A Buzz?

[crackityjones]

I'm relatively new to snus (ordered my first tins of General portion about a year ago) and just registered on this forum. Right now I'm going through the 30 tins of Ettan I got last month from Northerner. Incidentally, I emptied some of the portions out to try Ettan loose, and I discovered that I prefer loose to portion by FAR. I bought an oral syringe and cut off the end for use in baking the Ettan, and the flavor is different and much more intense, at least initially, with loose vs. portion.

I've read posts on this forum before, and there's a lot of talk of a "buzz" associated with snus. I don't get it. I am a smoker as well (I use snus primarily to cut down on cigarettes - and it works!) and I have never gotten a nicotine buzz from snus, to be honest. I remember when I first started smoking 17 years ago that I would get a buzz from cigarettes on occasion, but the reason is obvious: smoking, while delivering less nicotine than oral smokeless tobacco over a period of time, does cause a much higher peak of nicotine in the bloodstream. I rarely get a buzz from cigarettes now (even my first one in the morning) and certainly have never gotten a buzz from snus.

Is it possible that I am less sensitive to snus than others? Maybe because of my smoking? I also smoked a certain substance all the time back in college that is well known for its buzzes, and maybe I just know too well what a buzz feels like? For some reason I don't get a buzz, but rather use snus, as I said, to calm my cravings for smokes. It is entirely possible that others are more sensitive, though perhaps it's a placebo effect (if you expect a buzz, you get one).

But is it even in the best interest of snus users to be talking about a buzz that may or may not be placebo? In Puritan America, it seems that snus is more likely to be banned if it has a reputation for causing a buzz than if it's viewed by the public as just another nicotine/tobacco product like Skoal or Copenhagen. I realize that the product seems more attractive if it induces some valued altered state of mind in the user, but honestly I have never experienced this with snus (never even wanted to), and the American fundamentalist brigade and the "medocracy" would have a field-day in an effort to ban the stuff if snus was viewed by the public as some sort of incredibly-high-potency nicotine drug.

In any case, a nicotine buzz is not much of a selling point in any tobacco product. A nicotine buzz only lasts about a minute, and it is not why people even smoke cigarettes. Smoking (and snus) are about satiating a craving, not getting high. Most smokers (like me) will tell you that the wish they had never started, and we say this precisely BECAUSE there seems to be no point except to get a "fix" and satiate a strong urge to smoke. There is no "high" or altered state of significance as a selling point, like there is with, say, marijuana. This is why, it seems, marijuana smokers are much more content to be marijuana smokers than tobacco smokers are to be smokers.

By the way, I have on order, to be delivered tomorrow, the following: Goteborgs Prima Fint and Goteborgs Rape, Offroad Wintergreen, and Roda Lacket - all loose. Any ideas what to expect from these brands?

Cheers.

[sagedil]

Welcome to Snuson crackityjones

To give you a very short answer to your very long question, the ability to get a buzz off nicotine dies almost immediately. You body just gets acclimated quickly, and no more buzz. Doesn't mean you aren't feeling the nicotine, far from it, just the buzz part. You want to feel it again, quit ALL nicotine for a few months, then pop an extra sterk. course, it will only probably work that one time, so doesn't realy seem worth it to me. :wink:

[daruckis]

i used to get a hell of a buzz from it. i was never a smoker, so at first i actually got a buzz from camel, but that was short lived. but yeah man my first month of snusing was buzz town central.

[tom502]

I just threw in a lip of Grizzly 1900 dip and got a hella buzz.
I would say, if you want a noticable nic buzz, get some Thunder, or Odens ES.

With regular use though, it hits less and less.

[Snusify]

I just threw in a lip of Grizzly 1900 dip and got a hella buzz.
I would say, if you want a noticable nic buzz, get some Thunder, or Odens ES.

With regular use though, it hits less and less.

Damn I want try that new grizzly, I hope northerner will carry it soon.

[GoVegan]

If you want a nicotine buzz, stop using tobacco all day and then pop in a portion at night.

[adm]

A nicotine buzz is a crappy buzz compared to a weed buzz - but then they are different things, for different places and times.

You're right though - nic is more of a satisfying a craving thing with an initial buzz that declines quickly, whereas weed is more of a "do it for fun" thing. Kind of the reason I never got into heroin. One monkey on your back should be enough.

But if you do want the nic buzz, then try Thunder Extra Sterk or Odens Extra Sterk. They knock my socks off and I am an inveterate nicotine junkie.

[MojoQuestor]

Re: A Buzz?

Hi crackityjones. Welcome to the forum. I smoked two packs a day or the equivalent for over twenty years, then ran into snus. I dabble with smoking a little still, including pipes & cigars, even snuff now and then. I'm snusing about 12-14 pieces a day the last few weeks. It was way more than that at first, maybe 18-20 a day and mostly sterks.

I still might get a bit of a buzz from nicotine, including snus, once in a while, but it takes laying off for a while. If my stomach's empty, probably things like my hydration and energy levels might come into play. It's rare, though. For one thing, it's rare that I lay off snus

By the way, I have on order, to be delivered tomorrow, the following: Goteborgs Prima Fint and Goteborgs Rape, Offroad Wintergreen, and Roda Lacket - all loose. Any ideas what to expect from these brands?

Cheers.

Prima Fint is very mild, the mildest-flavored lös I've tried. I don't know if I've tried the Rapé, yet--maybe one pris, but the can's in the freezer. I have not tried the Offroad Wintergreen. Röda Lacket--one of my favorites. lxskllr mentioned a "prunish" flavor that's there, I get that, sort of, but a muted, dark sort of dried fruit flavor; there could be something close to strawberry, and maybe a hint of something like anise or licorice. It's a very interesting effect against the flavor of the tobacco, and the salt (although it's not a salty-tasting snus at all, at least to me). It's a very fine grind, which has its ups and downs as far as how it plays in the mouth, but might contribute to the sort of silky taste it has.

I always remember this post by snupy on the "What's in your mouth right now?" thread:
"A BB sized pris of Roda Lacket. My mouth feels like silk."

[shikitohno]

Just to point out, emptying out the stuff inside a portion is not the same as using lös. The two types of snus have the tobacco cut entirely differently from most people's accounts on here of similar things. It might be kind of similar, but if you're just emptying out a portion and packing that, you may want to order a tin of proper lös just to make sure you like it before you go wild on it in an order.

And Odens ES or Thunder ES will probably give you a little bit of a buzz, but as others have said, it goes away. After a while, you just won't notice it that much. I only get one off the first pris/portion of the day.

[RobsanX]

When I first started smoking long those many years ago, it would make me dizzy sometimes. Is that the buzz you are referring to?

Sometimes with snus I'll get a release of endorphins that puts me into a deeply relaxed state. It doesn't happen very often, but I still get it once in a while.

[LHB]

I guess it depends on how one defines words like "buzz" or "rush" or "euphoria." Nicotene gives most people a state of altered consciousness, and has a definite physiological effect, which you will notice if you put about a 2 gram pinch of your Ettan in and leave it there for an hour. Part of it is the relief of the craving of withdrawal, but it also stimulates the release of dopamine, which enhances alertness and promotes an overall sense of well being. It can also be quite a sensual treat. For some people anyway.

As for the rest, I hate being overly analytical or in any way judgemental about psychoactive substances. If it makes you feel better, and it's having no adverse impact on other areas of your life that you consider to be important, just enjoy yourself. Nothing is more of a buzzkill than sitting around trying to analyze your buzz, or even worse, trying to figure out how anyone could care enough about what's going on in your mind and body to want to punish you for it.

Listen to John Prine's "Illegal Smile" and have a good time: "You may catch me tonite, with an illegal smile. It don't cost very much, and it lasts a long while."

[Christi]

Sometimes I get dizzy or get lock-jaw when I use too much starks in a day.

But the best feeling is when I get up in the morning and my head is doing that thing from no nic all night and I pop in a portion and get that immediate satisfaction. Not sure if that is a buzz, but it makes me happy and isn't that the definition of a buzz???? :P :P :P

[crackityjones]

I guess that by "buzz" I do mean that euphoric dizziness that I have sometimes experienced for a very brief time smoking cigarettes.

Thanks, MojoQuestor, for your descriptions of the snus that I'm getting today. I'm more anxious than ever to try proper loose snus, since I've just been emptying the packets of Ettan for loose over the past week.

I agree that whatever makes one happy - cigarettes, marijuana, chew, snus, whiskey, what have you - is that individual's choice and that people ought to mind their own business. Specifically in the area of substance use, America tends toward authoritarianism, and it's rather frightening. I am convinced that America is a place where some voters, most politicians, most doctors do not mind their own business and seek to make choices for other people. Thus, accurate information about a substance becomes critical in countering the misinformation of those groups I mention.

I really never have experienced a buzz from snus, yet I don't discount the experiences of others. I think the general consensus from these comments is that there is a mind-altering effect, like there is with cigarettes, but it goes away as you continue to use the snus. It doesn't matter whether it causes an effect or not, except that I am convinced that it would quickly be made illegal if snus were viewed by the majority as a new and super-high-potency nicotine drug when, in fact, it has been used for centuries and cigarettes are more potent in terms of peak blood levels. It is well understood that, of the three main delivery methods of any psychoactive substance, potency - peak plasma level - increases from transdermal to smoking to injection. Smoking is a much more forceful way to put a substance in your bloodstream than through the arteries in the mouth (if indeed the substance can be smoked), and injection would be far more intense a delivery method compared to smoking.

Thanks all for welcoming me to the forum. See you around.

[MojoQuestor]

I don't have much to say about the "buzz" thing, "nicotine buzz" is something I've heard all my life and I associate with that swimmy, dizzy feeling one gets, is usually brief, and mostly encountered early on in (in smoking, in my case).

I do agree that the buzzkillers exist to destroy anything that might cause a "buzz"--anything, that is, except their (usually) One True Source of A Good Buzz, which might vary depending on the belief system in question.

WRT snus, and particularly lös, I did read where you've been opening portions, but also that you have actual lös on the way. I think you know already that the contents of portions differs somewhat from lös. I will say, since you seem to be enjoying Ettan, that would definitely be a good one to try in its lös form.

For some people, at first, paying attention to the grind may be as important as the actual flavor. As long as one likes it, the fact that it stays together well might make it a win over a tasty snus that falls apart in the mouth. I certainly take the grind into account, but they all seem to "work", even if they do differ in duration, onset, and feel. I feel that I've gotten a decent handle on handbaking after five months, although if I get to take my hoped-for trip to Sweden some day, I might have the opportunity to pick up additional pointers Some take to it and some don't, but for those who love lös it -- well, at least for me -- it adds a great deal of pleasure. One can enjoy a nice, tight pris, or just hillbilly it on in there for quicker flavor (and a "pris" that generally doesn't last as long). In my case, it just expands the snus horizons that much further, since I enjoy portions as well.

[MCWP]

I used to love the nicotine buzz but now I dont really care. Im starting to focus on flavours and when I dont get a buzz it doesnt bother me. I usually snuff small pinches, never inhale my pipe, and enjoy mini white portions a lot.