I think refined sugar comes the closest. Partly because of the physcial aspects - it gives you a high, and you feel like crap after and crave more, but in the end you can live quite well without it - but mostly because, like smoking, it's legal, and when you're trying to avoid it, it seems to be EVERYWHERE, and almost every eating or social situation seems to contain a trigger. Comparing smoking with foods has the problem that we are all 'addicted' to food - and even if we'd like to kick that habit we cannot.
Similarly religion is not a good comparison because many believers don't feel it is a choice, there is only one true religion etc etc etc. Anyone who smokes knows it's possible (if v difficult) to quit. Also I'd add, it's possible to pray in public without making others around you breathe second-hand prayer :)
The relevance to your post, for me, is that this is a tax people can avoid. I stopped smoking when and how I did because a pack of smokes went up about $5 (this was in the 80s) and I had plenty of social support to stop.
no subject
Similarly religion is not a good comparison because many believers don't feel it is a choice, there is only one true religion etc etc etc. Anyone who smokes knows it's possible (if v difficult) to quit. Also I'd add, it's possible to pray in public without making others around you breathe second-hand prayer :)
The relevance to your post, for me, is that this is a tax people can avoid. I stopped smoking when and how I did because a pack of smokes went up about $5 (this was in the 80s) and I had plenty of social support to stop.