this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2025
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[–] [email protected] 88 points 1 week ago (2 children)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/does-nicotine-affect-muscle-growth

There is data to show nicotine might have a performance increasing effects on people. However, the idea is more that you ingest a safe amount via methods that are not smoking/chewing.

[–] makeshiftreaper 78 points 1 week ago (1 children)

THAT'S WHY I DRINK A SUGAR-FREE REDBULL WITH EXTRA CREATINE, PROTEIN POWDER, AND PROBIOTICS MIXED IN WHILE CHEWING SEVEN ZYNS BEFORE EVERY 15 MINUTE SET. I NO LONGER SLEEP AND MY HEARTBEATS CANNOT BE DISTINGUISHED. MY LUNGS ARE PERFECT AND MY BODY IS PRISTINE!

[–] [email protected] 85 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Your heartbeat is measured in Hz

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Come to think of it, a normal heart rate would be like 1-3hz depending on activity

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Clanket 6 points 1 week ago

Thanks for clarifying that

[–] IzzyJ 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Im stealing this for if my brother complains about his heartbeat after staying up for like 18 hours on six cans of red bull again

[–] 474D 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Nicotine itself is hardly worse than say caffeine. But obviously the negative effects of burning and inhaling a cigarette (with all that it contains), especially the carcinogenic agents, is absolutely stupid to think it's an even trade to pump your workout

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Oh, nicotine is way worse. It may not harm your health directly, but addictiveness is exponentially worse.

Wikipedia: Caffeine - Dependence and Withdrawal: Moderately physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms may occur upon abstinence, with greater than 100 mg caffeine per day, although these symptoms last no longer than a day

Wikipedia: Nicotine withdrawal: Symptoms are usually strongest for the first few days and then dissipate over 2–4 weeks (...) In a minority of smokers, cravings may persist for years.

Edit: Left out the "Caffeine" in "Caffeine - Dependance and Withdrawal"

Edit to add: Caffeine withdrawal causes you to be annoyed for a day. Nicotine causes real, actual cravings (you know you need nicotine, whereas for caffeine you're just generally "moody" - most people don't feel "i need caffeine, now", and even if you do, chances are, if you run out of coffee and can't get it within less than a day, the "craving" just stops).

For some, many of whom I know, quitting nicotine is downright impossible due to the cravings. For quitting, toning down is key. Those that quit either relapse momentarily in times of stress (usually for about a week or so), or complain of very strong cravings every few weeks/months.

Additionally, nicotine isn't the only addictive compound in cigarettes, and from what I've heard, vaping, gum, etc. just isn't it for some - people also get addicted to cigatettes themselves.

Not to mention, vaping causes pneumothorax and all the other alternatives cause some harm as well, although much less than cigarettes proper.

[–] idiomaddict 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I smoked cigarettes for four years, then quit for a decade. I was incredibly stressed out and had 2-3 cigarettes for a couple days in a row and now I’m addicted again. I hope I will be able to quit soon, I just have to stop working where I am first, because I need the five minute breaks and don’t get them otherwise.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Is switching to vaping an option? You'd still be getting the nicotine, but not the smoke/tar

[–] idiomaddict 1 points 1 week ago

It is, but I feel like the additional harm to myself is worth not getting a vape with all of the environmental drawbacks to the casing and battery, especially because I really think it’ll only be another few weeks. I already have a new job lined up, and I won’t be able to smoke during that really at all.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

As a long time daily coffee drinker, that is definitely not accurate about caffeine withdrawal. Every time I try to quit caffeine I go through multiple weeks of depression and physical weakness symptoms.

And as a former smoker, nicotine is still significantly worse. Never touch the stuff, not even once. For a lot of people, there just is no going back from it. It claims you.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I've smoked cigars occasionally, maybe as many as 2-3 per week for 2 weeks in a row and then just stopped with no signs of addiction. Nicotine is often described as one of the most addictive drugs and I sometimes wonder if I just never took enough to get addicted in the first place or my experience is a result of lower than average susceptibility to nicotine addiction.

[–] Draces 2 points 1 week ago

Probably both. They're not mutually exclusive

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

I mean, we are talking about a crowd where steroid abuse is super common. Taking some nicotine to get a pump isn't really anywhere near being outside the realm of an unreasonable health risk, to a large portion of this demographic.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I've heard that but how else is one supposed to get nicotine in the system? Chewing gum? Patches? Vapes? Is it soluble in a substance that's safe to consume?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Nicotine is water soluble. You can take a wet tobacco leaf off the plant and it'll soak into your skin and get you a bit buzzed (or in my case when I discovered this mid harvest if you touch enough it'll get you massively high and nauseous). Imo one of the best ways to get some in relative safety is grow your own, they're really easy, and just put a leaf under your tongue for a bit then spit it out

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Its highly highly illegal to grow it in my country unfortunately.

[–] MutilationWave 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Don't let laws stop you from doing harmless shit.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Unless, of course, your country aggressively enforces that and has extreme penalties.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Part of the problem with using tobacco this way (basically diy dip) is that tobacco leaves themselves contain carcinogenic nitrates that will still have long term health impacts. If you're going to consume nicotine, it's best that your source is as close to chemically pure as you can get. Synthetic nicotine is by and large the safest option outside of simply not consuming nicotine in any form. It's still incredibly addictive and cardiotoxic

[–] graycube 1 points 1 week ago

After that article the other day about caffeine in hand lotion, I'm now surprised they don't put nicotine in hand lotion.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If u aren't already addicted, don't even bother. Nicotine is fucking insane

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Alcohol is worse then nicotine IMO. Although my life is shit and I have so many reasons to drink.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Alright then. Hopefully you aren't like me though - constantly vaping 20mg nic salt throughout the day (I get cravings after like 10 minutes)

[–] hypnicjerk 3 points 1 week ago

good luck quitting it, i was on 32mg juice for like 4 years before i figured it out

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Nicotine in comparable or larger doses from non-toxic or much less toxic sources is arbitrarily limited for stupid reasons.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Profits of tobacco companies isn't a stupid reason when ur a lobbyist for the tobacco companies

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I smoked for pretty much my whole life. Quit with varying degrees of success many many times. I switched to nicotine pouches 2 months ago, and it's been fairly great at reducing the damage of cigarettes while not dealing with the actual addiction.

Still need to watch out for gum recession, so it's not exactly 100% healthy, but smoking causes gum recession anyway and I'm not destroying my lungs anymore, so pretty solid for harm reduction.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago

Still need to watch out for gum recession

Boof it

[–] roguetrick 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It interacts with nicotinic receptors in your stomach, and you'll have the liver first past effect after that. Eating it is a bad idea.

Edit: I forgot to mention, absorbing it by your esophagus can irritate your vagus nerve and cause uncontrollable hiccups.