Question about Smokers

[sherryinutah]

I have a very dear friend who often comes to visit me.  He's a smoker and I don't smoke.  I respect him and the fact that he has the free will to make his own choices.  Sometimes he'll go outside to have a cigarette.  Later, after he leaves I find a cigarette butt on the ground in front of my home.  I can find a tactful way to confront my friend; however, I have a question.

Why do so many smokers believe that it's acceptable to litter by throwing cigarette butts on the ground?   

[jwallbank]

That is a good question!! I smoke and if I go out for a ciggarette at a relative or friends house I either pick them up and put them in the trash inside or outside. I should do that at my own house but I have a sand container out on my porch where I smoke. I know what you mean though, my son does the same thing when He is at my house and I get on him all the time about it. You could tactically tell your friend, since I don't smoke - I'd rather not pick up butts behind anyone else.

[Thumper18]

You can tactfully tell your friend or buy a ashtray for him/other smokers when they come over. You can leave it out for him on the porch before he comes over so when he does go out for a smoke he sees it and uses it. Or give it to him on his way out to have a cig. They're not expensive no more then $1 at walmart or your local salvation army/goodwill. 

[candyterrius]

Many people take smoke breaks and then quickly dispose them with their shoes even when they’re not done smoking. It’s a bad unconscious habit, that’s all. They probably don’t think it’s a big deal to litter since ciggie butts are small. Why don’t you ask your friend what he thinks?

[march1971]

I have a very dear friend who often comes to visit me.  He's a smoker and I don't smoke.  I respect him and the fact that he has the free will to make his own choices.  Sometimes he'll go outside to have a cigarette.  Later, after he leaves I find a cigarette butt on the ground in front of my home.  I can find a tactful way to confront my friend; however, I have a question.

Why do so many smokers believe that it's acceptable to litter by throwing cigarette butts on the ground?   

that is something that I don't have to worry about, as I am smoke free, drug free, and alcohol free for 42 years.

[Tresbn00]

Generally speaking, I think that a large percentage of smokers care very little about themselves so why would they care about others.  They are engaging in a habit that is not only harmful to themselves but to others in their immediate vicinity. Littering is a very small part of their inconsiderate habit. My mother used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day so the smell of cigarette smoke evokes pleasant memories of times spent with her while growing up.  This hasn't caused me to want to smoke.  I am not afraid to die but I am not going to help the process along by trying to get lung cancer.

[Nancy5]

That is an excellent question.  I also don't smoke and don't allow it in my house.  I also have a "friend" who will go outside on my patio and smoke, which is fine with me, until I realized he was either stepping on the butts and leaving them on my patio, or worse yet, flicking them onto my grass.  I have 5 dogs who run free in my yard (it's fenced in) and what if one ate it.  What I did was confront him & gave him two choices 1) you don't smoke at all on my property, or 2) I will buy an ashtray which you WILL use and bring back into the house when you are done.  He choose the ashtray and it's been working out.

[ljrjess69]

i would just say somthing to him ,,he would probly stop leaving them lay

[msmoneybags48]

There are some smokers who consider the ground as their personal ashtray; they do not consider the fact that they are litterbugs.  My late brother in-law, for example, burned my measuring cup with a cigarette because it was new.  He put his own personal mark on it, and I still use it.  The intention of me buying a measuring cup was to measure liquids, like milk and water.  He found a better use for it, I guess.   

[BlackSheepNY]

If there's no where to put their butts, they usually wind up on the ground.  Many non-smoking friends will have at least one ash tray (or even a mint tin, like an Altoids box) kept around for when their smoking friends visit.  You can keep something like that handy when your smoking friends visit and hand it to them while their on their way out to your backyard or patio to smoke and ask them to use it.  Problem solved.

[mrisha]

It's because they do not respect you or your property.  By dropping cigarette butts all over the place is a very nasty habit.  I would definitely confront him/her about this bad habit. Respect me and my property or stay away. 

[alamedann]

I have a friend who, when he visits me, goes outside when he needs to smoke.

Usually, he's got a can of Coke or something like that.  He enjoys his drink while he smokes.  What's nice is, that when he's done smoking a cigarette, he'll put the butts in the drink container when it's empty.  No mess and easy to throw away.  I really appreciate it when he does that.

[jmccaskill]

I am thinking that your friend has no idea he is doing anything wrong, just never entered his mind. I am sure that you use all kind of things that could be used for a receptacle for his 'leavings'. A drink can, a soup can, any type of the foil trays foods come in, practically anything would suffice. I would save something like that, and when he gets ready to go out, politely get it for him and say 'would you mind using this for your cigarette butts rather than using the lawn?' No need to make a big deal over it and create tension, I should think that if he thinks enough of you to visit, and you of him to allow him to, there would be no big deal here. I think he will appreciate your candor and letting him kindly know that his habits were not 'in order' or to you liking.

[rricardi58]

I actually have an issue with people that smoke as generally I find some of them to be rude and inconsiderate, especially in Vegas.  For some reason they always seem to put their cigarette down so that the smoke blows in my face and not theirs.  In addition I have a very bad sensitivity to irritants in the air.

When I was young I actually got conjunctivitis in my right eye shortly after being exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke.

I am not generally afraid to tell people off about smoking, especially if it is really bothering me.

[bigfoot951]

I think it is a combination of things.  They don't think much about it because they would it at their own house.  Also where else would they put it?  I don't smoke but when I use to have a bunch of friends over that smoked I had something outside for them to throw the butts in.