Smokers' Etiquette

Smoking, once considered the symbol of being ‘cool', is today, a sign that you are uncaring not only of your own health, but also of the effect of your toxic fumes on others! If you have to smoke, remember to check for no smoking signs, and to ask those sitting in close proximity to you if they mind, before you light up.

• Smoking is not only hazardous to your health, it can be hazardous to your career.
  
• Smoking is now considered a sign of weakness rather than a sign of sophistication. In fact, smoking now has strong ethnic and class associations.
  
• When in someone's home, look out for ashtrays. If they are absent, it's a clear indication that smoking is not welcome there. Don't embarrass your host by asking whether they mind if you smoke, and don't cloud up the bathroom by smoking in there. Go out into a balcony or garden.
  
• Never ask, "May I smoke?" even if you see an ashtray and your host is not smoking.
  
• Because of possible legal repercussions to you or to the establishment, never smoke in an ‘no-smoking' establishment.
  
• Always ask your visitors if they mind you smoking.
  
• When you do smoke, always keep an eye on the direction of your smoke and make sure it is not blowing into someone else's face.
  
• Be neat; never litter with your ashes or your cigarette butts.
  
• If smoking is allowed in restaurants in your area, always ask your guest beforehand if smoking or non-smoking seating is preferred.
  
• Never smoke in between courses while dining. Wait until coffee is served at the end of the meal.
  
• Never smoke while others are still eating.
  
• Never smoke a cigar or a pipe in a restaurant unless it is a ‘cigar-smoking' establishment.
  
• Never smoke a cigar or a pipe in someone else's home unless the host invites you to join him in a cigar, preferably in a well-ventilated area.
  
• In a smoking environment, it is polite to offer others a cigarette if you light up.
  
• If you are a non-smoker, don't react violently to someone who lights up in your vicinity. Ask them politely to put out their cigarette. There are very few who will not oblige, or at least move away from you.
  
• If a non-smoker tells you your cigarette is an irritant, be considerate and move elsewhere or extinguish the cigarette; your smoke is invading their space.
  
• In an office, ‘no smoking' is often an unwritten code. Be considerate of others. Those in cubicles next to you should not have to be subjected to your second hand smoke. Even if you are lucky enough to have your own cabin, give a thought to your visitors, and open a window occasionally to clear the haze.
  
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