Negativity From Peers

[yummi4tunekookie]

I've made the decision to try and quit smoking, yet I definitely don't want to quit tobacco yet. Snus seems to me to be the smartest way to go. Almost everyone I've told about my decision, however, sees otherwise. I've told a total of 4 people so far; 3 of them think snus is absolutely disgusting (they refuse to see it as any different than dip), while the 4th, who is a fellow smoker and used to people dipping, thinks snus is awesome. One of my friends who thinks my decision is retarded refused to let me in his car when I had a portion in--what the hell?! It's attitudes like this that make me want to hide my snusing even more. I have yet to tell my closest friends, since we've all been ridiculously busy, and I fear that their reactions will also be negative. It pisses me off that I care so much what others think, but seriously, with the reception I've had so far, I feel almost ashamed to be wanting to snus!

Alweuaiosvlkhoiwegakzjl4aslak2nsala!!! :x :cry: :evil:

Have any of you had similar reactions from your friends or acquaintances? If so, how did you handle it?

[TropicalBob]

Sure. If I smoke with them, I'm cool. If I put any form of tobacco in my mouth, I'm pond scum.

Yes, very negative on all fronts. Reasoning doesn't help. YOU ARE CHEWING TOBACCO and only pond scum chew tobacco. No, I won't get new friends. I just carry on and the joking dies down.

Every alternative I practice --- snus, Stonewall, nasal snuff and e-smoking --- gets a negative reaction. Go figure. I have to do it for me. It's keeping me off cigarettes.

You are now a card-carrying member of a fractional minority of tobacco users. You'll have to tell yourself repeatedly that you're being smart and they're not. But, eventually, kick it all. That's smartest of all. You're young enough to live a long, healthy life without the crutch of tobacco addiction slowing you down and hastening your end.

[jqlynch]

I've always looked at any kind of tobacco consumption as a "don't ask, don't tell" sort of prospect. With smoking, non-smokers can smell smoke residue on you and wrinkle their noses and go, EWWW YOU LIKE TOTALLY SMOKE . With snus, about the only "tell" is the bump under the lip. I've always just instinctively kept the side of my face in which the portion/pris is presently planted (wow, alliteration!) averted from view of whomever I'm talking to.

My own wife was disgusted at first -- "that's totally dip!", etc. -- but she's gradually either gotten used to or just learned to ignore it. My guess is that your friends will do the same. And if they don't, then, as my mother says, "Then they're not really good friends, are they? So, here's some ExLax, bake them some brownies if they know so ****ing much!"

I love my mom.

[lxskllr]

The only reactions I've gotten are curiosity, and indifference. Most people just don't care. I've had a couple of comments about oral cancer, but those are just results of tobacco's historical bad press. I do my best to educate them, and go on about my business.

If it were me I'd just do what you normally do, and if people see you snussing, great, if not, great. Your in college now, and your friends shouldn't be judgmental tards. If they want to act like they're in high school, that's their shortcoming.

[Xobeloot]

Soon enough you will be comfortable enough with the stuff that they will never even know that you have it in (especially when you get your mini portions). As far as they will be concerned, just let them believe that you have stopped.

I havent gotten any negative reactions like you have. More curiosity than anything. When i sit at a bar and bake a pris, the bartender mechanically places a cup full of napkins in front of me to spit in (yep, using dip at bars is that common here). My mother actually gave me $20 the other day to add towards my next order. She is happy that I have kicked the cigs after almost 19 years of chain smoking.

Tropical Bob is correct though. Most people will not even ask for an explanation of snus. They will just immediately assume that you will be spitting and drooling all over the place. I will not let my friends pack a fresh dip in my car, nor carry their spit cup in my car for fear of getting a nice smelly stain. They are most likely just assuming that snus can cause the same thing. If they are so closed minded to not understand the difference after you explain it, i'd say to not waste your breath and just do your thing without broadcasting it. It is quite easy (especially with portions) to snus all day without anyone ever knowing.

[Zero]

What happened that fiery spirit - it wasn't just recently that you were threatening to summon demon-babies to excoriate and consume some poor forum member. :lol: Tell them to get stuffed - or maybe just have a good read of the snus & health forum, then anytime someone brings it up, just go on a rant quoting medical studies, census statistics, and big scientific words like "nitrosamines" that will get them to shut up :twisted:

Also, mini portions may be your saving grace. Nobody without x-ray vision would know you even had one in. I walk around with regular portions in all day and nobody can tell one way or another....but I also have a moustache cloaking shield :lol:

[yummi4tunekookie]

Alrighty, then! I shall be sneaky with my snus, and screw what my buddies think--they'll get used to it! It just blows my mind that I'm getting more negativity from my snusing than when I started smoking! :?

Anyway, I'm betting that I'll get my order delivered by tomorrow. For sure. If it's not here tomorrow, I swear I'll go insane and start skinning small animals alive, throwing their pelts at children. For serious, yo. :evil:

[Smarvy]

I'm going to have to remember that one, throwing freshly skinned animal pelts at children (or anyone really) will surely communicate my angst. I wonder if that's illegal. Probably not in Arkansas.

[slatter]

I swear I'll go insane and start skinning small animals alive, throwing their pelts at children. For serious, yo. :evil:

can i help with that.

[yummi4tunekookie]

I swear I'll go insane and start skinning small animals alive, throwing their pelts at children. For serious, yo. :evil:

can i help with that.

Certainly! All you have to do is come down to GA with awesomely evil intentions. Also, bring lots of walnut juice.

[victoryredchevy]

I'm going to have to remember that one, throwing freshly skinned animal pelts at children (or anyone really) will surely communicate my angst. I wonder if that's illegal. Probably not in Arkansas.

Heyyyy.....c'mon.....you coulda said Mississippi or Alabama or somethin'. It was funny actually. I bet it's illegal, too. Even here in Arkansas...maybe. The fact is, not many Americans know enough about snus. I've found that many smokers still think other forms of tobacco are disgusting....Like smoking tobacco and spreading the god-awful stinch everywhere isn't disgusting! Then, there are the people who don't use tobacco and can't keep their mouth shut......Get a life! Deep down, I'm a true hater of any type of tobacco smoking. I keep it to myself, though. I don't see how using snus could be in any way offensive or disgusting honestly. It's way less disgusting than smoking and dipping or chewing. I believe it's all in the lack of snus education. They know nothing about it, therfore they've decided not to accept it or they just know you put it in your mouth and they group it in with dip or chew. I've dealt with that very same issue, but not to that degree. Alot of folks around here dip or chew, so it's no big deal. All I've really dealt with is curiosity or stupidity. Like, " What the hell kinda snuff is that?". Then comes the 1 hour lecture from me to educate the lesser mind of the common American snuff dipper!

[RealmofOpeth]

Re: Negativity From Peers

I've made the decision to try and quit smoking, yet I definitely don't want to quit tobacco yet. Snus seems to me to be the smartest way to go. Almost everyone I've told about my decision, however, sees otherwise. I've told a total of 4 people so far; 3 of them think snus is absolutely disgusting (they refuse to see it as any different than dip), while the 4th, who is a fellow smoker and used to people dipping, thinks snus is awesome. One of my friends who thinks my decision is retarded refused to let me in his car when I had a portion in--what the hell?! It's attitudes like this that make me want to hide my snusing even more. I have yet to tell my closest friends, since we've all been ridiculously busy, and I fear that their reactions will also be negative. It pisses me off that I care so much what others think, but seriously, with the reception I've had so far, I feel almost ashamed to be wanting to snus!

Alweuaiosvlkhoiwegakzjl4aslak2nsala!!! :x :cry: :evil:

Have any of you had similar reactions from your friends or acquaintances? If so, how did you handle it?

Well fortunately for me, the supervisors I've had recently use dip themselves and I've introduced them to snus (although I think they'll stay dippers). They thought it was good but they still use dip, but basically I don't have to worry about it at work. In every day life, it doesn't matter much as I don't really have any friends right now to hang out with and nobody knows really who the hell I am. My mom knows, and asks if it'll rot my teeth out though. I know she doesn't like it, but I don't know whether she hates it worse than smoking or not, and she also realizes that I'm an adult and make my own decisions and leaves it at that.

But the attitude you're talking of reminds me PRECISELY that of religious people against atheists. I'm an atheist. But if I keep my atheism to myself, religious folks don't seem to mind my presence. As soon as they know I'm an atheist, despite not acting any different in any way, they totally treat me like shit. They actually believe I'm a satan worshipper or something. Much the same as people believe you're using dip despite you said SNUS and carry on to explain that it's a lot different.
It also reminds me of that prank call to wal-mart, asking for buttplugs. Nobody at the store could understand what a ****ing butt-plug was, they all continued to assume spark plugs. No matter how much the guy shouted BUTT-PLUG, BUTT-PLUG...BUTT...PLLUGGG...they continued to think spark plug? Too many people are too hopelessly stupid. They bask in totally irrational behavior. Basically a form of xenophobia. They don't want to know more, or deal with things that are unusual, they just want to live in the world that happens to them as they find convenient.
If they were to actually engage in discussion, there may be some disagreement, but not simply a blanket dismissal of respect without truly figuring out why..there may be some agreement and no longer some shithead hatred towards you.

I say if they're that much of pricks over the matter, tell them **** YOU and laugh. It's not up to them what you want to do, especially when they have no grounds for deciding so. They're not worth having as friends if they treat you like that over something so ****in stupid. Don't let them have the upper hand to manipulate you. The longer you disregard their bullshit disrespect and shrug it off as if they're just another mosquito, the quicker they'll realize they're assholes and might cave into realizing snus isn't so evil, hell, might even ask why it's so different, instead of assuming it's the same.