Last month the New Jersey legislature announced it is going to disallow smoking in bars and restaurants, just as the neighboring state of New York and others have. Naturally this has created quite an uproar amongst people who want to still smoke in said locations and with many of the restaurant and bar owners who fear it will cut into their bottom line if these smoking patrons decide to stay home and puff away.

Some are concerned that the government is overstepping its bounds in regulating personal behavior. This stance is countered by arguments related to workplace safety. With my admittedly limited understanding of legal matters, it seems to come down to the fact you cannot offer a job that has a preventable environmental health hazard, which second hand smoke is maintained to be for wait staff and bartenders.

In my role as a Certified Hypnotist I am gladdened by anything that will prevent people from starting smoking or encourages those with that habit to quit. Although I must also admit the fear of the ever- increasing intrusion of Big Brother into daily life is a reasonable one, on this matter I am willing to give Big Brother a pass due to the deceptive nature of smoking's dangers.

Awhile back I had the opportunity to view the Bodies in Motion exhibition of ?plastinated? bodies and body parts at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The work of a mad scientist type from Germany, these anatomical specimens are preserved by a special method that makes them seem freshly dissected, although they are hard and dry (and mercifully odor-free!).

Amongst this cabinet of curiosities is a number of ?smoker?s lungs? from donors ranging in age from young adult to senior citizen. In the younger specimens, the whitish pink tissue of the lungs was speckled with black pitting as if someone had wiped a barbecue pit or fireplace clean with them. The older smoker?s lungs simply looked as if they had fallen into the fire!

It struck me then that a major problem with smoking is that the damage occurs unseen and usually undetected until significant damage has occurred and people respond more strongly to visual images. If you cannot see it, the danger may not seem real, but it is.

Although farcical, one can?t help but wonder what would happen if the tobacco companies were forced to put an additive in their product that caused a disfigurement of the face identical to what the lungs experienced? By your 20?s or 30?s you might look like a chimney sweep who never seemed to bathe, by your later years an unfortunate burn victim. It would be a safe bet that few if any would be willing to even consider the smoking habit.

If you or someone you care about needs to quit smoking (or if you need a reminder as to why you stopped) be sure to visit my Quit Smoking page, although I will warn you there is a graphic illustration that contrasts the difference between a smoker and a non-smoker?s lungs. Curious?

Thank you for the high level of interest in the new Creative Calm Guest columnist feature, Judy Gepp?s article on how she utilizes alternative methods of healing to help people with life-changing illness drew a lot visitors and positive comments. If you haven?t have had a chance to read it yet, it will be posted for a couple of more weeks at the link below. In our next issue the featured columnist will be Amazon best-selling author Dr. Brian Walsh, who will be exploring How Emotions and Feelings Shape Learning. Also, if you are interested in being a featured guest columnist, please contact me for details.