Cigarettes

I will never besmirch someone for smoking. I will besmirch someone for smoking in the presence of others, particularly children, but if you've never smoked a cigarette, it's hard to understand what makes them so compelling, especially to those overworked and underpaid and those with high anxiety, or those in creative industries. It is a triple reuptake inhibitor, an antidepressant on steroids, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine suddenly coursing through you, confidence coming in waves, an appreciation for the world, a creative spark, a love of people. It remains one of the best legal highs on the market, better than kratom, less memory-destroying than Xanax. It is no wonder people get addicted, people turn to it, people depend on it. We need to be asking ourselves what we can do to provide people who are smoking said positive feelings without having them rely on cancer sticks. Life is stressful. Escapes are sometimes needed. Alas, sometimes the easiest ways to escape carry with them the greatest tendency towards self-harm.