Nicotine vs Salary: The Surprising Parallel That’ll Blow Your Mind
At least nicotine has the decency to admit it’s addictive. Your paycheck? It just smiles and says, ‘See you next month. | Nicotine + Salary would something like having two masters to report to as a single slave.
Fouad FARJANI
1/18/2025
Nicotine and a steady salary, on the surface, they’re as unrelated as cats and spreadsheets. One is a chemical compound that keeps you hooked, the other is what keeps your landlord happy. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see the same machinery at play. Both come in small, addictive doses, designed to keep you satisfied just enough to stay, but not enough to ever truly break free from either addictions.
Nicotine, meet salary. Salary, meet nicotine. Now let’s dive into how these two are secretly besties, and how they both have us dancing to their tunes while stealing something far more valuable, our beloved freedom.
Starting with the basics: how do both nicotine and salaries work their magic? It’s all about dependency.
Nicotine: It’s engineered for addiction. A cigarette or vape gives you just enough nicotine to calm your cravings temporarily, but in a sustained enough way to actually satisfy you. That’s why you’re lighting up another one an hour later. It’s not about the flavor or the vibe; it’s about the fix.
Salary: The paycheck operates on the same principle. It’s not a windfall; it’s a carefully calculated amount that keeps you tethered. It’s just enough to pay the bills, feed your Netflix habit, and maybe buy a latte or two. But it’s never enough to let you say, “You know what? I’m good, I don’t need this job anymore.”
Both systems thrive on the promise of relief & survival while ensuring that you keep coming back for more. The corporate overlords and Big Tobacco might not share Christmas cards, but they’re definitely in the same WhatsApp group.
Here’s where it gets really sinister: both nicotine and salaries make you feel like you’re in charge (Denial).
Nicotine’s Sweet Whisper: Smokers tell themselves, “I could quit anytime. I’m just enjoying it for now.” Vapers claim they’re “cutting down,” as if blowing watermelon-flavored clouds is somehow a stepping stone to freedom. But deep down, we all know who’s in charge, the little stick (or pod) calling the shots (you're the one being smoked my friends).
The Salary Trap: Likewise, salaried workers often believe they’re in control. “I’ll quit when I find something better,” they say. But finding “something better” requires time, energy, and courage—all of which are drained by the grind. And so, they stay. Month after month, year after year, convincing themselves they’re just biding their time.
The truth? Neither nicotine nor your paycheck has any intention of letting you go. They’ve perfected the art of giving you just enough to feel like you’re in the driver’s seat, while secretly locking the doors from the outside.
That sweet, fleeting relief of that first puff or that payday buzz. It feels good, doesn’t it? But let’s talk about the price tag.
Nicotine’s Toll: We all know the health risks: lung cancer, heart disease, and enough coughing to make you sound like a 19th-century coal miner. But beyond the physical toll, there’s the constant mental weight of addiction. You’re always planning around your next smoke break, always tethered to that little pack in your pocket.
The Salary’s Sneaky Cost: A stable paycheck might not come with a Surgeon General’s warning, but it's long-term effects can be just as insidious. It stifles ambition. It lulls you into complacency. It tricks you into trading your dreams for a comfortable prison where you’re always chasing the next payday instead of building a life that doesn’t depend on one.
And the worst part? Both nicotine and salaries operate on the same cycle, craving, relief, regret, repeat. It’s a treadmill disguised as a lifeline.
Your job is a giant vending machine. You insert hours of your life and out comes a paycheck. The vending machine is flashy, maybe even comes with free snacks in the break room. But at the end of the day, you’re still trading precious time for tiny doses of survival.
Sound familiar? It’s the same setup as a nicotine habit. The cigarette vending machine (or your local gas station) gives you just enough to get by, but never enough to truly quit. It’s all about maintaining the status quo.
Why Are We Hooked?
The big question is, why do we keep falling for it? Why do we keep lighting up or clocking in, even when we know we’re being played?
The answer lies in our fear of the unknown. Quitting nicotine means facing withdrawal. Leaving a steady job means facing financial uncertainty. Both are terrifying prospects like having children or something, so we stick with what we know, even if it’s killing us slowly.
Nicotine Addicts: Everybody dies anyway
The Office Guys (Salary people): I wouldn't know what to do with my day if I don't go to work during week days.
"Dying anyway isn’t an excuse to live like you’re already dead. Smoking away your lungs or clocking into a job you hate isn’t life—it’s a slow-motion burial where the only thing you’ve quit is your freedom while living in denial. The tragedy isn’t that life ends; it’s that so many people surrender before it even begins."
So, what’s the way out? How do we break free from these destructive cycles?
For Nicotine:
Find healthier ways to cope with stress, like exercise or mindfulness.
Build a support network (friends, family, non smoker co-workers) to help you quit.
Remember that the first few days are the hardest, but freedom actually has a price & it's worth it.
For Salary Dependence:
Start building multiple income streams. Even small side hustles can help you feel less trapped.
Invest in skills that allow for more freedom, like freelancing or writing, buying in bulk & reselling random items on facebook market, maybe start creating some TikTok Silly Videos.
Focus on creating a life where you’re not living paycheck to paycheck. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.
Both paths require courage, effort, and a willingness to endure short-term discomfort for long-term gain. But the reward? True freedom.
At the end of the day, nicotine and salaries are two sides of the same coin, systems designed to keep us hooked, dependent, and compliant. The only way to win is to step off the hamster wheel entirely.
And hey, at least nicotine has the decency to admit it’s addictive. Your paycheck? It just smiles and says, “See you next month.”
