Nicotine is NOT addictive, part 2
Probably, you were shocked by this statement, and maybe you still are, despite the evidence I presented. This is your addiction working – your addiction is even trying to fool your powers of logic. But if you don’t believe me, then let’s revisit it again.
Nicotine is not addictive. Nicotine is a chemical substance, yes. Nicotine produces some small physical changes when injected into the bloodstream, yes. Nicotine in too high a dose can even kill a person, yes.
Nicotine is a toxin and nothing more than that. It is not addictive. I’ve already given you some examples and here is yet another one: a friend of mine from Scandinavia once brought back some “snus”. Perhaps you have heard of this – it’s a type of tobacco that you place in your mouth – some people use it in places that they cannot smoke. Just like cigarettes, however, snus is carcinogenic and bad for your health.
In the years since I have stopped smoking, my friend has offered me snus and I have never even given it a second thought about trying it which I have done maybe 3 or 4 times. It comes in a kind of teabag that holds the tobacco and you keep it just under the top lip, where the nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Did I fear the consequences of consuming nicotine again, possibly getting “re-addicted”? To be honest, it did not even cross my mind, I actually did not make the connection between snus and cigarettes both being made of tobacco. I also found that having tobacco stain my teeth was not to my liking so I did not care to continue trying this snus despite my persistence in trying to work out the attraction! Despite my almost not realising that this was a tobacco product before I placed it into my mouth, did I get hooked once more? No, of course not – because nicotine is not addictive.
Here’s another example – did you ever hear of a non-smoker accidentally becoming addicted to patches? And here’s another one – there are many people who occasionally smoke cigars. Maybe they have them two or three times a year at a party. Personally, I still do this from time to time like at the office Christmas party. Do I long for or pine for tobacco in the months between getting my next fix of a cigar? Do I miss the aroma of tobacco until my next chance to have a cigar? Or do I even resort to cigarettes because cigars are too expensive? Of course not! In fact, it’s never even occurred to me at all. I don’t have any cravings for tobacco and I never think about tobacco.
Let’s go back to cigarette smoking. If we know that nicotine is not physically addictive, then why do people have a craving for cigarettes? We’ve established that it’s very hard, if not impossible, for the average person to get hooked on patches, cigars or snus. But if they all contain nicotine then what makes cigarettes so different?
Nicotine is not physically addictive, but cigarettes ARE psychologically addictive.
We have just proven this statement above. So why are cigarettes such a special case? I don’t have all the answers but I suspect it’s a result of social conditioning, of the way in which society as a whole looks at cigarettes, categorises cigarettes, the way in which people believe that nicotine is addictive and the “brainwashing” of the establishment (more on that later). This would explain why most people who try a cigar do not get hooked on either cigars or cigarettes, even though they also both contain nicotine and tobacco.
So now you know that cigarettes are psychologically addictive. So, in order to conquer your addiction, you therefore must understand exactly how your cigarette addiction works. Keep on reading to learn more.
Nicotine is not addictive, part 1
Here's another example of nicotine not being addictive.
You may already know that in The Netherlands, locals and tourists can visit what is known as a "coffeeshop". This is a place where you can legally buy and smoke marijuana products.
Europeans traditionally mix their marijuana with tobacco which they then roll up and smoke. Now, it turns out that most of these people do not even smoke cigarettes when they are not in a coffeeshop. That's right, they don't smoke cigarettes at all and they have no desire to smoke cigarettes. They simply use tobacco because it is a good material to help the "joint" burn.
So, if you are a smoker who believes that your body is highly addicted to nicotine, how can you possibly explain those people who do not smoke cigarettes but use tobacco in their marijuana joints. How can this be possible?
Here's another reason why your body doesn't need nicotine. Can you remember when you were last really ill and could not move from your bed. Even a hangover qualifies for this test.
When I used to smoke, if I had a very bad hangover then I did not desire a cigarette. I remember having the flu (a real flu and not just a cold is when you cannot reach the foot of your bed, even if someone placed 100 dollars there) and I did not smoke for a week. If nicotine has such a grip on you then why do you not smoke when you are terribly ill? Surely that goes against a smoker's logic and you would get twice as ill if you did not smoke! But we all know that is not true.
You should be able to see now what addiction really is and how it attacks the mind rather than the body. You can't deny it, because I have given you several cases that you cannot explain any other way. Maybe you are making mental objections - this is your addiction at work right now! If you truly believe that I am wrong, then get out a piece of paper and write down your case. Show it to a non-smoker whose mind is not twisted by addiction and see what they say. I assure you that they will disagree.
