u/LauraHahn1989

I’ve been thinking about nicotine and how differently people talk about it compared to other substances.
With alcohol, for example, a lot of people can genuinely have a drink once in a while…at a party, on a weekend, at dinner and not feel the need to drink every day. On the other hand we have r/stopdrinking . Same with certain recreational drugs for some people: occasional use exists, even if there are obvious risks. What makes nicotine so dangerous? Is it actually possible to use nicotine only occasionally like alcohol?

I’ve been thinking about a fundamental question.

Is it actually possible to consume nicotine in a normal or moderate way, similar to how some healthy people occasionally drink a beer or a glass of wine? Or how some people smoke weed once in a while without making it a daily habit?

With nicotine, it feels like many people quickly slide into regular use or dependence. But I wonder is that mainly because of our mentality and habits, or is nicotine itself just uniquely addictive?

I know people who experimented with many different substances during university and never really got stuck on any of them. They tried things, moved on, and didn’t develop an addiction. But with nicotine, it seems different for a lot of people.
Sometimes I wish I had the willpower to microdose nicotine occasionally…like someone enjoying one glass of wine without drinking the whole bottle.

So I’m curious. Do you think moderate nicotine use is realistically possible for some people? Or is nicotine simply too addictive for most people to use casually?

Would love to hear your experiences and opinions.