Social Smoking: Risks, Addiction, and the Impact of Alcohol

Social smoking is occasionally smoking tobacco in social settings. Often a social situation triggers the desire for tobacco use. Social smoking causes tobacco addiction and increases the risks of developing serious health conditions.

Social Smoking and Alcohol

• Generally, social smokers will congregate in settings such as clubs or bars that encourage smoking and drinking together. As alcohol aids the absorption of carcinogens, smoking and drinking together increases the risk of cancer of the throat, mouth and larynx.

Social Smoking and Health Problems

• Social smokers face serious health problems. Along with the occasional smoke, the level of exposure to secondhand smoke is high, since any level of tobacco consumption will still increase chances of cancer, heart disease and premature death.

Social Smoking and Addiction

• Social smoking increases the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine. One cigarette leads to another, quickly forming a smoking habit. A long-term smoker will start out as a social smoker but will find quitting very difficult after a certain period of time.