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Comment by triceratops | Hacker News Reader

> unlike drugs, for example, which are inherently addictive to all humans

Define "drugs". Alcohol is a drug. Most users aren't addicts. So is tobacco. Most users are addicts. Cannabis? More like alcohol than tobacco in terms of addictiveness.

There may be some selection bias. Smoking tobacco is an unpleasant sensation. There's no reason to do it other than the addiction and the effects on your brain chemistry afterwards. Whereas many alcoholic drinks taste great in their own right and would be consumed even if they had no chemical effects.

I suspect gambling is like alcohol or cannabis. Engaging in it affects brain chemistry. For some people that's addictive. Most people are able to enjoy the activity without being hooked.

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As a former smoker (I started and quit twice), I strongly disagree that "Smoking tobacco is an unpleasant sensation."

It's terrible for your health, it's "burning money", it literally makes you stink, it makes you winded walking up stairs, and is generally terrible.

But the little head rush you get starting the day with a coffee and a cigarette feels great.

> But the little head rush you get starting the day with a coffee and a cigarette feels great.

That's the effect on brain chemistry I referred to.

Do you actually enjoy the smoke in your mouth, burning your eyes and lungs?

A cold beer on a hot day is refreshing just for its temperature alone. A fruity cocktail tastes good because sugar tastes good. What's enjoyable about the physical sensations produced by smoke?

I mean maybe we're arguing semantics, because the pleasure of eating sugar is possibly also an alteration of brain chemistry. But there is a difference.

As a former smoker (quit in 2009), I absolutely LOVED smoking. The whole thing. Opening the pack, packing it down, pulling out the cigarette, lighting it, the first drag filling my lungs, the fullness in my chest. The only thing I didn't like was that it made me smell bad. When I started a job where I was working close to people and the smell made me insecure, I decided to quit. I still miss the ritual.

Anyone who has quit smoking will tell you that the habit is the hardest part about quitting, not the physical addiction.

> Do you actually enjoy the smoke in your mouth, burning your eyes and lungs?

Many years ago when I smoked - yup, sure did. I loved the entire experience, except maybe going outside in the middle of winter.

Most people don't actually like the taste of alcoholic drinks when they first try them as a teenager.

The reason you like the taste of beer is in large part because your brain has learned to associate that taste with good things happening (the alcohol feeling).

Same with coffee, it's bitter, objectively should taste bad, but you learn to like it.

It's the same process

> The reason you like the taste of beer is in large part because your brain has learned to associate that taste with good things happening (the alcohol feeling).

Explain the popularity of non-alcoholic beer.

> Same with coffee, it's bitter, objectively should taste bad

Many fruits, vegetables, and foods (cheeses, unsweetened chocolate) are naturally bitter and widely enjoyed, even though they don't give you a high.

People also enjoy bitter caffeine-free herbal teas.

> Most people don't actually like the taste of alcoholic drinks when they first try them as a teenager.

Many children don't like vegetables either. Adults more often do. Our tastes change as we grow older.

> Do you actually enjoy the smoke in your mouth, burning your eyes and lungs?

TBH I just didn't have those sensations. People wouldn't get hooked if it felt terrible.

My sister still smokes, and every now and then I'll have a few hits of one of hers, and it's great. No doubt I could get hooked again if I wasn't careful.

The silver lining is there's a whole boatload of drugs I never tried (and never will) because I know first hand how easy it is to get addicted.

>Smoking tobacco is an unpleasant sensation.

I disagree but maybe I’m just addicted.

There’s no “maybe” about it.

I stopped smoking 15-20 years back and still remember it fondly. It is definitely a pleasant, if smelly, experience.

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