My apology in advance for the wordy post...
Early last fall, I purchased a half dozen tins of that scrumptious, yummy Camel snus that everyone here raves about. They sat in the fridge, untouched, for a few weeks until one evening in October, after 20+ years of smoking a pack/day, I decided I wanted to make a serious attempt at quitting smoking altogether. I put a pouch in my mouth and let it do its thing (which probably included a slight burn of my gums since the first tin was Frost) while I relaxed in the evening. It seemed promising.
The next day, I reached for a pouch before I got the urge to light up. I used six that first day, five the next and was happy with four pouches/day within a week thereafter. Soon, I found I was perfectly comfortable with three/day. Since early December, I've had a surprising number of "2-pouch" days mixed with my typical 3-pouch days. Yes, I've kept track of my daily usage. I've not smoked since that day in October, and I don't think I've really had even the desire to smoke since the second or third week of snusing. It's been nice.
With the exception of a few cans of General Mini Mints purchased locally, all of my snus consumed has been of the Camel variety, mostly Mellow. Today, I decided to try some of the snus I recently ordered. I started with a General Mint (white, large portion). It was okay; the mint flavor was more faint than what I've experienced with the Mini Mints. I also didn't notice a "nic hit" in comparison to what I've enjoyed with the Camel and Mini Mints. I'm thinking Fine, I'll appreciate the taste in due time. Later on, I decided to try a Roda Lacket (white portion) for my evening snus today. I've read these RL portions have good flavor but are slightly sweet to some users. Well, it wasn't what I anticipated. It's been in my mouth for a while, and I feel like I have a paper towel shoved up under my lip. I never noticed any sweetness at all. Did I read the wrong reviews?
To all ye snusers out there, may I ask What the hell is wrong with me? If it helps, my smoking habit was Camel nonfilters for the first couple of years, followed by menthols for the remaining 20 years. What gets me is that the Camel snus and General Mini Mints that I had been using are supposed to be weaker in nicotine content in comparison to the General Mint and RL portions I had today. But I think I was less satisfied today than I would have been if I just had two of the comparatively tame Mini Mints instead. I was your common smoker before, with strong cravings and the occasional nic fit when I had to go without a smoke for hours on end. I know that many of you recommend strong portions or sterks for those quitting cigarettes, but my nicotine urges were comfortably satisfied with those lousy Camel snus and weakish Mini Mints. I was even expecting to remove the Gen Mint and RL a bit early, since I didn't want to overdo the nicotine. But that wasn't the case at all. Even a cup of coffee didn't seem to bring these fellas to life. Coffee always brought the others back from the dead after they'd been in my mouth for some time but still had something left to offer.
Is it possible that a person could have a stronger need for flavor than he/she would need the nicotine? FWIW, my immediate and ongoing goal is to keep my nicotine at a manageable, yet comfortable and low level. I'm certain I still need a basic level of nicotine for my physical well being, my focus, and for the safety of those around me. But as a former smoker that was burdened with the ups and downs that go with a cigarette habit, I have no desire to drive up my nicotine tolerance in my quest for sufficient flavor. I feel like I've come a long way. My long term goal is to be nicotine free, but that's not immediate.
Do you have any snus recommendations that I might consider? Mocca, Goat Rape minis, and Taboka are currently in consideration. I was thinking about Thunder Frosted minis, but not sure. I like the idea of staying with white portions since less drip works better for me, though these today seemed a bit too dry. Minis are a plus for their discretion and their usually lower nic content.
[Or maybe you'd suggest I just suck it up and stick with these *bland* portions until my senses acclimate.]
If you've made it this far in this ridiculously long post, thank you. If not...well, I understand.
Early last fall, I purchased a half dozen tins of that scrumptious, yummy Camel snus that everyone here raves about. They sat in the fridge, untouched, for a few weeks until one evening in October, after 20+ years of smoking a pack/day, I decided I wanted to make a serious attempt at quitting smoking altogether. I put a pouch in my mouth and let it do its thing (which probably included a slight burn of my gums since the first tin was Frost) while I relaxed in the evening. It seemed promising.
The next day, I reached for a pouch before I got the urge to light up. I used six that first day, five the next and was happy with four pouches/day within a week thereafter. Soon, I found I was perfectly comfortable with three/day. Since early December, I've had a surprising number of "2-pouch" days mixed with my typical 3-pouch days. Yes, I've kept track of my daily usage. I've not smoked since that day in October, and I don't think I've really had even the desire to smoke since the second or third week of snusing. It's been nice.
With the exception of a few cans of General Mini Mints purchased locally, all of my snus consumed has been of the Camel variety, mostly Mellow. Today, I decided to try some of the snus I recently ordered. I started with a General Mint (white, large portion). It was okay; the mint flavor was more faint than what I've experienced with the Mini Mints. I also didn't notice a "nic hit" in comparison to what I've enjoyed with the Camel and Mini Mints. I'm thinking Fine, I'll appreciate the taste in due time. Later on, I decided to try a Roda Lacket (white portion) for my evening snus today. I've read these RL portions have good flavor but are slightly sweet to some users. Well, it wasn't what I anticipated. It's been in my mouth for a while, and I feel like I have a paper towel shoved up under my lip. I never noticed any sweetness at all. Did I read the wrong reviews?
To all ye snusers out there, may I ask What the hell is wrong with me? If it helps, my smoking habit was Camel nonfilters for the first couple of years, followed by menthols for the remaining 20 years. What gets me is that the Camel snus and General Mini Mints that I had been using are supposed to be weaker in nicotine content in comparison to the General Mint and RL portions I had today. But I think I was less satisfied today than I would have been if I just had two of the comparatively tame Mini Mints instead. I was your common smoker before, with strong cravings and the occasional nic fit when I had to go without a smoke for hours on end. I know that many of you recommend strong portions or sterks for those quitting cigarettes, but my nicotine urges were comfortably satisfied with those lousy Camel snus and weakish Mini Mints. I was even expecting to remove the Gen Mint and RL a bit early, since I didn't want to overdo the nicotine. But that wasn't the case at all. Even a cup of coffee didn't seem to bring these fellas to life. Coffee always brought the others back from the dead after they'd been in my mouth for some time but still had something left to offer.
Is it possible that a person could have a stronger need for flavor than he/she would need the nicotine? FWIW, my immediate and ongoing goal is to keep my nicotine at a manageable, yet comfortable and low level. I'm certain I still need a basic level of nicotine for my physical well being, my focus, and for the safety of those around me. But as a former smoker that was burdened with the ups and downs that go with a cigarette habit, I have no desire to drive up my nicotine tolerance in my quest for sufficient flavor. I feel like I've come a long way. My long term goal is to be nicotine free, but that's not immediate.
Do you have any snus recommendations that I might consider? Mocca, Goat Rape minis, and Taboka are currently in consideration. I was thinking about Thunder Frosted minis, but not sure. I like the idea of staying with white portions since less drip works better for me, though these today seemed a bit too dry. Minis are a plus for their discretion and their usually lower nic content.
[Or maybe you'd suggest I just suck it up and stick with these *bland* portions until my senses acclimate.]
If you've made it this far in this ridiculously long post, thank you. If not...well, I understand.
Come to think of it, as I enjoy a berry portion right now, I don't think these are much larger than Camel's portion, maybe even flatter, if my memory of Camel serves me right.
ops:
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