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The allegation that smoking cigarettes is "addictive" is part of a growing and 

 disturbing trend that has destroyed the meaning of the term "addiction" by characterizing 

 any eiyoyable activity as "addictive," whether it is eating sweets, drinking coffee, 

 exercising or playing video games. Under that very loose definition of "addiction," 

 Americans are currently raising a new generation of "caffeine and sugar addicts" and 

 "exercise and video junkies." This defies common sense. 



The simple faa is, cigarettes do not meet the classic criteria for addiction, and to 

 suggest that cigarettes are as "addictive" as cocaine or heroin, as anti-smokers frequently 

 do, trivializes the very serious problem our nation feces in battling the use of truly 

 addictive and illegal drugs. 



The use of such addictive substances as cocaine, heroin, alcohol and barbiturates 

 eventually leads to major lifestyle disruptions, and their use interferes with the user's ability 

 to perform normal, routine fimctions such as working, driving or maintaining healthy 

 relationships with family members. Truly addictive drugs invade every aspect of an 

 addict's life. Overcoming an addiction to these substances, requires the addict to 

 completely change his or her behavior, lifestyle and attitudes. In contrast, when a smoker 

 quits smoking cigarettes, that is all that he or she needs to do. 



Equating cigarette smoking with the use of heroin or cocaine could actually 

 encourage experimentation with those drugs by suggesting that it is no more difficuk to 

 quit using cocaine or heroin than it is to quit smoking cigarettes. That is clearly not the 

 case. 



