"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.