Not feeling so hot since I stopped smoking

[CGTS]

It has been 16 days since my last cigarette . I was smoking two packs a day for about 10 years. I have been using 01 portions one about every two hours It seems like I have been having a lot of withdrawals even though I'm using snus . Seems like I have been constantly in a bad mood very irritated ,lacking energy and my concentration seems to have gone down . Some of the good side I sure do feel like I can breathe a lot better . Don't wake up coughing every 10 minutes so I get much better sleep. Anyways I felt I would share my experience so far.

[Bigblue1]

just smoke and snus till it doesn't bother you anymore......

[texastorm]

Going to step away from my post as a lurker in the shadows for a sec.

When I quit smoking after 29 years (at age 41 no less) I thought I was going to die. Everything I read said the withdrawals got easier after 3 days because the nicotine left your system. I call bullshit here. After 3 weeks of cold turkey I became nearly dysfunctional, I couldn't hold a thought, I could barely get out of bed. I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I had chest pain and spent a night in intensive care hooked up to all kinds of crap. I do have some minor heart problems but thats not problem I was facing. I was just STILL having withdrawals after 3 weeks!

After I left the hospital I decided to see if maybe it was the lack of nicotine that was making me feel awful. I stopped by a drug store and picked up some NRT lozenges. After one (disgusting) lozenge I felt incredible, hell even invincible. So I figured maybe if I just found ways to get my nic fix without smoking, I could still live a few days more. but damn those lozenges are expensive! If I was going to do 8-10 a day I could expect to pay 6-8 bucks or so. Well screw that! Thats when I found snus by accident on a search. I had heard of Camel snus, but I read about swedish snus and decided to skip the crap and go right after the good stuff.

In a weeks time from when I started it seriously felt like I could not stuff enough snus under my lip at once. I was double barreling the high nicotine snus varieties and going through nearly a can a day.

Now after 8 months my cravings have actually gone down instead of up. When I would smoke more, I would then want to keep that level up. So near the end I was smoking two packs a day easy. But with snus I am finding that the longer I use it, the less I tend to use. Some days now I use only 4-5 portions, on a hectic day I will use 8, but never the 20 or so I was using when I started.

So my message is just do as much as you need to feel right, and dont worry about it so much. It HAS to be better than smoking. I did break after a month away from smokes and bought a pack (and a lighter cause I threw all mine out) and I threw both the pack and the lighter out my car window after only a few drags. Cigarettes no longer own me, nicotine may own me forever to some degree, but not smokes. I have also added the occasional nasal snuf and cigar to my habit, but am not a regular user of either. It is amazing how good a cigar is after you have quit smoking. You can actually taste how good it is.

[snusgetter]

Texastorms's message -- just do as much as you need to feel right -- is right on the money.

After smoking two packs a day for about 10 years, 01s don't have enough nic to do right by you.
Go with some stronger snus and gradually work your way down to something like the 01's 8mg.

Some of the strongest snus to consider:
Odens Extra Stark Kanel, Strong 17 mg
Odens Extra Stark Licorice 17 mg
Thunder Berry Blend, Extra Strong 16 mg
Thunder Frosted Extra Sterk, Strong 16 mg
Thunder Original Extra Stark 16 mg
Thunder Wintergreen, Extra Strong 16 mg
General Ekstra Sterk 15 mg
General Original Sterk, Long Strong 14 mg
Jakobssons Classic, Strong 14 mg
Jakobssons Mint, Strong 14 mg
02 Original Strong 13 mg
Nick & Johnny Strong 12 mg
Thunder Frosted Long+ 12 mg

A good routine is to alternate the strongs with the lesser nics;
mixing it up keeps things from getting boring.

Good luck ... it is doable.

And if you need the occasional smoke in the beginning, don't
let it get you down.

[lxskllr]

just smoke and snus till it doesn't bother you anymore......

This is what I did. I quit smoking, and didn't even really want to. No starks or anything. I just used snus and smoked at the same time. Over 8 months or so, I smoked fewer and fewer cigarettes until I didn't smoke anymore. No worries, no stress. You've smoked 10 years. Another year won't hurt anything.

[CGTS]

wow you guys are right I just had a N&J followed by a 01 and I feel absolutely wonderful ! thank you for the tips snusgetter and texastorm

[Darwin]

Definite strong agreement on the mixing things up. Having a good variety handy helps tremendously. I like 01 fine but not as a steady diet--a bit boring--and not strong enough to come anywhere near close to killing major nic cravings. In fact I still like having a good variety handy even after nine months of snusage. Explore as much as possible since your tastes will most certainly evolve.

[himitsu]

texasstorms comments kind of echo mine.

Don't even think about how much snus you are doing. Just concentrate on keeping one in your mouth whenever you have any craving at all.

At work I am in an environment where I have people smoking around me constantly. Over a period of months it is now down to a half a cig every week or ten days. Have a pack right next to me as I type and another in the car, etc. Just don't feel the urge to light up.

In your next order get Skruf Xtra Stark, General Ekstra Sterk, Thunder, etc., for serious nic cravings. Strong snus in the morning and then normal snus throughout the day worked for me.

Also think about los. Now have portions in the freezer but find I am using los 90% of the time. A can seems to last longer than portions and with an Icetool or Prismaster you can adjust the size to match the craving.

Very best of luck...you'll get there.

[snusjus]

You're not using enough snus. Even though it's been a long time since I quit smoking, I have a snus in my lip practically every second of the day.

[Santafechestnutred]

stopping smoking

I smoked a pack a day for 20 years....I quit a couple of times.... Cold turkey is a terrible thing...You feel like you lost your best friend ..irritable ...sad....awful......tried Patches... They worked ,but..Sometimes you need a lift from nicotine and not a slow gradual drip...I tried the gum..It is expensive..Doesnt taste great...Got on to nasal snuff for a while...Irish hdt is a great thing...But got tired of the nose thing...I am a musician...One night at the gig I was takin a sniff of toast.. The new bass player in the band was swedish...He said ,Have you ever tried snus?...He gave me a portion of General ..It worked ...I could feel the nicotine lift....He gave me the tin and told me to check out buysnus on the net...From the moment I tried snus it has worked for me...5 years , no cigarettes..And I could care less...I can walk up stairs...I am not out of breath ..I dont reek of smoke..I am completely nicotine satisfied...RED

[rickcharles606]

wow you guys are right I just had a N&J followed by a 01 and I feel absolutely wonderful ! thank you for the tips snusgetter and texastorm

Welcome to the fold brother, I can almost still feel what you're going through. I quit smoking almost 2 yrs ago now, I was up to 2.5 packs a day and had smoked for about 20 yrs. I tried every method of quitting to no avail, until I read about snus. Found this place and on the advice of the experienced snus users here, ordered some strong snus. General Ekstra Sterk, and General Sterk, not to mention a ton of other regular strength snus. I found that regular portions wouldn't cut it for me, and for the first month or two used only the GES and General Sterk, adding in Onyx and Nick and Johnny Strong. It worked and I haven't looked back.

Keep at it dude, you'll soon find that snus will become exactly what you need. Try and remember that the act of smoking is a habit too, and you need to use snus just as you did a cigarette (DO NOT LIGHT IT ON FIRE, lol). Meaning, first thing in the morning instead of smoking, use a strong snus. After meals, use a strong snus. Having a craving due to stress, use a strong snus...you get the point. Good luck and ask lots of questions man, we'll help you get the answers you need.

[precious007]

You're probably not getting enough nicotine ....

The lack of concentration is normal for now even if you snus, and everyone that's been smoking and went on snus right away know it........ Snus can eliminate the cravings to smoke that's true .. but it won't eliminate some of the symptoms such as lack of concentration, anxiety, depression and a few more... that's purely because the cigarette contains way more chemicals that you're body is trying to flushing away now...

The weird thoughts, dreams, inability to think clearly, loss of memory and in some cases even hallucinations are all part of the withdrawal process .... I know you are a bit scarred but it'll all go .. in about 30/60 days you'll be like new and never crave for a cigarette again ....

Stick to your plan, snus is way more enjoyable than smoking, way more safer and a pleasant experience at the same time.... ;-)
Hang on the forums you'll be just fine ;-)

[EricHill78]

Everyone here said it better than I ever could.. Only thing I could add to the mix is for you to try nasal snuff as well it's been a great addition to my snus regiment. Right now I'm at about 6-7 portions/pris a day and 8-10 pinches of snuff. With Snuff the nic hit is alot quicker than snus so what I do is take a pinch, then pop a portion. You get the immediate hit from snuff and then the snus levels you out. I was actually down to 6 cigs a day before I quit now my tolerence is up oh well lol it's alot safer than the cigs. I love both snus and snuff equally. When you're bored check out www.toquesnuff.com you can get a sampler of 10 for like 20 bucks with shipping included. Then if you really like it check out www.mrsnuff.com for more brands. Good luck to ya, and remember we are all here for support.

[shag1952]

I wish I could add something helpful here but everyone is different. I am lucky. With snus I broke a 40 year smoking habit and I'm doing it with mini portions. Even from day one I had no real problems other than a 2 day headache. I know for me too strong a portion make me feel a bit strange which is too bad as I really like Jakobssons wintergreen but it's just too much nicotine for me. The weird thing I smoked 2 packs a day and sometimes more. Just stay with it, thats all I can say.

[himitsu]

You are lucky shag. But your experience is different than most I think.

I HAVE to start the day with Skruf Xtra Stark or General Eksta Sterk. Either portions or los. Prefer los though.

Can get through the rest of the day with normal portions or los but after eating, or in the evening, really need the nic hit so back to strong stuff.

Everyone I know who used snus to quit had experience similar to mine.

Glad it worked for you.