In message , Stan Gosnell
writes
.
Nicotine is highly addictive - probably at least as addictive as
cocaine, heroin, or any other drug. Once you get started, it's
very, very tough to quit.


I think it's probably far MORE addictive - although never a smoker,
like I say, I rejected them as a kid - one only has to look at the
numbers involved, and compare it to other drugs to see that nicotine is
by far the most addictive.

I speak from experience, too - after a bad accident at work, with a 30ft
fall from a rooftop into the yard, (the worst landing I ever made!) I
had a month-long stay in Intensive Care, with many broken bones. I was
on large doses of Heroin and Morphine for pain relief for 2 months
afterwards - in fact ,when my wife went to the pharmacist to get the
supplies, he thought I had terminal cancer when he looked at the
doses...

Anyway, I never got the slightest "high" from either drug - I was just
damn glad of the pain relief - and did staged withdrawal over 3 months
or so without any addictive problems at all.

Later on, the Senior Anaesthetist (Anaestheologist in USA?) later told
me that, if people are in severe pain ,you can whack enormous doses of
morphine etc into them, and they don't get addicted at all - the brain
breaks it down as fast as you provide it whilst countering the pain
stimulus.

He said that people only get addicted if you provide large doses to them
when they're NOT in severe pain. And even then, it's only a minority of
people that have any great problem getting off - the personality has a
lot to do with it, he said. People get addicted to shopping, gambling,
sex, you name it. Narcotic drugs is only one other example.

But nicotine is far more insidious, and affects a wider band of people -
and addiction is easily obtained, as, of course, no one NEEDS the stuff
before they get it - like wounded guys need morphine. So, you try it a
few times, and...



--
Rod Buck