Using snus as NRT

[patti]

I am on my second day of using snus as nicotine replacement therapy,,,working well. I was nuts after a day of "cold turkey" which came about when the increased cost of cigarettes put a huge hole in my bank acct.
I drove down the highway with snus on my mind,as well as cigs...in the back of my mind was the promise I had made last year to my children that I would quit in 2009...so I knew buying cigs wasn't really an option, not anymore.
I won't lie: I have serious concerns about this snus-ing..don't wanna end up a slave to it, either.
From all accounts I have read, this seems less likely than with cigs..I am interested in hearing other's input on this one....

[sheilalynn]

Re: Using snus as NRT

I am on my second day of using snus as nicotine replacement therapy,,,working well. I was nuts after a day of "cold turkey" which came about when the increased cost of cigarettes put a huge hole in my bank acct.
I drove down the highway with snus on my mind,as well as cigs...in the back of my mind was the promise I had made last year to my children that I would quit in 2009...so I knew buying cigs wasn't really an option, not anymore.
I won't lie: I have serious concerns about this snus-ing..don't wanna end up a slave to it, either.
From all accounts I have read, this seems less likely than with cigs..I am interested in hearing other's input on this one....

There's nothing that says you have to use snus by itself at first! I have some snuffs that I use when a quicker hit of nicotine is needed, and also an e-cig to get me past that whole hand-to-mouth habit. You'll find though that your nicotine needs will reduce over time with snus, and they seem alot less addictive than cigs to me. I'm not racing for a snus first thing in the morning like I raced for the cigs when I was a smoker...kept them right on the nightstand for when I woke up.

You might want a cig, but you won't need a cig if you have more than one choice...sometimes I'm more into one form of nicotine than another. It's weird but I just go with what I feel like I need at the moment. Hope that makes sense!

Good luck, and stick with it...you're already well on your way it seems

[beja]

Hi Patti, welcome to SnusOn!

I was never a cigarette smoker, so I can't speak about the differences in addiction between snus and cigarettes, although there are plenty of folks here who can. However, from my own snus usage, I find that even after using it for several months, I can go without it for a day if necessary without any withdrawl symptoms.

I have turned a smoker friend onto snus and it he has been able to cut back to just one cigarette a day, after using snus for the past two weeks. I asked about the snus cravings, and he said that he doesn't feel the same compelling need to snus as he did with smoking. I think that snus doesn't have the same oral gratification as smoking, and therefore the ritualistic aspect is quite different.

By the time I post this, I'm sure someone with more relevant experience will post.

[sagedil]

First, welcome to Snuson patti

There is much information out there about the safety of snus. A great place top Start is Swedish match's website, they have pulled together a lot of info.

Basically, snus is SO much safer than cigarettes. Safer than water?? of course not (probably). But it has been studied for 40 years + in Sweden, the ONLY increase in cancer ever noted is a doubling of your risk for pancreatic cancer. From 4 per 100,000 to 8 per 100,000.

Many folks plan to eventually leave snus, many others (myself, NEVER plan to. I use nicotine for medicinal purposes, Scientists have discovered over the past 6 years that it is as effective as Ritalin in addressing ADHD.

But you want to gradually reduce, go for it. I did have to quit snus about 16 months ago for a few months. A bit easier than quitting cigarettes cold turkey, but not much.

As for the quiting smoking, don't overstress it. Most here who quit really weren't trying to, they just did. When I first started using snus, I did both for about 6 weeks. Used more and more snus, less and less cigarettes until one day, I just stopped buying them. Over time, I just came to prefer the nicotine delivery of snus over cigarettes. So don't stress and let the snus do all the work for you.

And again, welcome.

[patti]

Re: Using snus as NRT

Good luck, and stick with it...you're already well on your way it seems [/quote]

Thanks, Sheila Ann! I don't even know what an "e cigarette" is, :?: but wish I did...my hands are tired, I have been vacuuming and cleaning, cooking ect, practically non-stop! Where can I find this e thing and what is the cost? Maybe I should just keep on the way I am, things certainly look better around the house...

[patti]

So don't stress and let the snus do all the work for you.

And again, welcome.[/quote]

Thank you! I do need to stop stressing out over all this, and your kind words have helped.. This snus is more effective than any other therapy I have ever tried..it's amazing! On Wednesday. I was a total nutjob, freaking out, yelling at my kids all because I didn't have a smoke.. today, i am productive, smiling and my older son just told his brother, " Guess What? Mom quit smoking! Guess what else? She's Dipping! I said NO! I am NOT Dipping, I am Snusing!
I am getting weird looks aplenty around here, but I think I like this snusing, so they can just get over it, after all, I have kept my word...I stopped smoking in 2009, as promised! Having this group is already a tremendous help.

[sagedil]

And most important part patti, you DO have a cigarette, not the end of the world. It is not like you are quitting cold turkey, where that once cigarette leads to another. Now, you have a cigarette, that is it.

Honestly, one of the biggest reasons I love snus is I CAN have that one cigarette when that is what I have, than I happily go back to my snus.

Again, 99% of the folks who go this just naturally wean away from cigarettes. biggest thing is, you really don't have to worry much about it. Best advice for now, next month, use what you want to use. If that is snus, great. If it is still a cigarette, don't beat yourself up. i promise, eventually, you really won't want them much at all.

[lxskllr]

And most important part patti, you DO have a cigarette, not the end of the world. It is not like you are quitting cold turkey, where that once cigarette leads to another. Now, you have a cigarette, that is it.

Honestly, one of the biggest reasons I love snus is I CAN have that one cigarette when that is what I have, than I happily go back to my snus.

Again, 99% of the folks who go this just naturally wean away from cigarettes. biggest thing is, you really don't have to worry much about it. Best advice for now, next month, use what you want to use. If that is snus, great. If it is still a cigarette, don't beat yourself up. i promise, eventually, you really won't want them much at all.

+1

I smoke about 2 cigarettes per week, and I don't have to smoke them. It's nice being able to smoke because I /want/ to again, not because I /have/ to.

The biggest thing is, at least with me was breaking the habit of smoking out of boredom. I'd sit in front of the computer, and grab a cigarette because it was there. I started keeping my tobacco in the car, so now I have to make a trip to get a smoke. I've found I usually don't want one if it takes that much work :^D Sometimes I do, and that's cool. I'll either roll one up for a drive, or go out and get one for the house, but that's it. I smoke it, it tastes delicious, but I'm good. I really don't want another one.

[truthwolf1]

I am jealous about the self control a lot of members have about having a occasional smoke.

That would never work me and especially at the begining. I would start making excuses like only one while drinking and one on Sundays and another if I am on vacation until I would be right back where I started.

My advice is if you have made it two days go for a week. If the cravings are unbearable take two portions.

here is a link about Swedish women and Snus.
http://www.mokatubakas.net/eng/culture.php

[Ainkor]

Well, the only way I have seen someone not be a slave to nicotine is to quit cold turkey. That takes a huge amount of will power but it isn't impossible.

Most folks who use nicotine are slaves to it in some fashion or another. The problem lies with how nicotine replaces other chemicals on certain receptors in your brain. Most addictions work the same way and when your brain doesn't have that chemical to connect to you get withdrawl symptoms.

Now, how does snus help with this? I have found that it is much easier to step down my nicotine dependance over time by using less. You can think of snus as a time release nicotine system. Instead of getting spikes like with smoking, you get a much steadier nicotine blood plasma level.

I smoked for over 20 years and when I first quit smoking last September I used to double barrel snus portions to keep the cigarette cravings at bay. At my peak I was using anywhere from 12-18 portions a day and after almost 11 months I use 5-7 usually.

Do I plan of quiting snus? Honestly not really. I enjoy the product, the nicotine helps regulate me and I recognize that there are medicinal uses for it. Do I spend a ton less? you betcha! I don't feel that snus is a disgusting habit, in fact I find it a very responisble way to enjoy tobacco.

It doesn't matter how you get your nicotine, you will be dependent on it until you detox from it and keep off it. The downside of quiting cold turkey is that one relapse means that you will most likely become a full time user again.

I really wanted to quit smoking but every time I tried I thought of my grandfather. We had a talk when he was in his early 70's and I found out he smoked when he was younger. He quit in his 50's and I asked him if he ever wanted a cigarette, he replied "Every damn minute of every damn day!" I didn't want to live my life missing something that I enjoyed, even with the health side effects.

I found a happy medium that works for me, is insanely more responsible, but ultimately just as addicting as smoking.

You may be different, but quiting any form of tobacco is very hard and takes constant daily will power for most people. There are some that say it is super easy, but they are by far the minority.

[Old Frothingslosh]

Welcome to the forums, Patti. Good luck with the smoking. I'm approaching seven months smokefree and there's no way I could have done it without snus. You didn't say what snus you're using, but the strong ones (sterks) will help with that edgy feeling.

Truthwolf1, I'm with you buddy. I'm afraid to have just one. The one hundred times I've quit smoking before was undone because I just wanted to have one. I realize it may be different with snus, but so far I've been afraid to try.

[sagedil]

I can't even begin to tell you HOW different it is!!!!


Think, of course ONE cigarette is a mistake if you have had NO nicotine for whatever amount of time it has been. But you are in a completely different situation. The ONLY real pull a cigarette had was the nicotine dependence, you don't need it's nicotine any more. So other than the "experience", cigarettes don't have much pull now that you have broken the nicotine pull with cigarettes.


i promise, really.

[tom502]

Keep your portions in as long as you can.

[MasterGuns]

I have been snusing for a few months now, and it's the only tobacco I have ever used on a daily basis.
The closest thing I ever get to a craving for snus is when I am really stressed at work or school and think "aaaaaah son of a b***h! what I really could use right now is a snus!" Pop a snus, the sun is brighter!
I have yet to find a reason to drop what I now consider a habit for myself. I am a slave to other things, such as coffee. If I don't get coffee in the morning, my body seems to take til about noon to really start functioning, and all I can think about is where to get that next cup of joe. Where some keep their cigs by the bed, I keep a coffee maker. If you think I kid, I promise you, I'm not. Think of the closest place you can keep a coffeemaker to yourself. That's where mine is!
Coffee in the amounts I drink it some days is probably far worse for me than snus. Now I seem to be able to avoid real physical addiction, and a week without coffee has happened, but if I have to get up before nine in the morning, watch out. But I love coffee, so I won't ever quit drinking it the way I do.
If you enjoy snusing, if it makes you a happier, more tolerable person (as it did me, which is why I stuck with it), then keep doing it. Just like you shouldn't feel undue pressure right now to drop cigs altogether, don't feel that at the start of your snusing career, you must plan its end.

[justintempler]

I was at Walmart last night and thought about buying a pouch of Bugler to roll my own, one look at the price $5.88 (without sales tax) and I said no thanks. The price of an occasional cigarette has gotten to the point it just isn't worth it anymore for me.