This week I want to discus smoking around single women. Do you smoke? If you do, I want to give you a few tips to help overcome womens' objections to dating smokers.

It really doesn't seem fair, but a lot of single women are turned off by people who smoke. They have their reasons, which I will get into later.

Please follow these rules that will make it easier for your date to tolerate your smoking:

1. Women are very turned off by smokers breath. You may not notice your breath because you are so used to smoking, but to women who don't smoke she finds it very offensive. Also, she may refuse to kiss you because of your smokers breath.

So, what's the cure to this problem? Be sure and use a strong mouthwash before you go out on your date. And if you smoke during your date, be sure and use breath mints. I just can't express enough to you how important this is.

2. Never assume that it's ok to light up a cigarette in front of your date. Always ask her permission first. She may not want you to smoke at all and may be very offended if you light up without asking her first.

3. If you do light up, whatever you do, don't blow smoke in her direction. And even worse, don't light up a cigar on your date. The odor is offensive to others as well as your date.

4. Do you smoke a lot in your apartment or house? If you do it leaves an odor offensive to women who don't smoke on your upholstery, curtains, carpet, furniture, etc. So, before you have your date over be sure and spray your place with air fresheners and light some scented candles when you first come in the door with your date.

Why go to all this trouble? Because, a lot of single women find the odor of cigarette smoke very offensive. You may not smell it, but I can assure you that women are like blood hounds when it comes to picking up scents and odors. Plus, some women have allergic reactions to smoke. It can clog up their lungs, make their eyes burn and water, make their sinuses run, upset their stomach, etc.

Let me recommend a product that eliminates smoke odors completely in your apartment or home. It's called EASY 1-2-3 Odor and Fragrance. It will remove all smoke smells from all sources. To find out where you can buy it in your area, call 214-EASY123.

5. And last, please show some respect for single women who don't smoke. Don't take the attitude of, "If she doesn't like me smoking, then tough shit! I'll smoke when and where I damn well please." With this attitude she may not want to date you.

In closing, what I'm about to say is not a lecture on quitting smoking. I just want to tell you about what happened to my very best friend:

He is only 37 years old and has been smoking between 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day since he has 16 years old. Also, he drinks 5-6 cans of Coke a day. And to make matters worse, he eats a high-fat diet and has a high-strung personality.

I've known him for over 11 years and I've always been worried about him smoking too much and his diet. I've always feared he would pay the price someday for not living a healthy lifestyle.

And sure enough, my worse fears for him became true. He recently had a stroke. Thank God he is not paralyzed, but it affected his speech. His speech is slow and slurred. With therapy maybe he will get his speech back. What's so sad is he made his living as a salesman and now with his speech problem, he'll have a hard time finding work.

Now, let's get to the worse part. The damned idiot is still smoking! He can't quit. I'm afraid he is setting himself up for another stroke which will be more severe or fatal.

In closing, for health reasons please quit smoking if you do. If you can't quit on your own, please seek professional help. Plus, if you don't smoke you can get more dates, because some single women refuse to date smokers.