A critique of nicotine addiction

Abstract

This book is a critique of the nicotine addiction hypothesis, based on a critical examination of the research literature commonly believed to prove that nicotine is addicting. The authors claim that, on present evidence, there is every reason to reject the generally accepted theory that nicotine causes smoking, or that the difficulty in quitting is caused by nicotine. They believe that the need to fight smoking is one of the most important reasons to question the nicotine addiction hypothesis. The authors show throughout their review of the literature that the research on nicotine addiction has been replete with severe methodological errors. In response to the broad consensus that nicotine is addictive, the authors wrote this book to offer an opportunity to both professionals and laymen to evaluate the evidence from a different perspective than the one provided by consensual summaries and to review the original research with a skeptical eye. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)