In the distant past, I used to be able to sit down at a bar where people would smoke, and not mind at all. Then came the smoking ban, which made me find it unpleasant, but not a big deal. Then came the lockdowns, and I got used to breathing super fresh air all the time. Now I start coughing if someone outdoors smokes 5m away from me and the wind blows it in my direction. Does this happen to anyone else or is it just me?
Yep. It’s a known thing. You were adjusted to second hand smoke. Now you’re not. This is what people who aren’t around smokers enough smell and experience. Personally it started happening to me in the Army. I wasn’t a smoker at the time and out in the field it’s ridiculously obvious as a smell. So much so that by the time I left, the unit leaders had banned smoking in the field and told the smokers to dip or use patches. Not out of any health concern but because the smell carries so far it’s a risk to the unit.