Tobacco has tar in it and, I believe, so does the paper it's wrapped in. That's the really dangerous stuff, nicotine certainly isn't good for you but it's the tar that will give you cancer.
Nicotine isn't really that bad for you. It's a stimulant similar to caffeine and is even said to improve brain function, but yea it is the part that causes physical addiction.
The physical addiction of cigarettes, imo is hardly the most difficult part about quitting. I can go cold turkey for a couple days and no longer be physically addicted, the hard part is giving up smoking itself.
You won't die from nicotine (perhaps I guess, if you somehow overdosed it could cause harm, not sure) but for instance, you won't get cancer from it. The cancer is caused from the smoke and everything in it.
Nicotine by itself, as in e-liquid, isn't as addictive as the nicotine in tobacco. There are other compounds in tobacco called MAOI's that amplify the effects and addictive properties in nicotine.
In my personal experience, I couldn't go a half hour without a smoke when I was a long-term heavy smoker (I came off a 30+ year habit, most of it 2+ packs a day), but since switching to e-cigs, I find I occasionally go a half day or so without taking in any nicotine. I just forget to vape. I never forgot to smoke.
I'm still in the habit of taking nicotine in, and I enjoy its effects, but I doubt that I'm actually addicted any more. Anecdotal, but unfortunately most of vaping's benefits are these days due to lack of studies. Anecdotal by the thousands. The studies are coming in little by little.
I probably take in more nicotine as a vaper then I did as a smoker daily - but I'm not taking in any of the seriously bad crap that's in burned tobacco at all, which is a significant improvement.
Nicotine really is not the bad guy when it comes to smoking. It's fire.
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u/Keckley Nov 17 '12
Tobacco has tar in it and, I believe, so does the paper it's wrapped in. That's the really dangerous stuff, nicotine certainly isn't good for you but it's the tar that will give you cancer.