2008 Woodie Awards
Weekends provoke odd behavior
The weekend smoker: Social smoking popular with drinking
Andrew Beam
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: FUSE
Originally published: 9/27/07 at 9:50 PM EST
Last update: 9/27/07 at 9:49 PM EST
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Let's paint a picture. It's a Friday night - you're at a party and have been drinking with some friends for quite some time.
One of them says to you, "Hey wanna go outside for a smoke?"
You figure, "Why not - it's only one cigarette."
This soon turns from a one night thing into a weekend habit that occurs only when you drink.
The question is, are you a smoker?
Maybe you're just one of those "weekend smokers."
Jill Silver, the nurse practitioner at Plattsburgh State says, "One cigarette is too many."
Smokers such as these are referred to as "weekend smokers"- people who only smoke on the weekends, or when they go out drinking.
PSUC Health Educator Jerimy Blowers said that people may not be aware that even a single cigarette for "weekend smokers" has the same effects as cigarettes for daily smokers.
"Everyone is under the assumption that they will not get addicted to nicotine, and that is not exactly true," Blowers said. "Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs out there that we know about."
People are also not aware that they are becoming more vulnerable to a psychological dependency, Blowers said.
"Even when it's on a Wednesday and not even on the weekend, they will have a beer in their hand and say, 'Well I'm having fun,'" Blowers said.
"They will then do what they normally do when they drink, and that is, have a cigarette."
PSUC sophomore Mike Jeannotte started as just someone who smoked when he was drinking, and now says he considers himself a smoker.
Jeannotte feels that if anyone smokes on the weekends regularly, he or she will soon become a regular smoker.
"They will be," Jeannotte said. "It only takes one bad day to break the weekend rule - then you'll feel like, 'Oh, it's OK to smoke during the week now.'"
"It's definitely a social thing," junior Dan Carroll said. He considers himself a smoker even though he only smokes on the weekends.
One of them says to you, "Hey wanna go outside for a smoke?"
You figure, "Why not - it's only one cigarette."
This soon turns from a one night thing into a weekend habit that occurs only when you drink.
The question is, are you a smoker?
Maybe you're just one of those "weekend smokers."
Jill Silver, the nurse practitioner at Plattsburgh State says, "One cigarette is too many."
Smokers such as these are referred to as "weekend smokers"- people who only smoke on the weekends, or when they go out drinking.
PSUC Health Educator Jerimy Blowers said that people may not be aware that even a single cigarette for "weekend smokers" has the same effects as cigarettes for daily smokers.
"Everyone is under the assumption that they will not get addicted to nicotine, and that is not exactly true," Blowers said. "Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs out there that we know about."
People are also not aware that they are becoming more vulnerable to a psychological dependency, Blowers said.
"Even when it's on a Wednesday and not even on the weekend, they will have a beer in their hand and say, 'Well I'm having fun,'" Blowers said.
"They will then do what they normally do when they drink, and that is, have a cigarette."
PSUC sophomore Mike Jeannotte started as just someone who smoked when he was drinking, and now says he considers himself a smoker.
Jeannotte feels that if anyone smokes on the weekends regularly, he or she will soon become a regular smoker.
"They will be," Jeannotte said. "It only takes one bad day to break the weekend rule - then you'll feel like, 'Oh, it's OK to smoke during the week now.'"
"It's definitely a social thing," junior Dan Carroll said. He considers himself a smoker even though he only smokes on the weekends.
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