being forced into reliance on a substance is never good
I find this wording problematic. I'm skeptical that any significant number of people in the developed world today start using nicotine without knowing that it's addictive or that a significant fraction of nicotine addicts developed that addiction through involuntary exposure.
> They're addictive, and being forced into reliance on a substance is never good.
How bad is it? Unless I'm exercising hard, I'll get caffeine withdrawal symptoms if I stop drinking coffee. I have read of both beneficial and detrimental effects of caffeine. What's the threshold for considering the accompanying physical addiction a problem?
> What's the threshold for considering the accompanying physical addiction a problem?
If something is addictive but not physically harmful the threshold is when it starts to affect your day to day life.
Gambling is fun. Some people have a problem with gambling. When you think that gambling is affecting your day to day life it's stopped being fun and turned into a problem.
I find this wording problematic. I'm skeptical that any significant number of people in the developed world today start using nicotine without knowing that it's addictive or that a significant fraction of nicotine addicts developed that addiction through involuntary exposure.