# Incredibly stupid question. Feel free to impugn my intellect. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2001, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306 "2001-06-19T07:30:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chronolicht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Chronolicht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronolicht)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/1 "2001-06-19T07:30:41Z")
Why don’t they make a cigarette with no nicotine for people trying to quit smoking? ---
**Author:** ![spathiphyllum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@spathiphyllum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spathiphyllum)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/2 "2001-06-19T07:56:51Z")
There **are** nicotine and tobacco-free herbal cigs out there which are promoted for “weaning” smokers off of tobacco…but the truth is, [herbal cigs STILL have health risks](http://www.quackwatch.com/02ConsumerProtection/FTCActions/herbalcigarettes.html). ---
**Author:** ![Marcus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Marcus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marcus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/3 "2001-06-19T10:50:49Z")
Giving up the nicotine is not the hard part - it takes only a few days for the body to normalise, and about three weeks for the nicotine to completely leave the body. The symptoms are no worse than those of a cold, if that. The hard part is the mental stuff - the belief that the smoker is actually “giving something up”. If the smoker can reprogram their attitude so that they realise that they’re not sacrificing anything, well then it’s easy. ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/4 "2001-06-19T10:51:13Z")
There are those “fake” cigarettes with someting minty in them. Look like real ones, you’re supposed to handle & puff away, but all you get is a minty taste. I tried them many years ago…they did nothing at all to reduce cravings. I’ve tried some of those herbal cigs, too…many moons ago. Clove and rose hip, IIRC. They were utterly foul, & made me want to cleanse my mouth with a REAL cigarette. My WAG guess as to why is that there really is no substitute for nicotine. This, BTW, from someone who has quit smoking finally, I hope, after trying over 20 times, using every method known to man. Cold turkey worked for me. Sucks, but there you are. ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/5 "2001-06-19T11:02:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marcus \* > \*\*The symptoms are no worse than those of a cold, if that. > > The hard part is the mental stuff - the belief that the smoker is actually “giving something up”. If the smoker can reprogram their attitude so that they realise that they’re not sacrificing anything, well then it’s easy. \*\* BWAHAHA. :rolleyes: Easy, my ass. Physical symptoms: constipation, for weeks. Inability to sleep at night, tired all day. Inability to think, concentrate, function as a polite member of society. For weeks. sore throat & coughing (detox.) Also, the immune system gets so stressed that quitting smokers are often prone to catching actual colds & various bugs going around. Crying jags, clinical depression, increased severity of bipolar illness & schizophrenia in such people. (There is a TON of literature on mental illness/smoking.) Granted, I probably rate an 80 on a 1-10 scale of addictiveness to nicotine. But I’m certainly not alone. sorry…this is OT but I just had to respond to **Marcus.** ---
**Author:** ![Marcus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Marcus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marcus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/6 "2001-06-19T11:19:32Z")
I’m sorry to hear that it wasn’t physically easy for you, **Carina42** , but I’m sticking to my guns. I’m not theorising from my ivory tower - I’ve just done it myself. Few of the symptoms you describe are directly attributable to nicotine withdrawal. The remainder (and I’m guessing a bit here) would seem to be caused by the continual denial of a very powerful desire. Your reply to my post did not indicate that you read my post. I did not say unconditionally that “giving up smoking is easy”. I did say that nicotine withdrawal is not the hard part, and by understanding what’s going on, the rest becomes easy. And I’m still saying that. Oh, and congratulations on becoming a non-smoker! ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/7 "2001-06-19T13:28:28Z")
am i being stupid, or is it not the tar and the actual SMOKE that causes the cancer/emphysema etc , and not the nicotine? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/8 "2001-06-19T13:36:44Z")
here’s a thread on the topic:[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58915](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58915) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/9 "2001-06-19T13:38:28Z")
Hmmmm…why didn’t that work the 1st time? [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58915](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58915) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/10 "2001-06-19T13:40:23Z")
Anyway, Irishgirl, you’re right, the nicotine is addictive, the other stuff kills ya: Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan Nicotine is the most addictive substance in tobacco. The tar, cyanide, CO, and half a thousand other substances are what deposit smegma-like concretions in the lungs, breaking them down into ineffective emphysematous sacs of phlegm, while they cause DNA and RNA damage to the cells, engendering the opportunity to produce malignancies, which can then travel via the lymphatics to distant organs and set up space-occupying colonies in the brain, liver, bone and other simi-necessary and necessary organs. But what the hey, you won’t be addicted to nicotine! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2001, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-question-feel-free-to-impugn-my-intellect/69306/11 "2001-06-19T13:44:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > Hmmmm…why didn’t that work the 1st time? No space before the “http:” I think.