Smoking at Harvard

Butter or margarine? Running or rest?

Lifestyle choices in the 1990s are becoming increasingly complicated as conflicting studies about the latest health findings are published daily.

But one health tip repeated over and over is the detrimental effect of smoking upon one's health. In its 1997 annual report, the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention noted that "cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States."

Dr. David S. Rosenthal '59, director of University Health Services and president of the American Cancer Society, says tobacco poses a serious threat to public health.

"There is no question that tobacco is bad for you," he says.

According to Rosenthal, rates of smoking have skyrocketed among people under the age of 18, especially among African-Americans.

"If this continues, in 10 to 20 years, we will see some serious tobacco-related health issues," he says.

Despite such dire predictions, however, smoking remains popular among college students. The 1997 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey reported that 29 percent of the study's participants had smoked cigarettes regularly at college. Moreover, a significant portion of Harvard students say they smoke regularly or on a social basis.

Smoking at Harvard

Students who smoke know that they may encounter health problems in the future, but they say the appeal of smoking is too tempting and satisfying to give up for now.

Aaron S. Mathes '98, who started smoking regularly the summer before he came to college, says smoking has become part of his image.

"It's part of the way I think of myself," he says. "It helps me constitute my identity."

Mathes sees smoking as having a particular personal effect upon him.

"I don't think other people are cool because they smoke," he says. "[But] I think I'm cool because I smoke."

Heidi J. Bruggink '01, who had decided to quit smoking when she got to college, says her plan was abandoned by the third day of school.

"I came here and it became regular," she says. "Much of it is because I find myself walking around a lot here, and it gives me something to do. I like having something in my hand."

Samuel A. Sheridan '98 started smoking after high school when he worked on a merchant marine ship.

"I was on a ship and there was no way to get alcohol or drugs, and it was the only way to get a buzz," he says.

The conditions on the ship were also conducive to smoking, according to Sheridan.

"Everybody smoked. I was stressed," he says. "I was bored."

Sheridan says he continues to smoke because of the constant reminder of mortality that smoking brings him.

"I think it's important for young people to carry around a reminder of death," he says.

Sheridan also feels that cigarettes enhance his work as a painter.

"While cigarettes are bad for your health, nicotine is very good for the brain," he says. "It is a relaxant as well as a depressant and it stimulates thinking."

Sheridan says cigarettes are also helpful in social situations.

"It's very good for gestures, it's a good thing to do with conversation pauses," he says. "With a cigarette, you're never alone."

A God-given Habit

Gavin Moses, a third-year Divinity School student, even says his smoking serves a higher, providential purpose.

Moses, who is in his 30s, began smoking regularly last summer after going on a romantic camping trip with a woman who chain-smoked.

He says he has continued to smoke as a way of remembering the woman, who now studies in London.

But Moses says his reason for smoking became even clearer in the past few days.

Last week, while saying good night to a friend, Moses says he pleaded for them to have just one more cigarette. The friend finally gave in, and the two smoked in the rain for a few minutes.

Moses then headed toward his home in Allston. Right when he was crossing a bridge, a car spun out of control and flipped over.

Moses, who says he was the only other person in sight, ran over to the victim in the car and pulled him out to safety.

Moses says having that last cigarette delayed him just enough to place him in the right place at the right time to help the man who was trapped get out of his car.

"Because I smoked a cigarette, somebody was saved," Moses says. "If smoking was meant for me to have this providential moment, then it was well worth it."

Social Smoking

Other Harvard students attribute their nicotine addiction to purely social reasons.

Janet K. McLaughlin '99 says smoking brings her in contact with the kinds of people she wants to hang out with.

"It's relaxing, it's social, and it's social with the kinds of people I want to be with--the ones who aren't worried about what's down the road and who live for the moment," she says.

Smoking also gives McLaughlin a much-needed break from the stresses of studying.

"It's always and still is a good study break to go and have a cigarette," she says.

McLaughlin says she knows about the harmful health effects of smoking but tries hard not to think about them.

"I'm in college," she says. "It's time to have fun and not worry about stuff like that."

In fact, McLaughlin says she thinks everyone should indulge in vices once in a while.

"I think everyone needs to lead more guilt-free lives," she says.

As for herself, McLaughlin says she stopped smoking regularly after she developed a terrible cough six months ago.

"Now I have a few when I go out and that's it," she says. "I definitely think beer and cigarettes go together."

A First-Year's Dilemma

Lauren M. Winkler '01, who quit smoking last month, says smoking was a social habit that helped her meet people this past fall, the first semester of her first year.

"There's kind of an instant bond with smoking," she says. "It makes for a comfortable atmosphere."

Even though she smoked between a half to a full pack per day, Winkler says she was aware of the health dangers of smoking. However, she quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind.

"I really repressed the thought that smoking is bad for your health," she says.

Winkler says her boyfriend did not like kissing her after she had a cigarette and asked her many times to quit.

"He wasn't asking me to just give up smoking, he was asking me to give up my social life," she says. "It's kind of like a club."

However, Winkler says that it eventually came down to a choice between her boyfriend or cigarettes, and that she chose her boyfriend.

Winkler adds that she had always felt out of place when smoking at Harvard.

"I felt vile for doing it," she says. "I felt like all eyes were on me because I was polluting this awe-inspiring place, desecrating the Yard."

Excessive Smoking

McLaughlin says she realized she had a real smoking problem when during one lunch time last year, she debated whether to spend the three dollars in her pocket for lunch at the Greenhouse or for a pack of cigarettes.

"Luckily, I found someone to bum a cigarette from and could spend my money on food," she says.

Mathes, who smokes a pack a day, says he knows he is physically addicted to smoking.

"I once took a cigarette break from sleeping," he says.

Sheridan says he was smoking two packs--approximately 40 cigarettes--a day in the fall.

"It's a cool, glamourous act that became part of my oral fixation habits," he says.

An Officially Recognized Smoking Club

The newest student organization on campus, the Harvard Cigar Club, gives legitimacy to the enjoyment of nicotine addiction. Co-founded by Hector A. Vega '98 and David S. Tang '98 and advised by Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Minister in the Memorial Church Peter J. Gomes, the organization aims to learn about and to socialize with cigars, according to Vega.

Vega says the first event will be held at Gomes' house, which is located behind Memorial Hall and officially called Sparks House.

"It will be a social-type event centered around how cigars are made, what our favorite kinds are, and how they differ," he says. "It will be a time to get together and share cigars."

Vega says three people showed up to the organization's first meeting, held last Tuesday, and that about 15 to 20 people have indicated interest in the club. All of them are male.

"With women, cigars tend to be more of a chic thing rather than a passion," he says.

Vega says most people who smoke cigars do not inhale and therefore do not subject themselves to lung cancer.

But according to Rosenthal, even though cigar smokers do not inhale, they are at risk for throat, lip and mouth cancer.

Vega says this information will not hinder the habits of Harvard Cigar Club members.

"We all go into it realizing that there is some risk, so by choosing to smoke, we have chosen to take that risk," he says. "We are beyond focusing on that."