# Why does coffee curb my nicotine cravings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 7, 2001, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777 "2001-01-07T00:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![muffinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@muffinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muffinman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2001, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777/1 "2001-01-07T00:13:38Z")
I quit smoking on the 1st, but I’ve noticed that drinking coffee curbs my need for nicotine. Is it possible that the caffiene is stimulating the same mental chemicals that nicotine would? Am I setting myself up for caffiene withdrawal? Or is it all psycological (I.E. A placebo effect.) Love to hear any possible explanations out there. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777/2 "2001-01-07T00:38:37Z")
I have no idea, though I wish you well in your quest to give up the demon nicotine. Is this not odd, though (?), because many people find that drinking coffee is a trigger for smoking cigarettes. You seem to have found that is the reverse for you; so caffeine puts you off nicotine; this sounds like good news for many people, so keep with the cigarette withdrawal and please keep posting your positive results (in hope that you night serve as a good example) and very good luck to you. And if you have any advice about how to stop the manic eating of peanuts or chocolate, that would also be more than welcome. ---
**Author:** ![dublos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f08c70/32.png) [@dublos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dublos)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2001, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777/3 "2001-01-07T01:02:49Z")
I used to do janitorial work at a local church during highschool. AA meetings were held there, and I can definitely tell you, those folks go through a TON of coffee. Perhaps it is the subsitution of one addiction for another? -Doug ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777/4 "2001-01-07T02:21:31Z")
My totally uneducated guess is that nicotine and caffeine are both stimulants, so you’re just substituting one for the other. ---
**Author:** ![Peta\_Tzunami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@Peta\_Tzunami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peta_Tzunami)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777/5 "2001-01-07T03:06:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by muffinman \* > \*\*I quit smoking on the 1st, but I’ve noticed that drinking coffee curbs my need for nicotine. Is it possible that the caffiene is stimulating the same mental chemicals that nicotine would? Am I setting myself up for caffiene withdrawal? Or is it all psycological (I.E. A placebo effect.) > > Love to hear any possible explanations out there. \*\* I have often heard about the relationship between cigarettes and coffee from several perspectives. I know that quitting both (either) after extensive/excessive use can cause similar physical and emotionally manifesting withdrawl symptoms such as headaches, nervousness, anxiety and irritability. Also, I heard that some people who always have a cigarette and cup of coffee together, can’t seem to give up one without giving up the other. Others seem to give up one stimulant for the other. I’ve also heard/read theories about oral (fixation) addition which seemed to imply that one oral habit (coffee drinking) was just as good as another (cigarette smoking) for the person with the fixation. I had thought cigarettes contain caffeine, but couldn’t find toxicology online to support that recollection. I just found this article online about addition in general: > [@](#): > > [ADDICTION: THE ANALGESIC EXPERIENCE](http://www.peele.net/lib/analgesic.html) > Social setting and cultural expectation are better predictors of addiction than body chemistry. Caffeine, nicotine, and even food can be as addictive as heroin. I’ve just started reading it (prompted by this thread)–an interesting read so far. Its an older piece so I’d take the statistics with a grain of salt. I add my congratulations on kicking the smoking habit to those already expressed. Good for you and BEST of luck!! ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-coffee-curb-my-nicotine-cravings/48777/6 "2001-01-07T03:16:20Z")
> [@](#): > > food can be as addictive as heroin. You bet! You should see the awful withdrawl symptoms I get when I haven’t had my fix. After a day or more, it’s just unbearable! 😃