'Non-smokers' identified as risk group

  • 08/08/2015
'Non-smokers' identified as risk group

A new study has highlighted the risk of social smoking.

It found young people who had the odd cigarette, even just on the weekends, have four times the chance of becoming a full-time smoker by their late 30s than non-smokers.

Researcher Lindsay Robertson says it highlights just how addictive it can be.

"Even if they think they're having one or two cigarettes at the weekend, it actually can turn into a really long-term habit that's really hard to break."

People who smoked occasionally tended to think there was no harm in having a cigarette now and then.

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