We must fight together

November 10, 2020

Smoking is dangerous to your health. Remember this famous slogan from Soviet times? I would add that smoking while intoxicated is a cause of fires and deaths. After all, it holds the leading position in the statistics of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

However, alcohol and cigarettes are a dangerous combination not only for the smoker but often for those nearby as well.

Life stories.

"I give you my word!"

Every person has the right to choose how to live and what to do. Smokers have made their choice consciously, but others, relatives, and neighbors become hostages to their choice. And I do not want to be a hostage, to stand aside and wait for the consequences. Therefore, every time my downstairs neighbor smokes on the balcony, I lean out the window to make sure once again that he is throwing cigarette butts into a jar of water and not violating our agreement. Yes, I talked to him, persuaded him, brought him leaflets and brochures, and even argued a couple of times. I don't know after which time, but my words had an effect – neighbor Kolka no longer throws cigarette butts just anywhere. And just a year ago, the neighbors' balcony burned down because of our "talented" smoker, and in general... He explains his behavior like this:

- My friend burned down, I heard, maybe he fell asleep with a cigarette. Who would have known it would turn out like this, he was a young man. And you, neighbor, have annoyed me with your moralizing, although you seem to be right. I give you my word, I will only throw cigarette butts into the ashtray. All that remains is to take his word for it, and although I don't have a hundred percent certainty, I feel a little calmer. As they say, knock, and it will be opened to you... or heard. But what can you do, hoping for the best is not my option.

"That's what we do."

A raid on the private sector. We enter a house divided into two halves – one is rented by a family of three, the other is occupied by a retired father and his unemployed forty-year-old son. A thin partition separates completely different lives.

- What can we say, we live as if on a powder keg, - the couple shares. We installed smoke detectors in every room, and as you can see, our neighbors are not the easiest people. Last year, there was a fire, luckily my husband was returning from his second shift, heard the smoke detector, and managed to douse the sofa. As they say, God was merciful. But what's to guarantee they won't throw a cigarette butt again, they drink...

The second half of the house is in complete chaos. Wallpaper hangs in tattered garlands on the walls, the color of the once-painted floor cannot be determined – a thick layer of dirt, trash, cigarette butts.... As they say in the people, you put one foot down, you have to think where to place the other.

- Well, how do you live like this? – we try to reason with the owner and his son. They say you almost burned down last year? And your neighbors have a small child, you are endangering them too. When will you tidy up?

- We, uh, we were thinking about it tomorrow, - the son tries to justify himself.

- Is it difficult to throw cigarette butts into a jar of water? – we continue our offensive against the negligent owners.

- Well, we do it like that, - assures the owner with a slurred tongue, stuffing a cigarette butt into his jacket pocket...

To all our other questions and admonishments, the father and son obediently replied: "We do it like that."

As they say, no comments are needed – and here we were unlucky with the neighbors. But why does the destructive addiction of some become a danger to others? And most importantly, how to deal with it? The question, apparently, is rhetorical. Although... Let's try to go outside and ask random passers-by.

Valentina M, a student at one of the capital's universities: "I would punish them to the fullest extent of the law if a fire occurred due to a smoker's fault; they should definitely be held accountable. Perhaps many others would stop in time."

Sergey Ivanovich, a pensioner: "In tsarist times, smokers were punished mercilessly. And in our time, this issue should be approached strictly. Then they won't dare, even if they are fined – that's also an effective measure."

Stanislav, a decorative artist: "I've been smoking for as long as I can remember. Whether to smoke or not is a person's choice, but when your habit endangers another person's life – that's wrong."