Professor: "Nicotine is not dangerous, and not addictive"

[heders]

"Hard to say that nicotine is dangerous"




Professor: "No one has become addicted to nicotine only"

Nicotine is not harmful to the body.
It is also not particularly addictive.
That says Hans Gilljam, Senior Professor of Public Health at the Karolinska Institute and founder of Stop-smoking-line.
- In 25 years we have talked and talked about nicotine's harmful effects, now we will have to eat it up, he says.

One thing is important to clarify right away. Professor Hans Gilljam say absolutely not that smoking is harmless, or that it is not addictive. However, pointing to recent research indicates that nicotine plays a very small role in the drama.
"Hard to say it is dangerous"

- When you smoke, 8000 substances is inhaled. Many are directly toxic and carcinogenic. Smoking is deadly. But nicotine is not especially dangerous. It is difficult on a scientific basis to suggest that a chronic nicotine abuse is dangerous for an adult. It is possible for a fetus, but it is not safe. On the whole, new research has allowed us to have a second review, it's been too much focus on nicotine when talking about the effects of smoking, says Hans Gilljam.

There are also large uncertainties in the nicotine-dependent effect. His Gilljam says the topic is not nearly as addictive as previously thought.
"Not very addictive"

- No, we can probably now admit that nicotine itself is not particularly addictive. It's undeniable that cigarettes in itself creates a strong dependence, but it's not about the nicotine. It is rather about the smoke, smell, social, to have something in his hand ... all those factors together, socially and psychologically. Unfortunately, we have for 25 years talked very convincingly about nicotine being addictive, now we will eat it up.

The reason that the scientific approach to nicotine reformulated is simple.

- Nicotine Drugs have been around for a long time but it has never ever happened that someone has become addicted to them. So that someone, for example, started to chew nicotine gum and become dependent on it, it never happened. It should reasonably have done if nicotine was highly addictive. Then, many people who quit smoking using nicotine replacement therapy and then continued to use them for many years, but it is not the same, says Hans Gilljam.




Google translated from this site: http://www.aftonbladet.se/slutaroka/article14118649.ab

[historyb]

It's the other chemicals that gets put in that are addictive I would surmise

[lxskllr]

He may be technically correct, but I don't know about the practical implications for the way people use nicotine. Chemically isolated nicotine may not be strongly addictive, but it could work synergisticly with other components in tobacco, even oral tobacco, which could make addiction stronger. Dunno, but you don't want o be around me if I don't have tobacco. Well, you may not want to be around me at all, but without tobacco my negative traits get ramped up exponentially :^D

[GoVegan]

I would have to disagree. I used the nicotine lozenges for a while and did crave them. I have also known people that have used nicotine gum for well over a year.

[Frosted]

I don't agree with the guy either. Nicotine is very addictive imo. I've tried the pharmaceutical nicotine - it's not very pleasant but it's addictive.

[pris]

I would say nicotine is addictive as hell.

Of the very few people that I know that have quit cigs with NRT gum they remained addicted to the gum.

[Jan]

It is addictive... I am 39 and have used the stuff since the age of 16. I changed my nicotine delivery systems several times (picked up smoking cigs in school, then switched to pipe which I later gave up to become a stylish cigar smoker... and now I am 8 consecutive years on snus) but I never quit nicotine. Nicotine has become part of my chemistry. I am not sure if my system would go without it.

[Fazer]

I don't think nicotine is dangerous, but to say it's not addictive is total crap ...

[Jean]

The main point is that there are other addictive substances in tobacco and that explains why nicotine pills and patches are not effective in quitting.
The reality seems complicated. That there are other addictive substances has been shown by some experiment a few years ago. That nicotine is not addictive at all seems a little doubtful to me, mainly because I heard of people addicted to nicotine pills, but it can probably vary a lot from one person to another. The main reason why pharma substitute don't work may be that people are told to stop using them after a few months.
Still, the important point here is that using tobacco is the most confortable way to replace cigs.
It's a bit strange that the person who says that works for the Karolinska Institute, which is otherwise a completely anti-snus institution.

[Ansel]

The main point is that there are other addictive substances in tobacco and that explains why nicotine pills and patches are not effective in quitting.

There are MAOIs in the tobacco we are addicted to too, which is why pills and patches don't cut the mustard.

[desirexe]

yup...this prof needs to go back to school. Nicotine is VERY addictive. I may have not been so convinced had I not recently tried vaping some 11 mg juice, for those not familiar with ejuice, this is just pg/vg & nicotine. I found myself totally strung out on this stuff, like a junkie..I couldn't stop hitting the ecig until my supply was exhausted! My zero nic ejuice...I rarely use, besides the yummy flavor, there is basically no desire to use it.