How Addictive Is Nicotine?
Cigarettes have long been perceived as something chic, cool, and hip people enjoy in their spare time. Dangling from their lips or held gently between their fingers, these people exude a je ne sais quoi that many people aspire to obtain in their lives. For others, cigarettes provide a moment of reprieve from the hustle and bustle of modern-day life. This is especially true at the office, where a smoke break is the ultimate opportunity to escape from an annoying coworker, the monotony of paperwork, or the stress of presentation preparation.
Yet these seemingly innocent moments of relaxation hide the dangers of cigarette smoking. While historically cigarette smoking was considered merely a bad habit because it did not cause intoxication or impairment, the presence of nicotine makes them highly...