So, I have an admission to make—I used to smoke socially—well, actually more than just socially.

I smoked a pack a day from the sixth grade until I was about 19 years old.

When we were 10 years old, my best friend and I used to stand in front of the grocery store and ask people if they had a dime for the pay-phone, because our parents forgot to pick us up—Liars! We would collect 60 cents and then march across the street to buy cigarettes for 59 cents at the gas station.

Did I know better? Yes, at some point I did. Was that enough to get me to quit? Nope, not until several years after I understood the gravity of the health risks.

Would I kill my own kids if they smoked? No, but I would find out, as I have the nose of a truffle-rooting-pig. And they would be doled out punishments of writing essays on the dangers of smoking. They would also be educated to the max on what the consequences might be if they continued to puff their lives away.

Nicotine is said to be one of the most addictive substances, and I tend to agree. It brings me hope that there is so much more social awareness of this plague, which people consciously choose, than when I was younger. (Well, maybe not by the youngest who are bullied into it via peer pressure.)

Nonetheless, the anti-smoking brigade is getting much cleverer with its advertising against this deadly habit. Here are a couple of the best advertisements that I have seen yet that compare smoking to other social ‘habits’ that could have a comparable affect on others.

These two parodies will be sure to have you laughing, while still getting the point across about the risks of smoking.

The Social Nibbler:

The Social Farter:

Want 15 free additional reads weekly, just our best?

Get our weekly newsletter.

Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

Photo: Jill Shropshire