More than a quarter of the female population currently smoke, with numerous studies showing that a higher percentage of gays than straights are still stuck on the weed - possibly as many as one in three. That should mean that around 66 per cent of dykes are non-smokers.

Yet at least 80 per cent of the women joining the lesbian introduction agency, The Circle, say they will not even consider meeting up with a smoker.

Until recently, I was a militant smoker. But since the end of last December, not only have I not smoked a cigarette: I haven`t even wanted one. Here`s the un-brainwashing I had to do first:

Myth no. 1: Giving up is difficult.
Smokers give up every time they have to go without a cigarette, so they already know there`s no physical pain. In fact, withdrawal, lasting for about three weeks and peaking on around day three, feels no worse than a mild bout of flu.

"I felt a bit odd now and then during the first few days," said Gisele, 26, who used to smoke a packet a day and quit at a health farm six months ago. "It was a slightly vertiginous feeling. It was good being away from work, because it gave me the chance to jump in the pool or the jacuzzi, or lie down on the loungers and relax for a bit while the feeling went away. And it did go, usually within a couple of minutes. It really wasn`t anything like as bad as I`d expected or been led to believe."

Myth no. 2: Smoking is enjoyable.
As Allen Carr, author of ‘The Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently’ (ISBN 0-14-024475-1), said: "Eating lobster is enjoyable, but I don`t need to go around with 40 hung around my neck every day."

Think back to that first cigarette: it tasted disgusting and probably made you cough. The fag hasn`t changed. You have. You had to get used to the foul taste in order to get your drug top-ups. What feels like a pleasurable sensation is nothing more than the relief that comes from taking off a tight pair of shoes. The problem is that you`re actually setting up the craving for the next cigarette. It`s a never-ending and self-defeating cycle, because you will never have "enough" nicotine.

Myth no. 3: A cigarette is my little treat.
"I work hard running my bed and breakfast business and things get particularly hectic when I do big events like parties or commitment ceremonies," said Helen, 32, who smokes about 15 a day. "It`s at times like these when I look forward to putting my feet up at the end of a long day and relaxing with a cigarette and a glass of wine."

Once you`ve come to see that fags aren`t actually enjoyable, that they don`t actually relax you, they just relieve an addiction, it`s easier to understand that far from being your little treat, nicotine is actually the little enemy you have made welcome in your life.

Myth no. 4: If I give up I will have to stay away from other smokers.
Jenny, who is 22 and used to smoke two packs a day, gave up four months ago. "I have made so many attempts since I started smoking at 14 and this is the longest I`ve ever stayed off," she told me, with obvious pride. "The only thing is, I tend to stay at home with my girlfriend a lot these days, watching videos. I dare not go out clubbing because I know I`ll be tempted. My previous attempts to give up have always failed in social situations, particularly when I`ve had too much to drink and others are smoking around me. But our social life has become so boring!"

Jenny has already started feeling deprived and sorry for herself. She needs to get out and about and make a point of socialising with smokers, offering them ashtrays when they come to her home, before her latest attempt at quitting ends in failure. Treat smokers kindly, poor things. You`re the lucky one. Having successfully got off the sinking ship yourself, why on earth would you look back with envy at those who are still on it?


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