Snus and pica

[Annie]

Hi I'm hoping someone can give me an answer to a question I have regarding snus as an alternative to cigarette butt ingestion. I have a client that has had this behavior for more than 40 years. Other alternatives have been tried - teaching him to smoke, nicotine gum, etc...all have been unsuccessful. As it seems unlikely we will be able to quit him from this behavior entirely, I was hoping that maybe snus would be a suitable alternative to eating the filters. The question I have is: Is it harmful to swallow the snus bag on a regular basis, I mean compared to eating actual cigarette butts? He doesn't eat the tobacco per se, just unwraps the butts, sucks on the filter for awhile and then swallows it. He would probably be ingesting around 3 sacs a day. Thoughts?

[OregonNative]

On the off chance that this is a serious question; I'll answer seriously. If it isn't serious, I'll be back later for the [fleshlight] lulz [/fleshlight]. I occasionally swallow snus packets if I'm in an interview or in a situation where it would be unpleasant for those around me to see me remove something from my mouth. I haven't had any ill effects from it, but then again, I'm not a doctor. However, I still imagine that swallowing snus packets is a much better alternative to swallowing cigarette butts.

[Andy105]

I've accidentally swallowed snus portions. No ill effects that I noticed. I've never swallowed a cigarette butt, though. Wish I knew that there was a market for them before I quit smoking.

[Thunder_Snus]

Assuming you are some kind of psychiatrist? Do the butts actually provide nicotine? If he is just ingesting this strange foamy filter thingy then that is probably pretty hard on the digestive tract. On the other hand ingesting tobacco can have a bad effect if he is not getting nicotine from the cigarette butts. The tobacco would deliver nicotine if ingested or just placed in the mouth. Could he just eat something else like......hotdogs instead? Or is he actually getting nicotine from this?

[whalen]

Where the hell is Precious when you need him!

I would think that compulsive snus swallowing would lead to nicotine levels way above the norm.

[trebli]

Annie, here is a Snuson thread about swallowing portions. The general consensus is that it causes little or no harm.

http://www.snuson.com/showthread.php...ll=1#post90502

[Premium Parrots]

.....I've done a bit of research on Annie and she is genuine and needs answers. Be nice mates.

Welcome Annie

[Annie]

K. For the record, I work with people with severe developmental delays. Pica (ingestion of inedible objects) is actually fairly common in this group of people. Cigarette butt ingestion is a common pica behavior. I figure he does get nicotine from them and he probably likes the taste as well. He doesn't go after unsmoked cigarettes and has a preference of white filters over the yellow ones (although he unwraps them anyway). He's non verbal and has little tolerance for anyone invading his space. When he doesn't have access to butts he gets quite stressed, loud and aggressive. Not too sure if that's nicotine withdrawal or because it is one of the few creature comforts he has apart from coffee and his recliner. The problem is what 3-5 butts a day for more than 4 decades does to you....

So when your done with the bag, it's empty? The tobacco is totally dissolvable, right? i wonder if it would be more of a chocking hazard than the actual butts. I think I'll just have to give it a go for myself. As ridiculous as this question may seem, has anyone ever made tea from it? That might be worth a try...

Anyway thanks all, for the input , and just to clarify, what does 'a bit of research' mean? Thinking about skeletons right now...... :O

[lxskllr]

I've swallowed portions to get rid of them quickly, and had no issues. There's always a choking hazard with anything swallowed that doesn't quickly dissolve, but that's life. Do you suppose he'd like eating lössnus? It's not really like a cigarette butt, but would still give some of the manual stimulation. Problem is it could be easy going overboard eating it, and if that wasn't controlled, you could get nicotine poisoning.

[Frankie Reloaded]

If the client is still alive after so many years of eating cigarette butts, I would not risk giving him snus bags instead, because that would be more like eating whole cigarettes, tobacco, paper and all.

[squeezyjohn]

So when your done with the bag, it's empty? The tobacco is totally dissolvable, right? i wonder if it would be more of a chocking hazard than the actual butts. I think I'll just have to give it a go for myself. As ridiculous as this question may seem, has anyone ever made tea from it? That might be worth a try...

Anyway thanks all, for the input , and just to clarify, what does 'a bit of research' mean? Thinking about skeletons right now...... :O

In answer to that question - no the tobacco in snus does not dissolve at all - but while it's in our mouths we absorb the nicotine in it through the 'bag' material. When the portion is spent then it still contains all the plant material (ground cured tobacco leaves). If it were to be swallowed (and like cigarette butts it's not designed for that) then it would be digested like any other vegetable matter.

Once inside the stomach - the high levels of naturally produced strong acid will ensure that the vast majority of nicotine will be unavailable to the body because we can only absorb nicotine in it's free-based form which is why snus is deliberately alkaline in nature. The positive side of that is that it's very difficult indeed to overdose on nicotine by ingesting tobacco products.

My thoughts are that snus is undesirable as something to consume because it presents a small choking hazard (the bag material is intentionally slightly textured to stop it moving in the mouth) - but when compared to eating the synthetic cellulose acetate in a cigarette butt - both the tobacco inside the snus pouch and the portion material which is a natural fibre seems like a less harmful thing to do.

[Snusdog]

Annie,

If you go the snus route, I would use mini portions. They are smaller (probably closer in size to a filter). I would use a more natural flavor (vs a mint) which will be closer to the filter flavor (I imagine there are not many minty fresh used butts).

If that does not work you might try using e-cigarette juice on an unused filter. If the butt is a nicotine delivery system........the e-juice would provide the nicotine.........but without the tar and carcinogens of a used butt.

My bet is that you could find a filter manufacturer that might be willing to send you just the filters.......somebody makes them and sends them to the cigarette makers......you might even find some that.....being biodegradable......... are more digestible (or at least system neutral- braking down and passing out of the system with little effect).

Regardless, I would try the snus first.....but the issue might be texture and not just nicotine....thus the e-juice option

Keep us posted

[WickedKitchen]

He's been eating them for 40 years? If that's the case I wouldn't worry about it. If it hasn't gotten him yet I'd surmise he's safe.

I would guess the tar and other crap left in the filter after they're smoked would be harmful but the guy has got to be pushing 50 now. Also the bacteria (and other crap) left behind by the smoker should cause a problem but it hasn't? If that's the case I wouldn't work too hard at it as there would seem to be no real benefit to stopping it other than the personal triumph. I'm sure he gets nicotine and that's likely the cause of the symptoms if he were to go without.

If this behavior is common then I would guess there's data out there somewhere. I'm sure you looked though.

I know it's a bit dodgy but there's a radio show/podcast called "Weird Medicine" that could help you out. I think there's a way to submit questions via email, voice message, or live call (but I don't know when the show actually airs). It's the world's first and still only uncensored medical program. To be honest it's worth a go.

[Thunder_Snus]

He's been eating them for 40 years? If that's the case I wouldn't worry about it. If it hasn't gotten him yet I'd surmise he's safe.

I would guess the tar and other crap left in the filter after they're smoked would be harmful but the guy has got to be pushing 50 now. Also the bacteria (and other crap) left behind by the smoker should cause a problem but it hasn't? If that's the case I wouldn't work too hard at it as there would seem to be no real benefit to stopping it other than the personal triumph. I'm sure he gets nicotine and that's likely the cause of the symptoms if he were to go without.

If this behavior is common then I would guess there's data out there somewhere. I'm sure you looked though.

I know it's a bit dodgy but there's a radio show/podcast called "Weird Medicine" that could help you out. I think there's a way to submit questions via email, voice message, or live call (but I don't know when the show actually airs). It's the world's first and still only uncensored medical program. To be honest it's worth a go.

It appears that this guy's only problem is that he is a god damn wizard.

[Skell18]

I swallow portions all the time, usually without knowing, it's done me no harm. Does he chew the filters or swallow them whole after sucking on them?

if he sucks them then you would want something with a natural tobacco flavour, I would suggest sourcing some phantom/rothbrix brown mini portions as they would be similar in size to a cigarette filter.

as squeezy said, it's fine to swallow the snus, it's plant material so it's digested like any other veggie, the portion material is also natural, general tailored is made from tobacco plant fibres, you can't take up nicotine in your stomach, or much else tbh, the environment in there is designed for one thing, breaking down what's in there. He won't be chewing on the tar from the filters either.