Ah, this old chestnut! I have recently found myself in a situation (new job) where I am unable to smoke for long periods of time. For the first time in my life, I have been able to do this without any discomfort whatsoever, and I wanted to make a thread about it to encourage others. I have never even tried to quit smoking, because I never really wanted to badly enough, and I knew that this would doom me to failure. When I give up, I will do it once and do it right. I still don’t really want to give up, but my new work circumstances dictate that I must go for long periods (up to eleven hours) without a cigarette. I jave been an occasional snuffer for some years now, but only did it occasionally for pleasure. Knowing that I would soon have to work for long periods without smoking, I decided to ‘train’ myself to snuff properly so that I could eliminate nicotine craving. Here’s what I did: I took snuff more frequently so that my nose became accustomed to it. I sprayed a small batch of my snuff (Wilsons SP) with saline nasal spray to moisten it more. I simply sprayed the surface of a 10g tin until the surface was damp, closed it and left it overnight. After that, I agitated it by shaking to make the whole tin evenly moist. The above two steps completely eliminated watery eyes and sneezing. The moister snuff is less sneezy to begin with, and the practice snuffing got my nose used to it. I discovered that even though it occasionally still went too far up my nose, it didn’t make me sneeze like it used to. I also started pinching instead of taking the snuff from the back of my hand. Pinching just seems to work better for me- I can control to an extent how much air is allowed into my nostril by putting my fingertips partially into the nostril. This prevents me from snuffing too hard. Anyone familiar with the ‘nasal cycle’ knows that, at any point in the day, one nostril is clearer than the other. I found that snuffing through the more obstructed nostril first is safer. If I snuff through the clearer nostril first, when I snuff through the more obstructed nostril, the snuff that is already in the clearer nostril gets sucked up further, making me sneeze. When pinching, I roll my finger and thumb as I snuff to release the snuff in a precise and controled manner as I sniff. This takes practise, but not very much. Using these techniques, and also the commonly recommended ones (taking a deep breath before snuffing etc) I have managed to perfect my technique to the extent that I can actually get enough snuff into the right part of my nose, so that I absorb enough nicotine to completely eliminate my craving. I don’t intend to stop smoking just yet, but the thought no longer bothers me. If you’ve got more tips for the budding nonsmoker, or the snuff novice, post them here and help them out :o)
Does the moistening method you use seem to affect nicotine absorption?
One very simple answer. American scotches especially Bruton. Get on that wonderful snuff and you’ll not have a single urge for a cig. Of course you’ve got to really *want* to give the deathsticks up.
@dogwalla I honestly don’t know. I never get much of a buzz, just the ‘lift’ that people describe, but it’s enough to take away the craving. The reason I don’t know for sure is that before I developed a better technique and also did the moistening thing, I don’t think I really got enough snuff in the right place comfortably, so it’s hard to compare the two. Afyer moistening, I now find it very easy to snuff correctly and experience the nicotine properly, amd that’s why I was able to go without a cigarette. @OscarWabbit, I’ve never tried Bruton, bit I know its reputation for being high in nicotine. Would it be easy for a beginner to take, or a little harsh for uninitiated nostrils?
Another important point is that I was snuffing twice as often as I would have normally smoked, ie every 30mins rather than every hour. That stopped the craving from happening in the first place.
@doctorbeat I think people overplay the difficulty taking scotches. I used Bruton with ease as a beginner. Just take care at first.
I’ve tried numerous times to quit with snuff and it just didn’t work out. Snus seemed to be the only thing that kept me off the smokes for a while , generous amounts of extra strong snus that is. I relapsed a couple of times due to snus not being readily available. Having to gather up money for a larger order such that paying for shipping doesn’t increase the cost too much made it more convenient to just buy a pack of smokes. Anyway a few weeks ago I got a couple of tins of white portion snus , dropped the smokes and by the time I ran out of snus again I had also increased my snuffing to keep away the cravings. It’s still a bit difficult , especially in the morning when I crave a nice juicy portion but otherwise it’s working fairly well. Hoping my tolerance drops a bit more! I’m pretty hooked on nicotine that’s for sure and snuff has been more than a delivery mechanism so far. I’ve enjoyed it as a stand-alone thing alongside snus and smokes whereas I can’t say the same about snusing and smoking. Snus makes you perceive smokes as worthless: no buzz and crappy taste.
Another tip I have that you’ve just reminded me of Jack, is not to chase the buzz! I don’t get a buzz from cigarettes (except the first one of the day) so I decided not to expect a buzz from the replacement I was using, ie snuff. Since I was careful to take snuff often enough that I didn’t crave in the first place, I never got to the stage where I needed a cigarette. I smoke about one cigarette every hour. I don’t start craving a cigarette until maybe 50 minutes after smoking the last one. I didn’t wait to snuff until I needed nicotine, I topped up frequently so that I never got to that stage in the first place. I guess you could say that I was constantly in the stage that I am usually in 30 minutes after smoking, ie not feeling like I just had a cigarette, but also nowhere near the point of craving. In the past, like when I’ve been on a plane etc, I’ve always waited until I was craving a cigarette, and then tried to rid myself of the craving by taking snuff. That never worked properly, but keeping myself ‘topped up’ worked perfectly. Of course this was easy for me to do, since I was able to smoke before I started work, but I still think that topping up on nicotine before the craving begins is the way to go.
I’ve smoked heavily straight into the lungs for years. five years ago I went to pipes. Snus and snuff make the pipes a couple of bowls daily exotic luxury with no need to inhale those nasty tars and gasses at all. It turns out that I love tobacco in just about every form. Haven’t tried nicotine pastels though - sound nasty to me.
Yeah I bet they’re horrible. I tried gum (not to give up, just for the times I couldn’t smoke) and I found it horrible. It gave me terrible heartburn, and a condition that my doctor later told me is called ‘globus’, which is the feeling that you constantly have a lump in your throat. Sounds like it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it gets old very quickly, especially when lying down. I imagine the pastilles would do the same thing to me.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get entirely off the smokes. I like to clean my sinuses right before I shower at night, so if I want some N right before bed I have a cig. I just don’t want to fill the sinuses I just cleaned out. It’s the same reason I have my evening snack before I brush my teeth. I don’t want bits lingering around in there all night. I also really like smoking when I head out to a bar. I only go once every month or two, so I don’t see that as a terribly big deal.
Snuff helps as …"well read this " We also know that smoking (and drinking/drug taking) will deplete serotonin production levels in the brain. Serotonin is a major neurotransmitter in the brain. When our serotonin levels are balanced we feel happy and contented. When serotonin is low we will tend towards depressed or anxious states of mind. It is believed that smoking cigarettes can deplete our serotonin production levels by as much as 50%. What compounds this problem is that our brains will accept the chemicals in a cigarette as a serotonin substitute on the basis that any chemical response is better than no chemical response at all. So, in the absence of adequate serotonin production, the brain will actually promote the desire for cigarettes in an effort to stimulate the chemical response pattern which it might normally find from balanced serotonin levels. In effect, the more we smoke, the more the subconscious will want to promote smoking. So we have a Catch 22 situation, where the apparent solution, is in fact the cause of the problem itself! We can see also that smokers will become more depressed as they get older as they rely more and more on the substitute chemicals provided by smoking and produce less and less serotonin naturally. It is now recognised that someone who has smoked throughout their life will stand an 80% greater chance of suffering from severe depression or severe clinical anxiety in middle to old age than a non-smoker. Smokers can eventually become incapable of actually generating any real happiness at all in the growing absence of serotonin which is absolutely essential to our wellbeing. We also know that when we are depressed or anxious, even mildly, we simply have less control generally. Anxiety takes up a lot of space and we know that smokers will have less cerebral efficiency than non-smokers simply as a result of smoking, so the importance of generating positive serotonin production when you quit is paramount, because if you get that right, then your control is even greater, and a whole new pattern of positivity can be established. The good news is that we can begin to generate better production of serotonin very quickly indeed. Serotonin regulates mood and mood regulates serotonin. Mood is dependant on our thought patterns. So, if we quit smoking with a positive mindset, that is, being really pleased that we are finally taking control and doing something good for ourselves, then we can quickly generate the extra serotonin which replaces the “need” to smoke. Smokers who fail to quit usually do so as a result of entering the challenge with a negative mindset. Trying to quit smoking whilst feeling as though you are losing something will invariably create a “victim” mentality which sustains a negative mindset and the result, of course is a serotonin deficit. This of course, means LESS control, LESS contentment, and MORE craving. So, a positive mindset is essential for success. When we get this right, it can be incredibly easy to quit. Often people will find that they have virtually no cravings at all when they get all the factors of understanding right and make provision for increased serotonin production. This means using the time that they might have spent smoking more productively. Exercising, cleaning the house, visiting friends. Whatever will help you to feel good about life. If you are stressed generally, it is very important that you take time out to relax deeply as this is inextricably linked to the level of control you experience. Avoid stressful situations wherever possible, and remember that negative introspection (worry) is counter productive. Stay positive. Notice the good things in your life. Stay with it. Smoking has been standing in as an anti depressant. You’re just experiencing a temporarily depressed chemistry whilst your brain is figuring out that it needs to do but the good thing is snuff will replace all that cigs did so will keep your levels ballenced . But any other nrt does not do this !
Fully Understanding the rules means you can fully break them for good !
nice write up, joe …
But isn’t snuff therefore just doing the same thing that smoking was doing, ie supplying nicotine? Quitting smoking with snuff is only quitting smoking, not nicotine. The addiction is still there, it just changes the delivery system (to a substantially safer one)
That’s what I’m saying but your not just quitting nicotine when you stop smoking ! Your quitting All the other addictive chemicals as well, your not just withdraw nicotine ! Snuff is the closest product to smoking quit wise so your chances are a lot higher ! I dont know the figures but I know nrt has a massive fail rate .
NRT may contain nicotine but it doesn’t have the maois.
I work in NLP and Hypnotherapy and that was a write up from a collegue in the field . And it was also Scientists at Dundee University have discovered that smoking causes physical changes in the brain which stop it being flooded with the body’s natural stress-busting hormone, serotonin.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/160/4/773 Loads is on the net about it mate ! Some for some against some to the extreme investigation . But I beleive what my write up said is correct but that’s my personal belief !