Nicotine as a useful stimulant • Hacker News Board

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#111

Post by eikenberry » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 9:22 AM UTC

gwern wrote: post #50

spion wrote: post #18

"Effects of nicotine on perceptual speed" [1] is behind a paywall, and I can't tell from the abstract whether the results also apply to non-smokers. However, the abstract of another of the articles, "Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Performance in a Simulated Driving Task" [2] states that the effect was only measured on minimally abstinent smokers. Are any of the other studies measuring the beneficial effects of nicot…

> "Effects of nicotine on perceptual speed" [1] is behind a paywall, and I can't tell from the abstract whether the results also apply to non-smokers. I need to apologize a little bit here; I've been checking my article and it seems I inserted the wrong link for that citation. The one I actually wanted is http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02245346 'Smoking and Raven IQ', Stough et al 1994. Also paywalled, bu…

What in tobacco is addictive other than nicotine?

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#112

Post by phaer » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 9:33 AM UTC

whalesalad wrote: post #2

I can't imagine life without stimulants. I hope to move off into the woods one day and live a completely natural lifestyle for a while. Reset myself. No caffeine, no nicotine, no amphetamines. Just me, a dog, and a nice ranch property in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, nicotine is a staple of my day-to-day. I quit smoking a long time ago, now I stick to Swedish snus and vaping. For a period I was chewing gum too. D…

According to wikipedia, Snus is illegal in the european union with "special excemptions" for sweden and norway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#113

Post by hso9791 » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 9:52 AM UTC

Nux wrote: post #109

You don't need nicotine under any form, believe me. Just stay away from it. It's not healthy, it's filthy.

A) Why should I believe you?, and B) Is this some metaphorical or religious uncleanliness you mean when you say filthy?

These issues fixed, you might have presented coherent argument.

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#114

Post by yesbabyyes » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 11:09 AM UTC

JPKab wrote: post #61

whalesalad wrote: post #2

I can't imagine life without stimulants. I hope to move off into the woods one day and live a completely natural lifestyle for a while. Reset myself. No caffeine, no nicotine, no amphetamines. Just me, a dog, and a nice ranch property in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, nicotine is a staple of my day-to-day. I quit smoking a long time ago, now I stick to Swedish snus and vaping. For a period I was chewing gum too. D…

Ok, so can you, or someone, explain "Swedish snus" to me? I'm curious, because whenever I have put any kind of American "dip" tobacco product in my mouth, my salivary glands go fucking nuclear and I end up drooling or spitting like a redneck. Does Swedish snus made in some way so that this doesn't happen? If so, I need to try it!

Strong snus, like Ettan and Grov, will probably make your mouth run, especially as a beginner (even in packets). Less strong, a little bit smaller packets (I think General is the most popular in Sweden) are better, and in the last decade or so, even dryer packeted snus has become popular, often sold with a suffix like White or Dry.

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#115

Post by scotty79 » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 11:12 AM UTC

eikenberry wrote: post #111

gwern wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Effects of nicotine on perceptual speed" [1] is behind a paywall, and I can't tell from the abstract whether the results also apply to non-smokers. I need to apologize a little bit here; I've been checking my article and it seems I inserted the wrong link for that citation. The one I actually wanted is http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02245346 'Smoking and Raven IQ', Stough et al 1994. Also paywalled, bu…

What in tobacco is addictive other than nicotine?

Good question. Artile suggests that there is something. MAOI perhaps? Whatever that is...

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#116

Post by udp » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 11:33 AM UTC

jcromartie wrote: post #22

I don't know, but I think cigar and pipe smoking are a perfectly valid way to get nicotine on your own terms while avoiding addiction. I have never seen someone cowering in the rain cradling a big cigar to get their fix.

Well, you're not really supposed to take the cigar smoke back into your lungs, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#117

Post by peteretep » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 11:36 AM UTC

This triggered some research, which linked me back to:

http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics#nicotine

Where you seem to suggest that actually you experienced no measurable benefit from nicotine, but the placebo affect was strong. Have I read that correctly?

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#118

Post by jnbiche » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 11:43 AM UTC

jcromartie wrote: post #22

I don't know, but I think cigar and pipe smoking are a perfectly valid way to get nicotine on your own terms while avoiding addiction. I have never seen someone cowering in the rain cradling a big cigar to get their fix.

This is exactly how I quit a pack-a-day cigarette habit in my 20s: smoking a pipe. It allowed me to get some nicotine in, but was such a pain to pack/light that I eventually gave it up -- by that time I was sufficiently de-habituated from cigarettes that I never went back to smoking, except for a few times when I got really drunk (another habit I eventually gave up).

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#119

Post by PeterisP » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 1:01 PM UTC

glibgil wrote: post #17

michaelwww wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Snus is an awesome alternative to smoking. I've tried chew and nicotine lozenges, but snus is a happy medium. I've come up with a way to get off nicotine, which I do from time to time: dissolve about 8 nicotine lozenges in a bottle of water. Take a sip when craving hits. The craving goes away immediately. ymmv.

So, you get off nicotine by going on nicotine?

Smoking addiction combines both chemical addiction and a very peculiar habit. It is hard to break both at the same time; so best practice for quitting is to first drop smoking as a habit (while not touching nicotine addiction, replacing it with another nicotine source) and only afterwards working on the actual stuff.

Re: Nicotine as a useful stimulant

#120

Post by unmei » Sat, Sep 28, 2013, 1:48 PM UTC

scotty79 wrote: post #115

eikenberry wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What in tobacco is addictive other than nicotine?

Good question. Artile suggests that there is something. MAOI perhaps? Whatever that is...

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor(s). Many antidepressants fall into this category. MAOI's inhibit the enzyme that cleans up several endogenous molecules, like serotonin, and some drugs, like the amphetamines.