Yeah, it was weird. Most restaurants had a non-smoking section because allowing people to smoke everywhere was the norm. Leaded gasoline. Little kids playing with real fireworks. The 70s and 80s were a wild ride of irresponsibility.

It wasn't all bad, though. It was cool being a kid at times. Playing outside almost every day until dinner time with the other kids in the neighborhood.

Grew up in Asia. The less fancy one. Used to go buy my Dad cigarettes from across the street and toss out the filters when I was like 8 lol.

*He's been smoke free for over 22 years. The amount of disinformation from Big tobacco, at least where I grew up, was insane. He is a very educated man and still... Cigarette was a status symbol, symbol of sophistication, when he was growing up.

i’m old enough to remember smoking sections on airplanes. Not to be dramatic but, I felt like I was going to die!

Jokes on you. You also didn't know how bad everyone smelled because you smelled just like them.

I always thought I had bad indoor allergies until i moved out of my parents house. They have chain smoked inside with the windows closed for my whole life. Moving out was the best thing I ever did for my health.

I hate cigarettes now, especially since I quit smoking myself(didnt smoke inside though) I don't even know why I started in the first place. I'm dumb I guess?

In the 80s and 90s a cool ash tray was a good gift for literally anyone. Even teenagers since half of them were smoking reefer

Dont worry americans if you want to smell smoke 24/7 just come to france or eastern europe.

Living in Norway, it always strikes me how disgusting smoking still is, even outside, when i go to central europe. You get completely unused to the amount of smoke and stink e.g. outside of stores

Despite never having touched a cigarette in my life, my mom smokes pretty heavily... Knowing i probably stink to everyone else really sucks ;-;

Since my colleagues have missed the invention of Deodorant and washing themselves I'd beg to differ.

My neighbour smokes indoors. When she opens the door, I get the smell you are talking about.

Once in a great while, I have a brain fart and tell the restaurant host "two for non".

I remember coming home from shows in high school/college and I would have to shower and throw my clothes in the washer. I was so happy when smoking was finally banned in clubs.

Well, now the streets just smell like weed instead.

I still remember when it was okay to smoke inside hospitals. Fun times...
When I quit, it took just a few weeks to recover my sense of smell, and I wish it didn't because my house reeked of acrid smoke for months. Even my clean clothes smelt like unwashed smoked ass, it was sickening.

Born in early 90's. We were still responding "non" to the first question that was asked entering a restaurant.

I grew up in a house with smokers, picked it up as a teenager and smoked a pack a day for 20 years after that. Now I can smell someone lighting up 2 blocks away.

It's kind of crazy. As time passed without smoking, I noticed many things smelled differently to me. For example, I was repulsed by the smell of cheddar cheese the first time I smelled it after quitting. I can't put it into words properly but it smelled so different from what I was expecting that the thought of taking a bite made my stomach turn.

Also once about eight years ago I was in Kentucky doing the bourbon trail. It's pretty rural aside from the distilleries, and finding somewhere to eat lunch on Sunday was hard as almost everything is closed, we ended up at some place they called a bourbon gastropub, but that meant that the dining room side was the only part fit to eat in, but all that was open was the horrible bar which was made of raw particle board, and there were members of the Klan sitting at it, who had the leather vests with the blood drop cross. There was literally nowhere else to eat so we ordered, but I felt terrified the whole time, and as we were wrapping up one of the Klan lit a cigarette at the bar and just sat there, and nobody said anything. It was quite stunning.

I was born in the early 80s. Yes I remember a time when so many people smoked and indoor smoking was extremely common.

Even children's places were ok for adults to smoke in. You know on how many arcade bars today they have cup holders bolted onto the machines for people to put their drinks (alcoholic or otherwise)? Back in the 80s and 90s, they had the same thing in many of those arcades... but they were bolted on ashtrays.

You can also just take a trip to the Waffle House off I-95 in Florence, SC. It allowed smoking when I was there in 2014 and probably still does.

going to the grocery store and seeing an employee with a big dust-mop going up and down the aisles pushing along an ever-growing pile of cigarette butts because everyone would just drop 'em and step on 'em and keep on shopping...