Smokers who work in hospitals...

SFGiants13 · Senior User Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 126 Location: CA SF

I've always wondered about people who work in hospitals and why they choose to smoke when they know it's not good for their health. I remember when I had treatments, I would walk outside of the building to get some sun, but I would see workers sitting in the smoking lounge area. These are the people who are working to help patients that are seriously ill, etc. You would think that a healthcare professional wouldn't even dare go down that road, I just wonder why?

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1003 Location: UK

It will always hit the other person!

cardoso · Guest

It´s called personal responsability.

If you´re a person working in a hospital, and you´re full aware of the long-term effect of smoking, and do it anyway, I say "go for it".

People do stupid things all the time, like jumping from perfectly good planes, or swimning with stingrays.

"I know it´s harmfull but I like it enough to take my chances". That´s fine.

What I don´t get is people stupid enough to claim "there´s no solid link between smoking and cancer".

//non-smoker
//hate the damn things

SFGiants13 · Senior User Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 126 Location: CA SF

I would agree with the both of you and I guess nobody's perfect. People will take risks or do stupid things because they want to but do people ever think? Question

brainman

Hi all,

I think this is an interesting but complicated question. Smoking is addicting and not so easy to stop once you have become addicted. Many if not most healthcare workers started smoking before becoming healthcare workers. I know many healthcare workers who have tried multiple times to stop. Most hospitals that I have worked in even have programs to help their employees to stop smoking. Some people are able to stop. Others, even some who work in oncology areas, are not able to stop smoking for very long.

It is easy to fault the smokers. But most of them started to smoke a long time before they could really understand or believe in the dangers of tobacco.
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Richard Day Gore

I agree with brainman (although it always strikes me as absurd to have to elbow my way through the doctors and other medical professionals who gather outside the hospital door to suck death into their lungs).

The only cigarette you actually choose to smoke is the first one. It's a horrible addiction that puts a lot of people in the grave, and will put a lot of tobacco company executives (and the politicians who kiss their butts) into Hell.

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LostMyFriend · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject: Won't Happen to Me

I think Health care professionals smoke because they think. "It won't happen to me." They can always find that case of the person who smoked for 50 years and didn't have any ill effects.

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1003 Location: UK

Quite apart from the addiction and possible health effects, smoking reduces stress and many people working in stressful jobs smoke for that reason. Just look at all the driving instructors who smoke [or used to smoke before smoking bans were introduced]. Shocked

In

Smoking is an addiction. Just like-

Drinking, Shopping, Gambling, Drugs, Food. Anything can be a addiction. But things such as Smoking, drinking and drugs- all have that Active Ingrediant to make that much worse, or harder to kick.

Anything Medical, would have to be high stress, you'd think. Alot of people have urges while under stress.

Me- its food, or no food. Depends on what kind of stress. Either I eat anything and everything. or nothing at all.. Or Something, sweet, cool, and toxic- Like Vodka mixed drink.
I haven't got the stress of peoples lives on my hands, or seeing sadness everyday, in and out. So I guess my stress is no where near as bad......Just as I know that peice of Chocolate is going straight to my third chin. or that spare tire- and not the one on the car. Wink

. I know it's bad for me- health, Cancer, weight, and state of mind- But for that single Instant in time- it's gooooood! Razz

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harry1984 · Regular Joined: 25 Aug 2007 Posts: 19

The reason people smoke, even they know it's bad for them, is because they think they're special. They think they're the unique individual who will be the exception. It's as simple as that...nicotine addictions aside.

Anonymous · Guest

[quote="SFGiants13"]I've always wondered about people who work in hospitals and why they choose to smoke when they know it's not good for their health. I remember when I had treatments, I would walk outside of the building to get some sun, but I would see workers sitting in the smoking lounge area. These are the people who are working to help patients that are seriously ill, etc. You would think that a healthcare professional wouldn't even dare go down that road, I just wonder why?[/quote]
The stress of the job requires a quick outlet. Smoking happens to be a stress reliever. Working at a hospital is very stressful my aunt used to work as a surgeon and for about a month after she started working she found that smoking was a great outlet for her. Her husband who is a kidney surgeon discouraged the smoking. Instead she goes to see a therapist once a month to let the steam blow.
She actually said it's cheaper than smoking everything month. It costs her $75.00 a month for therapy and it cost about $5.00 a pack every day for a month straight that comes out to double the price of therapy.

ChemoMan

Hi

You are obviously not a smoker and have never been one. Nicotine is the most addictive of all drugs. 3 cigarettes on average and you are hooked, end of story. Most people start smoking when they are young and stupid and think they know it all. By the time they realize its hurting them it too late. It is so difficult to give up that some people never manage it.
Smoking does not relieve stress. It causes it, especially if you haven't had a smoke for a while. What smoking does do is give you time away from stress, as you need to get away to have a smoke.

The best way to not smoke is don't start. Just one cigarette can have you hooked for life, it really is that addictive.
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Floridagirl2 · Regular Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 16

i think too, the smokers who work at hospitals also see a great number of people with lung cancer who have never smoked a day in their life. so they figure if it's gonna happen then it's gonna happen.

Jean222 · Senior User Joined: 14 Dec 2008 Posts: 249

When I entered Nursing School, at age 33, I was astonished at how many health workers smoked!

Not many of the docs but almost every nursing student, professors and others....were heavy smokers.

Having cardiac issues and asthma, I didn't smoke til after my first cardioversion.....shocked me back with the paddles thingy!

I had had cardiac problems for about 5 years but was soooo frightened after watching myself flatline and then being hit with the paddles.

First thing I did when discharged, was to cross the road to buy my ciggies.

After a few weeks, I realized that it was 'probably' counterproductive....lol....but still enjoyed them.

I put the pack in my bottom dresser drawer, in case of emergency.....and forgot all about them. Found them when spring cleaning and tossed them out.

The other major problems within the medical profession, are drug addiction and alcoholism. I knew many nurses who had to 'feel good' to make it through their shifts.
It was not rare to have someone 'share' a patients injectable drugs....1/2 for the patient, 1/2 for the nurse.

Now, with pumps and single dosing, it's probably much harder to access drugs.....a good thing, IMO.

Although I never finished the course, Nsg. School and clinicals were real eye openers. (I almost finished, does that count...lol)

Didn't finish due to a third high risk pregnancy....our youngest is a beautiful young woman but is heading to law school, not medicine! Wink

Ackles · Regular Joined: 12 May 2009 Posts: 22

It is pretty easy today to shake our heads at the smokers out there, especially the one's who work in the health care system, but I think people need to realize that quitting is much easier said than done.

I've never been a heavy smoker but I still have problems quitting. I'm currently on my sixth (and so far most successful) attempt, but I should be honest and admit that recently being diagnosed with asthma has motivated me more.

What people need to understand is that smoking is not just an addiction to the nicotine, but that it is social habit. I used to always smoke whenever I went to the pub, drank my morning coffee or walked to work. Now, I avoid the pub, switched to drinking tea and chewing straws at my desk, and changed my walk route. These tricks help more than doing research on the negative side effects of cigarette smoke. As was previously mentioned, we all think it won't happen to us, or that we'll stop before it gets [i]really[/i] dangerous, which we all know is pretty much the second you start smoking.

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