I know that what I described isn’t what Gwern or anyone else who promotes nicotine is recommending. I just wanted to share an opposite experience from OP’s as a warning and another reminder to be careful if you’re dabbling with nicotine.
I was certainly reckless, so if you’re smarter and have better self-control than me, then maybe you’ll be fine. On the other hand, I used nicotine occasionally for years without becoming addicted and feeling like I wasn’t at risk. Then I started ramping up slowly—I would use mild amounts for a few days or weeks, but I could always quit when I wanted to without much effort. It wasn’t until recently that I became so addicted that I truly struggled to quit and it started to have major negative effects.
So my main points are: even if you don’t become addicted at first, that doesn’t mean you won’t down the line. And if you have an addictive personality or other mental health issues like me, I would definitely stay away.
I don’t know how people get the idea that this type of reckless behavior is anything remotely like what Gwern’s essay recommends.
I know that what I described isn’t what Gwern or anyone else who promotes nicotine is recommending. I just wanted to share an opposite experience from OP’s as a warning and another reminder to be careful if you’re dabbling with nicotine.
I was certainly reckless, so if you’re smarter and have better self-control than me, then maybe you’ll be fine. On the other hand, I used nicotine occasionally for years without becoming addicted and feeling like I wasn’t at risk. Then I started ramping up slowly—I would use mild amounts for a few days or weeks, but I could always quit when I wanted to without much effort. It wasn’t until recently that I became so addicted that I truly struggled to quit and it started to have major negative effects.
So my main points are: even if you don’t become addicted at first, that doesn’t mean you won’t down the line. And if you have an addictive personality or other mental health issues like me, I would definitely stay away.