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Several years ago, I read about the significant nootropic effects of nicotine and spent time on forums that downplayed the potential negative impacts. I ended u

Several years ago, I read about the significant nootropic effects of nicotine and spent time on forums that downplayed the potential negative impacts. I ended up trying it and became addicted for years. Social contagion can have significant effects on social issues like this.

stefan_ 6y ago
By that logic, we need to ban cooking shows - the habit reinforcing qualities of food are well known and obesity is a leading cause of health issues. It looks like you got off easy since your "drug" of choice nicotine has entirely negligible negative effects on an organism of the size of a human - it's a neurotoxin that in the quantities we use it for recreationally can't even harm insects (much like caffeine!).
- TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
  > It looks like you got off easy since your "drug" of choice nicotine has entirely negligible negative effects on an organism of the size of a human You are right. I ended up with easily maintained hypertension and the urge to smoke that probably will never go away.(While on it, I also had significantly worse anxiety, decreased sleep quality, and bubbly urine. I definitely don't recommend trying it) But the social dynamics between it and heroin are the same. If we normalize its use and downplay its risks, more people will use it. And the physical and social harms from heroin use are far worse than nicotine.
xibalba 6y ago
I've experimented with nicotine (in the form of gum) myself, but haven't really observed much in the way of benefits. Did you see benefits? What form(s) were you using? How did you end up quitting? (I was turned onto this after listening to an interview with Dr. Peter Attia [haven't yet made up my mind on whether he is a huckster])
- TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
  I personally didn't experience benefits, just side effects. I started with vaping, then moved to smoking. To quit, I switched to vaping for a few weeks, then tapered the nicotine concentration to zero over the course of a month or two. Cigarettes have MAOIs which make it more addictive which is why I switched. I was irritable for weeks and still get the urge to smoke sometimes(it's been over 5 years since I quit). I don't recommend starting.
- matwood 6y ago
  > Dr. Peter Attia [haven't yet made up my mind on whether he is a huckster]) I've listened to him off and on, and think he's ok. He tests on himself pretty relentlessly, and still sees patients (though it's a boutique practice). He also appears open to new ideas as new research presents itself. And while crazy people can come from anywhere, he also has all the proper credentials. There's this guy who hates him lol: https://www.libertariannews.org/2016/03/07/dr-peter-attia-readdressing-dietary-guidelines/ https://www.libertariannews.org/2016/03/07/dr-peter-attia-re... Finally, if you haven't already, you should find the podcast episode where he talks about Theranos. Pretty wild that he was asked to join and turned Holmes down.
fouc 6y ago
I tried the gum and the patch for nootropic purposes. I even had to cut up the patch into smaller pieces to get the proper dosage. It was hard to get the dosage down enough, and I just mostly ended up feeling really twitchy. It didn't seem worth it and I didn't notice any real boost in the mental realm that a good nap wouldn't give me. Did you get addicted to the gum or the patch?
- TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
  I vaped. I've also taken adderall and enjoyed it, so our neurochemistries are probably different. That's something important to consider when reading about experiences on the internet. There are people who are relatively resistant to addiction. When they talk about their experiences, they make it sound like it's no big deal, and it's not to them. But that's not how it is for everyone.
filleokus 6y ago
Heh, same happened to me. I managed to get hooked on Nicotine gums after reading about the nootropic effects. After a while I moved on to snus (Swedish smokeless tobacco) due to expense/hassle of getting the gums. Nowadays I have a pretty big nicotine consumption and probably extremely marginal nootropic effects.
- eurasiantiger 6y ago
  At least you don’t need to worry about dementia, alzheimer’s and parkinson’s, as well as many other degenerative diseases. It’s pretty well documented that specifically Swedish snus prevents them effectively.

stefan_ 6y ago

By that logic, we need to ban cooking shows - the habit reinforcing qualities of food are well known and obesity is a leading cause of health issues. It looks like you got off easy since your "drug" of choice nicotine has entirely negligible negative effects on an organism of the size of a human - it's a neurotoxin that in the quantities we use it for recreationally can't even harm insects (much like caffeine!).

TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
> It looks like you got off easy since your "drug" of choice nicotine has entirely negligible negative effects on an organism of the size of a human You are right. I ended up with easily maintained hypertension and the urge to smoke that probably will never go away.(While on it, I also had significantly worse anxiety, decreased sleep quality, and bubbly urine. I definitely don't recommend trying it) But the social dynamics between it and heroin are the same. If we normalize its use and downplay its risks, more people will use it. And the physical and social harms from heroin use are far worse than nicotine.

xibalba 6y ago

I've experimented with nicotine (in the form of gum) myself, but haven't really observed much in the way of benefits. Did you see benefits? What form(s) were you using? How did you end up quitting? (I was turned onto this after listening to an interview with Dr. Peter Attia [haven't yet made up my mind on whether he is a huckster])

TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
I personally didn't experience benefits, just side effects. I started with vaping, then moved to smoking. To quit, I switched to vaping for a few weeks, then tapered the nicotine concentration to zero over the course of a month or two. Cigarettes have MAOIs which make it more addictive which is why I switched. I was irritable for weeks and still get the urge to smoke sometimes(it's been over 5 years since I quit). I don't recommend starting.
matwood 6y ago
> Dr. Peter Attia [haven't yet made up my mind on whether he is a huckster]) I've listened to him off and on, and think he's ok. He tests on himself pretty relentlessly, and still sees patients (though it's a boutique practice). He also appears open to new ideas as new research presents itself. And while crazy people can come from anywhere, he also has all the proper credentials. There's this guy who hates him lol: https://www.libertariannews.org/2016/03/07/dr-peter-attia-readdressing-dietary-guidelines/ https://www.libertariannews.org/2016/03/07/dr-peter-attia-re... Finally, if you haven't already, you should find the podcast episode where he talks about Theranos. Pretty wild that he was asked to join and turned Holmes down.

fouc 6y ago

I tried the gum and the patch for nootropic purposes. I even had to cut up the patch into smaller pieces to get the proper dosage. It was hard to get the dosage down enough, and I just mostly ended up feeling really twitchy. It didn't seem worth it and I didn't notice any real boost in the mental realm that a good nap wouldn't give me. Did you get addicted to the gum or the patch?

TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
I vaped. I've also taken adderall and enjoyed it, so our neurochemistries are probably different. That's something important to consider when reading about experiences on the internet. There are people who are relatively resistant to addiction. When they talk about their experiences, they make it sound like it's no big deal, and it's not to them. But that's not how it is for everyone.

filleokus 6y ago

Heh, same happened to me. I managed to get hooked on Nicotine gums after reading about the nootropic effects. After a while I moved on to snus (Swedish smokeless tobacco) due to expense/hassle of getting the gums. Nowadays I have a pretty big nicotine consumption and probably extremely marginal nootropic effects.

eurasiantiger 6y ago
At least you don’t need to worry about dementia, alzheimer’s and parkinson’s, as well as many other degenerative diseases. It’s pretty well documented that specifically Swedish snus prevents them effectively.