New member and hope to be smoke free!!! Advice please!

[Wannaquit]

Hi all,

I saw the 60 minutes special last night. Wow never new this stuff existed! The timing couldn't have been better. I made a huge bet with a friend that I could quit smoking for 1 year. Bet starts first Monday of April which is obviously today!

I smoke on average almost 2 packs a day. Been smoking for about 23 years.

I went to the store this morning and bought camel frost and mellow. Ok but not very strong. Then I went to a cigar shop and bought General White, Original, Mint and White mint. So I will try these.

My questions are the following

Is there anything stronger available?

How much should I use?

How long should I keep it in?

I am very happy to find this forum. It seems a lot of you have found success in quitting and look forward to your advice.

Thanks you!!!!

[lxskllr]

Welcome to SnusOn!

There's much stronger available, but it's my(minority?) opinion that they aren't necessary. Of course, with you having money on the line, it may be more helpful :^D You'll likely have to buy online, and you want to look for anything labeled stark, sterk, or extra stark(with variations in spelling of course).

Generally my advice is to not worry about stopping cigarettes completely right away. That's a little tough in your circumstance, but if it comes down to you outright failing and going back to smokes, or losing the money, but quitting eventually, I think the last option's better. When I started snus, I had no intention of quitting smokes. I liked it due to the new form of tobacco I could enjoy with minimal risk. The longer I used snus, the less I smoked. I'm now at the point where I don't have to smoke at all. I do have the occasional cigarette. A very generous member here sent me some smoking tobacco awhile ago, and I have 2 or 3 cigarettes per week. The nice part is I don't have to. I could easily go the rest of my life without another cigarette, but when I do have one, it doesn't trigger me smoking 1,000 more like it used to :^D

Enjoy your stay, look around the site, and don't stress quitting. I think it's easier if you don't make it a binary choice :^)

[snusjus]

Welcome to the forum. I quit smoking completely by using snus. Ironically, my first snus product was Camel snus. Unfortunately, the Camel brand was not strong enough to diminish my nicotine cravings, so I purchased Swedish snus, which has higher levels of nicotine.

Is there anything stronger available?
Yes, there are several high nicotine brands available. I would recommend using the strong brands for the first six months of cigarette cessation. I would recommend trying General Ekstra Sterk and Skruf Xtra Stark.

How much should I use?
I would recommend 8-12 pouches per day.

How long should I keep it in?
The average time is 30-60 minutes. Within 30 minutes, most of the nicotine is absorbed. After one hour, virtually all the nicotine is absorbed.

[pris]

Welcome to SnusOn Wannaquit.

The strongest snus I've come across is Skruf Xtra Stark. That really blows your head off The starks range between about 11mg and 17mg of nicotine of which you absorb between 10-20% as a guide.

The webshops usually give strength details.

Here's a couple of webshops to get you started...
www.northerner.com
www.buysnus.com
Beleive in the US you also have
www.getsnus.com

[lxskllr]

Crap, I completely spaced your other questions. I think what it boils down to, is do what you want. There aren't too many rules for using snus. Time left in is all over the place. Swedes tend to the shorter side, <30 minutes, while non Swedes tend to go a good bit longer >1 hour. I leave mine in for a minimum of 1 hour, and a max of 4 hours. 75 minutes is probably my average.

I use lös(loose) snus primarily, and I use from 7-10 prises(portions) per day.

[Wannaquit]

Wow thank you so much for the quick responses. It's 3pm here now and I haven't smoked. I have the General Original in right now. I will order the stronger snus now. I must admit I am having a bit of craving. Maybe the fear of quitting is affecting me. Anyways due to the size of the bet I must continue.

What is White vs Original?

Thanks again!!!!

[pris]

What is White vs Original?

Thanks again!!!!

White's are dryer portions that don't drip as much as originals. They give a slower, more constant flow of flavour and nicotine. Original's are moister and release their nicotine and flavour quicker. All down to personal preference how intense you want the experience to be I think.

[lxskllr]

A lot of the hassle of quitting smoking is the physical action of smoking. Taking nicotine out of the equation, it's kind of difficult getting away from your old friend, the cigarette. With coffee in the morning, after a meal, after sex :^D It's always been there for you. Which is to say, quitting won't be a walk in the park, but having something that tastes good like snus makes it much easier than patches or gum.

Original portions are sprayed with liquid before capping. That makes them moister, and the flavor comes on quicker. White portions don't get the final spray, so the flavor takes longer to start. Some people say the flavor lasts longer with whites, but I haven't found that to be the case with the way I use snus. I prefer original portions by a wide margin, but you should try some of each to see which you like better.

[Wannaquit]

Ok just ordered from Northerner the following:

# Thunder Frosted Extra Stark, Strong Portion - 10 pcs.
# Skruf Xtra Strong Portion - 11 pcs.
# General Extra Sterk, Strong Portion - 10 pcs.

Doesn't it have to stay refrigerated?

[pris]

That should keep the nicotine monkey of your back

Yes, snus needs to be kept in the fridge.

I usually keep all mine in the fridge and have a tin I put my portions for the day in and leave the rest in the fridge until I want it.

You can also freeze snus if you have a lot in. It keeps for up to a year in the freezer. When I do that I just take some out of the freezer of an evening and transfer it to the fridge to thaw and you're ready to go in the morning.

[Roo]

Welcome Wannaquit. I found quitting smoking with with snus to be one of the easiest things I ever did. I hope that gives you a bit of encouragement.

To everyone else, we need a FAQ section about snus, pronto. There are currently 26 guests viewing the site, and I'm sure that will be one of today's lower figures.

[Zanaspus]

Welcome and good luck. As a cigarette free newb of all of one week, I'd also suggest some nasal snuff. Handy delivery for a quick pick-me-up and lots of luscious olfactory sensations.

[Wannaquit]

Thanks for your words of encouragement!!! It is quite a large bet. Well into 5 figures. So if I make it a round of Snus to all of you that responded!!! lol

Thanks again!!!

[Veganpunk]

Welcome to Snuson. When I was ready to quit smoking completely, I used mostly sterks, and with the help of nasal snuff, could quit with ease. But like Ix, said, don't sweat the smokes too bad, I smoked for the first 4 months while I snused, eventually the snus will take over.

[pris]

don't sweat the smokes too bad, I smoked for the first 4 months while I snused, eventually the snus will take over.

Forgot to mention that. I did still smoke the odd cig to start with but the snus does take over in the end.