‘Got a light?’ The illusion of social smoking

Oh, to be cramped up in a smoking area, listening to the same old interesting conversations; “So, what do you do?” or “I can’t believe he broke up with you over that!”. Bonding with complete strangers while puffing your lungs away, promising that this is your last cigarette of the night, even as your head starts spinning. 

There’s something irresistible about social smoking on a night out, despite fully knowing that this simple cigarette on a night out could turn into a cigarette in the morning with a coffee and a cigarette before lunch and suddenly you’re not social smoking anymore – you are just a smoker.

Now, I am the first to understand the appeal of social smoking, even the act of rolling a cigarette and lighting it up with someone is an act of bonding. It can serve as an ice breaker in any social situation, an opening conversation. If I see someone that I fancy “Hey you got a light?” normally does the trick to start a conversation with them.

The act of smoking a cigarette can also change in the situation you are in, it can symbolise a certain comfort within the people you are with, smoking a cigarette with friends is completely different to smoking a cigarette in the smoking area of a sweaty club with strangers. When you’re with friends, a cigarette can seem like a relaxing point of the conversation, a time to enjoy each other’s presence in a calming atmosphere and when you are with strangers, smoking is taking an initiative to start socialising.

In all aspects we smoke to socialise. I know that I certainly open up to a person when they step out and smoke a cigarette with me, but I have always wondered the reasoning to that.

As of 2021, studies show that in the Uk 13.3% of people aged 18 years and over smoked cigarettes, meaning around 6.6 million people in the population, which has increased as studies in 2022 stated there is about 6.9 million adult smokers in the Uk. Unfortunately, this statistic doesn’t define whether social smokers are included, however there is an average of 11.1% university students that at least smoke once a month. 

For me smoking, started like it starts with everyone else, my social smoker friend, Sofia, who is not a social smoker anymore just a plain old smoker, offered me a cigarette out in a sunny beer garden.

Suddenly as the sun starts hitting your face and the smell of burning tobacco lingers through your nose, a smell you’d normally be repelled by, it instead starts smelling like summer nights and long deep conversations, you hear an unexpected “yes” come out your mouth and the next thing you know I’m learning how to roll my first cigarette after being sick of paying a ridiculous £16 for a pack of 20 Camel Blue Cigarettes, which will be ultimately smoked by both you and your friends because they ‘forgot’ their tobacco at home. 

Whilst you may think I’m saying that everyone that smokes a cigarette on a night out will turn into a full-on smoker, I do have friends who enjoy the rush of a cigarette on a night out and will not touch a cigarette in any other occasions, friends who ‘fake smoke’ so they have a reason to go up to people when in social settings, which to me I find extremely impressive.

I find it fascinating how social smokers can restrict themselves to only smoking in social situations, it’s like a special talent knowing you can stop at any time you want.

Social smoking reaches its peak in a bar smoking area. Last week in Jumbi, a bar in London known for its African- Caribbean taste in music and food and its welcoming community, I had about 4 social smokers come up to me asking me for a spare cigarette, with the excuse of “I don’t normally smoke so I don’t buy any tobacco”. Of course, being the great journalist I am, said “I’ll trade a cig for some answers”. Out of the 4 that asked 2 said yes to answering some questions.

I asked Maise, a Goldsmiths Music BA graduate, if she was a smoker.

Maise: “I don’t smoke regularly and definitely wouldn’t say I’m addicted; I do enjoy the casual cig when I’m out with my friends”.

Ines: “Why are you a social smoker?”

Maise: “I don’t even fancy the idea of a cig, however once I have a sip of wine, the whole concept of not smoking evaporates from my mind”

Ines: “Do you have any memorable moments of meeting people in a smoking area?”

Maise: “I’ve met the love of the night by social smoking” she quickly said while lighting up the cigarette I just rolled her.

 Simply laughing at her answer, I questioned what she meant by love of the night.

Maise: “Asking for a light is the only way I’ll go up to a group of men with my mates to socialise, I simply use it as an excuse to see if the chat lives up to the looks”.

Maise tells me it’s a quick way to initiate a conversation, she normally gets timid going up to a guy just to have a conversation. She can have the excuse of long pauses while chatting because of smoking instead of finding it awkward, which usually gives her more time to think of witty responses and work out if their star signs are compatible.

Ruby, a friend of mine, says “it saves me from a lot of awkward silences” she smokes socially as a form of stress relief during social gatherings or events, especially when she’s surrounded by strangers.

“It’s all about the aesthetic”.

Anna, a 20-year-old LSE student, who does socially smoke tell me that there is an aspect of smoking that is ‘cool’ but it can’t be achieved by many people.

Anna: “I’d love to look like the cool girl that smokes, I find myself admiring those type of girls, especially when I first moved to university.”

Anna: “I took up socially smoking just at the start of university, and hoped to achieve the same energy as those cool girls”

I guess when you think about it, there was always a certain charm in the glamour of smoking, much like in the iconic image of Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ puffing elegantly on a long, slender cigarette. Something about her smoking makes her look fashionable and sophisticated. Smoking has been presented to the media as something cool, rebellious and trendy, it’s been shown in adverts, movies and even runways by the OG queen of smoking Kate Moss.

Anna: “I think it’s so cool when you see a girl that has an amazing outfit and next thing, she does is pull out a straight and light it up”

Ines: “Does it give you some sort of confidence?” 

Anna: “Fake confidence that’s for sure, I want to appear intimidating and rebellious”

Naina, a UAL journalism student and a close friend of mine, came into my room before one of her glamorous influencer events to ask me a question;

Naina: “Could I borrow a pack of cigarettes?”

Ines: “You don’t even smoke”

Niana: “I know but it’s so much easier to meet people in the smoking area, plus I don’t want to stand there alone but if I’m smoking someone is bound to come talk to me”

I agreed and handed her a full pack of straights knowing she would come back home with at least more than half of them gone if not all, but not smoked by Naina, only used as a magnet for meeting new people.

I’ve gathered that social smoking concludes into a few things: some sort of alcohol will definitely be near you when the smoking is taking place, it will be social, meaning you will be surrounded by people and finally that people that socially smoke aren’t usually genuinely addicted to the nicotine, but instead are addicted to the aesthetic of looking cool, mysterious and intimidating yet approachable and fun when lighting up a cig.

This article is not condoning the act of smoking, smoking kills.