Toledo, OH: A raucous, smoke-choked barroom meeting found bar owners and AA members united in opposition to a smoking ban passed by the state's voters and effective today. A lawyer hired by the bar owners advised the crowd to file a lawsuit against the measure, and meanwhile to defy the law and keep puffing.United with the bar owners in opposition to the smoking ban was a member of the local AA club. The Toledo Blade reports:
Roy A. said he was misled.Source. The statement echoes the stance of an Omaha AA group reported here earlier.
He was certain that Idle Time, 2044 Genesee, a club for Alcoholics Anonymous members, was protected from the ban, so he voted for it. (Alcoholics Anonymous requires its members to remain anonymous.)
"I voted only because I thought it wasn't going to affect us. I thought us, the bowling alleys, and the VFW, and The Eagles, were exempt," he said, adding that almost all of the club's 200 members smoke. While they do not permit smoking at AA meetings, they allow it afterward. The law would change that. He intends to support the move to challenge the law.
2 comments:
It seems as though there would be some tradition violations regarding opinions on outside issues or affiliating with other groups.
People in the recovery community often die from tobacco related illness rather than from their original addiction. I believe that I read somewhere that Bill W. of AA and Jimmy K., of NA both died from tobacco rather than their original drugs of choice.
Being a recovering person, I believe that part of my recovery is to stop looking for things outside of myself to change the way I feel. Cigarettes changed the way I felt and I had to address that at about 5 years clean.
We want people in recovery to lead healthy productive lives. How can we support indoor smoking and recovery at the same time?
Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 people each year. For every 8 smokers that die, one non smoker died with them. Do we really want to kill off our recovery community?
Who will be there to carry the message?
I am against smoking laws but I am happy when I go home and don't smell like someone elses cigarette stink :)
http://tinyurl.com/y8ffd4
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