[cylon]

Nicotine addiction creates anxiety in someone when they are not taking nicotine. The two or three minutes it takes to smoke a cigarette feel good because the nicotine levels are reaching equilibrium. The other 23 hours and 55 minutes are anxiety created by nicotine withdrawl. Most people choose to stop this anxious feeling by smoking more cigarettes to lessen those feelings of anxiety, and possibly become chain smokers. Soon they are basically maintaining the nicotine levels, and the anxiety has taken over their lives because they've built up such a tolerance that smoking no longer ends their nicotine deficiency. This is when people light a cigarette, rest it in an ashtray, and then light another one forgetting that they still have one going.

It is a myth that smoking makes you feel good. In reality, all a nicotine addict is doing is feeling what a "normal" person feels for a few moments, because they are not on this anxiety/nicotine cycle to begin with. If you have never had a cigarette, the first one is a horrible, disgusting experience that makes most people sick. You have to over-come that and force your body to not reject it, and you can only do that through heavy smoking. If something was spiritually beneficial I doubt the "first time" would have an effect like that. I can't speak for pipe tobacco but I assume the effects are similar.

I smoked a pack a day plus for over 16 years, quit in February, and occasionally have one here and there when I am out socializing, but as a social prop. It doesn't feel good to me anymore. There is no spiritual benefit to tobacco. The ancient people probably thought that it looked cool to see smoke coming out of their mouths. We tend to assume that the people from the past were wise beyond their years when in reality they were very primitive and superstitious.