Smokers

(When did this turn into a health blog?!)

I honestly cannot figure out why people are still smoking. Smoking increases risk of almost all types of cancer, heart disease, lung disease, skin disease, and takes between 5 and 10 years off of your life! How are people still doing this?!
I only ask because, to be honest, I encountered far fewer smokers in L.A. than I have in Florida. Even the smokers I did see in L.A. were more polite about their smoke than people have been here. Granted, it is harder to find a place to smoke in L.A.; but wouldn't you think the bible belt covered in families would be healthier than a bunch of Hollywood yahoos? I sat down to an outdoor lunch the other day and was shocked at the amount of people who sat outside just so they could smoke before and after their meal (which in turn meant that I was inhaling smoke before and after my meal). They didn't stand up and move away from people eating; they didn't even seem to mind that passers-by were coughing and waving their hands. They just kept right on smoking.
I think I'm going to make it my goal this year to help someone stop smoking. I don't know anyone offhand that smokes, but I am going to find one!