Hey, in case you were curious, here's a nice tidbit about why those cigarettes feel so damn good going in, even if they wreak havoc later on. You may remember it's not just tobacco that goes into those slender little cancer sticks. No sir, and in fact, a recent study takes a look at how cigarette additives are adding to the addictive potential and disguising the damage:
Researchers investigated tobacco industry documents and other sources for evidence of possible pharmacological and chemical effects of tobacco additives. The study found that 100 of the 599 documented cigarette additives had pharmacological actions that camouflage the negative impact of smoke in the environment by masking odor, visibility and irritation (without equivalent efforts to decrease the harmful effects of second-hand smoke); enhance or maintain nicotine delivery; and mask symptoms and illnesses associated with smoking behaviors (many botanical and other additives have anesthetic, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiviral properties).
When I first read this, my initial reaction was, "Duh," but I guess it's nice to see it totally spelled out by the efforts of science.
