4 ms·

Purely anecdotal, but I believe Keith Richards is on record stating that kicking heroin was far easier than kicking nicotine. There's evidence for this, too --

Purely anecdotal, but I believe Keith Richards is on record stating that kicking heroin was far easier than kicking nicotine. There's evidence for this, too -- he quit using heroin decades ago, but only managed to quit smoking a few years back. So it seems to be true, at least for him.

incrudible 3y ago
That is different from withdrawal being worse. Opiate withdrawal can be rather severe from a physical standpoint. Nicotine withdrawal simply is not.
thebigspacefuck 3y ago
You’re conflating nicotine with tobacco again. For me, quitting smoking was easier than quitting coffee addiction. Coffee is everywhere, cheap, and consumption is all but encouraged. If I were to smoke I take on all sorts of baggage. Much of smoking is about being a smoker which is a mindset and community that is hard to leave. Social effects can be much stronger than physical dependence.
- bronsonkhmai 3y ago
  Totally agree. One of the hardest parts of quitting smoking for me was quitting smoke breaks with my smoker friends at work.
- Turing_Machine 3y ago
  > For me, quitting smoking was easier than quitting coffee addiction Operative phrase here: "for you".
trmonx 3y ago
Yes, but only because nicotine is cheap, easily available, won't cause any real immediate problems or drain your bank account. As a substance its no where near as addicting as heroin, no one would actually ruin their lives for nicotine in case it was illegal and expensive.
insanitybit 3y ago
That is not surprising. a) The downsides to smoking are far longer term and harder to feel daily b) You're surrounded by smokers, you can literally smell them smoking just by walking down the street c) Smoking is legal. You can just go buy a pack. I am unsurprised that quitting smoking is harder for some people, given that. But in terms of withdrawal symptoms, that's where I think heroin is probably worse. But I also don't really know. So far someone linked a Google search and an irrelevant paper.

incrudible 3y ago

That is different from withdrawal being worse. Opiate withdrawal can be rather severe from a physical standpoint. Nicotine withdrawal simply is not.

thebigspacefuck 3y ago

You’re conflating nicotine with tobacco again. For me, quitting smoking was easier than quitting coffee addiction. Coffee is everywhere, cheap, and consumption is all but encouraged. If I were to smoke I take on all sorts of baggage. Much of smoking is about being a smoker which is a mindset and community that is hard to leave. Social effects can be much stronger than physical dependence.

bronsonkhmai 3y ago
Totally agree. One of the hardest parts of quitting smoking for me was quitting smoke breaks with my smoker friends at work.
Turing_Machine 3y ago
> For me, quitting smoking was easier than quitting coffee addiction Operative phrase here: "for you".

trmonx 3y ago

Yes, but only because nicotine is cheap, easily available, won't cause any real immediate problems or drain your bank account. As a substance its no where near as addicting as heroin, no one would actually ruin their lives for nicotine in case it was illegal and expensive.

insanitybit 3y ago

That is not surprising. a) The downsides to smoking are far longer term and harder to feel daily b) You're surrounded by smokers, you can literally smell them smoking just by walking down the street c) Smoking is legal. You can just go buy a pack. I am unsurprised that quitting smoking is harder for some people, given that. But in terms of withdrawal symptoms, that's where I think heroin is probably worse. But I also don't really know. So far someone linked a Google search and an irrelevant paper.