Anna, 27, likes to think of herself as fairly health-conscious; she practices Bikram yoga twice a week, does her daily commute by walking, and has cut wheat and dairy out of her diet. Yet there are a few times a year when health concerns go out the window. And, far from dropping her fitness regime or indulging in fast food, she reckons that her social smoking habit is ‘fairly harmless’.

“I’d never go and buy a packet of cigarettes,” she says. “It’s just when I’ve had a good few drinks, and I’m standing in a smoking area with my smoker friends, that I say, ‘anyone got a fag?’ I wouldn’t classify myself as a proper smoker, though. Sometimes I’ll smoke more than a few, but not very often… the hangovers always seem so much worse for some reason.”

According to Brian Maurer, consultant cardiologist and physician, alcohol plays a huge part in lowering someone’s resolve to stay healthy. And sometimes the simple desire to fit in makes people weaken.“Smoking doesn’t give any significant gratification,” he observes. “Some people are shy, and not sure how to get on with others, and there’s that feeling that a cigarette and a drink will help break the ice.

To read the rest of this feature, check out this month’s issue of STELLAR, on sale now. 

P.S. Are you prone to bumming a few cigs on a night out? Let us know your thoughts on social smoking x