This book is about controlling nicotine use for those who don’t want to quit – cutting down to a moderate level or, as recommended by the British Medical Journal, switching from the serious risks of cigarettes to the relative safety of cigars or pipes. Most of the information is based on the results of research published in prestigious medical journals about my psychoactive substances of choice: nicotine and caffeine. Cigarette smoking is acknowledged by medical experts as a protection against the “non-smokers disease”, ulcerative colitis. Also, several studies have reported a reduced risk of Parkinson’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment (a precursor to Alzheimer’s Disease) among cigarette smokers and coffee drinkers. Caffeine, beneficial in itself, is included because for many of us it is a trigger for smoking.
Pipe smokers outlive other smokers and non-smokers. Poor diet is a greater health risk than smoking. Coffee drinkers live longer; caffeine helps prevent several diseases. Physical exercise reduces the risk of many diseases.
E-cigarettes are too new, and there hasn’t been time to gather enough data on their effects on health, for the experts to have an informed opinion on them, so, apart from a few tentative references in the medical literature, e-smoking is not treated here.
Pipe smokers outlive other smokers and non-smokers. Poor diet is a greater health risk than smoking. Coffee drinkers live longer; caffeine helps prevent several diseases. Physical exercise reduces the risk of many diseases.
E-cigarettes are too new, and there hasn’t been time to gather enough data on their effects on health, for the experts to have an informed opinion on them, so, apart from a few tentative references in the medical literature, e-smoking is not treated here.
