snus you ... win?

[mizanation]

so, i'm a health nut but also a smoker. i know, bad combo. been looking for smokeless alternatives and i found out about snus.

snus is swedish steam-cured tobacco. it has very low levels of carcinogens, and researchers believe that snus is the reason why sweden has much lower tobacco-related illnesses compared to other countries.

so, i got myself a tin of snus. i'm snussing right now. although it lacks the immediate rush of cigarettes, i feel like this is the best alternative for me right now. you put it between your gums and your lips and it doesn't produce a lot of saliva, so no disgusting spitting.

does anyone else here snus?

[holotekor]

tried it once, it was alright. i had a skoal phase that lasted about 2 months, then suddenly it got pretty disgusting.... oh well.

[BOORADLEY]

i used to snort that shit back in highschool. it was pretty chill.

[mike lowrey]

somewhat popular here, athletes for example use it. a couple of my friends are pretty heavy users so I use it occasionally. personally I prefer the portion type rather than the poop

[evisu 2000]

a friend of mine swears by general. i might try it out.

[mizanation]

general is the only brand i can find here. it's abuot 5 bucks for a tin, probably because of all the tobacco taxes in NYC.

so far, i like it. no tobacco smell on my hands, clothes and mouth. there's no crazy rush like a cigarette--the buzz is more gradual. tastes pretty good too, i got the wintergreen.

i do quite a lot of sports, so it's a lot easier on the lungs, of course.

i've heard a lot of good things from ex-smokers who haven't touched a cigarette in years since they started snussing.

[Kasper]

Snus maybe healthier in terms of lung cancer, but it gives mad gum dicease to long time user. i lived in Norway for a while and it seemed pretty much all guys were using it and were always talking about how healthy it was, etc. they would shut up real fast though when we would see a 50 years old dude with half his gum missing and the other half all rotten and white...

the lesser of 2 evils you might say...

[mizanation]

definitely the lesser of two evils. it's definitely not healthy, just less overtly dangerous.

eventually want to stop tobacco products all together, but have been unsuccessful going cold turkey for an extended period of time.

[viv1984viv]

Miz I know you may have heard it all before, but,... when I want to quit something I just start something else, coffee, tea, juggling, guitar, a different form of exercise, biking, trekking, squash, badminton, gym training, painting, reading....

You will get to a reasonable standard on anything you use replace fags because you have so much spare energy/frustration......heh, I remember I got into guitar and war and peace one summer, and I dropped my only pik in the guitar. Fuck. It drove me insane trying to get it out. Learning to juggle also drove me up the wall.

Also I find it helps to take a holiday and change your surroundings for the first 3 or 4 weeks of cold turkey, obviously you rarely have the time for a month holiday but when the chance arrises its a great time to change.

[BOORADLEY]

are you guys talking about the shit you put in your mouth? or the stuff you snort?

[Kasper]

are you guys talking about the shit you put in your mouth? or the stuff you snort?

the stuff you put in your mouth (but not the one you chew like baseball player, the one you put on you gum). the stuff you snort is snuff

[superBobo]

don´t do it. highly addictive since its more nicotine than ciggarettes. Lesser of two evils anyway, but still.. If it´s a cure against smoking your after, why not go with those disgusting nicotine shewing gums?

Very common here in Sweden, probably more so than smoking these days, and you may be right about snus having a "good" effect on the tobacco related illnesses, but it´s yet unproven how related it is with cancer.

[mizanation]

viv - i've been able to quit smoking for about 6-9 months at a time. i'm hoping the snus will keep me off cigs permanently. i try to keep myself adequately distracted at all times.

superBobo - the nicotine gums are really gross, right? rather have some tasty snus.

is it normal for snus to really burn the gums? maybe it's just because i'm using wintergreen snus?

[macuser3of5]

is it normal for snus to really burn the gums?

That's the cancer doing its magic.

[threepwood]

That's the cancer doing its magic.

I hope you're joking.

[superBobo]

miz

yea, its normal with the burning sensation when you´re a snus newbie Soon your mouth will get used to it.

[BOORADLEY]

ahhhhh now it all makes sense! wintergreen snuff is chill if you are stuffed up...

i dont do the mouth shit... it just grosses me out to think of the damage it is doing to my teeth and gums.

however i am completely open to destroy my lungs with my drug habit and social smoking...

[ghostdeini]

I'm guessing from the responses here that snus is a lot different from what comes in the Skoal tins. that shit makes me dizzy with all the nicotine, and it burns my gums a little. granted, I've only done it a couple of times but damn that shit hits you hard if you take a big enough pinch

so... what's the difference? does it taste like Skoal? is it a little damp when it's in the tin? I'm a little curious now, guess I'll look it up on wiki

[Kasper]

I'm guessing from the responses here that snus is a lot different from what comes in the Skoal tins. that shit makes me dizzy with all the nicotine, and it burns my gums a little. granted, I've only done it a couple of times but damn that shit hits you hard if you take a big enough pinch

so... what's the difference? does it taste like Skoal? is it a little damp when it's in the tin? I'm a little curious now, guess I'll look it up on wiki

it does that to everyone who try it for the first time (actually, it takes a couple time before you don't get dizzy), smoker or not. when i studied in Norway, the guys there had so much more trying to make ppl puke or faint with snus, like they would make us play these drinkng games and they would have some penalties where you'd have to put snus in your mouth for 10 min. and they would put a shitload of it and i of course. ppl are too proud to stop it so i saw at least 10 girls puke, a couple guys also. one dude got so dizzy that he got up to go puke in private and couldn't stay up and walk so he fell and smacked his head on a table and split it open...

anyway, it's crazy how spending a year in the army can make change ppl not the good way...

[mizanation]

ok, so i've stopped snussing. the snus caused too much soreness on my gums. could be because i got the wintergreen flavored snus. i went back to smokes.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

pussy.........

[mizanation]

[Kasper]

if it can help you, i just stopped smoking and it's been 11 days and i really don't find it that hard. and i had been smoking for a little more than 10 years...

[mizanation]

i've quit a few times with various results. wait a couple weeks and possibly you'll have a tougher time. but good luck!

[Kasper]

i've quit a few times with various results. wait a couple weeks and possibly you'll have a tougher time. but good luck!

yeah, i know, it's not the first time, i've quite a couple times (at one point for more than 2 years), but i always end up smoking again...

however, i hope this time will be different, i just realized the other day that my cancer risk was getting pretty serious and i can' smoke at work anyway so i figure why not stop for good.

i never found it hard to quit though, i'm just stupid and i'll start smoking "only when i'm drinking" and then end up buying a pack cause i don't want to ask my friends for cigarettes and wake up the next morning and i still have some so i have to finnish them and well, before i know it, i'm smoking again...

[mizanation]

yeah. after this pack, i'm thinking of snussing again, but with mini portions.

so, how come you don't snus?

[Kasper]

yeah. after this pack, i'm thinking of snussing again, but with mini portions.

so, how come you don't snus?

i really don't like it (and i'm scared of what it would do to gum if i become a long time user), and for me, the problem is not the nicotine but the act of smoking, it's really that i miss the most. as stupid as it sound, smoking is kind of a hobby and can help you keep occupied, pass time etc and that is what i miss the most. like after a meal, i'm really lost without my cigarette...

[mizanation]

i understand what you're saying completely.

the whole act of smoking is something wonderful.

i used to smoke newports which is probably the worst cigarette ever.

i switched to american spirits which are a little better.

have you tried rolling your own cigs? the inconvenience might keep you from lighting up all the time. however, i met a dutch guy who could roll a cigarette in about 5 seconds--i'm not kidding.

[mizanation]

back to snussing. it's all about finding the right brand. i'm using catch now and i like it a lot better than general. it's nice and light, doesn't burn a whole in your gums. the portions are small, so you don't have a huge bulge in your upper lip.

i've effectively stopped smoking. snus keeps my breath minty fresh and keeps your lungs intact. no more smoky smell on my clothes and i can pop in a portion whenever i feel the need. god bless the swedes.

[destructodisk]

try hookah!