I lost my sympathy for smokers thirty years ago.
A neighbor smoked and fell asleep in his downstairs living room. The house burned. He got out. His five kids and wife, all sleeping upstairs, died.
At the funeral, he was smoking and continued to smoke.
I knew then it was not just a habit, but an addiction. And probably a worse addiction than most.
It's an addiction and a habit - and like any habit, you have to take responsibility for it.
I smoke. I need to quit. I will, someday.
However, as I had quit before, I learned how it smells. Smokers cannot smell it. If they could, this thread would not be happening.
Ever since, I use large air filters in my apartment, the large "Ionic Breeze" tower ones (Not that brand, they're just more expensive because they're on TV). I change my filters regularly. People who visit do not complain about the smell, and I don't get the nicotine film over all of my belongings. I want to get one for my car now, too, they work very well.
Even as a smoker, I hate a room full of smoke, and I never have that now. I'd bet if this couple got a decent sized one, nobody would ever know they were smoking. I hate the anti-smoking nazis too, but we smokers have to be considerate with our habit - it's not just a bunch of over-sensitive people, cigarette smoke does stink, we just can't smell it.