Q: I’ll have a cigarette at parties, especially when other people are partaking. Is it really that bad for me?
By some estimates, about 10 percent of people in the United States consider themselves “social smokers” who only light up when they’re with other people.
There isn’t much research on those of us who bum a cigarette every so often, but here’s what we do know: Cigarettes are still the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, and experts say that even social smoking carries risks — especially the risk of addiction.
We asked doctors and researchers how harmful the occasional drag can be.
How does smoking cigarettes affect your health?
Smoking harms you in two distinct ways, said Dr. Michael Blaha, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Smoking cigarettes can cause immediate damage to your lungs and heart, he explained, and it can increase your likelihood of developing chronic conditions down the road.
“It’s just amazing how toxic smoking can be,” Dr. Blaha said, even if you’re having just one cigarette a day.
When you take a pull, you inhale tobacco smoke that contains nicotine — and a host of additives that companies use to enhance the flavor and feel of your cigarette. When burned, they produce over 7,000 chemical compounds: These can increase your risk of several health conditions, and about 70 of them have been linked specifically to cancer.
Smoking can, unsurprisingly, irritate your lungs right away, leading to sore throats and coughs. You’re also more susceptible to respiratory infections, said Dr. Anil Vachani, a pulmonologist and co-director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at NYU Langone Health.
Over time, cigarettes permanently damage the small air sacs in your lungs, he added, making you more vulnerable to conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema.
Even the occasional smoke raises your blood pressure, constricts your blood vessels and stresses your heart while you’re doing it, said Dr. Blaha, who has conducted several studies on the effects of tobacco. When compared to nonsmokers, regular smokers are more likely to develop heart disease and have double the risk of having a stroke caused by blood clots.
Cancer risk goes up, too, Dr. Vachani said. Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer and significantly increases the chances of developing head and neck cancer. There’s also emerging research that smoking may raise the likelihood of dying from diseases not typically associated with cigarettes, including other types of cancer, infections and renal failure.
Does smoking fewer cigarettes help?
Dr. Blaha and his fellow researchers published a large study in November to assess whether smoking fewer cigarettes could reduce a person’s chances of developing the conditions mentioned above. The researchers determined that merely cutting back on cigarettes — say, going to half a pack per day from a full pack — does not meaningfully slash the likelihood of negative outcomes.
By contrast, when you quit, “your risk goes down immediately,” Dr. Blaha said, although it takes time — years, or even decades — to return to the level of a nonsmoker.
Even if you are a truly sporadic smoker, none of the experts say you’re totally in the clear. An annual cigarette probably won’t lead to a heart attack or stroke, but each one increases your odds of forming a habit.
“The risk of becoming addicted are less, but they’re not zero,” said Dr. Nancy Rigotti, director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Tobacco Research and Treatment Center. “I think you’re playing with fire.”
The party cigarette is even riskier for people who used to smoke regularly. “Sure, having two cigarettes after you quit 10 years ago is probably unlikely to change your health risks,” Dr. Vachani said. “But for anyone who’s been a regular smoker, it’s nearly impossible to just smoke two cigarettes and stop again.”
Are there ways to avoid temptation?
Dr. Vachani said he could understand the temptation to smoke during the holidays: It’s a time to celebrate, and drinking alcohol can increase the pleasure smokers get from cigarettes. “I try to tell people, keep your eye on the prize, which is your long-term health,” he said.
If you expect to be in a cigarette-heavy environment and hope to avoid smoking, MacKenzie Peltier, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Yale, recommended enlisting a friend who can support your mission. It’s also wise to have alternatives, like gum, on hand, she said.
Asking yourself why you want that cigarette could help, too. “Is it because you want to fit in and socialize? Is it because you’re feeling a little on edge around a bigger group, and you want to relax?” Dr. Peltier said. “When you think about why you may want to smoke, that can give you a lot of direction on how you can prevent yourself from doing it.”
The post Is an Occasional Cigarette Really That Bad? appeared first on New York Times.
