them stop doing it.
4 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I think with a person like that it might be dangerous to run after them and ask they why. They might feel dissed or something and act out. I'd think if they would be embarrassed they wouldn't do it in the first place, but who knows.
Well, I don't smoke either, and one of the reasons is I would never do something that would end up making me so desperate as to do yucky things just to keep up a habit.
Yes, sickening is the right word for it, and maybe in more ways than one.
1 person likes this
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
23 Nov 08
I didn't recognize you...New avatar... In answer to your question YES this stuff is happening in Canada and all over the place. I think it's enough to make me vomit whether I'm eating or not. That is GROSS as far as I'm concerned. My dog wouldn't even put it in her mouth. YUCK
4 people like this
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I think that's gross, too. Smoking must be extremely addictive if people will stoop down so low as to do that.
1 person likes this
@CinderInMySoul (4717)
• United States
23 Nov 08
oh that is DISGUSTING!! im a smoker and there have been times when i had no money and no cigs..but i NEVER grabbed a butt from an ashtray (especially a PUBLIC one!) and put someone elses MOUTH in my mouth!
eew...yuck that is just gross!
you say thats common there? ive seen hard up ppl ask for a cig, but ive never seen anybody running around collecting the butts!
2 people like this
@KMNash (40)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I am a smoker too, and I have been with no cigs, no money before, but never thought about going to a public ashtray... I wont even smoke a cig sitting in my own ashtray at home if we have had other people over cause I cant tell who smoked on what. The change of decease just isn't worth the smoke for me.
I have seen a lot of people do it, in fact my own brother does it. I have tried to tell him how gross it is, but he jut says oh well.
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
29 Nov 08
I have seen this as well and it really is sad, not even thinking about the side effects of putting in one's mouth something that was in a stranger's mouth. The possibilities!!!!!.... all negative unfortunately.
I thought it was only the homeless people doing it, at least it's the only ones I've seen doing it so far, but I guess not anymore.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
30 Nov 08
I don't know whether they aren't teaching hygiene in school any more or if the kids just aren't paying attention, but one would think that after looking through a microscope and seeing all those crawlies, anybody would choose not to go into those possibilities.
1 person likes this
@suzzy3 (8342)
•
23 Nov 08
The way it is going it is a wonder she did not take it from her lips,people are having a tough time out there and they are simply recycling to the enth degree,just be grateful you can afford a lunch to go off of .A sad sign of the times.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Well, unfortunately, I have been seeing this sort of thing happening for yrs. I myself think it is grouse, and wonder how it can be Sanitary to say the least, but with the Economy getting the way it is, I am sure it is happening more and more all of the time as well. Or these are kids maybe not old enough to smoke yet just trying to get a hit. Personally there is not much that can be done unless the place they are sitting at was cleaning the ashtrays like this constantly as well.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Yes, the resorts do have full-time staff going around cleaning those ash pails out, so the clips, as I know know to call them ;-), would not be very stale. If they were in the bright sun for a long time that might kill some of the germs, eh? Even so, there is no amount of money someone could pay me to do that!
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
23 Nov 08
Hello Drannhh,
Geeze, so many adjectives come to mind. Though none describes how truly revolting I find this particular type of recycling. I have never seen anyone do such a thing, and I could no more imagine myself doing so than ... well, never mind. Anything that I might mention in comparison is enough to turn one's stomach. It's not only disgusting and truly revolting, it is genuinely sad.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Sad is right on target when we try to find a term to describe this. I wondered when I started this discussion if there was some way that I could seem neutral, so as to encourage comments from both sides of the question, but I found that rather difficult. I did not want to come across as condescending, you know, but some things are just really not acceptable behavior. This one is not like a random act of violence, or some other things that constitute criminal behavior, and I don't have any idea, come to think of it, whether it is a crime or not, but it is certainly, shall we say...unclean.
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
3 Jan 09
These people must be really desperate for a smoke - and with rising prices have not been able to support their habit? I tell you what, it makes me all the more thankful that I have not allowed myself to become addicted to smoking if that is what it might make me resort to. I can just imagine the various diseases that can be passed along by such practices.
a big yuck factor for me!
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
24 Nov 08
I compliment you on having made the decision not to smoke. There was an incredible amount of peer pressure to smoke when I was your age, but I was saving every penny for college and did not want to get involved with a costly habit. My best friends smoked for a while but then found that others were constantly trying to mooch smokes and it was too annoying to be hit up all the time.
