Snus Nicotine vs. Cig Nicotine .... Dosage Question

[Levinz11]

I have smoked Marl Lights for 12 years. 1 pack a day. I recently went on vacation with my new girlfriend and her parents. Her father had Skoal Bandits and said they really helped quit smoking. She quit upon returning from our trip cold turkey. She has been able to quit whenever she pleases for years. Something I just can't master. I decided to quit with her and bought some Marlboro and Camel snus. Too sweet for me and finally found a place in town that sells General products. I'm really digging the white portions and haven't been craving cigs at all. 2 weeks now and no smokes.

My questions was: The cigs only have 1mg of Nic and the snus is like 8mg's. So while i'm not obsessing over it, am I becoming even more addicted to nicotine??

What say thee?

[Nate5700]

As a new snuser myself I've been reading quite a bit lately, so I can't really say where I came up with this bit of info, but, my understanding is that the absorption rate of nicotine with cigarettes vs. snus is much different. With the cigarettes all the nicotine hits your brain right away, so while the dose is smaller you get it all at once, which is supposedly one of the reasons cigs are so powerfully addictive. With snus it is more of a slow release of nicotine over time, and instead of hitting your brain right away it has to travel throughout your body first, so it's a much slower process. I think I also read that depending on the person and the snus you're using your total absorption of the nicotine may be somewhere between 10% and 50%, so you aren't getting that entire 8 mg.

Maybe one of the vets here can post a link to back me up? Anyway, from what I've read it doesn't sound like snus should be getting you any more addicted than cigarettes do, but I'm not an expert by any means.

[truthwolf1]

You are only getting a small portion of the that 8mg nicotine 10%) and it is abosrbed much slower into the bloodstream. It does linger longer but as a former smoker I am sure I had way higher nicotine blood levels from continually keeping somekind of level that caused the massive cravings. Now years later I can go hours to half a day without a craving.

[Mawdryn]

Snus will not break a nicotine addiction, but it will keep you from getting cancer. I guess it could also help break the psychological dependence to cigarettes. Now I just have a psychological dependence on snus.

It's a conscious choice I made, and one I think a lot of other people on here made as well. I'm not afraid of my addiction, at the moment I can afford it. I'm petrified of cancer...

[HK11]

I am a heavy user, but I think the addiction to snus is worse than cigarettes. At the same time I have WAY less guilt about using snus.

I am pretty much at the point where I am using unless it is impossible to do so.

The jones I get from snus isnt as immediate as the ones I used to get from cigarettes, but is just as uncomfortable in it's own way.

[Mawdryn]

I am a heavy user, but I think the addiction to snus is worse than cigarettes. At the same time I have WAY less guilt about using snus.

The jones I get from snus isnt as immediate as the ones I used to get from cigarettes, but is just as uncomfortable in it's own way.

Yep and Yep...

[visiON]

Well cigs actually have around 10mg of nicotine but only 10% of it is absorbed, but with cigs you get the nicotine very fast, all of the 10% has already been absorbed after you finish it.
With snus it's a slow rise and takes 30minutes-1hour for all of the 10% to be absorbed.

[Levinz11]

Now I see more threads similar to this one. Sorry it was my first post.

I just had a portion that I swear had me seeing double! That's why I asked.