Quitting smokeless tobacco with vaping?

[LeakingLeaf]

I smoked and dipped since I was 15. I quit both in Aug 2013. I still get a craving for a dip now and then but I just take a big vape and keep on going. Don`t beat your self up if ypu stumble a long the way. None of us started this habit over night and everyone goes through there own temptation`s differently. You at the right place for advice and help. Hang in there you will be fine

Thank you so much for the reponse! I'm glad to hear you successfully quit. Yeah, there's a big problem when you love dipping/snusing! I think my cravings for snus will never go away... why did I start, haha!

Hello LeakingLeaf. Swedish snus comes in many different strengths (as you probably know). I use mini white portions and they are really nice (General white mini mint is my favorite). Besides, you can always take that pouch out of your mouth if you start to feel jittery and save it for later. Snus is very forgiving.

If you're using strong portions, go ahead and divide them. You can use empty tea bags to make new pouches.

You may also consider getting some WTA eliquids--they don't work as well as snus, but they do contain some of those minor tobacco alkaloids that are missing from regular eliquid.

Have you visited our Smokeless forum yet?

Heeeey Katya! Thank you for the reponse!

Mini portions are not a bad idea actually. They are very expensive though. I have tried dividing portions, but not with teabags. Have to look in to that, although it seems quite time consuming.

WTA liquid also I have to try for my next order. Might be the last nail in the coffin!

I also saw they have something called Zonnic in the stores here in Sweden. It's snus bags but with pure nicotine and mint taste. No tobacco what so ever. Might give those a shot, just to wean myself off the tobacco MAOI's and on to the pure nic!



Right now I have had a habit of using snus all day at work, and then vaping one hour before I leave to home until I go to bed, so pretty much half-half. My consumption is very reduced, at like 3 pouches a day now.


The absolutely biggest problem is during work hours though, as I have mentioned previously (I think). Since I haven't asked if I can vape at my desk, I sneak to the bathroom when I need a vape. If I'm quitting snus though, I need to vape A LOT. I'm pretty sure the bosses will say no to me vaping inside since they have absolutely no idea what vaping is. One of the supervisors asked me about it though, and laughed when I blew out the vapor, so I don't know.

 

[SleeZy]

Did you try the kickup snus? Might work while you're at work
And you should realy ask if you can vape at work. It'll help you alot if you get the permission to do it.

Funny thing at the pub, as you wrote. I did the exactl same thing, i think i converted 2-3 people. ^^
Feels good sitting at your local pub with a nice beer and a vape to that.

My friend told me to put it away "people are watching you, like you're an idiot" ... Well let them i said.

Keep on fighting you'll be able to quit with the snus eventually

 

[LeakingLeaf]

Did you try the kickup snus? Might work while you're at work
And you should realy ask if you can vape at work. It'll help you alot if you get the permission to do it.

Funny thing at the pub, as you wrote. I did the exactl same thing, i think i converted 2-3 people. ^^
Feels good sitting at your local pub with a nice beer and a vape to that.

My friend told me to put it away "people are watching you, like you're an idiot" ... Well let them i said.

Keep on fighting you'll be able to quit with the snus eventually

I got myself a couple of cans of KickUp today actually. Very, very good stuff, this might actually do the trick! I bought one can of KickUp Strong, and it might be placebo, but I think I felt some kind of kick off it. Might have been the caffeine in it, I don't know. But awesome stuff for sure! Thanks a lot for the tip!

Sitting and vaping together with a frosty cold beer is just amazing! Hahaha, let them watch indeed! I was a little bit self-concious when I started vaping, but now I don't care anymore. I actually find it funny when people ask me what it is, as I know I am actually educating someone and spreading the word around.

Today since 13 PM I have not had any snus by the way. It's now 01:09 in the morning. I have two half-empty cans of real snus in my bag, but plan to dump them in the freezer or just throw them away. I am pretty excited.

I hate that with snus, the side effects are not so bad, so you are constantly weighting negatives and positives with quitting all the time. With smoking, it's pretty much 1% positive 99% negative, so I feel like it's easier to keep up the motivation with that. The only negative thing with snus is that it's pretty disgusting, and an extremely addicting habit. It's also pretty damn strong, and with the nicotine in snus going in to the blood at a high, slow, and steady level, at the end of the day, I do not dare to even think how much nicotine is floating around in the blood stream.

But yeah, it feels like I have lost the real "I look forward to snus" craving. It's more of a mental ghost now in terms of addiction. When I do snus, I just want to spit it out so I can have a vape. It's a much more fun hobby, where as snus feels like more of an addiction.

I think this might be it guys.

 

[Katya]

Well, in a nutshell: snus delivers the goods just like paper cigs do, but sans the hand-to-mouth action, which we are all hard-wired for from birth. Babies start sucking their thumbs in utero--it's a survival skill. Very hard to overcome if associated with smoking addiction.

Vaping solves the hand-to-mouth problem, but doesn't deliver all the goods (no MAOIs).

WTAs attempt to bridge that gap--with mixed results, IMO. Works for some, not for others.

I've used all of the above in the beginning, then started slowly tapering down to vaping only--but I still use my WTA eliquids on occasion and my freezer is full of snus.

Whatever works--smoking is the worst option. Everything else is harm reduction. Breathing fresh air only is the best option, of course.

Good luck, Leakingleaf, and happy vaping!

 

[davis0710]

I had a horrible addiction. I would smoke a pack and a half a day and dip a half can of grizzly while drinking about 8 beers a night. Ok so the beer doesn't have to do with it lol. Anywho 3 days after Christmas i said to myself damn you're fat. Quit drinking beer throughout the week and went on a diet and lost 20lbs by early Feb. I was working out and thought hell my lungs are burning like fire, so i start researching e cigs. About 10 days ago i bought a vision spinner 1300 mah and all the equipment and juice i needed. A couple days later i laid the cigs down and I've been vaping ever since. 28lbs lighter and smoke free! If i can do it you can! By the way i get OCD about everything i do! Vape Strong ď

 

[bwilson2862]

I've been able to kick my 20+ year Copenhagen habit by using my AVP. I do get the odd craving to put something salty in my mouth from time to time, but those cravings are becoming fewer in frequency and intensity from the time that I first started. I also had to start with the strongest nic level juice that my local store sells (about 30 mg) and work my way down.


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[SleeZy]

How's it going?

Did you have any success with kickup?

 

[350ZMO]

Greetings everyone!

So what I want to do is to lower my nicotine intake. I recently tried only vaping for almost a week, but fell back on the snus after starting to feel a little bit depressed (it went away immediately when I threw in a snus).

I use an Ego with 16 mg 80/20 PG/VG juice. Vaped probably 6-7 ml a day during that week. Now I snus all day at work and vape when I get home until I go to bed.

Vaping for me is very satisfying, and the effects of the nicotine I found are much more calming and mellow than in snus/cigarettes. That is what I'm after, and getting to keep the smoking rituals (as an excuse to go outside and take a break etc.) is awesome. So I do love vaping, and it works very well in keeping me from snus, for a while.

How do I get over the hump? Has anyone quit smokeless tobacco with vaping, and does it get easier?

And you who have quit, can you tell me if you have noticed any benefits of switching? If there are no benefits then I might as well keep on snusing, but I do feel pure nicotine is better than all the other stuff in tobacco. Not having tobacco under your lip all the time would also be fantastic.

Nicotine is the one vice I've had and I've had it for 30 years. I've done snuff, plug, loose leaf, dip, pipe, cigars, non-filtered cigs, filtered cigs, rolled my own and now vaping. I still keep skoal around for when I am at a place that doesn't allow vaping for long periods of time but have absolutely no desire for smoking anymore and I really don't like the skoal, I would rather vape. But when you are in a place for long periods of time that considers vaping the same as smoking and bans it, smokeless tobacco is the only alternative other than abstinence. It's unfortunate really but there it is.

You want to lower your nicotine intake but when you do, you get depressed and go back to it. I don't know if this helps but I accepted a long time ago that I like nicotine and is the one vice I allow myself. Sure I've quit cold turkey on all of it from time to time, even for a year or two at a time. But the reality is I like nicotine. I like tobacco. I don't care for smoking, chewing or the health hazards they impose. But I believe the truly dangerous part is the chemicals the companies add to those products and the chemical byproducts of combustion. I believe a tobacco plant leaf by itself with no fiddling by man is a natural organic product of mother nature and taken in moderation is not a bad thing. Just my beliefs nothing to back it up. So what I am saying is, you have to be honest with yourself and the tradeoffs and health risk reductions you are willing to make. Only each of us can answer that for our own selves.

I think going down to 16mg is a huge drop versus dipping grizzly. I have always noticed that with chewing tobaccos you get a massive dose of nicotine as compared to smoking tobaccos. I know they say 18mg is similar to smoking an analog but I have never heard what a dip would be equivalent to but I'm going to guess at least twice that if not more based on my experience.

I was never happy with 18mg juice and found 24mg acceptable so those that have recommended that I agree with. Dip is at least that much so anything less was a major nicotine let down for me. As it is 24mg was still a small let down. I mix my own now, 100% VG at a 33mg strength with Virginia flue flavoring. With this I actual enjoy vaping better than anything else I have tried, dip included. So read this to mean I dip only when I want nicotine but cant vape, I wish I could be vaping instead but unfortunately most places consider vaping the same as smoking and ban it. And I see no reason to lower my nicotine level, I am satisfied with my tradeoff and health risk reduction, YMMV. But I would start at least at 24mg and slowly over time go down from there if you truly want to rid yourself of nicotine.

 

[Stubby]

As for other benefits of ecigs over snus I have two words for you........... Pancreatic Cancer

Ecigs don't cause it, snus can.

A correction is needed on this one

http://rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-study-smokeless-tobacco-is-not.html

Snus (and other types of smokeless tobacco in the US) are not associated with an increase in Pancreatic cancer. As far as health goes there is no advantage to vaping over smokeless tobacco. I would advise reading the blogs of Brad Rodu linked above, and Carl Phillips to get up to speed. We have been essentially brainwashed into thinking smokeless tobacco has a high risk comparable to smoking, but the science is telling us that all non-combustable tobacco products are about 99% less harmful then cigarettes. It is simply a lie to say that any one low risk product is better then another one. Tobacco isn't the problem, it's the smoke that kills.

The only thing that matters is personal preference. Whatever works for you is good, as long as it is not smoking. If snus is what keeps you off cigarettes your good to go. If vaping is what you prefer thats all good. Many people use a combination of vaping and some form of smokeless tobacco to ward off the demons. There is no reason to beat yourself up about using smokeless tobacco.

 

[LeakingLeaf]

Thank you everyone for the great answers!

I am now 4 days completely snus free again. Haha. I don't know how many time I have quit in this thread... probably 5 times now. I bought new delicious juices which really helps me though. Still at 18 mg, which I now know is too low. Again, I have no idea why I didn't order 24 or 36, but I will do that soon.

What I noticed is that my craving is almost bipolar. One minute I'm loving life, thinking vaping is the .... and how happy I am to have quit the snus (and how much better I feel). The next I'm thinking how I will never have a snus again in my life (if I want to fully quit it, which is my goal).

I want my nicotine habit to be a relaxed one. With snus it's a hardcore addiction. I hope that with vaping it will just be something I do to enjoy myself, still getting the effects of nicotine, but basically being as calm as a non-smoker/snuser, without racing heart and jitteriness from too much nicotine, which I got every single day no matter how much I tried controlling my snus dosage.

So yeah, I could start snusing again. And smoking is absolutely way worse. I know all about that, and have researched everything there is to research about snus. But I'd hate knowing that for the rest of my life, I have to walk around with a wad of stinky tobacco under my lip just to feel normal. Snus is awesome, but I want to experience the freedom of being free from tobacco.

And the fact is that I have had so many positive effects from quitting, comparable to if I were to quit nicotine completely. There are both positives and negatives of course, but for me, pretty much only positive. I can smell stuff again (!?), and food tastes better. I have more energy, and more productive, having an easier time being social with girls, sleeping better, feeling much, much more relaxed, have a lower heart rate, and so on, and so on... so yeah. I want to continue with this.


Of course I'll probably end up messing up again soon. But I will try to stay strong! Even when I have fallen off the wagon, it has only been with 2-3 snus per day and the rest vaping. So vaping seems to be taking over.

 

[SleeZy]

Stay strong you can do it!
And why didn't you order 24mg realy... /facepalm

Well you'll make it eventually!
And when the worst cravings is there, take a kickup or a regular fruity gum, to put under your lip.

Also, did you ask if you could vape at work? As i said earlier that will help you alot if you are able to do that.

Cheers!

 

[LeakingLeaf]

Hey again guys!


I did get back to snus again, for like the 5th time. Haha!

Since I first made this thread, all the times I have gotten back to snus, it has been at an extremely small scale. Like, I have been snusing 15% and vaping 85% of the day.

So yeah, I went back, having about 4 snus every day until March 1st at a party, where I also in my drunken state asked for an analog. Took three puffs, threw it away, and have been vaping ever since.

I bought some nicotine gum for the times at work where I can't vape, but need some kind of nicotine. Figured it would be better than a snus (no MAOI's, and no foul breath and stained teeth). So I have been at that ever since, and I feel great.

A few times I've had an extreme craving, but I've experienced it so many times now I've just powered through it, knowing it will pass.

I'm experiencing so many positive effects from vaping, and I absolutely love it. It gives me a break when I need it, I have much more stamina and am all around a more relaxed person. It's great!


My max days off snus since my first attempts to quit has been about a week, and this time I plan to exceed and move on to a non-snus life. I love snus, and will always do, but I hope the craving will eventually diminish, and be replaced with this much fresher, healthier habit.


I ordered about 200 ml of 24 mg juice as well from MBV, much stronger in PG than last time, which I feel I really need (the throat hit for me is a must).


Wish me luck!

 

[meatcarnival]

Good luck! My buddy quit dip with a cheap eGo and Evod that I gave him. Its all about damage mitigation, remember that.

 

[SleeZy]

Hey again guys!


I did get back to snus again, for like the 5th time. Haha!

Since I first made this thread, all the times I have gotten back to snus, it has been at an extremely small scale. Like, I have been snusing 15% and vaping 85% of the day.

So yeah, I went back, having about 4 snus every day until March 1st at a party, where I also in my drunken state asked for an analog. Took three puffs, threw it away, and have been vaping ever since.

I bought some nicotine gum for the times at work where I can't vape, but need some kind of nicotine. Figured it would be better than a snus (no MAOI's, and no foul breath and stained teeth). So I have been at that ever since, and I feel great.

A few times I've had an extreme craving, but I've experienced it so many times now I've just powered through it, knowing it will pass.

I'm experiencing so many positive effects from vaping, and I absolutely love it. It gives me a break when I need it, I have much more stamina and am all around a more relaxed person. It's great!


My max days off snus since my first attempts to quit has been about a week, and this time I plan to exceed and move on to a non-snus life. I love snus, and will always do, but I hope the craving will eventually diminish, and be replaced with this much fresher, healthier habit.


I ordered about 200 ml of 24 mg juice as well from MBV, much stronger in PG than last time, which I feel I really need (the throat hit for me is a must).


Wish me luck!

Btw i've forgotten to ask you. Are you a member on Swedish efc? If not you should come there aswell!
There's another guy there that quitted snus with the help of vaping, perhaps you should read his story

Edit: Perhaps that was you? ^^

 

[LeakingLeaf]

Good luck! My buddy quit dip with a cheap eGo and Evod that I gave him. Its all about damage mitigation, remember that.

Thank you! And that's awesome, tell your friend he did a great job! Absolutely. Snus is the safest tobacco out there, but I do hope and think vaping is even safer. It has to be!

 

[FireDragon1138]

I gotta agree with Stubby... vaping isn't proven safer than smokeless tobacco. Sometimes people using ST can have minor dental issues but as for a clear causal assosciation with serious disease (cancer or heart disease) - there isn't any.

I find a small pinch of Skoal, packed into a little ball, delivers about the same amount of nicotine I would get vaping 12-16mg. Most dippers use a lot more and pack it looser and spit, however, so my guess is they would need higher nicotine.

I'm mostly using snuff in those situations I can't vape or I just need real tobacco (not nicotine). If you wanted to quit smokeless tobacco, in my experience the best way is with the nicotine patch and hard candies, gum, etc. It's a lot less difficult than quitting smoking that way.

 

[zu903]

I chewed 2 cans of grizzly a day and tried snus and that lasted about two weeks. Switched to vaping about a month ago and haven't dipped since the first couple weeks i missed it but im down to 12mg now on a dripper. I started a 24mg good luck man chewing was messing my gums up to bad and i needed to quit. The hardest part was the oral fixation to chewing.

 

[clentzksu]

Today is 4 months to the day Tobacco free! I chewed a can a day of Cope Long Cut and Smoked 1/2 pack a day. Haven't cheated once. I have however picked up a Hobby in Vaping, Just started DIY Juice and using a RBA. Not sure it's saving me money so far but I sure as hell feel better and can taste again. Everyone struggling Hang in there and Vape On!

 

[FattyMcJ]

Today is 4 months to the day Tobacco free! I chewed a can a day of Cope Long Cut and Smoked 1/2 pack a day. Haven't cheated once. I have however picked up a Hobby in Vaping, Just started DIY Juice and using a RBA. Not sure it's saving me money so far but I sure as hell feel better and can taste again. Everyone struggling Hang in there and Vape On!

Congrats man!

 

[LeakingLeaf]

I'm still struggling to get off the tobacco. I have drastically lessened my amount of snus I use during the day but I seem to fall right back in to it.

I think I will give it another serious try. It isn't that difficult with e-cigs to quit, and every time I go back to snus I get more and more tired of it. So I think I'm on the right way.