Shiffman, who presented his findings last week at the American Psychological Association annual meeting in New York, estimates that about 4 to 5 percent of the 55 million Americans who smoke are chippers. Unlike the pack-a-day smoker, chippers smoke no more than five cigarettes a day and usually smoke only about four days a week. chippers are not smokers who have tried to quit and slipped back to their old habits but are people who can be satisfied smoking just a few cigarettes on a regular basis. Rather than smoking because they feel pressured, tense or are experiencing withdrawal from nicotine, chippers usually smoke because they are happy or are enjoying themselves, for instance at a party.
—Sally Squires, "Why Can Some People Smoke Without Getting Hooked?," The Washington Post, September 8, 1997