Completely off of nicotine thanks to snus

[Santafechestnutred]

giving up snus

[quote="sagedil"]So are you planning on giving up snus??
Hey Sage, My doctor says I should (As I have high blood pressure).....However, I quit alcohol and started an exercise program, lost 25 pounds... (and started BP medication) and now my BP is normal....It does rise with snus use( I checked)...But now it still stays within normal range (Even though snus does make it go up)....But I am not planning on quitting snus....I count on it to help me thru the day ...I used to smoke but snus is better in so many ways... I found it much easier to stop alcohol than nicotine...Red

[sagedil]

I understand that. And I have always said, BP is the one thing that could one day force me to quit snus and seek out other medications. (Would need health insurance for that)

Right now, I am OK...barely with snus use. But I am 44, my diet isn't always great, I love salt. How long do I have before it becomes an issue I don't know. But I know if it does, I am gonna do the exact same stuff you have done first before I even consider giving up snus. Fixing my diet and exercising seem like a small price to pay to keep my snus.

Job well done on your end.

[LHB]

Four years ago, I weighed 218 pounds and my blood pressure was as high as 155/115. I was drinking and smoking heavily, and since I felt so awful, I was getting no excercise. I quit drinking, stopped eating junk and started running again (I used to be competitive in medium distances). My weight fell to 170 and my blood pressure returned to 135/90. Then I substituted Snus for cigarettes, and after I made the transition, my blood pressure fell to 120/80. I gained back 5 pounds because I decided to treat myself to a few whiskeys and ales every night, but I'm running like I was when I was 35 (I'm 51 now) and my doctor tells me I'm in the top one percentile of people my age in terms of overall fitness.

I could not have accomplished that without Snus, and I have no intention of quitting. I've just noticed my use going down on its own because my body seems to be more comfortable with a little less nicotine than a little more. It does take awhile to get used to the different way in which Snus delivers nicotine, but once you do, I think it's far easier to cut down (or quit, if that's your goal) than it is with smokes.

My health is better with Snus and Nasal Snuff at 51 than it was at 30 when I was smoking. And I don't care what The Required Government Warning says: I view them as essentially Safe and Harmless.

[Santafechestnutred]

Quit snus

Hey LHB, I've got a ways to go to get to where you are....When I quit drinkin I was 245 lbs.....Now I am down to 220...(I am 5 10)...Would love to have a few Jamesons and Guinness...But I will wait till I get below 200....Could be a while....I have been trying to alternate regular portions and minis to bring my overall nicotine consumption down....I chain snus all day long so I thought it might help.....It seems to be workin...Every now and then I have a stark (Odens kanel is GREAT) ....Once again I would rather snus than smoke (or drink)....Red

[sagedil]

Funny this thread came up when it did. I tried some pants on yesterday. they didn't fit. Not happy. At all.

So going on diet tomorrow. I lost 70 pounds 7 years ago, kept 80%+ of that off since then. I lost 20 pounds 5 months ago, then got distracted. Am now gonna focus and lose 35 pounds. Get me back to within 5 pounds of what I weighed when I was 25

[BuLLitz]

I smoked about 24 cigs a day when I was a smoker.

I started snus trying all of the different styles, brands, flavors, and strengths.

I found that only the Extra-Sterks would keep me smoke free.

Since then, I have worked my way down in nicotine and it hasn't been difficult at all. I can take all the time I need.

I am currently doing the 6mg Taboca Mini which is a far cry from the Extra Sterks.

Next stop, 5mg Mocca.

Then later, I will move on to the 4mg mini.

Since I keep 2 hours between portions (I always have), I am doing about 8 per day. When I get to 4mg mini's, that will equate to 4 cigs a day since the nicotine of an 8mg snus is equivocal to 1 cig.

My current intake is 6mg * 8 portions. That is equal to 6 cigs per day (6mg x 8portions = 48mgs, divided by 8mg per cig, = 6 cigs).
Is 6 cigs per day even an addiction? What about 4? How about 1?
Will it be hard to quit from "1 cig" per day?
Where is the breaking point I wonder...
Perhaps my current addiction to nicotine is already just psychological?

[snupy]

But many of us here have no intention of ever giving up nicotine.

That's me. I would no more give up nicotine than I would give up caffeine. The 'upper' or amphetamine-like effect is what I enjoy so much about both caffeine and nicotine. I don't, however, begrudge those who do give either up, for whatever reasons.

[wa3zrm]

I really like this thread.

When I first started, only ES would do the job for me (I smoked about a pack a day). Nowadays, I only have to pop two or the ES's in a 24 hour period to keep the jitters away; and some days, I can get away with only two or three regular portions and no ES!

At least for me, the craving for snus is no where as near as strong as cigarettes. Snus has made me completely smoke free. I don't crave the cigarettes anymore- not even the morning coffee or after dinner smokes!

I think if I really wanted to, I could stop using snus by cutting out the ES's and work my way down to only mini's. But for now, I enjoy the ES buzz. Maybe one day I'll quit snus; but, for now, I am just happy that I've been able to kick the $5 a day cigarette pack habit!

Oh... one other thing... my doc is VERY Happy that I have been able to stop smoking. According to him, the majority of the damage caused by cigarettes is from the smoke and all the chemicals in the smoke. And, although he is not advocating smokeless tobacco; he is pleased with the "harm reduction" results and benefits.

[BuLLitz]

Your doctor is a keeper... my doctor thinks snus are worse.

[LaZeR]

Your doctor is a keeper... my doctor thinks snus are worse.

My doctor thinks snus are cigarettes. I haven't the heart to talk to him about the nasal snuff yet. :roll:

[spirit72]

My doctor thinks snus are cigarettes. I haven't the heart to talk to him about the nasal snuff yet. :roll:

Yeah, you'll make his head explode. Best to let him be.

[snusjus]

I love my doctor. He is similar to waezrm's in the aspect of harm reduction. He's well informed about tobacco in almost all aspects. He told me that nicotine is as harmful as caffeine, but the smoke from cigarettes is what causes cancer. However, he said snus is slightly bad for your teeth but it won't cause any life-threatening illness. As well, he thinks marijuana should be completely legalized, since its extremely less harmful than alcohol.

[Paladinx]

How do you really know how much nicotine your really getting for sure?

I put in an 02 portion that is 13mg nicotine for 20 mins and spit it out. How many cigarettes do you think that ='s?

[Owens187]

I dont think Ive ever actually tried to figure out how many ciggarettes my snus usage adds up to, or tried to regulate an exact amount of nicotine delivered....whats the point?

After awhile you just naturally find what works best for YOU. I have found that using regulars and sterks in almost a perfect 2/3 ratio is what works best for me,

For example,
for every 2 General Wintergreen, Roda, Gen White etc etc I use, I use one Thunder Frosted. Probably 4 regulars a day, and 2 maybe 3 Thunders.

Thats just what works best for ME. And I NEVER experience any kind of nicotine cravings, jitters, withdrawls, etc etc...

This all came just naturally for me, I actually never even thought about it until I read this thread. I use snus because I enjoy it, not because I have to. I love me some General Wintergreen, and I love me some Thunder Frosted, mostly for the taste of each.

Sometimes I too wonder if my addiction to nicotine is purely psychological, as at the most I use 6 portions a day, and sometimes even forget to take my snus with me when I leave the house.......

But I do absolutely LOVE the stuff! 8)