So, I've been struggling with trying to quit smoking. Really struggling. Cigarettes are nasty buggers to put down and leave alone.
A few weeks ago my husband came across something called Snus made by Camel and decided to pick up a pack and see what it is all about. It comes in two different flavors. Frost, like the one pictured above, which is kept cold and tastes just like spearmint. The other one is called Mellow and tastes like nasty old sweet snuff that your Granny dips.
With the discovery of Snus I am now a dipper and a semi-smoker. I know most people think it is horrifyingly disgusting for a woman to dip, and I'm right there with them if we are talking about a woman walking around with a dip of Copenhagen in her bottom lip the size of a grapefruit with nasty brown sludge dripping down her chin. YUCK! But Snus comes in small little pouches that fit right under the top lip. They are so small that no one can tell you are using one and the best thing about them is that you don't have to spit like you do with regular tobacco. Those nasty spit cups stuffed with paper towels are beyond disgusting. Snus doesn't require you to spit. You absorb the nicotine through your gum's and swallow what little mint juice is left.
That's the other thing...the Snus Frost makes me smell like spearmint instead of cigarette butts. Makes my breath smell good. Doesn't stain my teeth or leave brown flakes of tobacco stuck between them.
In my opinion this is a great method of harm reduction for people like me who have real trouble quitting smoking. My lungs are happier, I no longer smell like an ashtray, I won't be jonesin' for a smoke during my next flight or hours long meeting or action day at the State House and hopefully Snus will keep me from getting lung cancer. I've been a smoker since the age of 12 which makes that a 22 year habit. The chance that Snus might cause mouth/throat cancer are very slim. Much slimmer than the chance that cigarettes cause lung cancer.
If you are a smoker that has found it impossible to just lay the coffin nails down and walk away then I highly recommend this product if you want to quit smoking or at least reduce your cigarette intake.
13 comments:
Loretta,
- - Have you tried or also considered using a vaporizer,
(albeit, an inexpensive, affordable one), to get inhale-able nicotine
from tobacco? The taste is sort of 'peppery', tingling, without the
hazards of tar, nor the drag of excess carbon-monoxide or CO2.
- - The same company that makes Camels had also test-marketed
a couple different versions of 'smokeless-cigarettes' in the late '80's
and early 2000's.
--> See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_(cigarette)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_(cigarette)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette
- - The main objections I had with these smokeless-cigarette brands
were their use of aluminium as a 'heat-shielding' component,
to keep the tobacco from being ignited by the charcoal 'heating-element',
which DID eventually start to leave a metallic aftertaste;
(plus, the difficulty actually finding places that had / STILL had Eclipse cigarettes in stock).
- - I would recommend only using organic, additive-free cigarette tobacco,
(or perhaps, flavored pipe-tobacco), with a non-metallic, (glass and / or ceramic-based),
vaporizer. (Or at least, avoid the vapes containing aluminium heat-shields, heat-diffusers).
Congratulations Loretta,
I found out about snus when it was being test marketed. Camel snus hadn't made it yet to the area so I turned to the internet and found Swedish snus. I ordered some and gave up cigarettes after 38 years of smoking. I went from 3 packs a day to one can every three days.
By the way comapring Camel snus to Swedish snus is like comparing McDonalds to Prime Rib. Do yourself a favour and try the real thing. More nicotine and a lot less sugar.
Hey Justin can you give me a link for where I can buy the Swedish version?
Vape 1:29...I have never considered vaporizing tobacco. I've used the volcano's I've come across for other things though :) It does seem like vaping would be a better idea...but I really like these Snus packets. Where on earth would I get organic tobacco in Alabama. I'll do a web search and see if there is any to be had. I don't have a vaporizer though.
Loretta,
- - If any of the stores in your area carry Natural American Spirit tobacco, this is the only brand I know of that is both organic and additive-free.
www.nascigs.com
- - And as far as for portable, convenient inexpensive vaporizers, the VaporGenie appears to be the best one,
(Only requires a butane lighter heat-source, no moving-parts to break, no thermo-plastics, glues, nor aluminium).
Snus isn't popular in my area. I have 20 cans in my freezer that I can't even give away. I tried selling them but everyone I know is just giving up the tobacco. Stores have even stopped restocking them. Samething with the orbs, they just aren't selling like it was thought they would. Contact me at tamalyn68@hotmail.com if you are interested in what I have. We can work out something.
This can help alleviate some of the chemical addiction side that pushes people toward smoking, but the behavioral and psychological effects are not necessarily affected.
If you want to quit, go to a cessationist, they will be able to help you.
The problem with these are that they don't give you any tools to keep yourself from continuing to smoke, or from picking smoking back up. Rather than going through a cessation program, which is designed to teach you how to not smoke again, this is just a replacement.
It is almost certainly a harm reduction option, which is good, but we certainly should keep our praises under a threshold.
Be careful with swallowing Snus. I read some research done that this stuff can cause pancreatic cancer. You might want to spit (you women can do it, too!) rather than swallow. It is a fairly good alternative to cigarettes ... I've tried regular chewing tobacco and like it a lot, but it is kind of messy and I don't do it in front of wife/kids. This Snus stuff would be a good find if it weren't for the pancreatic cancer. However, nothing beats cigarettes for enjoyment; yes it is hard to stay away from them. I guess do a little of this and that in good moderation ... have to get those endocrine glands working with something! I can't run anymore!
Snus is great! I think people really overestimate the health aspect of it too. It's hard to explain to nonsmokers that snus is hardly carcinogenic because it's steam-cured instead of fire cured and has positive scientific review to back it up.
I snus at work and at times where smoking cigarettes is inappropriate and I have found that it sufficiently satiates my nicotine craving in a really enjoyable way.
Smokers should try snus at least twice - it has significally lowered my cig count.
I have also tried the vape (e-cigarette) and I have found that snus is just better - you don't have to deal with battery life and buying all those damn cartridges!!!
Anyways, I hope that the health ppl become a little more open to smoke alternatives. No one understands cigarette smokers except for cigarette smokers.
Snus is great! I think people really overestimate the health aspect of it too. It's hard to explain to nonsmokers that snus is hardly carcinogenic because it's steam-cured instead of fire cured and has positive scientific review to back it up.
I snus at work and at times where smoking cigarettes is inappropriate and I have found that it sufficiently satiates my nicotine craving in a really enjoyable way.
Smokers should try snus at least twice - it has significally lowered my cig count.
I have also tried the vape (e-cigarette) and I have found that snus is just better - you don't have to deal with battery life and buying all those damn cartridges!!!
Anyways, I hope that the health ppl become a little more open to smoke alternatives. No one understands cigarette smokers except for cigarette smokers.
i am a proud snus user of 8 months, i love the stuff. it made me quit smoking, and it tastes great. mmm.
Snus helped me quit 12 years of smoking. I've had free cessation classes and free quit smoking products through the military, yet was never able to quite more than a couple weeks. Snus is the answer for me, and harms no one but myself. I smoked over a pack a day, and several packs in a night if I was drinking. I always hated dipping, always made me sick. This is a great alternative, and I have quit cigarettes all together. After 1 month of using only Snus, I can even go days without a pouch. Seems like much of the objection to this product comes from the non-smoker "abstenance is the only way" movement. I am now more active, I run, excersize and feel better in general. I don't smell. I've never felt better. I have weighed the pros and cons. The last 12 smoking years were full of rank breath, ashtray smelling clothes, coughing, shortness of breath and less physical activity. The next 12 and beyond are looking much better. I can use this at work and home, and no one has any idea! I don't care if Camel and the others made this to be an addictive product. IT HELPED ME QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES, UNLIKE ANY OTHER PRODUCT. I'll take my chances with the Snus side effects. Smokers, there is an alternative! Forget the nay sayers!
Hi! I'm actually from Norway next to Sweden, and snus is just as popular as cigarettes over here, maybe even more.
If you want the real deal I would suggest that you order skruf stark(stark=strong) or general ekstra sterk (even stronger).
I think you should stay away from the Camel snus. Camel is an american brand, that doesn't have as much experience with snus crafting such as the swedish brands and from what I've heard it's like smoking a "Chinese cigar" contra a real Cuban cigar.
General, Skruf and "Nick & Johnny" are the most popular snus brands in Norway and Sweden, while mocca and catch are two brands that usually deliver more convenient snus for females because of the flavors,scents and small nicotine amounts.
Remember to always order snus that is marked with white portion. White portion means that it's drier, so the tobacco juice doesn't gutter down your throat ( which is not healthy, you are supposed to thrash your snus whenever the tobacco juice starts to gutter down your throat).
In order to make your snus stay dry for a long period of time, I suggest that you lift the lip where you want your snus to be and inhale or use your finger to make the gum dry and then place the snus under your lip.
After a couple of weeks or months of using snus you will feel that it has less effect on you, then you can the change the usual spot where you put your snus to another, to feel the effect again. For instance if you usually put the snus under your upper lip (most common),then you might want to try placing it under your lower lip.
That's my lesson for today, enjoy your snus. By the way I got to your blog when I was searching for camel snus reviews in google. The reason behind my research is that I'm worried about what I'll do whenever I get to the US, where the snus selection is small and limited to some stores.
This place have all the snus you need: http://www.buysnus.com/Search.aspx?Category=2
Hi,
I was smoking for 6 years and got up to smoking a pack and a half day, than my brother gave me a snus pouch.... I quit smoking immediately and have started using this product. Yes I am a woman as well and in the army, but I cant tell you how easy it was to stray away from cigarettes for once! I didnt fail quitting and I can run so much better now that my lungs can breathe again! Cassi
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