Switching from smoking to Snus, my experience
Posted by James in Snus experiencesBackstory
Before I found out about Snus, I was a smoker. I loved the feeling of having my first cigarette of the day, and I also enjoyed the act of actually smoking. The problem with smoking though, is that the downsides far outweigh the positives. Since I live in the Northeast and indoor public smoking is banned, I had to go outside to smoke even in the freezing cold winter. This can be a major downside, especially if you are trying to work on something and then get an urge to smoke. Secondly, the health effects of smoking are terrible. Even though I generally smoked about 10 cigarettes a day, I’d constantly be out of breath, and would sometimes get terrible coughing fits. Learn more about the health effects of Snus.
When I finally found out about Snus, I was excited but a little skeptical. I enjoy dipping tobacco occasionally, but the need to spit makes it difficult for me to use in public areas. Snus promised to eliminate the spitting problem, while claiming to be much safer than dip, since Snus is Pasteurized rather than fire-cured and fermented (like dip is). Excited upon hearing all of this great news, I decided to order a few different kinds of Snus on Northerner.com and give it a try.
General is a Popular Getting Started Brand
Initial thoughts
When I opened a can of snus for the first time, the first thing I noticed was how strong Snus smells. Fresh Snus smells a bit like ammonia, and can take a little while to get used to. Much to my surprise, I now find myself enjoying the smell of certain kinds of snus.
The feeling of snus is a little different from smoking. After putting my first portion comfortably in my mouth, I began to wait for its effects. What you notice is that normal snus doesn’t give you that big nicotine jolt that smoking does, instead it comes on as a milder, more relaxing feeling. The following chart shows how long it takes for nicotine to reach your brain versus other nicotine delivery systems.
Nicotine absorption rates, Snus vs others
As you can see, smoking a cigarette increases the nicotine level in your brain very quickly in a short period of time, but it wears off much quicker than Snus does.
If you are a heavy smoker, and are looking to get a good nicotine rush, I suggest taking a look at our snus reviews, and look for a variety with at least 11mg of nicotine. When I tried Lucky Strike Bold Snus for the first time, I had to take the portion out after about 20 minutes, it gave me that much of a buzz!
Switching from cigarettes to Snus
I began snusing while smoking, and decided to finally give up cigarettes once I decided that I could get my nicotine fix from snus enjoyably and in a safer way than cigarettes. What I quickly learned about substituting smoking with Snus is that I really enjoy the act of smoking (I assume most smokers do)! Once I selected my stop date, I simply used snus, but never lit up a cigarette. You will have urges for the first few weeks to light up in familiar places, but it will subside after time.
The benefits
After about a month of using snus without smoking cigarettes, I began to notice a huge difference. I have more energy, I’m not wheezing all the time, and I no longer have to step outside in order to enjoy nicotine! I haven’t really noticed any adverse effects of substituting cigarettes with snus, only positives!
My advice to all those thinking of switching from cigarettes to snus is give it try. Order a few different kinds of Snus, and see if you have a preference for any brand in particular (some people do, some people don’t). Once you get used to snusing, its just a matter of breaking the old physical habit of smoking a cigarette!
Don’t forget to check out Snus Authority’s getting started with snus guide, along with taking a look at some of our snus reviews so see which brands you might want to try out next!
Interesting read!
Yeah, being able to breath again is fantastic. In the week and a half or so since i switched to Snus, I can smell so much more it is crazy. My sense of taste is getting stronger, and I am not out of breath 90% of the time. Like you said in this blog, nothing but positives.
I am giving Snus a try…on week one and so far it’s helping far more than the patch or nicotine gum.
Tried Snus for the first time. Bought two packs of Marlboro snus, peppermint & mild. The mild had a nice vanilla coffee like flavor & the peppermint is a harsh peppermint experience – (* I could not taste any tobacco *). I got a pretty good nicotine buzz from it, hurt my gums for the first 10 minutes, but the snus pouch ends up softening as it gets salivated so problem solved.. I can snus 1 pouch every 3 hours before it stops losing flavor. I recommend snus to anyone looking to give up smoking. Hopefully I’ll get my energy back from normal oxygen and co2 levels and not feel weighed down from smoking..
yeah all great if you dont get hooked and use it like my husband who now has to go to the dentist because it has destroyed all of his back teeth. He used it for only ONE year and had no issues with his teeth until now!!!! Beware of snus!!!!!
Tammi, are you sure your husband isn’t using dip or chewing tobacco (chewing tobacco can especially cause this)? Snus is placed in the front of the mouth (in the upper lip), and nowhere close to the back teeth. In addition, I have heard no reports of snus causing gum disease or tooth loss (despite the FDA required labeling on snus products).
Furthermore, if your husband smoked cigarettes prior to him starting to use snus, there is a possibility that it was the smoking (and not the snus) that caused damage to his teeth.
Snus is greeeaaattt screw cigarettes highly recommend it!!:)
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