Still Having Trouble Quitting Smoking.

[LHB]

I'm a new snus user, although I've used American dip to succesfully quit smoking for about 5 years in the past. I'm trying to use the snus to quit a smoking habit (about a pack a day for about 37 years), but I seem to be having a more difficult time than most snus users. A little while ago, I had a General Portion in for about 30 minutes, noticed my heartbeat accelerating a little and feeling a little edgy, so I took it out. I then fired up a Newport and had three hits off of it, and feel fine now.

So the snus feels like it's giving me nicotine, but it's not enough. Not that the nicotine levels are too low, but there's just something else in commercial cigs, which is why Natural American Spirits never did anything for me. Here's a link to an article written by a researcher who claims there is no such thing as nicotine addicition. It makes sense in a way; have you ever known anyone to get addicted to nicotine gum?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. In most ways I feel much better off the cigs, especially since I'm a serious runner, except for the fact that even with the snus, I'm still withdrawing from SOMETHING. I have a few rolls of Claq Qui and Skruf Stark Portions on the way, but I'm not sure that it's just the nicotine that's the problem.

http://www.statepress.com/node/7194

[adm]

I think you're right there......the cig manufacturers put "god knows what" into their products to make sure that you stay hooked to THEIR brand.

My theory is that this is also why it's much easier to try many different snuses rather than just settle on one brand and stick to it.

How about, when you really feel you have to smoke, try smoking a different brand from your usual. That might confuse things enough to break the addiction. Whatever you though, stay away from the brand you used for 37 years. Even if you don't get anything from American Spirit cigs, maybe force yourself to use them when you just have to have a cig.

Maybe try some stronger snus too and keep the portions in longer? The Claq Qui should sort you out - good choice!

[Karanya]

A few things I've learned since I began moving away from cigarettes several months ago:

1. Claims of scary additives should be taken with a grain of salt. Philip Morris, for example, lists all of their ingredients on their website just as Swedish Match does. Interestingly, the list isn't much different. The 4,000 chemicals quote everyone likes to throw around refers almost entirely to the naturally occurring chemicals in tobacco. Guess what? A carrot has just as many substances in it! Sadly, myths about tobacco are so often-repeated that many take them as truth without seeking out the rest of the story.

2. Nicotine, in isolation, does not satisfy everyone. This is why people like me can stuff several pieces of nicotine gum in their mouths and still feel uncomfortable until an actual tobacco product is used. It's also true that nicotine alone doesn't produce behavior in rats that is consistent with chemical dependence. This changes when other chemicals that are naturally present in tobacco are added -- specifically, the MAOIs harmine and harmaline.

3. Snus does NOT bring nicotine levels (and levels of other alkaloids, like the harmine and harmaline I mentioned) to as high of a peak as cigarette smoking does. It's a slower, gentler release and much longer-lasting. But you do get those other substances in tobacco (harmine, harmaline, etc.) from snus.

That said, based on my own experiences, I'd recommend the following:

1. Use stronger portions, at least part of the time. Claq Qui, 02, Thunder, etc., may provide what you're looking for.

2. Consider adding dry (nasal) snuff to your arsenal. I've found that while snus provides a nice "base" nicotine level, thus preventing really bad nic fits, I need snuff to get the old smoking-level peaks back.

3. If all else fails, use snus (and snuff, if it agrees with you) but continue to smoke as needed. I don't know how much you used to smoke, but a few cigarettes a day is much, much better for your health and your wallet than a pack or two or three.

--K

[Ulsterman]

removed

[MojoQuestor]

have you ever known anyone to get addicted to nicotine gum?

Well, yes. Me. Granted I was addicted to smokes, too, but I had to have the gum, because I couldn't always smoke. I certainly wasn't addicted to the point I didn't need cigarettes, though, or at least they weren't sufficient on their own--kind of like US Camel snus for many ppl.

Definately use Thunder or Thunder Frosted. This is the only snus that brings nicotine levels close to a cigarette.

Not necessarily bad advice, but for what worked was Oden's OES and General ES. Admittedly I was using mostly lös at the time, but N&J Portions, Skruf portions, Onyx and Claq Qui helped, too. Nothing against Thunder but I just didn't use it. Turns out I don't care for it, so if there's some other desperate smoker out there who doesn't love Thunder, don't worry, there are other options.

[TBD]

You get as much nicotine from snus as you do cigs. One Claq Qui for 45 minutes is about the same level as 3-4 cigs. The difference3 is the peak. Snus ramps slower so you don't notice the peak as easily.

You may be getting too much nicotine. It also may be a function of the smoke which contains carbon monoxide. CO will slow down your system as it is a poison, which may be fooling you into thinking snus isn't having the same effect. Also the increased O2 in your blood will feel different than you are used to.

[lxskllr]

I think a lot of it's in your head. You're just used to smoking, and you like smoking. I'd take things a little slower. You've been smoking for 37 years, another couple won't hurt anything.

Instead of treating snus as a stop smoking drug, think of it as an economical addition to your smoking habit. Have a cigarette or 2 in the morning when you wake up, but afterward, try some snus. Leave it in for an hour or more, and then maybe have another cigarette, or not; whatever... You're using all of these products for pleasure. If you aren't getting pleasure out of them, why bother?

I think you'll find that you start liking snus as much as smoking, and the cigarette use will taper off naturally. It may be 6 months, a year, or more, maybe even never. You might always have a cigarette or 2 every day, but that's better than 20 a day. I've only just recently quit smoking cigarettes, and I've been using snus for more than 2 years. Tbh, I imagine I'll get more cigarette tobacco some time, but I don't /have/ to. We'll see...

Stark snus? Maybe, but starks and extra starks are a recent phenomena; people(including me) have quit smoking without them. I don't think nicotine poisoning's necessary to quit smoking.

[Karanya]

Stark snus? Maybe, but starks and extra starks are a recent phenomena; people(including me) have quit smoking without them. I don't think nicotine poisoning's necessary to quit smoking.

I'll second this, sort of.

One thing I did personally find was that extra starks -- and sometimes starks -- were overkill and left me feeling groggy and not quite right. Yet I still wasn't satisfied.

I think after many years of smoking (a decade in my case), your body may become accustomed to peaks and valleys in nicotine blood concentration. A solid, steady stream of nicotine (chain-snusing) just didn't agree with me.

Lately, I've found I'm using more white portions and minis, only using the starks in the morning or if I'm really running short on Vitamin N. What has changed is that I've added snuff, which provides a much closer experience to smoking as far as up/down/up/down nicotine...

Also would like to agree with lxskllr that putting pressure on yourself is a bad idea. Over time, the snus kind of takes over and you find yourself reaching for a portion (or a pris) more than you do for the smokes.

--K

[spirit72]

Good advice here. 37 years is a pretty long-term habit, and it seems like your body is mostly trying to get used to the altered delivery/metabolism curve that comes with snus as opposed to smoking.

Normal strength worked well for me, but I had already begun trying to quit, and I was only a smoker for about 15 years as opposed to 37.

The Claq Qui and Skruf Start might help you a bit more. The main thing is to allow your body to grow accustomed to the 'new normal', so to speak. Some of us take to it immediately. For others, it can take some time. But eventually, you'll find that snus wins.

[Veganpunk]

I read all the stories on here, and figured it might work for me. Been smoking 2 packs a day for 15 years. Stated snusin in June, within a few weeks dropped to 1 pack a day, and couldn't quite kill the habit until 5 months in. I smoked my last cig. on Halloween, and just haven't been inclined to buy another pack. During all of this, i stayed on Snuson constantly, this board and everyone on it were such a huge inspiration/distraction, that I just kinda forgot about smoking.

[GoVegan]

Stick with it and do whatever works for you but you also have to realize that it won't be easy to quit smoking and you may have to tough it out for a while. Your body will feel out of balance and like crap when you stop smoking no matter what. Snus will ease those negative effects quite a bit. I recently switched to just using mini portions and had a headache for about 2 days that would not go away. Eventually, your body will get used to the lower nicotine levels but it takes time and patience. One thing you might try to do is hold out on all nicotine products for an entire day and then use snus at the end of that day. You will feel it working. Also, have fun with snus while you are using it. Try different varieties and portions. One word of caution. Tapering down never worked for me and if I had just one smoke right now I am almost certain I would get right back to smoking instead of using snus. I stopped smoking for over a year a while back and had no problem getting hooked back into the habit of smoking a pack a day after a few "social" cigs.

[Karanya]

During all of this, i stayed on Snuson constantly, this board and everyone on it were such a huge inspiration/distraction, that I just kinda forgot about smoking.

I suspect that is the reason I've had more success than my husband in quitting smoking, despite the fact that he's smoked for roughly half as long and smoked roughly half as much as I did.

I've made each of the replacement products into a hobby, so my interest level remains high, and I have snus or snuff on my mind quite often... (used to be e-cigs) so it becomes natural to use those rather than light up a cigarette.

--K

[sagedil]

LHB

Just give it time. It took me fully 5 months to gradually make the transition fully to snus. Those first months, I smoked if I wanted to, I used snus if I wanted to, and just didn't think much about it. Slowly over time, the snus one out. Slowly, over time, I became "addicted" to the slower nicotine release of snus vs cigarettes.

So for now, just use whatever you want. I promise, the snus WILL win. Just takes time.

[Old Frothingslosh]

I don't know about anyone else, but I know what helped me quit a 40+ year cigarette habit--General Ekstra Sterk. I'm celebrating Month Eleven today.

I was always a good quitter. I quit so many times--two or three days at a time, and then right back at it. I tried everything out there, from patches to hypnosis. Some of it worked--for awhile--but I always had that craving for a cigarette.

When I tried Swedish snus I figured it would just be another gimmick. I was wrong. It worked like a charm.

I know others smoke occasionally, when they want to, without going back to the chain of addiction of cigarettes with snus. For me, it is best to avoid them altogether.

Only you will know what works for you, but I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

[justintempler]

After 30+ years it's as much a psychological addiction as it is a nicotine addiction. You have to want to quit smoking. When I made up my mind to quit I still allowed myself to smoke on the weekend, 1 pack only, when it was gone I would have to wait til next Friday night to buy more. That way you don't fall into the trap of the more you can't have it, the more you want it.

You set limits for yourself but you never deny yourself. You have to give yourself time to replace your smoking habit with your snus habit. It took me a full six months to completely get over the need to smoke.