behavioral modification with nicotine

[supremum]

this thought crossed my mind incidentally (yeah right) after watching an episode of boston legal (the show where some guy and william shatner drink and smoke on a balcony at the end of every episode as they develop their bro-mance and gaze at the stars). and since i am feeling especially unproductive tonight...

nicotine is arguably the most addictive drug, so i believe it's obvious that its power can be constructively harnessed to modify behavior. the only question is is it worth it, and if so how to do it. i myself am certainly not running off to wal-mart to buy some patches, but, i also have the feeling that while nicotine is undeniably addictive, exclusively using the patch wouldn't necessarily lead one to compulsively smoke cigarettes. the "smoke => feel relaxed" connection just wouldn't be there. instead, the "slap on patch => feel relaxed" connection would.

hence, i have the feeling that the negative side effects of inhaling carcinogens and tar isn't necessarily a consequence of using the patch. although, should a patch become unavailable... one would definitely reach for a cigarette. everyone knows cigarettes contain nicotine, and a coke-head would open up a brown bag of **** if someone told him cocaine was in there. even so, the best case scenario of this "nicotine therapy" involves only the biological side-effects of nicotine (which actually exist) and the psychological side-effects of addiction (which definitely exist). so what do you say? using the patch to eliminate incongruency. is this a good idea or what?

[sidsavara]

I think there is definitely something there, but I am not sure how you could properly hijack this addiction mechanism.

If you do get addicted to nicotine, IMO, it is only a matter of time before you start gaming your own system and bypassing any artificial barriers you put up (to encourage achievement), and go straight to patch/smoking for the fix.

Not saying there's no way to make this work, just my 2 cents on what I think people would do when driven by such motivations.

[karthikrajg]

I agree that it is a good idea but controlling the addiction part is extremely difficult task. I have tried controlled smoking in the past - i would smoke if i achieve a target, but after a few years emotions overtook and soon i was addicted.

I think the only reason that made me quit (although i should admit this was the most difficult thing i have ever done in my life) was guilt.

cheers,
karthikrajg

[Lucky11]

Originally Posted by supremum

this thought crossed my mind incidentally (yeah right) after watching an episode of boston legal (the show where some guy and william shatner drink and smoke on a balcony at the end of every episode as they develop their bro-mance and gaze at the stars). and since i am feeling especially unproductive tonight...

nicotine is arguably the most addictive drug, so i believe it's obvious that its power can be constructively harnessed to modify behavior. the only question is is it worth it, and if so how to do it. i myself am certainly not running off to wal-mart to buy some patches, but, i also have the feeling that while nicotine is undeniably addictive, exclusively using the patch wouldn't necessarily lead one to compulsively smoke cigarettes. the "smoke => feel relaxed" connection just wouldn't be there. instead, the "slap on patch => feel relaxed" connection would.

hence, i have the feeling that the negative side effects of inhaling carcinogens and tar isn't necessarily a consequence of using the patch. although, should a patch become unavailable... one would definitely reach for a cigarette. everyone knows cigarettes contain nicotine, and a coke-head would open up a brown bag of **** if someone told him cocaine was in there. even so, the best case scenario of this "nicotine therapy" involves only the biological side-effects of nicotine (which actually exist) and the psychological side-effects of addiction (which definitely exist). so what do you say? using the patch to eliminate incongruency. is this a good idea or what?

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on earth and kills 1 in 3 of its victims. Don't do it !!!! Smokers only have a cigarette to relieve the withdrawal that starts after the last ciggie is put out ! Do you really wanna put yourself through that? Geez, smoke pot instead then.

[Scipio]

Nicotine doesn't kill 1 in 3 people, cigarettes kill 1 in 3 people. Natural, undiluted tobacco was used for centuries with a very low mortality rate. Europeans began using it as nasal snuff and there were very few problems associated with that. It is only when chemical filled cigarettes hit the trenches in WWI that people began to die en masse.

I use nicotine for behavioural modification. When I am on a diet, I use nicotine and/or tobacco for fat loss and to reduce cravings. It modifies the hunger hormone ghrelin in a positive way when you take it, and it increases leptin levels, the hormone responsible for maintaining metabolism. I found it increased my ability to concentrate when on a low calorie diet, which was good for productivity.

My method of use is typically by nicotine patches. The problem with these patches is that they are expensive and your skin may become irritated by the glue. I tried nasal snuff tobacco (completely natural tobacco ground into a fine powder) which is cheap as hell, but I didn't really like having a dirty nose of brown boogers.

If you want to read more about the pharmacological effects of nicotine with regard to fat loss, read the article Chemically Correct: Nicotine. Bodybuilding.com - Andrew Novick - Chemically Correct: Nicotine. With regard to addiction, cigarettes are more addictive because they give you a huge spike of nicotine and other substances very quickly, whereas a patch gives you a long drawn out dose of nicotine. The spikes and troughs are associated more with addiction. I have no problem whatsoever discontinuing use of the patches or nasal tobacco. Actually when I'm on them, I sometimes think "I can't wait til my diet is over because this patch is itchy."