Hi folks As some of you may know I wasn’t a ‘smoker’ before I started taking snuff. I had tried cigarettes & the odd cigar (which I always enjoyed more) when I was in college but I was never a ‘smoker’ per se. I now find after about a year of snuffing fairly regularly that I am starting to crave a smoke. Specifically cigars. This is obviously a slight worry and I am beginning to wonder if there is some sort of link. Snuff obviously contains nicotine and is addictive. I am wondering if the addiction is starting to affect me and that perhaps snuff isn’t giving me enough of a hit anymore… It could be absolutely nothing and i’m barking up the wrong tree. Has anyone else here taken up snuff without having been a smoker previously and if so has it effected you in the same way? Cheers

Hi Lazarus. I don’t fit into your category - but I have the opinion that if someone had never tried cigarettes or a cigar prior to taking up snuff - it’s such a radical difference in method and effect that merely taking snuff would not invoke the desire to smoke. Maybe the nicotine would induce taking more snuff - but unless the person fancied trying smoking, I can’t see the link. I wonder if you remember how you enjoyed the odd cigar back then - and are now fancying trying some again.

I used to smoke cigars much more regularly, but rarely want them any more. I dipped Copenhagen in high school and college. I was never a smoker. I would say that snuff replaced any desire for other tobacco, except that after learning about snus on this forum, I tried it, and now I tend to use snus at work and snuff at home. Cigars are great, though. They’re worse for your health and your love life, but they’re damn pleasant to smoke.

That’s half the problem…cigarettes make me want to puke most of the time but cigars smell and taste great…

there is nothing wrong with having a cigar like once or twice a week probably.

I agree with betonente. From what I’ve read, if you get mouth cancer smoking 2 cigars a week, you just got extremely unlucky.

Cigars DO smell and taste great. The only problem is having enough money to smoke good ones these days.

Idealy I don’t want to start smoking cigars although I am tempted. Cancer doesn’t really worry me in that respect, more my wife! lol It seemed odd that I suddenly began craving them today, perhaps it is partly my exposure to nicotine through snuff and stress.

Don’t know what you are snuffing these days, but try taking a few big pinches of one of the American Scotches and then light up a cigar. The experience wont be much fun and should get rid of any desire to smoke. Nicotine overload. I smoked a (good) cigar every day for years, but have not had one in a long time. Just too much nicotine when combining with the snuff, so I stopped. I have 2 humidors full of great cigars that I haven’t touched in ages. No offense to those that enjoy the international snuffs, but for me, they just didn’t have the nic kick I was looking for. I eventually gravitated to the American Scotches, which for me, are very satisfying both in flavor and nicotine. Tom NicotineRush.com

There must be something to what Mortimir said. I remember Cigar Afficionado magazine used to list dozens or even hundreds of insurance companies that rate pipe and cigar smokers as non-smokers. Tom, keep that humidor working and your cigars will be worth more than gold when you get in the mood for smoking them again!

LOL! Yes, I keep them in good shape! Tom

I agree with Tom. I started gravitating more towards the American Scotches because of the Nic hit. Now they are my “everyday” snuffs. I still like Toque and Pöschl’s but, more of a “Treat” snuff or, I mix them with the Scotches.

I guess I’m the only person on this forum who started using snuff whilst being a non-smoker. Thats interesting but not unexpected I guess. I am still unsure as to whether there is a connection between my taking snuff and this sudden desire to smoke a good cigar. Perhaps I just fancy one by chance… Thanks for all your advice :o) I have ordered a fairly small cuban cigar online which i’m gonna smoke just to see if that satisfies me then hopefully the craving will go away

I don’t smoke cigarettes! Never have. Never will. I do smoke everything else though. But not so much lately. The bad thing about smoking is that it will interfere with your snuff enjoyment by drying your sinuses out. As a snuffer when you smoke you tend to use your nose more to enjoy the tobacco. It’s just natural. Go ahead and have a cigar you deserve one. Buy a good one and enjoy it. Don’t get too exited. You will miss snuff too much to start smoking cheap ones. I have a collection of fine pipe tobacco’s that I hit every so often. I wish I would more but the convenience of snuffing wins nine times out of ten. I am saying all this with a prilla of snus in my lip so take it all with a grain of salt. (mmmmmm, yummy, salty, drippy tobacco).

lazarus: no, you are not. or not really. i always was a very light smoker (like one pipe a week or so). nicotine-wise that makes me a non-smoker effectively. i surely do not crave nicotine, it is all about flavour. and about the buzz sometimes, but thats only like once a month or so.

I agree with betonente. I also consider myself a non smoker as I sometimes go many months (usually all summer long, until it cools quite a bit) without thinking about lighting up. I think there may have been a few years in between where I didn’t smoke anything at all. I take snuff for the flavor and lift. To me it’s like a good drink or anything else, to be enjoyed in moderation. One of life’s simple pleasures.

I gave up smoking 5 years ago. I practically forgot how it was like smoking. I’m new to snuff, one month, but it never made me recall smoking let alone craving for smoke. On the other hand maybe one month does not mean anything.

Thanks alot for all the posts guys, I really appreciate it :o)

Well I just got myself a cuban cigar from mysmokingshop.co.uk and I’m deciding when I should smoke it. Its not easy as I can’t smoke at home, in the pubs and its constantly raining outside! LOL I might have to smoke it in the car!

dont smoke a cigar in the car. especially not a rathger earthy, heavy one like the cuba cigars usually are. the scent would never leave again. wait for a nice, not rainy, but possibly slightly gloomy autumn / early winter day and have a walk while smoking. plan something in between 1 and 2 hours, depending on how big that cigar is. but dont wait too long, unless you have a humidor at home. the cigar should be fine fore a week or so outside the humidor. unless you put it atop the heating or something, whichj will result in immediate ruin.

Jezz,now when you mention it,I too crave a cigar.And i’m a smoker. Just last night i dreamed i smoked a cigar,lol. Actually I was up till 2 in tme morning,heh,a little bit too much of gletscher priese. Well what can you do,i just love it.

I really enjoyed my pipe yesterday. With some cuban pipe tobacco wonderfull stuff.

Thanks for that post Betonente, I wasn’t keen on smoking it in the car anyway as you said I didn’t want to stink the car out, not be relaxed when smoking it or drop it on my lap whilst driving and burn my legs! (not very safe) I am going to a pub in my local town with an old friend (who happens to be a cigarette smoker) so i’ll sit with him outside and smoke it then. It should be nice :o) I am a little concerned at your comment about keeping cigars in a humidor. I have bought 3 cubans recently which I have kept in a bedside cabinet. They are stored in a clear plastic bag with a seal on the top then inside bubble-wrap in a small cardboard box. They have already been in there about 2 weeks and I am unsure when I will actually be smoking them (but it should be soonish) How long will they keep for if not stored in a humidor? Thanks

They can keep for an indeterminate amount of time that way, the problem is they probably won’t. As long as the humidity is correct the cigar will keep indefinitely excepting for damage, which you can bet on. You also want to guard against fluctuations; drying out and re-hydrating will lead to loss and off-flavor. Basically, in theory they’ll keep, but I wouldn’t keep my good ones that way for any longer than I could help it. Damn, talking about em is making me want one too.

If you don’t have a good humidor, smoke them as soon as possible. It’s easy not to stink up your car, crack both front windows open. Don’t get too much airflow as your cigar will smoke hot. Just enough to carry the smoke out. The drivers behind you will be jealous.

They work well enough in a pouch of pipe tobacco but they never seem to keep the level of humidity high enough for cigars. The capacity is so small that you wind up forgetting to fill them sooner or later and your cigars dry out. If you don’t have a real humidor you really need to smoke whatever you buy in a few days. I find beyond 2 or 3 days they really go downhill.

Well thanks for all the advice fellas but I smoked that Cuban stogie this afternoon and very nice it was too! I was actually disappointed it didn’t last longer (it was quite small)

I think most things in life are like that, they won’t hurt unless you abuse them. I think different tobacco products have different effects which non-smokers often forget. People like to lump cigarettes, cigars, pipes and even snuff (basically anything with tobacco in it) into the same pot and call them all ‘killers’ which is wrong. I was in work once and a colleague saw me holding a small tin of McChrystals Raspberry. She came over and said ‘whats that?’ I gave her the tin and as soon as she read the words ‘tobacco’ she practically threw the tin back at me exclaiming ‘tobacco! eww!’ as if it was poisonous to even hold the tin! LOL Yes, smoking cigarettes causes cancer and other nasty diseases. Cigars & pipes are smoked differently & not as often so the risks are lower (lower, but still there) However with snuff there are practically none of the cancer-causing risks that come with smoking. The two most notable ‘side-effects’ of snuff taking are increased heart-rate and addiction. I think those are prices worth paying for the superb experience snuff brings. The addiction part used to bother me a little but then I realised I was already 100% hooked on coffee so one more addiction wouldn’t change anything LOL I am really glad to hear i’m not the only person on this forum who was never a ‘smoker’ and yet started on snuff :o)

Yeah that’s true about coffee, beer, cigarettes and a lot of other stuff which are “normal” to people but somehow they go nuts when they think about snuff being addictive. It’s certainly not any worse than coffee and has many of the same advantages and disadvantages. I used to get headaches if I didn’t drink enough coffee.

Don’t forget liquor, hard liquor! I can’t believe the stuff is still legal.

Funny thing snuffbox is I think of myself as being addicted to snuff. I only think of myself as being addicted to caffine when I’am waiting for my first kettle to whistle after that I’am just going for effect. Though in my opinion too bad we can’t add opium to that list.

nmmmmmmmmmmmm…opium. Its been so long since this old fart indulged. I have several hundred cubans in my humidor that are aging quite nicely. The only problem is that I don’t smoke em anymore although I still have to care for them. If anyone is interested give me a whisper. I just found out about the Humydrole disk today. I picked one up to put in my walk around snus tin. I hope this thing will work well for snus as I love my snus quitet. Ususally I put a few drops of my morning coffee in the tin everyday when I refill my tin with pouches. That works well enough I guess but the Humydrole looks like it might distriblte the moisture more evenly. Gee I bet that Humydrole would work well for herbs also. PP

PP, Those were the days!!! Tom NicotineRush.com

carefully. The first time I tried it I vomited alot. I’ll find you a link. Just promise you’ll go easy on it at first to gauge the strength.

I know I am addicted to nicotine. I can’t ever see me not using tobacco in one form or another. I think I have used most forms that I know about. I can’t see me smoking cancer sticks ever again. They are just to hook you and keep you hooked. No real enjoyment. I don’t think the cigar, snuff or pipe tobacco manufactures try to hook you.

Its very hard to quit the cigarretes

Anyone had a blood/urine test for nicotine while snuffing? Did you pass?

Who tests for nicotine? ~Snuffy

“Who tests for nicotine?” I’m wondering the same thing.

I know you can fake certain drug tests in several ways have no idea if it works on nicotine.

bigblue: AMEN! Tom NicotineRush.com

Yea health and life insurance companys do a urine test for nicotine. IF tested you will definately test positive for nicotine if you snuff. You also will if you smoke cigars and DON’T inhale. If you test positive your rates will be about 35 percent higher. Stay away from all nicotine for 6 months and you will test negative. Thats what I’m told. If someone knows how long you actually have to stop nicotine before you will test negative I would love to know. Please someone tell me. My insurance co said 6 months tho. Sad, but its true. Sucks don’t it.

I think fire fighters are not allowed to use. Testing is rare though.

I do know some fire departments have a no smoking policy for on & off the job. It has to do with keeping up physical ability & they are worried about substantial disability pensions they were paying to firefighters and police officers who suffered from heart & lung related illnesses which have been linked to smoking… From what I understand, only new employees are effected by this law. Employees that were around before the laws come in are allowed to continue to smoke. But I don’t think they have complete tobacco bans because a lot of the firefighters around here use dip but you never see them smoking. I’ll have to ask my uncle how it was in a big city, he just retired last year as a firefighter in Southern CA.