this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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Unpopular Opinion

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-23
Nicotine addiction isn't that bad - tobacco companies encourage the belief that it's more severe to keep people smoking (feddit.uk)
submitted 6 months ago by Aggravationstation@feddit.uk to c/unpopularopinion@lemmy.world
48 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Tobacco companies had to own up to the fact that smoking is harmful in the 1960s when undeniable evidence came out. People struggled to quit because it is somewhat addictive, but mainly because they enjoyed it.

Those companies then encouraged the rhetoric about it being more addictive than heroin. It isn't. In my experience it's less addictive than caffeine.

Here's my history with nicotine:

  • Smoked cigarettes from 15 - 26.
  • Quit totally for 14 months
  • My friend who smoked moved back to town and I smoked when I was with them.
  • Switched to vaping 8 years ago.
  • Quit vaping in January this year (2024).

I bought 30 cigars at the start of last month (April 2024) and have smoked 9 of them so far. I normally just have 1 a week if I'm having a beer at home but I went out drinking 2 nights in a row at the start of this month and smoked 6 over that weekend.

Am I addicted? Maybe, but I haven't had any nicotine this week and don't plan on having any next week either.

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[–] Donut@leminal.space 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

How about you look up a study instead of relying on your own experience? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5797716/

Its like saying "smoking doesn't kill, grandma smoked a pack a day until she was 89 and she's fine!"

[–] Aggravationstation@feddit.uk -3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

I didn't say smoking doesn't kill, it's one of the most harmful activities a person can engage in. My point was about the addictiveness of smoking, not the harm.

But I didn't read any studies because this is unpopular opinions, not unpopular balanced research.

[–] Donut@leminal.space 7 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

It was an example of anecdotal evidence. Your post isn't really an opinion either, unless you count "I think the sky is actually not that blue" as an opinion that should be on this community.

Not saying you're not allowed to have your opinions. But at the same time I'm allowed to call you out for being wrong

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

Well, I hate to break it to you, but when your opinion is outright ignorant, I don't think it reasonable to call it unpopular. It's just wrong. That's not even word play, it's just the condition of subjects where there is adequate evidence to work with.

I suppose you could just call it an empty opinion, if you were wanting a less accurate way of looking at it.

But the truth is that willful ignorance isn't an opinion, it's just stubbornness and stupidity rolled into one.