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Cigarettes are obviously an awful way to deliver nicotine, but I've failed to find any science showing that nicotine is any worse than caffeine. In fact, its sh

Cigarettes are obviously an awful way to deliver nicotine, but I've failed to find any science showing that nicotine is any worse than caffeine. In fact, its shorter elimination half-life makes it far less disruptive to sleep. Are we throwing the baby out with the bathwater? Gwern on the subject: https://gwern.net/nicotine https://gwern.net/nicotine

vkou 3y ago
The difference is that breaking a caffeine addiction is feeling like shit for 2-3 days. And then you're done. Breaking a nicotine addiction is something most people struggle with for years.
- Clubber 3y ago
  I think he meant in regards to the health effects of it, not specifically the brutality of the addition. I finally got off cigarettes with vapes and Juul was the only one that worked for me. I smoked since I was around 13.
  - chomp 3y ago
    I personally would consider the addiction part of the health effects. Particularly in the lower income population who can struggle with keeping their addiction fed. For us tech professionals, keeping an addiction fed is not an issue. The Gwern article posted earlier is more about the benefits of nicotine, but does note that nicotine is potentially more disruptive than caffeine: "we will want to be more careful with the nicotine than with modafinil or caffeine, where the main consequence of carelessness is tolerance rendering the stimulant useless or messing up our sleep for a few days." Also note that the article specifically calls out that vaping is an issue, and the author is only comfortable with the use of nicotine gum. It mainly points out that if you are extremely careful with the addictive properties, it's a decent drug. But no, I don't think we're throwing the baby out with the bathwater because the lack of studies on the topic of vaping, and the potential of saddling you with a difficult to shake addiction.
- conscion 3y ago
  If you read OPs article, they imply that a lot of cigarettes addictive quality is due to the MAO inhibitors, not the nicotine

vkou 3y ago

The difference is that breaking a caffeine addiction is feeling like shit for 2-3 days. And then you're done. Breaking a nicotine addiction is something most people struggle with for years.

Clubber 3y ago
I think he meant in regards to the health effects of it, not specifically the brutality of the addition. I finally got off cigarettes with vapes and Juul was the only one that worked for me. I smoked since I was around 13.
- chomp 3y ago
  I personally would consider the addiction part of the health effects. Particularly in the lower income population who can struggle with keeping their addiction fed. For us tech professionals, keeping an addiction fed is not an issue. The Gwern article posted earlier is more about the benefits of nicotine, but does note that nicotine is potentially more disruptive than caffeine: "we will want to be more careful with the nicotine than with modafinil or caffeine, where the main consequence of carelessness is tolerance rendering the stimulant useless or messing up our sleep for a few days." Also note that the article specifically calls out that vaping is an issue, and the author is only comfortable with the use of nicotine gum. It mainly points out that if you are extremely careful with the addictive properties, it's a decent drug. But no, I don't think we're throwing the baby out with the bathwater because the lack of studies on the topic of vaping, and the potential of saddling you with a difficult to shake addiction.
conscion 3y ago
If you read OPs article, they imply that a lot of cigarettes addictive quality is due to the MAO inhibitors, not the nicotine