Sorry Mikey, I meant to get to this and forgot. Here's my take on it....
Nicotine has been so demonized due to it's almost exclusive relation to tobacco and smoking. I don't disagree with this. Being a reformed smoker for over 3 years, i can't stand even the slightest smell of smoke. That aside, Nicotine the drug is actually not a bad drug at all once separated from tobacco and smoking. It is a mood enhancer through dopamine (i believe) may boost leptin levels, is an anorectic as well as other benefits. It does have the major drawbacks of being highly adictive and fairly expensive in most forms. It does seem that it is beneficial while dieting though.
I am very wary of trying it due to the fact that it is so addictive and I have a history with it. as I've said before, much of my addiction to smoking was the actual act of smoking and having something in my hand. With the gum, I think alot of that is bypassed. If it is used on a dosing schedule (ie 2mg every 3 hours) like other supplements and it is cycled (ie, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off), then it should be fairly safe. In my case, I plan to approach it this way. I will have to be very careful to watch my reaction to it. If I notice at any time that I am looking forward to my next piece or I am enjoying it too much, then I will have to stop immediately. I know that I will never go back to smoking as I really can't stand it. That is one of the reasons that I feel I can at least experiment with it.
You should check out Avant's forum, there is some good info there.
