Why Is It That Coffee Is More Addictive Than Cigarettes?

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8 Answers

Simon Davies Profile
Simon Davies answered
  Coffee is addictive because it contains the chemical Caffeine.

  Caffeine is contained in coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa beans and so is present in coffee, tea, chocolate and it is also added to various soft drinks.
  
  Many people regularly experience the feeling of a real need for a cup of coffee or bar of chocolate, this is because they are mildly addicted to it.

  How do we become addicted? Well, caffeine is very similar to amphetamines (controlled drugs) because it causes the brain to produce more of a chemical called "dopamine". Dopamine activates the pleasure centre of your brain and makes you feel good. Cocaine and heroin also manipulate the dopamine levels in the brain.
 
  Whenever you drink a cup of coffee or eat a bar of chocolate, your dopamine levels increase and you feel good. The body soon learns to associate the good feeling with the coffee or chocolate and begins to prompt the brain for more.

  This leads to a mild addiction.
Lisa K. Profile
Lisa K. answered
Coffee is not more addictive than cigarettes....it just seems to be that way because of the way the caffeine affects the body when you don't get your regular dose of it. If you're used to a regular cup of joe every morning....then to skip it will give you a headache and leave you feeling lethargic and listless...(your body is depending on the caffeine boost for energy). But, after a few rough days of abstaining from Coffee....you can shake the habit just fine.
Unfortunately thats not the case with cigarettes. The nicotine is a more insidious addictive substance, as research readily shows. It takes longer to rid nicotine substances from the bloodstream, and it acts on the system much in the same way that cocaine or heroin does...That, coupled with the fact that cigarette smoking is addictive because you are going through a habitual, repetitive routine makes cigarettes far more addictive than coffee.
Ruth Rippon Profile
Ruth Rippon answered
I think the only way for this survey to come up with correct results would have been to ask 'coffee drinking smokers'. A non-smoker is sure to say that coffee is more addictive and vice versa for a smoker. Asking a non-smoker AND a non-coffee drinker would get a very inaccurate result as ''How would they know?' I smoke and drink coffee. During the winter I drink more than a pot a day but when it gets warm I drink very little. However I have never stopped smoking. So I say nicotine is the most addictive.
This is one of those questions that would be best answered by a medical professional.
Janis Haskell Profile
Janis Haskell answered

It wasn't that way for me.  I quit smoking 25 years ago, but it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done.  I've always liked coffee, but I could eliminate it without discomfort .... I couldn't have said the same about cigarettes.

Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
It's not that your addicted to coffee, it's that your body is used to absorbing caffiene.
Michle Clark Profile
Michle Clark answered

I didn't think so,  Coffee and Cigarettes are quit different Addictive.

Pamela Krueger Profile
Pamela Krueger answered
I didn't think it was. Maybe it depends on the particular person. I would think nicotine is a much more addictive chemical. It took me a long time to be able to quit smoking, but I only drink coffee once in awhile. Where did you get this survey?

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