Does anyone think that smokers will stop buying cigarettes and start buying pills that contain nicotine?

Question

Here is the web site:
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/nicotine

I'm not a smoker, but I believe that people don't smoke cigarettes for the nicotine. The hand to mouth activity is really what is addictive. People may disagree with me, but it is true. Try to stop smoking and start taking pills to get the same levels of nicotine. Smoking cigarettes helps relieve boredom, along with depression, and anxiety. But smoking cigarettes really keeps you active. Taking a pill only takes a second or two, so there is no real activity that will occupy that person. So I don't believe that pills with the same level of nicotine in them as cigarettes in them will make them not want a cigarette. I believe they will still need that hand-to-mouth movement.

So what they need to work on is something that is safe and can give the individual the same hand-to-mouth movement and still give them the same level of nicotine that cigarettes provide.

I just want to add, that technology has already created a safe hand-to-mouth device that delivers nicotine, but these products are very expensive.

Answer 1

Smoking is an example of behavioral conditioning. Nicotine is by itself highly addictive, because of its mild stimulant properties and nasty withdrawal. However, when a particular behavior (smoking) is done in conjunction with a reward (nicotine), the behavior becomes reinforced and difficult to eliminate.

There are some psychologists who believe that the smoking behavior fills an oral fixation from childhood development, but there is little research evidence to support any such connection. This argument is a holdover from many Freudian theorists.

If behavioral conditioning is true, people who initiate smoking behavior without nicotine or other reward should not have that behavior reinforced (which is true). Likewise, smoking behavior without a reward should help eliminate the behavior (such as non-nicotine cigarettes). Unfortunately, not only is it difficult to find a non-reward smoking behavior (since chewing and mouthing objects is relaxing anyway), such a research study will never be done since it is the smoke and residue from almost any burning that is known to be a risk factor for lung disease and cancer. This is why you will probably never see a "quit-smoking" cigarette.

Answer 2

you know...I used to smoke and I still grave it sometimes....to me it's the combination that was addictive....the smoking and the nicotine...just one or the other: smoking without nicotine or nicotine without smoking...might help some folks do a gradual quit. Some folks have used the plastic tubes that look like cigarettes and deliver some nicotine.

It a physical and psychological addiction and a pill (like nicotine gum and patches) could help with the physical part so that the person could get through the psychologial withdrawal from the hand to mouth/smoking ...without having to deal with the nicotine withdrawal at the same time.

It's amazing...when you are addicted to something how you deny the danger and risks you are taking.... After you are able to kick the habit...you suddenly realize that you have been poisoning yourself.

Answer 3

Well, you are right about the oral fixation and hand movements being a part of it. However, your logic is flawed.

Nicotine is not exactly safe to begin with. Its an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants like tobacco, potato, green pepper, and eggplant. Its a stimulant with dependency forming properties. The idea is to get people to quit smoking all together to avoid all the poisons, including nicotine.

The products designed with nicotine in them are to help people wean themselves off nicotine not use it as an addiction substitute.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Toxicology

Answer 4

You have made some very good points here and as a tobacco user I am inclined to agree with you about the hand to mouth issue, but nicotine addiction is a harder habbit to break than drugs or alcohol abuse which I have a history of . I personally know many recovered addicts and alcoholics who continue useing tobacco.

Answer 5

People will stop buying cigarettes when they stop being sold.

Any other product with such a horrific safety record would have been subject to a recall. Your congressman is a wimp. So is mine. Congress should long ago have investigated exactly why this defective product has been protected.

Answer 6

Lets crack down on people who believe in God, low and behold we find the Atheist, Then too many people die of cigarrette smoke and second hand is the worst, those are called Non-smokers, soon the World will rally against all Fat people. It's all hand-to-mouth to me and it's all called selfish.

Answer 7

don't think so, ppl will still smoke ciggarettes it seems easier and cheaper then pills

Answer 8

help you