Addiction or just a habit?

[dave1]

I've been wondering, do you folks use tobacco because you are addicted to nicotine or do you use it because it's a habit of having something in your mouth, hand, or nose. I thought about this when I tried some onico, I used it for 2 weeks straight, never had a withdrawl symptom. Now i've seen people go crazy without tobacco, sick, highly irritable, and very anxious. But I have not had any of these problems. Am I the only one or are there more of you? This puzzled me because a guy i work with quit dipping with onico and he said the first 2 days he almost went insane. BTW, he had only been using for 3 years. But me, nothing whatsoever

[chadizzy1]

For me, both. Addiction because I feel noticably different without it. A habit because I reach for in instinctively without thinking sometimes.

[sagedil]

I am addicted to nicotine, plain and simple. However....

I have quit many times. I am quite good at going through the 2 -3 days of hell, and manage the "habit" issues quite well. My issue, nicotine medicated my ADHD. So I am MUCH less functional without it. I have quit all nicotine for 3 years, a year, etc. But eventually came back to it because it made me more functional. Since finally learning that a few years ago, reading everything I could about the efficacy of using nicotine to treat ADHD, I continue to use for that reason alone, not because of my addiction.

I was going to Gamblers Anonymous when i was 16. I walked away, cold turkey, from a 2 year meth habit when I was 24. I can break any addiction if I am motivated enough to try. I ever get heath insurance again, and find that the latest, non amphetamine drugs for ADHD work well for me, I might consider quitting snus then.

Probably not, I love it much for what it is (NEVER would have said that about cigarettes.) And I just can't find any heath issues that would motivate me to quit.

But to answer your question, of course 90%+ of us are addicted to nicotine.

[Nicobuzz]

Addicted - well and truly.

I think most people here are like me - wanted to quit the cigs for a safer alternative.

I've given up cigs/nicotine totally for 5 months and it drove me nuts. I think in the Royal College of Physicians report it said that long term nicotine use creates permanent changes in the brain - anyway - that's what it felt like. So with the birth of my son 2 years ago my destructive ways of thinking could no longer continue. I wanted to be around to see him grow up. I'm 39 so by the time he leaves home I'll be 59 - kind of the age where you die from lung cancer or get emphysemia etc.

I've always been extremely fit, but now that I'm snussing I'm fitter than ever. You listen to your body - my body tells me snus is good.

[Snusdog]

Re: Addiction or just a habit?

a guy i work with quit dipping with onico and he said the first 2 days he almost went insane. BTW, he had only been using for 3 years. But me, nothing whatsoever

If he quit American dip then he was dealing with more than just nic. When I switched from snus to dip (mind you snus is stronger than dip nic wise) I had withdrawals from something even though I was using as much snus which had more nic. I talk about it more in "A dippers Guide to Snus" You can find it here

http://www.snuson.com/viewtopic.php?t=4014

Man I cannot say enough bad about American dip (I used it for 20+ years)

But to answer the question on this thread- For me it is both. Also, I second Sage's ADHD take. Me too.

Suggestion: This thread might work well as a poll

Why do you snus
Addiction
Habit
Both

I don't know if you can convert this thread into a poll by using the edit selection on your original post or if you will have to start anew. It just might be fun to see the results and read the post as well.

[dave1]

Interesting feedback. I guess myself it's just grab one whenever I'm in the mood then. I have days where I demolish a can, I have days where it might be 1 use for the whole day. Nicotine strength doesn't affect me except oden es(puked myself to death). It's weird how I (for example) can go all day and not use but some people have one before they even get out of bed and in the shower. I guess it is just a habit for me then. BTW, when that guy i work with quit, I tried with him(we used this stuff called bacc-off) other than a little hard to pinch out it worked fine for me but good lord he looked like death warmed and chilled over. But since switching to snus i can't even dip anymore. The flavor makes me gag.

[sagedil]

Just be careful Dave. Read a bunch about nicotine addiction. Everyone is reaally different. Some folks get hooked almost immediately, other folks can smoke socially for over 10 years without getting hooked, and then one day, BAM, and they are.

So if you really aren't yet, really consider what you are doing using snus. Cause from everything I have ever read, you WLL be hooked one day, even if it takes 15 years for that switch to get thrown. Once thrown, it is thrown.

[MasterGuns]

I'm not quite addicted, but it is a habit. I enjoy a snus with my morning coffee, one immediately after lunch, a portion during class, so and so forth. I haven't been using long enough for it to become an unconscious second nature, but I'm sure that day is coming.
I've been using nicotine for...ummmm...I'm gonna say two years. Nothing heavy duty, not daily use until I found snus.
Like sage said, addiction can sneak up on you and the next thing you know you have to have it. Honestly though, I don't think it would be a deal breaker for me and snus. I'm hooked on coffee, sometimes drinking nearly a pot a day. But I enjoy it, so I don't care about it. For snus I believe it would be the same way.

[sagedil]

I am most definitely addicted to caffeine. Although I have managed to bring my levels needed down some, I have no caffeine in the morning, I will have a debilitating headache by noon. Huge reason Elyxr is so critical to me.

[lxskllr]

I am most definitely addicted to caffeine. Although I have managed to bring my levels needed down some, I have no caffeine in the morning, I will have a debilitating headache by noon. Huge reason Elyxr is so critical to me.

I'm the same way. I don't have a psychological need for coffee, but if I don't get caffeine, I'll get miserable headaches, and I never get headaches.

As far as the nicotine goes... I'm addicted to that, but even if I could just drop it, I doubt I would; not at this point anyway.

[Mr. Snuffleupagus]

I've been heavily addicted to nic for a very long time. Not smoking ciggs is a nice miracle for me.

[badlands]

hopelessly yet happily addicted. no more smoke so thats a plus.

[whokilledmyhooker]

Im addicted to snus

Im also addicted to eating food, and drinking liquids, i do each of these compulsively everyday.

[mlkramer]

Addicted here as well but eccastic at changing the delivery method to snus.

[Jason]

Addicted, and have been for quite a while. I don't mind admitting it. As far as habits, they are relative to addiction anyway.

My tolerance, on the other hand, is starting to build rapidly.....I need to slow down.