For everyone quitting cigarettes with snus...

[BMasiak]

I've was introduced to Snus after I came back from Deployment in June of last year. I've been a smoker for 17 years (with one break of 8 months). Ever since than I haven't really had urge to smoke. I do have a smoke here and there, but they sure taste like @$$ :lol: I'm planning on quiting smoking completely starting with the new year. I doubt I'll miss it much. I wish I discovered Snus many years ago.

[bewtros]

I quit smoking in August, 2008. I first used American "snus" but shortly after ordered the real (Swedish) thing. Unlike my previous attempts of quitting cigarettes, there were no cravings for nicotine. Health wise, I feel wonderful since quitting cigarettes; I can run everyday, lift weights again, and no longer have a feeling of charred lungs (symptoms of developing COPD). I never plan on quitting snus! It's one of those vices (nicotine) that can never be dropped.

My advice: use snus exclusively for a month and don't smoke a single cigarette, not even a puff. It took me about 30 days for the hand-to-mouth habit/urge to diminish. Just stick with snus exclusively and the cigarette "habit" will eventually become something you will forget about. Honestly, I don't even remember 99% of the cigarettes I smoked over the years! It's funny how smokers don't even think about the cigarettes they smoke; have you ever witnessed someone say "Oh my, this is such a great cigarette! It's giving me immense pleasure!" I promise, if you quit cigarettes cold turkey and replace it with snus, you will eventually forget about cancer-sticks eventually.

That's a good idea, snusjus. I should try that out. My thing is that I still like smoking after eating and before/after stressful situations (interviews, etc.). That said, I have been cutting back and it's nice to only smoke 5-8 cigs a day instead of 15-20. Also a lot easier to snus inside here in Minnesota than going out...I hope eventually I can cut back even more to just 1-3 cigs a day or less, like a "special occasion" type dealybob. Even just cutting back has increased my sense of smell drastically. Though if I ever go back to Mexico City I'll take up smoking heavily so that I CAN'T smell...

[jpt]

Hello, I'm new here and I am 15 hours off cigs. I am using Camel Mellow pouches (new in the U.S.). I tried Lucky Strikes from overseas in the fall and liked them. I said when I am ready to stop smoking cigs, I'll use snus. Since that time, they started selling snus in the U.S. It's not too bad (but I don't really know what "good" and "bad" snus is at this point).

Here are the problems I have with quitting smoking:

1. I love them. I get depressed without them. I've stopped for as much as 10 months (24 years ago), and as little as a few days. As soon as I break down and peel open a new pack, my entire personality brightens up. And that's before I even light up! Heaven to me would be a fresh pack of Marlboro Reds (box), a cup of good coffee, and the morning newspaper. That and my wife, is all I need in life to be happy.

2. I am 51 years old and I've been smoking (addictively) since I was 13 or so. The time is starting to add up to some scarey numbers. And while I hit them hard during my heyday, I have smoked probably 13-15 a day tops for the last 15 years or so. I don't inhale every drag even. I have yearly CAT x-rays of my lungs as part of hospital study on smokers, and while I have a node on each lung, there are no real problems. The Dr. said people get nodes all the time. I have the good kind of node (either it is not calcium or it is - I forget). But all this is exactly why I can't quit. I kid myself into thinking I have a manageable cig habit. And I just might, but I might not. I would love to stop smoking before the day comes when they tell me that in fact the cigs got me like they got so many others.

3. I always "pick dates". I have stopped every New Year since maybe 1990. Birthdays, anniversaries of all sorts, etc., etc., etc. Although many people stop on a date certain, a lot of heavy hitters that I know all stopped situationally (an event, etc.), and not on any particular date. But I can never get to the situational event because of the reasons in #2 above.

Anyway, I'll probably go smoke a cig, keep using snus, and hope for the best.

I enjoy reading the forum. Thanks.

[Talneharus]

Hey guys i just hit my First full week of not smoking! Man snus rock booyaaa!

[RobsanX]

Hello, I'm new here and I am 15 hours off cigs...

Welcome to the forums jpt! Your story is like mine and many others here. I've not tried Camel snus, but from what I've heard it does not contain enough nicotine to curb your craving to smoke. You should go ahead and try the real thing, Swedish snus. For me it was like magic, I put one in, and I didn't want to smoke.

When I quit, I did it gradually over a few weeks slowly increasing my snus and decreasing my smoking. For me it seemed easier than having that pressure of saying "OK, no more cigarettes starting now!" then lighting one up a couple hours later.

The more I used snus, the less I enjoyed smoking. Every few days I would set a new goal like, snus instead of smoking on my way to work, or snus when I get up and drink my coffee. These small goals made quitting much more manageable for me than just cutting off cigs all at once.

I won't say that this technique will work for everyone, but if nothing else works then I would say to try it.

Good luck in your endeavor!

[holnrew]

I'm still smoking... but not much at all. I'm thinking I'm just going to have to accept it's something I can't change.

[Hoovie]

Re: For everyone quitting cigarettes with snus...

1. How long it has been since your last smoke (or dip).

My last smoke was a couple days after Thanksgiving... so a little more than a month.

2. How you are feeling in regards to no longer smoking.

Eh... I did it more because I knew smoking was bad for me, than any need to "quit". I didn't dislike smoking, just knew that it was bad for me.

3. What your plan is (i.e. is your plan to stop tobacco use all-together with snus, keep using snus, use it for a while to let your lungs heal up a bit, etc.)

My plan was to quit smoking. I've found that my cravings are more of a dull ache with snus, where they were overwhelming urge with smoking. I have no doubt that after some time snusing, I could quit altogether, if I am so inclined.

4. Anything and everything else you want to add, or subtract out any of the above points.

I've done extremely well with my cravings for cigarettes. As I stated above, I quit because it was bad for me, not because I didn't enjoy it. There are days, few and far between, but days that I still really want a cigarette. It's not a nicotine thing, I have snus, it's a.... well I don't know what it is. I just hope they continue being few and far between.

[PassedPawn]

Been smoking cigs for 10 years, cigars before that for about 3 years. Just started snus as of 12/30/2008.

1. How long it has been since your last smoke (or dip).
12/29/2008

2. How you are feeling in regards to no longer smoking.
Much better. I can take deep breaths without my lungs complaining. Thick phlegm is less abundant. My fingertips aren't yellow. The apt. doesn't stink. No more loose ashes scattered about. Taste has improved. I also noticed that when I started smoking cigars I would come down with some of the worst colds I ever had, same with cigs.

3. What your plan is (i.e. is your plan to stop tobacco use all-together with snus, keep using snus, use it for a while to let your lungs heal up a bit, etc.)
No more smokes and snus all the way for the time being.

4. Anything and everything else you want to add, or subtract out any of the above points.
Now on snus I don't even think about cigs anymore. Since a puck of snus lasts me about 4 days, for now, it's much more economical than cigs. On cigs my worst intake was about 2 packs a day which whittled down to about half a pack a day over the years but I could never get off it. Six months was the longest, cold turkey, plagued with the constant thought of lighting up. Snus snuffs that.

[jpt]

Thanks for welcome.

I just placed my Swedish Snus order:

1 Lucky Strike

1 Phillip Morris 1847

1 Pall Mall

I live in the U.S. and know these names. I'll branch out on future purchases. I've tried LS, as I said, and it was good. I'll use the Camel stuff (very weak) until the order arrives. I'll probably smoke a few too.

[tokabowla]

Re: For everyone quitting cigarettes with snus...

2. Eh... I did it more because I knew smoking was bad for me, than any need to "quit". I didn't dislike smoking, just knew that it was bad for me.

3. My plan was to quit smoking. I've found that my cravings are more of a dull ache with snus, where they were overwhelming urge with smoking. I have no doubt that after some time snusing, I could quit altogether, if I am so inclined.

#2. I had the same reason for quitting. I enjoyed it, but knew I needed to quit.

#3. Obviously, you become addicted to more than nicotine when you start smoking cigs, both mentally & chemically. Mentally, even a few hours after I stopped smoking & started w/ snus (today, so take it for what it's worth), I wasn't craving the hand to mouth act as much as my lungs still wanted me to put smoke in them. Has to be non-nicotine chemical cravings. But I immediately cut down the number so cigs I smoked today. And cigs, ever so slightly, started to taste worse & worse thought the day. One day I may be done w/ cigarettes... one day.

[sth]

I used to smoke ~ 2 packs of parliament full flavor a day.. and I'm like 22 now. haha.

I quit smoking cold turkey without snus for about a year, but after I started going out more and more in college and drinking, i began to get into the whole "oh, i'll only smoke when i'm drunk" mentality and what not. That, of course, didn't fly and soon I was smoking again... it became a hassle because my roomate doesn't smoke, and i felt it rude to smoke in our apartment, so i was always going outside, sitting by the window... etc. It sucked, and quite frankly, cigarettes always have ****ed up my sinus' and it was starting again and I hated it.

So, I got some snus. I don't even snus that heavily, maybe 2-3 a day if I haven't been drinking 3-5 if I have been. It's pretty great, and I feel that it is less dangerous to me than smoking...

Still, I am worried about the cosmetic effects of snusing (sores, etc) and despite what the studies say I worry about cancer with it. But, not as much

[NonEntity]

Interesting, I guess I am a minority. I have never smoked (well, tried a few, coughed a lung out on the first drag each time) but I have dipped for right around 20 years (40 now). I found snus while trying to research the health consequences of dip. My last dip was probably two weeks ago. I have quit for 18 months twice before but each time some stressful event or period has sent me back.

My original intent was to use snus as a transition to quitting. I don't know how likely that is, I appear to have a four month supply in the freezer at my current usage rate and I am considering ordering a roll of this new Thunder stuff ya'll are talking about, and then there is Skruf, I have not ordered any Skruf yet, and . . .

I imagine the transition from dip to snus is easier than smoking to snus. I miss the really mouth filling flavor of dip although I don't like the actual taste of my dip any more (too sweet). I work in a tobacco free building so I long ago gained the ability to dip and not spit as needed. Really very little has changed for me.

It seems to take a strong or extra strong portion to give me the nicotine I am needing. One theory I am toying with is gradually working my nicotine requirement down by intentionally buying weaker and weaker snus in a gradual pattern. Has anyone else ever tried this?

NonEntity

[thehustler]

New snus user (about a week or so). Cigarette consumption is down from about a pack a day to 5-6 daily. Only times I need to smoke are in the morning (1 or 2) and after meals and sex.

I got a try out box from northerner and have tried nick and johnny and catch eucalytpus so far.

[sychodelix]

I stopped smoking completely once starting snus, and never looked back. I've noticed a lot of people on here smoke still, but some quit altogether. My wife still has to have a cigarette once in a while, but she's greatly reduced her smoking by using snus.

[JBean]

1. How long it has been since your last smoke (or dip).
it's been about a month... I was still smoking here and there while using snus, but then decided to quit cigarettes all together

2. How you are feeling in regards to no longer smoking.
Since about 99% of people I hang out with are still cigarette smokers, I get cravings every once inawhile, but just popping in a snus fixes that right quick

3. What your plan is (i.e. is your plan to stop tobacco use all-together with snus, keep using snus, use it for a while to let your lungs heal up a bit, etc.)
I do not plan on going back to cigarettes, but I have no plans to quit snus either. Im kind of going with the flow on this one