Is smoking a cigarette rarely really harmful?

Cigarette smoking can, unsurprisingly, irritate smokers' lungs right away, leading to sore throats and coughs. You're also more susceptible to respiratory infections, said Dr. Anil Vachani, a pulmonologist and co-director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at NYU Langone Health, NYT News Service reported.

Over time, cigarettes permanently damage the small air sacs in your lungs, he added, making you more vulnerable to conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema, as per NYT News Service.

Is Occasional Cigarette Smoking Bad?

Even the occasional smoke raises blood pressure, constricts blood vessels and stresses the heart, said Blaha, who has conducted several studies on the effects of tobacco. When compared with nonsmokers, regular smokers are more likely to develop heart disease and have double the risk of having a stroke caused by blood clots.

By some estimates, about 10 per cent of people in the United States consider themselves "social smokers" who only light up when they're with other people.

There isn't much research on those of us who bum a cigarette every so often, but here's what we do know: Cigarettes are still the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, and experts say that even social smoking carries risks -- especially the risk of addiction.

Vachani said he could understand the temptation to smoke during the holidays: It's a time to celebrate, and drinking alcohol can increase the pleasure smokers get from cigarettes. "I try to tell people, keep your eye on the prize, which is your long-term health," he said.

If you expect to be in a cigarette-heavy environment and hope to avoid smoking, MacKenzie Peltier, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Yale, recommended enlisting a friend who can support your mission. It's also wise to have alternatives, like gum, on hand, she said.

Asking yourself why you want that cigarette could help, too. "Is it because you want to fit in and socialize? Is it because you're feeling a little on edge around a bigger group, and you want to relax?" Peltier said. "When you think about why you may want to smoke, that can give you a lot of direction on how you can prevent yourself from doing it."