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Has The Coronavirus Pandemic Killed Social Smoking?

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I was 14 the first time I had a cigarette (mam and dad, don’t read this). I was hanging out with a group of friends after school and, yes, I got peer pressured into it. Not wanting to feel left out and curious about what it would actually feel like, I had my first experimental puff – and coughed up my lungs.

Since then, I’ve been on and off the cigarettes, depending on who I’ve been with and how many pints I’ve sunk. Because I only smoked on nights out, I refused to consider myself a ‘proper smoker’ – despite sometimes going through a packet of 20 Malboro menthols in one sitting. As an asthmatic, I knew it was stupid to be puffing away in the first place, however occasionally.

But most of my friends smoked and it felt like a social activity – a chance to take a breather (cough) and catch up outside the pub or club. As well as the nicotine coursing through my veins with every drag, I felt at ease when I smoked with others. It melted away any stress or anxieties –– and doubled with alcohol, it was like I didn’t have a care in the world.

But who are we kidding? Social smoking is still smoking. And even one or two cigarettes can put your health at risk.

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“Nicotine addiction is not just about keeping the level of the drug topped up to avoid withdrawal symptoms,” Professor Robert West, an expert on smoking from University College London, explains. “Addiction works by forming an association between situations where a person would typically smoke, which then creates the impulse to smoke when they find themselves in that situation again. A lot of daily smokers report very strong situational cravings.”

In 2019, I decided to bin my...

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