I hate cigarettes, hate cigarette smoke, and wish no one smoked them...

[chervilant]

79. Actually,

nicotine in not 'mildly addictive.' Nicotine molecules bond with the brain's serotonin receptors, resulting in the euphoria smokers experience most profoundly when they have their first fix of the day. Since nicotine molecules are larger than serotonin molecules, the brain's receptors do not get the same level of euphoria from the serotonin once the nicotine molecules are removed. Thus, people who are 'quitting' are challenged by feelings of edginess, irritability, hostility, depression, sadness, ennui and rage. Nicotine withdrawal spans a measurable amount of time, as the brain's receptors recover from the ravages of nicotine. Full recovery from smoking takes multiple years.

I was privileged to see Victor DeNoble speak about nicotine addiction, and I can assure you that his research supports my contention that nicotine is highly addictive.