Occasional Smoker

admin  7/31/2022
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Although national smoking rates have steadily decreased, one area of the population has seen a dramatic increase; Light and Intermittent Smokers (LITS) now comprise roughly 25-33% of all smokers. The rates have risen dramatically in the last decade and the trend is expected to continue.1,2,3 Understanding this trend is essential in providing effective smoking cessation and prevention programs targeting this population.1,2 Smoking tobacco negatively affects virtually every organ in the human body, and regardless of quantity, smoking any tobacco is associated with an overall decrease in health as well as quality of life.4,5

  1. While the overall number of smokers in the United States is dropping, the proportion of occasional smokers appears to be on the rise. Government surveys show that the number of nondaily smokers.
  2. Someday smoker: An adult who has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime, who smokes now, but does not smoke every day. Previously called an “occasional smoker”. Smoking status: A recoded variable based on several questions about cigarette smoking. It includes the categories of current smoker, former smoker, never smoked, and smoking status unknown.

Who are Light and Intermittent Smokers? Controversy in Labeling

While the average person recognizes a difference between an occasional smoker, and a full-blown smoker, the life insurance industry does not make the same distinction. If you smoked just a few cigarettes in the past year, a life insurance company will consider you to be a smoker. It could be cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco or nicotine-suppression products. An insurer may consider you a smoker if you use e-cigarettes. Vaping often contains nicotine. Plus, even if you’re vaping to quit smoking, insurance companies usually don’t consider that a smoke cessation tool. The Best Cigars for Occasional Smokers #1 - Ashton Classic. Creamy, luxurious, and approachable tasting notes of cedar, cashews, almonds, and coffee beans. #2 - Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente. The Fuente family built its world-renowned reputation on classic blends like Arturo. #3 - La Aroma de.

The literature for light and intermittent smokers varies greatly in methodological approaches and measures. Most notably, these studies are inconsistent in their operational definitions for smoking groups; some focus on number of cigarettes consumed per smoking day, others focus simply on number of smoking days, while yet others focus on physiological dependence as basis for definitions. The various definitions used to label light and intermittent smokers include, but are not limited to:

  • “Chippers” smoke < 5 cigarettes per day (CPD) on 2-6 days per week and never more than 10 CPD on any given day, with some studies requiring that they have smoked at this level for at least two years.5,6,7
  • “Lightsmokers” smoke < 10 CPD regardless of number of days per week.8
  • “Light and Intermittent Smokers” smoke 1-39 cigarettes per week, or an average of 10 CPD, or 1-4 grams of tobacco per day, and have never smoked daily. 4,9,10,11
  • “Low-levelSmokers” smoke < 20 CPD and < 1 pack per week. 12,13
  • “Low-rate smokers” smoke < 5 CPD and never more than 10 CPD.14,15
  • “Non-dailysmokers” smoke < 7 days per week and may smoke < 3 packs per week.16,22
  • “Occasionalsmokers” smoke < 5 CPD and smoke < 3 times per week, usually dependent on circumstances such as partying or drinking or after meals.17,18
  • “Socialsmokers” smoke < 5 CPD and < 7 days per week in last two years and have never exceeded that limit.17,19,20

Discrepancies in definitions raise doubts about the reliability of conclusions drawn from these studies. Furthermore, comparative analysis between studies becomes increasingly difficult. Overall, we suggest smoking definitions and terms that are: 1) relevant to your setting and patient/consumer population and 2) based on behavior patterns rather than assumptions about motivations for smoking, which vary from person to person. For conceptualizing special populations of low-use smokers, focusing on distinguishing between those smokers with a daily pattern versus those with nondaily patterns of smoking may be most helpful, and we recommend the terms “nondaily smoker” and “Light and Intermittent Smoker”.1,2

How do they differ from daily smokers?

In comparison to daily smokers, light and intermittent smokers tend to:

  • Be younger in age21,22
  • Have higher levels of education22,23,24
  • Have higher socioeconomic status22,24
  • Have higher levels of self-control25,26
  • Have lower sensation-seeking impulses25,26,27
  • Smoke fewer cigarettes per smoking day28
  • Report fewer physiological dependence symptoms28
  • Perceive quitting as not difficult14,28
  • Drink alcohol excessively38
  • Be female38

Define Occasional Smoker

​Moreover, LITS primarily emphasize the “pleasurable” aspects of smoking such as handling a cigarette in contrast to pharmacological and addiction-related motives such as craving and habit. One study reported 75% of LITS smoke only when they could really enjoy the experience while only 17% of daily smokers said the same.29 These findings suggest that LITS behaviors seem to be driven by positive reinforcement, in contrast to daily smokers whose smoking behaviors are primarily driven by negative reinforcement (e.g., alleviation of withdrawal symptoms).One myth about nondaily smoking is that it’s just a stage of smoking initiation, or that all nondaily smokers will become daily smokers. Studies suggest that while not all light and intermittent smokers become daily smokers, they may be more vulnerable to daily use of tobacco as exposure to smoking is increased over time. 30 Furthermore, light and intermittent smoking youth are equally as likely to either quit smoking or become heavier smokers.40

Nondaily Smoking and Alcohol Use

Evidence suggests that alcohol use and smoking are uniquely related. Although smokers, in general, have an elevated risk of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, there may be a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and nondaily smoking in particular. Studies show that while drinking, daily smokers report smoking more cigarettes than nondaily smokers. However, nondaily smokers report a significantly greater proportion of their smoking days as occurring on days in which they also drank alcohol. One study proposed reduced cognitive capacity as a result of alcohol consumption as the most likely reason smoking is increased following intoxication.35 Additional research is needed to appreciate the mechanisms of this relation, which may be social, biological, and psychological.31,32,33,34

Race Specific Factors

A study from 2001 revealed that 86% of African-American light smokers wanted to quit smoking, yet they were less likely to receive physician intervention compared to their white counterparts.37 Asian-Americans have been found to have disproportionately higher rates of light smoking compared to their white counterparts. This may be explained by findings from genetic research showing that individuals of Asian descent have slower nicotine metabolism compared to individuals from Europe and the Middle East.41

Promoting Cessation for Light and Intermittent Smokers

Occasional Smoker

Light and Intermittent Smokers may be characteristically different from daily smokers in terms of demographics, motives for smoking and biological effects caused by smoking. Consequently, LITS should be approached differently with regard to smoking cessation strategies. Some key points to remember when working with LITS include:

  • Always use the 5A’s and Motivational Enhancement to help LITS quit smoking.
  • Talk with him/her about the connection between their smoking and alcohol use, and help them to make a plan for addressing alcohol as a trigger for smoking.
  • LITS may underestimate the health consequences of light or occasional smoking so providing useful information about the health risks of any level of smoking would be beneficial.
  • LITS may have higher confidence in their ability to quit and higher self-control which, combined with a good plan for quitting, may help them be successful when they are ready to quit.
  • LITS tend to smoke as a form of positive reinforcement, so it would be valuable to understand specifically what part of smoking they find desirable and suggest alternate methods to achieve that pleasure.
  • If they are not interested in quitting, emphasize that a pattern of nondaily smoking increases the likelihood that they will become a daily smoker; send the message that, “it’s better to quit when it’s easy than wait until it’s hard.”

Closing Thoughts

Although daily smokers may consume more cigarettes than nondaily smokers, which in turn leads to increased health complications, no level of cigarette smoking is safe.4, 5, 36 From a cessation perspective, nondaily smokers have been neglected because it is widely believed that they are not at risk for major health complications. Studies have revealed that physicians implement fewer cessation interventions and follow-ups for light and intermittent smokers.39 Additionally, many nondaily smokers mistakenly believe their level of smoking will not result in negative health consequences.14, 28 Regardless of how these smokers are identified in the literature, it is important to stress that any level of smoking has adverse health effects. Despite the fact LITS report fewer physiological dependence symptoms and perceive quitting as “not difficult,” this population should not be neglected as targets of cessation programs in the literature or in clinical practice.14, 28

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  2. White, H. R., Nagin, D., Replogle, E., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2004). Racial differences in trajectories of cigarette use. Drugand Alcohol Dependence, 76, 219 – 227.
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  8. Fiore MC, Jaen CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. May 2008.
  9. Kenford, S. L., Wetter, D. W., Welsch, S. K., Stevens, S. S., Fiore, M. C., & Baker, T. B. (2005). Progression of college-age cigarette samplers: What influences outcome. Addictive Behaviors, 30, 285–294.
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  11. White, H. R., Pandina, R. J., & Chen, P. H. (2002). Developmental trajectories of cigarette use from early adolescence into young adulthood. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 65, 167 – 178.
  12. Arcavi, L., Jacob, P., 3rd, Hellerstein, M., & Benowitz, N. L. (1994). Divergent tolerance to metabolic and cardiovascular effects of nicotine in smokers with low and high levels of cigarette consumption. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 56, 55–64.
  13. Etter, J. F. (2004). The psychological determinants of low-rate daily smoking. Addiction, 99, 1342–1350.
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  19. Gilpin, E. A., White, V. M., & Pierce, J. P. (2005). How effective are tobacco industry bar and club marketing efforts in reaching young adults? Tobacco Control, 14, 186–192.
  20. Morley, K. I., Hall, W. D., Hausdorf, K., & Owen, N. (2006). “Occasional” and “social” smokers: Potential target groups for smoking cessation campaigns? Australian and New ZealandPublic Health, 30, 550–554.
  21. Shiffman S. (2009) Light and intermittent smokers: Background and perspective. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 11, 122–125.
  22. Wortley P.M., Husten C.G., Trosclair A., Chrismon J., Pederson L.L. (2003) Nondaily smokers: A descriptive analysis. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 5, 755–759.
  23. Korhonen T., Broms U., Levälahti E., Koskenvuo M., Kaprio J. (2009) Characteristics and health consequences of intermittent smoking: Long-term follow-up among Finnish adult twins. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 11 :148–155.
  24. Lindström M., Isacsson S.O. (2002) Long-term and transitional intermittent smokers: A longitudinal study. Tobacco Control, 11 :61–67.
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  27. Odum A.L., Baumann A.A. (2007) Cigarette smokers show steeper discounting of both food and cigarettes than money. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 91, 293–296.
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  34. Ridner, S. L. (2005). Predicting smoking type in a college-age population. Public Health Nursing, 22, 494-505.
  35. Reed, M. B., McCabe, C., Lange, J. E., Clapp, J. D., & Shillington, A. M. (2010). The relationship between alcohol consumption and past-year smoking initiation in a sample of undergraduates. The American Journal Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse, 36(4), 202-207.
  36. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2014). 2014 Surgeon General's Report: The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.
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Stocksy
Occasional Smoker

Like many people who become smokers, I previously would have bet good money that I would never get hooked. I knew the dangers and never understood why such things would be pleasurable when I was a kid.

My parents didn’t smoke and I never worried about becoming a smoker because there didn’t seem to be any reason to do so; it was a trap with no bait.

My experience probably mirrors that of most smokers. I had my first cigarette when I was 16 at a friend’s house one Friday night.

I didn’t really know what to think before I tried it.

There was a combination of a rush from “breaking the rules” and the fear that this thing would turn me into an addict and lead to an early grave.

Or maybe, I would cough a bunch and make a fool out of myself in front of my friends. Maybe my parents would catch me and be ashamed, or maybe, the world would just explode. I just didn't know.

Then I smoked it. And quite frankly, it was a bit of a letdown.

Occasional

There was no high (other than a bit of lightheadedness), and it certainly didn’t taste good. It wasn’t so bad or so bitter that I coughed, but I do remember thinking to myself, “what exactly is the big deal with these?”

As the years went on I became a bit of a cigar aficionado. I don’t think I ever really enjoyed smoking them, but I really did enjoy the occasions when I smoked them.

One of the most common was around a campfire with a bunch of friends. The cigars seemed to add to the experience, but in hindsight, I’m not sure why such pleasant experiences needed any additions.

Regardless, I would have never considered myself a smoker at the time. I just had cigars with friends on the weekends on occasion.

During college, a few of my friends smoked and I would occasionally have a cigarette with them.

This was back when I would still get a little lightheaded from a cigarette. So, I guess I “enjoyed” these, although I’m not sure why. It’s not like the lightheaded feeling was particularly good.

Then, a few friends got pipe and we would smoke our pipes together, almost as a joke. Then, when playing poker I would smoke a bit, then when drinking, then before tests to “help” with the stress, and on and on and on.

When smoking alone, I would only smoke Black and Mild’s or other small cigars. Somehow, this assured me that I wasn’t actually a smoker. By my senior year, a day rarely passed without one such cigar or a few cigarettes or something.

While I was certainly already under nicotine’s spell, the physical effects were pretty minimal. I played many sports and was very active, so it didn’t seem to have any major negative effect on my life (other than the smell).

After college, day by day, I started to smoke more. When I was around 23, I had a big dilemma of what to do with my life and I somehow found solace in smoking.

No, they didn’t taste good, solve my problems or relieve any stress, but I guess they were something to do.

They gave me an excuse to go outside and walk around to ponder my predicament. Why I needed an excuse for such things never really crossed my mind.

By the time I was 24, I was a full-blown smoker, smoking a pack a day.

This was so unbelievable to me that I avoided talking about it to my parents or admitting I was a smoker to any of my friends (even though they all knew). 'You know, I can quit at any time.'

Well, not really. I lost track of the times I tried to stop. I tried the gum, didn’t work. I tried going cold turkey, didn’t work. I tried switching to cigars, didn’t work.

I had a plan I thought was certain to work: I would put four cigarettes in a pack and those were the only ones I could smoke that day. Then, I would do the same for the rest of the week.

Then I would go down to three for the next week, then two, then one and then voilà, I would be done!

It didn't work.

It’s hard to explain what it’s like to jones for a cigarette to someone who’s never been addicted to them. There’s an empty feeling in your stomach that is soon joined by an unquenchable anxiety and restlessness.

Your mind hones in on what it “needs,” and demands it to the point that you can't focus your attention on anything other than that.

Going a full day without a cigarette just felt like torture, and when you’re trying to quit, you start to wonder why life would even be worth living as a nonsmoker, if this is the state in which you have to live.

This is especially true, given that all it takes to fall off the wagon is one little four-inch tube of rolled paper with tobacco in it.

One stressful or weak moment when your willpower fades, and then you’re standing there, smoking a cigarette, mad as hell at yourself, wondering where the enjoyment is in it and sulking about needing to go through the whole quitting process again.

One time, I quit for two months and was quite relieved. “I’m finally done.” But then, the health and energy benefits I briefly wrestled back became less readily apparent.

The struggle wasn’t fresh in my mind and after one really stressful day, I thought, “Why not just smoke a Black and Mild, like old times before I was addicted. One can’t hurt, right?”

And back to smoking I went.

It wasn’t until three years ago that I actually was finally able to leave the cancerous filth for good. I was lucky enough to stumble across a book called 'The Easy Way to Stop Smoking' by Allen Carr that I strongly recommend to anyone out there who has been caught in the smoking trap.

More recently, I’ve discovered that the research on willpower shows that it can be likened to gas in a gas tank. You run out and need to replenish it.

So, using willpower to quit smoking is folly because you can't simply have willpower going all the time — it needs a break. Willpower is great for doing things; it is not so great for NOT doing things. (For more on this, see 'Willpower' by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney.)

Allen Carr makes the key observation that we don’t need willpower to not do something we don’t want to do, so he focuses on why people do smoke instead of the reasons they shouldn’t.

After all, no one smokes for the reasons they shouldn’t.

So what were my excuses? Smoking helps relieve boredom. Well, smoking is about the most boring thing on the planet.

How about smoking relaxes me?

And, smoking helps me concentrate. Wait a minute, smoking helps concentration and relaxation? Those are opposites!

In fact, smoking does nothing for you.

The only thing it does is end the aggravation of nicotine withdrawal. And fortunately, the physical effects of nicotine withdrawal are actually mostly in our own heads.

Occasional Smoker

As Allen Carr notes:

Most smokers go all night without a cigarette. The withdrawal 'pangs' do not even wake them up. Many smokers will leave the bedroom before they light that first cigarette; many will have breakfast first.Increasingly people don’t smoke in their homes and won’t have that first cigarette until they are in the car on the way to work… These smokers have eight or maybe 10 hours without a cigarette — going through withdrawal all the while, but it doesn’t seem to bother them.

Indeed, it’s amazing how much aggravation an illusion can cause. It’s the feeling of being deprived of something that causes us so much grief. Indeed, our minds can actually make us physically sick.

Once I realized this, quitting was actually quite easy. And, there is good evidence that this method is far more effective than the others available.

For anyone who isn’t a smoker, it’s critical to understand that the bait is mostly comprised of lack of bait.

Smoking may seem so mundane and pointless that it couldn’t possibly be addicting, but don’t flirt with this!

And, for anyone who already got caught, like I did, give Allen Carr’s book a try.

After all, what do you have to lose other than a dangerous, filthy, expensive and unhealthy habit addiction?

Life Expectancy Of Occasional Smoker

Note: Andrew Syrios is not affiliated with Allen Carr’s organization in any way.