# Safe amount of cigarettes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-amount-of-cigarettes/279209 "2004-12-10T21:08:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-amount-of-cigarettes/279209/21 "2004-12-12T01:39:33Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Not necessarily a number that you’ve decided is safe. There are some people, though rare, who smoke at the same time everyday and very few cigarettes. A former girlfriend of mine smokes on average 5 cig/day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I really am not hung up on saying that trying to limit yourself to a fixed number of cigarettes a day is a losing proposition for most people. I just think its silly to decide to take up an unhealthy practice with the idea that you’ll spend quite of bit of nervous energy trying not to be too unhealthy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-amount-of-cigarettes/279209/22 "2004-12-12T03:10:58Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > there was this other guy, the same age, who also got the diagnosed with LC at about the same time. That guy, who had never had a smoke in his life… It is certainly true that while not smoking reduces your risk of lung cancer (and other diseases) it does not eliminate it. It’s also true that heavy smokers don’t always get lung cancer, and some of them live to a ripe old age. But that ain’t the way to bet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-amount-of-cigarettes/279209.md?page=1)