Selfsufficientish.com

Sorry yes the forum is a bit busy - there is some info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus

Thanks - blimey - illegal - gosh How silly, given that cigarettes haven't been banned!

In the UK i think it's legal to import for personal use. The EU thing is like banning bow and arrows but allowing machine guns to be used.

Millymollymandy wrote:Is it just tobacco? Ain't it the same as shoving a load of chewing baccy in your cheek then (if you can even buy such a thing)? Or just shove an unlit fag in yer gob and suck it!

According to a GP of my acquaintance who uses it occasionally, it's processed differently so that it does not contain the tobacco-specific nitrosamines (or at least, not at such high levels), which are the major carcinogens in most tobacco products.

The funny thing is Wikipedia said it had been banned in most of the EU because it is carcinogenic. That's why I laughed cos what are cigarettes then?

I bought a pack of 20 cigarettes today for the first time this year to see what i'm missing - pah! They're the worst way to smoke possible and for me roll-ups are only marginally better. I'm not saying Swedish snus full-time is a good thing but gregorach is right in the respect that they are (pasteurised i believe) and much less harmful than cigarettes. Certainly good even if you only get a tub for next time you are on a flight and can't smoke. Now, where are my cigars?!

So what is better for taking away the 'need a cigarette' feeling - the rub on your hands stuff or the snus?

And where do you get the snus if it is illegal in most of the EU?

I could do with something just for when it is inconvenient to smoke - although stuffing a tea bag inside my lip when I am in polite company and gasping might appear a bit odd. How long do you leave it there and does it affect your ability to talk, drink coffee etc?

I like having you as my guinea pig.

The rub in your hand stuff is not a patch on snus in my opinion but it might work for you.

I got my snus from http://www.swedish-snus.com/ and i have a feeling it is legal to import for personal use but whether that is the case in France i don't know.

(for your first order i recommend Skruf Stark portions as a good one to try)

I attended an evening talk on Plato and was amongst non-smokers so i put a snus in - yes it can make you feel a bit self-conscious but if you look in the mirror it doesn't really notice, especially with practice. But, on a flight it would be my best nicotine option. But in a gathering where you have to chat with people maybe you'd want to slip to the toilet and take the snus pouch out.

If you struggle to get any i can send a tin down to you as i have seven in the fridge. I must admit i haven't been using the hand wash NicoGel product for a while, but i still have lots here.

I only take 3 or 4 snus a day but some people keep one in 85% of the day i've read in the forums! Everything in moderation i say.

There's an advert for snus here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOuohDCUxzw

I can speak with a snus in but you'd be best off trying it by getting a tin. You can drink coffee with it in your top lip. But if you're worried an/or self-conscious when with people then the NicoGel on the hands might be better though for me snus is much more satisfying and maybe even consistent.

I'll look into the snus when I get back from holiday. Think of me out in the cold and rain having a ciggy - at least at home I have my grotty cellar cum mudroom where we go to smoke - it's cold but dry and a lot warmer than outside. I just think how much easier it would be to stuff some snus in my mouth and stay indoors.... Actually being serious I would like to see if can break the actual smoking habit without the climbing the walls needing nicotine bit, then I can think about stopping taking tobacco.

Oh I didn't realise that website was in the US! Thought it was sending the stuff out from Sweden.

MMM have you considered that you may look like a hamster with all this snus stuff stuffed in your cheeks?

I'm the same, i have a shelter from the rain but it's not everytime i fancy trekking out for a smoke - which is where snus comes in.

@TheGoodEarth: there's no looking like a hamster! It's just one small pouch in your upper-lip not your cheeks.

The website might be in the US but it, i think, gets shipped from the distributor in Sweden i think... mine arrived in days.