That's part of the reason why we see more (adult) ADHD these days: people used to smoke a lot. (Chain smoking plus guzzling black coffee used to be the stereotype for eg journalists or editors.)
So nobody strictly _needs_ to smoke, but it helps some.
(Before you go and light one up: smoking is one of the worst ways to get nicotine. Use a patch or lozenge or vape instead.)
As a recently diagnosed & medicated ADHD person, who used to chain smoke and drink gallons of coffee daily, so much makes sense all of a sudden.
Thank you for making me aware of this!
Not to dismiss the ADHD connection at all, but I would be hesitant to hang too much of the blame on that given the coffee drinking.
> The nicotine causes the receptors to release nitric oxide, which slows sensory inhibition causing a suppression of a subsequent stimuli
It seems unlikely that nicotine is the only discovered substance that causes this effect, meaning there should be a healthier method?
There's a lot of discussion on obesity and weight issues on hackernews that show zero shreds of empathy that it's just wild to me and this is not much different. I don't think anyone refutes that diet and exercise are great options to avoid/combat obesity, but statements like yours are as useful as walking up to a smoker and saying "just quit". You may be alienating the audience you are trying to help, given that is the intention
Just about any stimulant will work.
Eg adrenaline/epinephrine works fairly well. Your body produces that itself, especially when exercising or fidgeting. (And now you know one reason why ADHD people often fidget.)
Methylphenidate works, too. It's also known as Ritalin.
Nicotine is a generally safe substance, as long as it's not delivered alongside acrylamide, VOC-carrying particulates, and tar, as it is in cigarettes.
Amazon sells the stuff in lozenge form for only 7 cents per mg.