First off: What is snus? Snus is a smokeless tobacco that is kind of like American "dip" but you don't have to spit like a cowboy or into a disgusting bottle all the time. It is a far less obvious lump of tobacco you keep next to your gums that is popular in Sweden and other Northern European countries. Because of this product, I was able to easily quit smoking after more than 20 years of being involved in that habit.
There is a caveat though: This product isn't so easy to get a hold of in certain parts of the world and Vietnam is one of those countries. I was still able to get it here at a pretty high price off of online marketplaces that I am not sure are legal or not. They must be to some degree because customs doesn't screw around here and the heightened price on the boxes would indicate that the importers are paying a hefty tariff to get it here.
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You may recall from my previous posts what when Vietnam decided to lock down this country for Covid reasons they seriously locked it down including all incoming international flights, even for most cargo. Also, internal mail services were shut down and since the suppliers were located in Saigon and I live 600 miles from there, there was no chance I was getting any.
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When services did resume the supplier contacted me because I had been pestering them for a long time about making sure to let me know as soon as they could possibly get it to me. Just like any nicotine addict, I was getting a bit grouchy and even started vaping for a little while to compensate for it. I'm not really keen on vaping because it is a gateway back into smoking and I definitely don't want to do that.
Purists out there would probably say that I should have used this time to just not be addicted to nicotine anymore and if I were a smart man I would have done exactly that.
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So yesterday was a bit like Christmas for me after 5 weeks of going without the stuff. There is something I would like to point out about snus just generally speaking compared to smoking.... The main one being that it is substantially less bad for you.
It probably sounds like a copout but it is actually true and there have been major studies that have been done to show precisely this. For one thing, while a TON of really horrible problems like cancer can be directly attributed to smoking, there is virtually nothing that can be traced back to snus after many decades of studies that were almost certainly trying their hardest to make exactly that sort of connection. The only bad things that can be attributed to it is gum problem and tooth loss but even in those instances the studies do admit that the affected generally speaking had terrible oral care routines anyway.
Since snus is so popular in Sweden, they have the lowest percentage of smokers in all of Europe and this wouldn't be all that impressive if it weren't for the fact that try as they may, there isn't a great deal of "bad stuff" that comes along with snus use as far as health is concerned.
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This last graph shows the amount of lung cancer cases per 100,000 people and I don't know what happened to the women in Sweden but at least for the men, they have a lower amount than the rest of Northern Europe. While I didn't include the entire graph because it is huge, it is also the lowest number of men per 100,000 in all of Europe. In fact, no country other than Cyprus, even comes close and they were at 38.
It might sound like I am trying to make excuses for my habit and I suppose in a way I am but as someone who has actually seen a family member slowly die from lung cancer, I am delighted that there is no chance of snus contributing to that. In fact, one would assume that if any cancer were going to be associated with keeping tobacco in your mouth for hours on end that it would be oral cancer, but a series of large controlled studies were not able to make a link between snus and even this type of cancer.
I tell my friends this: "I can brush my teeth... I can't brush my lungs."
Would it be better if I simply stopped using all tobacco? Well yeah, of course. It would also be better if I only ate vegetables and exercised for 2 hours a day but I don't do those things either.
If you are a smoker and like me, tried all the other products on the market that are designed to help you quit, I suggest you have a look at snus. It isn't ideal to use snus, but it is much better than smoking that by all studies basically ensures future health problems.
For now I am at peace because I have way more snus than I will need for the next several months and it has been a long time coming so yeah, I'm a happy guy right now.
I have never tried that product. Does it contain nicotine ?
yes it does, that's kind of the whole idea :)
Love the honesty in the last part, nothing like the lesser of 2 evils
haha, thanks. Yeah, i know it is still bad stuff and is very addictive, but the labels saying that it is not a safe alternative to smoking, by all medical studies that have been done, simply isn't true. It is a less harmful alternative to smoking, this much has been established.
Wow, that is quite the haul for sure. I know a lot of people struggle with quitting because they are so used to the motion. You know, just the hand to mouth sort of thing. I have a friend who had a heart attack so he had to quit smoking. The patch really helped him with that. I imagine snus would have been equally effective as it has been for you. He still smokes a lot of weed though, so I am not really sure he is doing better. If anything I am guessing he just traded one habit for another. What do I know though! I am happy you got this, it does sound like it is much better than vaping.
the habit with ciggies is there in many forms but the process is part of it that is for sure. This is why vapes help so many people. When I see that some places are making vaping illegal such as Singapore and Australia I can't help but wonder why anyone would do that. The cynic in me believes it is because the government hasn't figured out how to tax this hell out of vaping yet so they just make it illegal instead.
That could be it. I know for a while there were some health concerns but do knows how real those are.
Haha... It is quite funny to read about this, because I know this very well (as a Norwegian). But, I live in Hungary now and here nobody has ever heard about it. but, the Norwegian students studying medicine in Budapest are crazy about it, and they always bring snus with them back to Budapest whenever they travel to Norway, and I often see posts from people who lack snus, asking other students who will come to Budapest again to bring it with them.
However, the first time my wife traveled on a plane to Norway all by herself, she was sitting next to someone placing the snus into his mouth. She had never seen it before, and she had no clue what he was doing... she just told me after arrival that it was really smelly and disgusting... haha! So, I explained her all about it, and now she at least knows what it is! :)
I guess it is better than smoking, but it is still quite harmful to your the area above your teeth in your mouth... so even though it is better than smoking, the best would probably be to skip both!
Take care! :)
your wife thought it was smelly and disgusting. That must have been a rude snuser or perhaps he was using the loose kind that is almost like a powder and you have to roll it yourself. I can see how that would be smelly because the person would have had to leave the pack open for a while. I only use the packets and for the most part, unless I tell people that i am using it, they don't even know.
I had never heard of snus until i was introduced to it by some Swedes and i think it has some popularity in America but for the most part it is still just a Scandi thing.
You are right, she was sitting next to a person who used the powder and had to make the "package" himself... I guess that was most of the problem as he did that on the plane sitting next to her... :)
yeah, even though I use snus that gets on my nerves as well. There is a HUGE difference in how strong it is compared to the little packets though so if you see someone "rolling their own" you know they are hardcore. They probably also constantly have tiny bits of tobacco between their teeth at all times as well, which doesn't happen with what i use.
Anyway, there I go again trying to justify its use :)
I am not sure about you and if you have it as well, but it can so easily be seen on those hardcore users as well that they are using it, because the upper part of their mouth is looking so different, almost like they constantly walk with a tiny object (which they often do) inside their mouth, over their teeth!
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ha! well that would be pretty extreme. With the tiny pouches like in my picture it is so small that unless you tell people you are using it they don't even know. Many people I know were surprised when I told them. Of course you have to be a little bit wonky during photographs because it can end up showing up if you smile really big.
I’ve never smoked a cigarette and haven’t packed a dip or tried snus. Reading this makes me wonder why so many guys insist on using chewing tobacco rather than snus. Is there anything about snus that isn’t as good as having a big fat dip in?
I was never really into dip, but i suppose there is less of a burn with snus, that's probably difficult to understand as someone that has never done it before. Good job on never touching any of them in your life. In my social circles in high school and college is was basically mandatory.
I think dip is very rednecky and really gross that you basically have to spit a bunch of spit and tobaccy mix into a bottle, cup, or on the ground every few mins. I think snus hasn't caught on in the USA or other places where people chew because people are used to what they are used to. Snus is actually a lot smaller in size so it might not be "enough" for many tobacco users.
Although I’ve never used, I know many who have tried for the first time in front of my face. They winced and have described how it feels. It sounds like an odd feeling that of course can become addictive quite quickly.
I’ve smoked a few black and milds and a shit ton of weed, so I’m not perfect. Everything I’ve done has been on my own accord, I have always been pretty good at ignoring peer pressure. It has led to a lot of pissed of people who were upset that they couldn’t control me. It has also allowed me to gain respect from people while my associates have looked weak for caving under little pressure.
I live in one of the most redneck states, West Virginia. Pretty much everybody I work with dips constantly. All of the work trash cans smell like mint, which is nice… until you look inside of one and realize it’s covered in black spit. Some carry around their baby bottles, but most are just too lazy and know we have custodians to clean up after their messes.
I remember when Snus first came out here… most people who used it were shamed because it wasn’t “as hard” as regular dip. Man people around where I live are so fucking dumb. I try my best to not let living in Appalachia give me a god complex, but when I’m one of the very few around here who isn’t absolute trash… it’s difficult at times.
That made me giggle. When i was in high school there were two camps, the smokers and the dippers. I'm from Appalachia as well so I know exactly where you are coming from as far as the redneck stuff applies.
I think back to the days of my first cigarettes as a 15 year old or something and I can still remember how absolutely terrible it made me feel. Giving that everyone feels that way on their first half-dozen ciggies or I would presume dip as well, it is truly remarkable that any of us got hooked. Imagine eating something and it made you woozy, dizzy, and nauseous. You probably wouldn't be rushing to have more of that but for some reason smoking / dip was different.
I haven't lived in the US since 2004 but I hope the childhood smoking rates have declined. It truly is stupid.
As far as "snus shaming" is concerned, that is just bizarre. So you gotta have a big disgusting wad of chaw in your lower lip at all times to be considered a "real man" do ya?
I believe smoking is down, but vaping of course has skyrocketed to take its place.
& you damn right, better be packing some Grizzly or you’re nothing more than a little bitch. It was war between who got their nicotine the most og way.
This is totally random, but many years ago on a flight back to the USA from Cambodian to visit family, I was placed to next to a guy with a foreign accent on a regional flight leaving Chicago to Evansville, Indiana. We began talking because foreign accents are not something you hear in the part of Indiana where I'm from.
Turns out he was Swedish, and was sent from corporate headquarters to check on the Swedish Match Factory in Owensboro, Kentucky, on the other side of the river. Apparently the Swedish need so much SNUS that that they bought a failing Kentucky tobacco processing plant in the 1980s to ensure their supply.
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oh wow. Yeah that is pretty random. Swedish Match is a very large producer of snus and are a major part of the attempt at USA distribution.
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