I Stopped Smoking Accidentally
My goal was not to stop smoking but, instead, to prove that a product’s advertisement was false! And this product wasn’t even advertised as a “stop smoking” product.
Having been a smoker for the past 25 or so years…with a pack to a pack-and-a-half-a-day habit…it feels kind of strange to no longer belong to this group. I accidently stopped smoking two months ago when Camel came out with Snus which is a swedish pouched tobacco that has been sold in Sweden since the 1800’s, and consists of tobacco, sugar, water, and flavoring.
Camel stated that this was a smokeless and spitless tobacco product that one could use in places where smoking is prohibited such as in restaurants, movie theaters, and job sites so I decided to test their product because, quite simply, I did not believe them!
I found, however, that I was very comfortable using Snus (rhymes with ”moose” and ”goose”) and did not need to light up a cigarette! Every time I thought about lighting up, I asked myself if I NEEDED to or just WANTED to…and the answer each time was that my body was physically comfortable!
Even though the advertisement pamphlet stated that a Snus pouch was good for up to thirty minutes, I found that as long as I felt a tingling from the pouch, there was nicotine going into my body…up to four hours per pouch! I also enjoyed the two flavors that I tried because the Frost tasted like a mild mint candy while the Mellow reminded me of buttered raisins!
Now I may sound as though I am advertising for the Camel makers but, in actuality, I am advocating Snus as a good…and inexpensive…way to stop smoking! Each Snus tin contains 15 pouches and costs only about four dollars versus nicotine gum, mints, and patches which cost almost ten times more and can very well prove ineffective due to poor taste and/or physical reactions to certain ingredients in these products. One Snus tin lasted me three to four days…and even longer during the last two weeks of my ’Snusing’!
Sweden has one of the lowest tobacco-related cancer rates around, and many of its’ citizens no longer smoke cigarettes thanks to Snus.
Although you may say that Snus is no different than smoking a cigarette except for the smoke issue, I will tell you that you are wrong! As a smoker, I breathed in not just nicotine but all the byproducts such as formaldehyde that cigarette smoke contains. As a Snus user, I simply ingested nicotine which, apparently, is not as habit-forming as many would have had me believe since it was only six weeks from beginning to end when I stopped using even the Snus! After 25 years of cigarette smoking, you would think it would have taken much longer!
I will always advocate against stupid sayings such as second-hand smoke is worse than first-hand smoke (give me a break…it’s already been filtered TWICE before reaching a second person’s lungs. One of the first filters was MY lungs!) but I will advocate using Snus both as an alternative to smoking a cigarette in places where smoking is prohibited and as a means to stop smoking altogether.
I stopped smoking ‘accidently’ because my goal was simply to prove an advertisement wrong. I guess the last laugh…as well as a clean breath of air…is on me. Thank you, Camel Snus!
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Christine Ramsay | May 10, 2009 | Reply
That is so great, Muriel. I am really pleased for you. Snus sounds like a excellent product. Another wonderful write.
Christine
Glynis Smy | May 10, 2009 | Reply
Good for you! Well done for sharing this with those who need it.
M J katz | May 10, 2009 | Reply
Hi Christine! Thank you…yes, it is an excellent product! My oldest daughter in California can’t believe that I stopped smoking after all these years!! Come to think of it, I still think of myself as a Smoker who just isn’t smoking now! Ha ha.
Hi Glynis! So nice to hear from you! Have you decorated any of your water butts yet like Christine’s husband did? You must take pictures to post when you do, you know!!
Thank you so much…I wanted to share my experience with others who, like myself, gave up trying to quit because it was just too uncomfortable and expensive! If I can do something like this without meaning to, then I KNOW Snus can help others, too!! ^-^
Judy Sheldon | May 10, 2009 | Reply
I continually hound my daughters about quitting. I will mention this to them, just like every other idea I ever hear – that’s how desperate I am. I wonder if it is available in Michigan.
Thanks M J for the information with a side of humor. Happy Mother’s day!
M J katz | May 10, 2009 | Reply
Hi Judy! I’m pretty sure Snus is available in Michigan but if it can’t be found locally, you can always type in http://www.Camelsnus.com and you’ll find several websites where this product can not only be ordered from but also will give you even more taste varieties than just Frost or Mellow! I’m going to email you with this info just in case you don’t get back to this article, too!
Happy Mothers’ Day to you, too!! ^-^
spiritwalker | May 15, 2009 | Reply
GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
swatilohani | May 16, 2009 | Reply
Dear MJ, great news that you shared with us. I am all up for a life that you live only once and to make healthy choices is an absolute, that much we owe to our family. Congrats for saying yes to a healthy life
Karelee | May 16, 2009 | Reply
Congrats and what a great article for those who may be trying to quite. I have never smoked but both parents did and it was hard for them but they did it.
M J katz | May 17, 2009 | Reply
Hi Spiritwalker! Thank you for your support!
Hi Swatilohani! I agree that making healthy choices is necessary to having as good a life as possible. Sometimes choices can come about accidently but thankfully!
Hi Karelee! Congratulations definitely go to your parents! Giving up smoking is probably one of the hardest things to do not just because of the physical need for all those chemicals that smoke puts into a person’s body but also because of the psychological affects…if I hadn’t stopped smoking accidently with the use of Snus, I’d still be smoking today because I’ve gone the route of gum, mints, and patches in the past which just didn’t work for me…and were way too expensive to continue using. My hat goes off to your parents. They accomplished something that so many of us could never do!
s hayes | May 24, 2009 | Reply
Well done you x
I give up for a couple of years – put a stack of weight on – start smoking again ( usually whilst on a night out) lose the weight again. I hop between cigs and food
Great write x
Chris | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Judy,
I recommend that you do suggest it to your daughters. I had almost the exact same experience as the author. I tried everything to quit, including Chantix. Within 6 weeks of replacing smoking with Snus, I’ve about quit tobacco entirely. When I started I was using maybe 5 pouches a day, and it’s decreased from there.
I’ve had maybe two pouches of snus in the last week.