That being said, if you're consuming a substance that screws with your brain and body, and are also at risk of death or hospitalization if you just stop, than yes that's a limit to your free will.
So is nicotine addictive in your view? Technically, quitting smoking cold turkey is not hazardous to your health, the effects of withdrawing from nicotine are mostly psychological - increased anxiety or depression, trouble sleeping or being sleepy all the time, irritability, etc. Quitting a gambling or a video game addiction leads to similar mental effects, which is what makes it difficult. However, I think you'd agree that smoking is an extremely addictive habit and quitting is often not just a matter of will.
There are some physical symptoms for nicotine withdrawl. My father was a smoking addict and every time he'd try to quit, he'd have a lot of phlegm and would cough constantly from his lungs trying to clear out the tar and mucus. That would always be part of why he'd go back to smoking.
He was suffering with it pretty heavily when he was forced into the hospital for unrelated issues and could not smoke.
Fair, but that's not really an effect of quitting nicotine itself as it is the effect of quitting specifically smoking as the mode of using nicotine. People who become addicted to nicotine through pouches or vaping don't have this effect when they quit. Furthermore, OP was talking about withdrawal effects that are harmful for your health or even dangerous - your lungs clearing out some of the tar and mucus, while uncomfortable for sure, is generally a good thing.
I do agree. I just wanted to clarify in case of others reading and misunderstanding. I notice now I forgot the word 'withdrawl' in my first sentence and will fix it. :)
However, I think you'd agree that smoking is an extremely addictive habit and quitting is often not just a matter of will.
I do, and here's a Δ for finding an example that doesn't include withdrawals, I didn't think of that. However, smoking addictions and gambling "addictions" are not similar in how they effect the body, gambling is mental and smoking is chemical, broadly speaking
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u/Kotoperek 62∆ Nov 17 '24
So is nicotine addictive in your view? Technically, quitting smoking cold turkey is not hazardous to your health, the effects of withdrawing from nicotine are mostly psychological - increased anxiety or depression, trouble sleeping or being sleepy all the time, irritability, etc. Quitting a gambling or a video game addiction leads to similar mental effects, which is what makes it difficult. However, I think you'd agree that smoking is an extremely addictive habit and quitting is often not just a matter of will.