Do Cigarettes Contain Anything Addictive Other Than Nicotine?

Question by Adam R: Do cigarettes contain anything addictive other than nicotine?
I’ve tried to quit smoking using nicotine replacement products and they just don’t feel the same as smoking. I got curious and now I’m wondering if there is anything other than nicotine in cigarettes that’s addictive, I was thinking maybe acetaldehyde or toluene or something else that could create a “high”.

Best answer:

Answer by Auroch
I’ve heard that there’s thousands of chemicals in cigarettes – there’s all the insecticides and so forth – agents to “age” the tobacco – agents to preserve the tobacco. THEN you light it up, and all these chemicals recombine at horrendous temperatures to form quite a witch’s brew.

So… I have an idea that it’s anybody’s guess about the other chemicals, heavy metals and so forth having an “addictive” effect.

Mostly, you get “addicted” to the nicotine… because nicotine is a fake for serotonin. This is an important hormone in our bodies. And when you smoke, your body thinks it has all this serotonin because the nicotine is filling up the serotonin receptor sites.

So “addiction” is actually your body accommodating this new thing – being awash in fake serotonin. And then you QUIT – and your body spends maybe a couple months readjusting to “normal” reality.

Quitting is a tough road – and a LOT of people don’t make it. I remember Surgeon General Koop saying that “nicotine is the MOST addictive substance” he knew of – more than cocaine – more than heroine. It’s nasty stuff. So if you can quit, then you’re quite a hero.

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