Misc Nicotine is not addictive

[geoffreychaucer]

What a ridiculous statement, right? Millions of people around the world are hooked on tobacco and we all know the chemical responsible is nicotine. This is the accepted idea.

But is nicotine, in its pure form actually physically addictive? With the advent of electronic cigarettes, a growing number of people are consuming synthetic nicotine alone without the other chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

So what do you think? My personal experience is heavy use of an electronic cigarette for the past year. I sit in my room, surfing bluelight, puffing on and on. But then, when I leave home for the day I leave my e-cig. And I go the whole day without a single craving. I definitely have a mental habituation, when I'm out without my e-cig I do think, "Wouldn't it be nice if I had some nicotine now".

But those thoughts are nothing like real cravings that a cigarette smoker would get. I have taken trips where for multiple days I go without any nicotine and I do just fine. So is nicotine in its pure form really addictive? I think its time we consider the greater complexity of tobacco and nicotine addiction.

Maybe I'm just a rare example but I think other people have noticed the difference between tobacco and nicotine. Of course e-cigs are not as satisfying as a real cigarette so it stands to reason that there is a significant difference chemically between the plant and the drug itself.

I'm just looking for your thoughts and opinions.

 

[The Doc.]

I think some people react differently to nicotine i mean i smoked for 3 years or so daily(half pack a day) and one day i thought this is dumb why the hell am i even doing this it stinks, doesn't get me high,its killing me, its expensive and i look like a goof for smoking. I was able to stop no problem i never looked back ive never even had a thought like dam a cig would be good right now or i want a smoke! I was able to move on and today i hate the whole idea of smoking , the smell is horrid to me and i think people who smoke are retarded for doing so. Ive had friends who have smoked only a year or so but yhey just cant quit no matter how much they want to. Now i do i do think your right for saying there is more to ciggarete addiction than nicotine itself. Its the whole action of smoking and the social aspect of it can also play a huge role in addiction as you probably already know. I dont agree that ecigs are not addictive though its just vaping the substance instead of smoking all people are doing is substituting e cigs for ciggaretes such as how a heroin addict may use methadone as a substitute for heroin it doesn't mean your any less addicted ive noticed people usually end up more hooked on nicotine because they can puff on vapor all day whether their inside or outside unlike ciggaretes where every where you go you can see no smoking signs.

 

[Screaming_Skull]

I've been wanting to try these e-cigs out...I dunno, I get extremely BITCHY and erratic when I don't have my ciggerates...Nothing like w/d from opiates or rebound anxiey w/d from benzo's but still, puts me in a very bad mood when I don't have. When I use to be on pills everyday and didn't have any cigs, I would even go as far as to go into the ashtray outside at work, rip the butt's of whoever's ciggerate it was and smoke that...really embarrissing to say that out loud. And gross.

 

[neurotic]

yeah i agree that the social aspect of smoking and the ritual/habit of doing so probably plays a big role in cigarette smoking.

also, like it was said, people react differently to nicotine. those are these ones who have a hard time quitting, go with nic patches and gums and all that bordel and still have a hard time. different brains.

personally nicotine for me isn't a big deal, i love smoking not often, to catch that slight nicotine rush/buzz... its very relaxing. and the whole ritual shit and stuff. sitting down in the park early in the morning really opiated and light a cig, ah pure bliss...

other than that and the social aspect, nicotine is a meh for me. not euphoric or anything. thats why i dont smoke everyday, it loses its magic and becomes an habit. i still dont have huge cravings if i go a few days without smoking. it probably isn't like this for other people - nicotine does seem to raise dopamine levels and all that shit via acetylcholine or wtv, may be it does more in some people and less in others, wtv...

 

[tacodude]

I would say yes..... Nicotine works in pretty essential systems o in the body.

 

[spacejunk]

Nicotine is not the same thing as tobacco, either....worth remembering.

 

[furryfreek]

During my first couple of years smoking, I could easily go a few days or even weeks without a fag and get no proper withdrawal (if anything I felt better due to the lack of carbon monoxide etc in my system). That's how it get's you.

 

[Stotched]

Yeah, tobacco not only has nicotine in it, but several MAOI's and harmaline alkaloids in it as well. Nicotine on it's own I'd say is less addictive than caffeine. It's the MAOI's that get you hooked, as they tend to have a synergisitc affect with nicotine. That's why smoking an ecig to me, feels nothing like smoking a real cig. If I smoke an ecig while on dope, it doesn't really feel like much. If I chain smoke 2 newports while high on dope, it kicks in the nod.

 

[bernax]

i think for a lot of smokers it's about the feeling of inhaling and not the type of chemicals you inhale.

 

[GreenCalm]

I think some people react differently to nicotine i mean i smoked for 3 years or so daily(half pack a day) and one day i thought this is dumb why the hell am i even doing this it stinks, doesn't get me high,its killing me, its expensive and i look like a goof for smoking. I was able to stop no problem i never looked back ive never even had a thought like dam a cig would be good right now or i want a smoke! I was able to move on and today i hate the whole idea of smoking , the smell is horrid to me and i think people who smoke are retarded for doing so. Ive had friends who have smoked only a year or so but yhey just cant quit no matter how much they want to. Now i do i do think your right for saying there is more to ciggarete addiction than nicotine itself. Its the whole action of smoking and the social aspect of it can also play a huge role in addiction as you probably already know. I dont agree that ecigs are not addictive though its just vaping the substance instead of smoking all people are doing is substituting e cigs for ciggaretes such as how a heroin addict may use methadone as a substitute for heroin it doesn't mean your any less addicted ive noticed people usually end up more hooked on nicotine because they can puff on vapor all day whether their inside or outside unlike ciggaretes where every where you go you can see no smoking signs.

oh. good for you.

 

[Op eace]

Agreed 100%. I have had the same experience. With cigs, I smoke nearly a pack a day and have intense cravings often. Also, I can't stop for any period of time. With my ecig, I puff on it a ton, but I'll go a week smoking it, a few weeks off, etc. And when i don't have it, I don't have any intense cravings.

 

[Doldrugs]

Tobacco has MAOIs, right? So the experience is significantly stronger. Possibly it's the combination that's addictive?

 

[adder]

I stopped smoking years ago when I was still a teenager, but yet I'm still addicted to tobacco, even more so now than ever. I use snuff and with the right kind this shit is much much stronger than a few cigarettes in a row, so it's not just inhaling that you get addicted to, that's a secondary thing that you associate with the source of pleasure. It's like when I was addicted to heroin, I loved the smell of heroin cooked with citric acid, the same smell that makes a lot of people nauseous.

Snuff definitely feels less toxic for me than cigarette smoke, once I got addicted to snuff, I started hating smoking cigarettes, I don't really find the smoke to be pleasant.

 

[sogno]

nicotine is very addictive in my opinion. I managed to quit using benzos ( used them for a year, everyday), drinking alcohol ( every day for more than a month I was drunk almost everyday) and chipping heroin. No way on heart quitting heroin or benzos is easier than nicotine, I'm not saying that but in my opinion quitting smoking is quite tricky because everywhere you go you find people smoking, everytime you drink coffee you want to take a smoke, etc... Some people succed in quitting smoking with ease somebody don't. My brother quit smoking 20+ cigs a day for years with ease. I know it's not easy for me. Also I think is very difficult to smoke less cigarettes per day, I know I can't smoke 20 cigs per day and then decide to smoke only 8-10. If you want to quit you have to quit completely.

 

[adder]

The problem with quitting snuff for me is completely different than quitting opioids or benzodiazepines. The thing is I don't want to stop, it doesn't really disrupt my every day life, so I can't fully see the point. Well, recently I've been snorting more and more, and at the end of a day I feel quite weak and sleepy as if my body was out of sugar, so I'm beginning to see the point after all. But I guess that's the problem for most people who smoke. Realising that an addiction is really harmful for you is a long and continuous process, you may suddenly come to your right mind and decide to quit something, but I guess it's usually preceded by a series of failures to quit after which you analyse your situation more and more.

 

[InvisibleEye]

Realising that an addiction is really harmful for you is a long and continuous process, you may suddenly come to your right mind and decide to quit something, but I guess it's usually preceded by a series of failures to quit after which you analyse your situation more and more.

You're making a very good point.
I'm not sure if nicotine is addictive or not. I find that I'm addicted to the act of smoking, but I can go without nicotine. When I quit, I use nicotine gums the first day or two, but I don't feel the need to keep taking them after that. Nicotine craving is manageable. After 12 hours without having a cig, my body already feels better, but I feel like something's missing... What keeps me smoking is the act itself - it's like a little ritual where I get to take time for myself. I have yet to find a good substitute to keep my hands busy. I've even tried knitting, for chrissakes. I hope that reflecting on my past failures to quit will help me get motivated for the next try.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

I still get the buzz from smoking and I notice a huge difference between e cigs and the real deal. Whenever I puff on an e cig it just makes me feel nauseous and sweat. When I take a drag from a cigarette it gives me a nice head rush that lasts 5 or 10 minutes and gives me energy. I'm not advocating smoking vs vaping but for me vaping nicotine is like getting influenza for half an hour.

I've also never felt a strong urge to use either of them.

 

[ThePredecessor]

I can smoke for 5 days straight (24mg cape) and then just stop completely for a week... zero "cravings" or
"fixations".

 

[Hecticus]

Justify your use how ever you want. Nicotine is extremely addictive just like other stimulants are addictive. I've been smoking for 7 years and my mood depends on it, which means my job depends on it. Smoking for a week or a few months will not give you a habit. Tobacco contains a maoi inhibiter which potentiates the nicotine (from what i hear.) Why if you're not dependent would you play around with it when there are superior alternatives like Caffeine.

 

[Ksa]

What a ridiculous statement, right? Millions of people around the world are hooked on tobacco and we all know the chemical responsible is nicotine. This is the accepted idea.

But is nicotine, in its pure form actually physically addictive? With the advent of electronic cigarettes, a growing number of people are consuming synthetic nicotine alone without the other chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

So what do you think? My personal experience is heavy use of an electronic cigarette for the past year. I sit in my room, surfing bluelight, puffing on and on. But then, when I leave home for the day I leave my e-cig. And I go the whole day without a single craving. I definitely have a mental habituation, when I'm out without my e-cig I do think, "Wouldn't it be nice if I had some nicotine now".

But those thoughts are nothing like real cravings that a cigarette smoker would get. I have taken trips where for multiple days I go without any nicotine and I do just fine. So is nicotine in its pure form really addictive? I think its time we consider the greater complexity of tobacco and nicotine addiction.

Maybe I'm just a rare example but I think other people have noticed the difference between tobacco and nicotine. Of course e-cigs are not as satisfying as a real cigarette so it stands to reason that there is a significant difference chemically between the plant and the drug itself.

I'm just looking for your thoughts and opinions.

Electronic cigarettes are not designed to deliver that much nicotine. Chew 10x 4mg gum pieces/day for months and then talk.