Nicotine in small doses acts as a stimulant and in larger doses as a relaxant. That's why you'll see a smoker wake up in the morning and take a few quick puffs, but when they get stressed they will take long drags....
It does alter the mind, not as far as marijuana but the shamans didn't include it in their medicine bag just to be cool, well actually they probably did but the cool as in calm that's why it was smoked in the peace pipe. They wouldn't want to give their enemy they are trying to make peace with something like mushrooms that would bring out the inner demons, but rather a mild relaxant so everyone could play it cool while working out the issues.....
I have been doing my own research and the results have been varied, for 2 years I have smoked half a pack a day. A year ago I quit for 2 month's just to make sure I could and then continued. Before I smoked I used to get angry often at minor shit, I used to road rage like the Hulk, punching my steering wheel angry. When I would sit down to write just the phone ringing would send me into a rage, now I can sit here and write 4 pages with my dogs barking and playing around in the room. Of course there are the physical drawbacks, phlegm in your throat, your tongue always feels like you gulped down a pint of scalding hot coffee, when I fly somewhere first thing I want is my motherfucking pacifier.... I'm about through with the experiment, I may just keep some nicotine patches around for really stressful days much easier to get than a bottle of valium....
and what I said earlier about the pacifier gives me an idea...they should start selling cigarettes with a little umbrella like attachment that makes them look like pacifiers in peoples mouths. It folds up nicely in the pack but unfolds when they take it out, if they try to tear it off it ruins the cigarette....that would be enough to make me quit that day they did that...
