“i am the wife of a smoker, and i would not trade it for any other addiction.”
It is not an either/or situation. The fact is that smoking is an addiction that PHYSICALLY affects the rest of the people around the smoker and not just the smoker himself. As long as he is not driving and is not acting out with other people, the addictive drinker or drug user is only hurting his own liver and brain cells. The smoker is hurting MY breathing, his children are several times more likely to have respiratory illnesses throughout childhood than other children, and the dangers of second-hand smoke should not be pooh-poohed. A smoker will ALWAYS find a rationale for his (or her) habit. I don’t allow ANYONE to smoke in my home, much less my immediate family members. The first time a hired man who was doing work in my house took out a cigarette, I politely asked him to take it outside. It was raining, so he opted to refrain from smoking.
EDITED