a long-awaited excuse

An article entitled, "Secondhand Smoke and Mental Health" appeared in the June 14, 2010 issue of the New York Times. The article states that smokers "are known to suffer from high rates of depression and other mental health problems." It goes on to state that a study now finds "that even people exposed to secondhand smoke are at significantly increased risk - and more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness."

My mother and father and aunts and uncles were notorious smokers. I grew up in a cloud of cigarette smoke. It wasn't until I visited some of my friends' homes that I realized that the air inside could be clear, with an unobstructed view.

The article goes on to state, "Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke were 1.5 times as likely to suffer from symptoms of psychological distress as unexposed nonsmokers. The risk increased with greater exposure. And though psychiatric hospitalizations were rare over all, they were almost three times as common for the exposed nonsmokers, according to the study."

So, if I begin manifesting strange behavior or seem unusually depressed, well, you can figure it out . . .