Dr. D.,

My roommate is practically a chain-smoker. All of my stuff now reeks of smoke! How do I politely say, "Take your cancer stick outside and stop killing my lungs!" — not to mention voice my concern about what she's doing to her own lungs?

-Bad Air

Dear BA,

"Smooooooking!" This refrain, once uttered by Jim Carrey in the movie "The Mask" seems appropriate here for two reasons.

One, it seems to capture the intensity of your emotions as you talk about the infringement on your rights, and two, this is about a person who once actually made a conscious decision to smoke, but now does it repeatedly for physical, possibly emotional and sometimes unconscious reasons. Now, don't think for a moment that I am rationalizing or justifying her reported chain-smoking. I am just stating what I know to be the possible course of events of one who evolves into more than just a casual smoker.

I am not going to "blow smoke up your butt" and go on a rant about people who choose to smoke because that is just what one expects from a health educator. We all know smoke taken into the lungs can harm your body, and smoke taken into one's lungs over time undoubtedly will harm the lungs and body — some of it reversible and some not. If she does not know this, well then, cigarettes might not be the only thing she is smoking. It is her right to choose to smoke, and I will protect that as long as she has the knowledge and the clarity to understand consequences.

Now, when someone's decision to smoke invades your decision to not have it affect your surroundings, that becomes a domain in which you need to voice your choices. Keep in mind that smoking is just that — a personal choice. It's important to treat it the same way you would if your roommate refused to do the dishes or came stumbling in drunk at 3 a.m. every night — respectfully.

Before approaching your roommate, ask yourself questions about what you hope to be the outcome of this conversation. Do you want your roommate to start smoking outside? Are you concerned about your personal belongings? Your heath? Their health? Do you want them to stop smoking altogether? Why? You may want to remember what you have control over and what you don't. It is appropriate to express concern for your belongings, your health and even your roommate's health — just be cautious about making demands.

If your roommate expresses interest in quitting, she is not alone. According to National College Health Assessment data from 2006, only 21 percent of MSU students have reported smoking cigarettes in the past month, with 9 percent saying they smoke on a weekly or daily basis. If they want to quit, a good resource is MSU QuitNet. Sponsored by Olin Health Center and Health4U, it is a place to help people develop a plan on how to effectively quit, with available counselors as well as a "medication wizard" to help you choose the right quitting medication and even tells you how much money and lifetime you're saving as you quit. It's available at www.quitnet.com. Or, they can come into Olin Health Center or e-mail our alcohol, tobacco and other drug health educator Rebecca Allen at rebecca.allen@ht.msu.edu.

Frankly, I don't like to smell smoke, so when I can, I try to control it by negotiating with the person or establishment that is impacting my decisions. When I can't control it, I just decide to butt out and avoid it.

Wishing you good air and a peaceful existence,

Dr. D.

Dennis Martell, Ph.D., is a coordinator of Olin Health Education and writes a weekly health column for The State News. E-mail him your questions at dennis.martell@msu.edu.