At least 61 percent of people who smoke one cigarette become, at least temporarily, daily smokers, according to a sciencedaily.com story citing an analysis of survey data by researchers at Queen Mary University (QMU) of London, UK.
The findings from more than 215,000 survey respondents, which were published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, are said to provide strong support for prioritising efforts to reduce cigarette experimentation among adolescents.
“This is the first time that the remarkable hold that cigarettes can establish after a single experience has been documented from such a large set of data,” said lead researcher Professor Peter Hajek of QMU.
“In the development of any addictive behaviour, the move from experimentation to daily practice is an important landmark, as it implies that a recreational activity is turning into a compulsive need.
“We’ve found that the conversion rate from ‘first time smoker’ to ‘daily smoker’ is surprisingly high, which helps confirm the importance of preventing cigarette experimentation in the first place.
“The UK is seeing a dramatic reduction in smoking at the moment and this tallies with recent findings that only 19 percent of 11-15-year-olds have ever tried a cigarette, so the good news is that we are on the right track.”
One cigarette is enough
