Some smoke just a few cigarettes each day. Others smoke only on weekends, with certain friends or in certain places. The habits of light, occasional or non-daily cigarette smokers are so varied that experts have yet to come up with a single label for them – though the term "chippers" gets some use…

"Other smokers don't understand how they can do that," says Richard Hurt, a physician specializing in smoking cessation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Researchers aren't entirely sure, either, though they are increasingly motivated to find out…

Still, many light smokers might have a nicotine addiction and could benefit from nicotine-replacement products, Hurt says. Even someone who smokes once a week – say, on bowling or poker night – might resist with the help of some nicotine gum and some counseling, he says.

USA Today by Kim Painter, 11/16/09

Tags: Nicotine Dependence Center, nicotine-replacement products, smoking