Addiction

[Rayne]

I have never smoked in my life. My adventures with tobacco have been an on and off thing for around 2 years. I've used snuff before, but recently started using snus. I've never been addicted to it, or anything in my life.

For about 2 weeks prior to receiving my first can of Swedish (Catch) snus today, I've been using the horrid Camel and Marlboro stuff available locally. I do an average of 2 portions a way, widely spaced. Some days I do 1, some days I do none.

As far as I know, I'm not addicted to it, and I'd like to keep it that way. I've seen many, many (many many) people warn that if you aren't addicted to nicotine already, you shouldn't try to be, and that makes total sense to me.

I'm considering precautions in order to keep myself from getting addicted (or *too* addicted, anyway) to nicotine. I'm curious as to how much nicotine one might need to consume for any given amount of time before coming totally addicted.

I will never go over more than 3 a day, and definitely not every day, and if 2 a day is too much, I'll just do 1 or none a day.

So, I guess my question is, is it possible to avoid becoming completely addicted beyond return with the occasional usage I mentioned above, possibly with periodic several-day-without-any stints? If possible, I'd like to continue using snus occasionally, but if addiction is a side-effect that is totally impossible to avoid, I think I'm willing to throw in the towel.

[StuKlu]

Why even use it? If you just like the taste or feel of having something in your lip get some non tobacco snus.

[sgreger1]

Snuson is more addictive than Snus. FACT


No but really though, snus is way milder than cigs as far as addiction. Half of this last week I went without any snus and I have been using for more than a year (And I chain snus thunder frosted, using 2 portions each time). And frankly I didn't feel anything bad. When I don't have snus I feel like I would REALLY like a snus, but ti doesn't make me moody or really piss me off at all. I mean I must be addicted after years of heavy use but when I go a few days without it, I fail to see any kind of real withdrawl.

[lxskllr]

It's all individual. You won't really know until it happens. I've known people that could smoke a pack a day for a year or more, then quit like it was nothing. Other people get hooked in a month. If you're hell bent on using snus, save it for "special" occasions. At night with a drink, when you go camping, holidays, whatever. What is it about tobacco that compels you to use it? the easiest way to keep from being addicted is to not use it at all :^)

[tom502]

I have to recommend people not get on the nic-wagon, unless your goal is to quit smoking with snus, or anything better. It is addictive. And it can wear on your gums. I think aside from addiction, it's habitual. If you don't "need" it, don't start it. I can understand the appeal, and exoticness, it's legal. But really, I often wish I hadn't started, as I was not a regular smoker, and really got into it as something interesting to do, and be a part of. I don't hate it, it's been fun, but I keep telling myself I wanna quit, and I shouldn't have started, but I haven't quit yet.

[Rayne]

Nicotine, obviously. Why else would anybody use it?

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

...if addiction is a side-effect that is totally impossible to avoid, I think I'm willing to throw in the towel.

I don't know if it's totally impossible to avoid the addiction. Everyone is different. I don't think it would be wise to find out though. There's got to be better things to spend your time and money on IMO.

[lxskllr]

Nicotine, obviously. Why else would anybody use it?

I started using tobacco because I liked the taste. It was probably a year or so before I even inhaled. That was one of the worst decisions I made. It was easy quitting when my lungs weren't getting hammered with nicotine.

[Rayne]

I appreciate the input. Chances are, I'll just narrow back from not often to not often at all. My biggest worry is my can of Catch drying out in the fridge over the next 3 months.

[snusgetter]

wrap it up tight and freeze it

[MojoQuestor]

wrap it up tight and freeze it

That's what she said :O(

[snusjus]

I would recommend using General Dry Mini Mint Poritons. They deliver the same amount of nicotine as a 2mg piece of nicotine gum.

[sheilalynn]

I'm pretty much a chain-snusser myself because I'm afraid of being tempted to go back to cigs. Guess it's more of a mental block than anything right now. But I have been thinking of getting some of the tobacco-free snus or the mint pouches that're sold and seeing what happens.

[WickedKitchen]

Keep it up and sooner or later you'll be dancing with Mr. Brownstone.

I wish I didn't have an addictive personality. If you aren't naturally like that then my hat's off to you. My wife is like that with cigarettes. She says that she "has an affair" with cigs. God bless her. But beware...nicotine is powerful, man.

[Ringer]

I'm in the same boat, Rayne. It's a question that I've wondered about as well. I basically order a crap ton of snus out of pure curiosity. Never smoked cigarettes before, but I've limited myself to 2 or 3 portions a day to avoid the scenario that you describe. I can get rid of them no problem as of right now, but it seems like a tremendous waste to just throw everything in the garbage. Right now I use them just because I like the taste. The only stuff that really gives me a huge nicotine buzz is the Thunder frosted portions, and it's such a huge buzz that I don't use it very often. I think I'll use up what I like and just toss the stuff that will inevitably go bad since I am not a heavy user. I figure I will have satisfied my curiosity, and it's not like it cost me hundreds of dollars to do it.