Question: I'm a social smoker, am I at less risk?
Answer: No. The term ‘social smoker’ often refers to someone who doesn’t smoke on a daily basis but may have a few when on a night out. This is sometimes referred to as binge smoking. It is however less harmful to smoke 10 cigarettes in one night and then abstain for a fortnight than smoke one or two each day. This is because the body has time to recover. The problem with binge smoking is that it causes damage to the immune system. It can make you more vulnerable to mouth ulcers and throat infections. It can often make you cough a lot as the lungs try to get rid of all the chemicals like tar etc.
