<p>that, northstarmom, is your opinion 
i guess i’m weird but i liked the smell ever since i was a young child. (my parents didn’t smoke)</p>
<p>Sternman, the problem with one cigarette a month is that nicotine is an addictive substance. When you quit smoking, your body went through a big adjustment while breaking your dependence on nicotine. Smoking an occasional cigarette reintroduces nicotine into your system. It would probably be better not to mess around with that. The risk, of course, is that you could find yourself smoking regularly again and therefore facing the difficult experience of needing to quit again.</p>
<p>ever KISS a smoker? blech</p>
<p>and I didn’t tell someone what to do, iloveagoodbrew, pretty defensive eh</p>
<p>and smokers can’t smell themselves either, sense of smell, and taste are diminished</p>
<p>if a girl needs to smoke, or a guy for that matter, so feel or look sexy, smoking is the least of their problems</p>
<p>I haven’t smoked for over 25 years (my wife wouldn’t marry me unless I quit). The other day, someone near me lit a cigarette. The smell of the lighter and the first bit of tobacco smoke triggered a longing that I would have thought was long dead. </p>
<p>I am one of the few who tapered off gradually, and always wanted the freedom to smoke just one cigarette a month or year or whatever. But I know (and the incident the other day reinforced it) that I couldn’t do that. It’s the first cigarette of the day that’s the best, and if you only had one per month (or TRIED to have one per month), it would be just TOO good. You’d be started back up again in no time.</p>
<p>It reminds me of the title on a book about heroin I saw in the bookstore one day: It’s So Good, Don’t Even Try It Once, by David Elvin Smith.</p>
<p>I was up to 3 packs a day in NY worker bee days. It took about 10 years for the craving to subside. I see friends “just have one” and marvel that they can enjoy an occasional cigarette. Not me. It would start it all up again. At my annual chest x-ray I thank myself for finally quitting. What a stupid habit that was.</p>
<p>its estimated that for every cigarette you smoke, your life is shortened by 14 minutes. doesnt sound like much, but it can add up pretty quickly. nicotine is also by far one of the most addictive drugs</p>
<p>I think it depends on you
I quit when cigarettes were $0.65 a pack- but apparently that was before the nicotine level was artifically enhanced, and I didn’t have any problem quitting.
I am sure if I really wanted to , I could smoke one a month.
but I don’t want to.
I do know people who smoke very infrequently, but I think for most people, that is too difficult.
Obviously the people that do smoke are getting something out of it despite all the negatives.
There seems to be a lot more to it than just being a nicotine dispensing aid, otherwise patches and gum would be more effective.
<a href=“http://www.lsc.org/tobacco/health/addiction.html[/url]”>http://www.lsc.org/tobacco/health/addiction.html</a></p>
<p>
Oh really? Not 12 minutes? Not 15 minutes? I can smell some junk science right through my monitor. Just where is a study that justifies this?</p>
<p>I believe a person’s susceptibility to oral cancers and lung cancer is heavily influenced by genes. Thus, in addition to the pros and cons mentioned here, consider your family history. Think carefully about smoking even once a month if you have any blood relative that has had cancer, especially oral or lung cancer, or a lung disease.</p>
<p>iloveagoodbrew:
i found that in the texbook “Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society” (3rd ed.) by Charles Levinthal; a commonly used text in health psych.</p>
<p>lol there’s no point arguing about the dangers of smoking…everyone knows that smoking kills.
OP, it’s your decision. I stand by the advice I gave earlier: do not buy cigarettes for yourself–having a pack handy is not good. Buy a couple cigarettes from friends so that once you have your monthly smoke, you’ll be done. If your friends respect you and your choices, they will refuse to get you any more cigarettes until next time. Thankfully, while nicotine is addictive, you won’t be scrounging for a pack of cigarettes like a deranged junkie. This is still an exercise in self-discipline though, so be careful.</p>