This study discusses whether adolescent occasional smokers form a distinct subgroup in comparison with daily smokers, in terms of smoking motivation, confidence in ability to quit and social and cultural characteristics. In a sample of 2484 adolescents aged 16-19, 22 per cent (n = 552) were daily smokers and 20 per cent (n = 495) were occasional smokers. Findings show that occasional smokers differ from daily smokers in educational choices, subgroup identification and cultural preferences. In each area, daily smokers tend to make choices that correlate with lower cultural capital levels. Occasional smokers also show greater confidence in ability to quit smoking, and in the belief that they will not be smokers by age 25. Occasional smoking is interpreted as a means to construct an identity of control and of difference from daily smoking. Finally, we discuss where occasional smoking among youth is likely to head in the foreseeable future, using diffusion theory as the frame of analysis. (Contains 4 tables.)