Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

General

tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 05-30-2006, 4:08 PM

We at tobaccoharmreduction.org are interested in hearing stories of people who quit smoking by switching to smokeless tobacco or pharmaceutical nicotine products. What products did you use? Did other people support your decision? How did you learn that other sources of nicotine are less harmful than cigarettes?

Thanks.

--Carl V Phillips, University of Alberta School of Public Health

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 06-01-2006, 1:22 PM
I was a pack a day smoker for 25 years. I am now 41 and was able to quit smoking for the last 9 months using smokeless tobacco. I tried many times using the patch, gum, etc and nothing worked. I would get depressed and in no time would go back to smoking. Then I heard about Dr. Rodu and his research. I asked my doctor if smokeless tobacco would be a better way to go and his response was "You might as well continue smoking, it's just as dangerous". I could'nt believe he was so misinfomed. Anyways, I finally built up the nerve to try smokeless and it has been the only thing that has worked for me. Sure, I still miss smoking at times but not as much as when I was using the patch or the gum. I know there are some risks but the risks are so much lower I believe it's an ethical obligation of a doctor to inform patients of all available options to quit smoking. I so glad someone is getting the truth out! Thanks!!

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

admin 06-02-2006, 1:20 PM
This is a textbook example of the sort of situation our efforts are aimed at (a long-time smoker who wants to quit but is not having much success). We couldn't have said it better if we would've written this ourselves....and we didn't.

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 06-06-2006, 1:37 PM
I am 40 years old, and have been smoke free for 2 years (after smoking for 20) thanks to ST. Two and a half years ago, I started to think of giving up smoking. I didn't like the idea of cold turkey, and pharmacutical replacements did nothing for me. Having used smokeless a few times in my younger days on hunting & camping trips, I was familiar with it, and not completely opposed to it. However, having heard all the assertions of the medical community, I wasn't ready to jump from the proverbial frying pan to the fire. I did my own research, and after a while, it became clear to me that the terrible risk of smokeless has been vastly overstated. Further, I discovered that Swedish smokeless, or "snus", is even less likely to be harmful than American brands. I decided to try snus, and within 3 months I had transitioned from cigarettes completely. The trasition was so easy as to hardly be noticed, and portion snus is easy to use anywhere, discreetly and without mess. I know now that even though it is not completely risk-free, I've made a decision that's much better for my health without having to sacrifice the ejoyment of tobacco. I just wish that the medical community would have the intellectuall honesty to make this information available to people who may not be as eager to do their homework, and may die earlier as a result.

tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 06-06-2006, 4:51 PM

Dear Carl V. Phillips and Dr. Brad Rodu,

Thank you for fighting so valiantly for the lives of your fellow human beings, by promoting smokeless tobacco as a harm reduction strategy for tobacco users. I know you must feel frustrated at the ignorance shown by preachers of public health. Many of those pretenders don't seem to give a hoot about real peoples lives, in their eternal witch hunt on smokers. And it's nice to see that you actively debunk the epidemiological tricks played by those public health pretenders.

To make a long story short, I'd like to offer you some insight in my own experiences with cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco. I am currently experimenting to find the most suitable smokeless tobacco to substitute for my smoking. I do not feel that I am in a hurry to switch, so I would like to find a good option, before giving it a strong attempt.

Characteristic.

As a smoker, I have been willing to experiment with a lot of different tobaccos and cigarettes. I have always returned to a specific smoking pattern. I prefer to smoke home rolled cigarettes, made from a particular brand of cigarette tobacco. The tobacco is Samson Halfzware, which is a traditional dutch blend.

During the course of my experimentation with smokeless tobacco, I have come to realize that there is a particular characteristic of tobacco that I find I like. There are various strands of tobacco, and it appears that I prefer one called Kentucky. All of the other cigarette tobaccos that I like, besides the one I usually smoke, are Kentucky blend cigarette tobaccos.

The smokeless tobaccos that I like best, are based on Kentucky leaf.

Implications.

Clearly, tobacco use is much more diverse than simple nicotine consumption. There are other alkaloids in tobacco besides nicotine, and these are, in my view, responsible for certain 'feels' about using tobacco.

For some would-be switchers, keeping an eye on the various strands of tobacco used in the smokeless products should enhance the probabilty of switching.

In the US and other markets, the most popular type of cigarette tobacco is called American blend, also known as a Burley blend. This consists of a base tobacco of light Virginia (a filler tobacco) and a blend tobacco of Burley leaf (which I call a loading tobacco). If a smoker prefers this type of cigarette, it is a strong indicator that in order to switch, that person should experiment with smokeless tobaccos containing Burley leaf. From the market in my home country, Denmark, I can mention two smokeless tobaccos containing Burley leaf:

Swedish Match, General (moist snuff, blended)
Oliver Twist, all types (rolled of Burley leaf)

My own experimentation has lead me to the following three smokeless tobaccos, that are generic to the market in Denmark:

Dansken Snus, Kentucky (moist snuff, pure Kentucky leaf)
Orlik Tobacco, Göteborg Snus (moist snuff, blend of Kentucky and Virginia leaf)
Nobel Cigars, Lakrisan (rolled of Kentucky leaf)

They are the ones that I regard as candidates for a switch to smokeless for me.

The EU ban on pouched moist snuff.

The most imbecilic piece of legislation around, must be the EU prohibition against selling pouched moist snuff. This ban is responsible for the untimely deaths of millions of EU citizens. Add to that the fact that 'authorities' are deliberately burying the fact that smokeless tobacco is practically harmless (albeit not completely harmless), and you have the biggest mass murder scheme devised in the name of 'health'.

I would much prefer to have the pouched moist snuff, because it is easier and less messy to use than loose moist snuff. My main concern is not that the loose snuff travels around in my mouth. I have learned how to control that. The problem is that getting it out of my mouth is quite messy. It involves using a paper tissue to clean out the last bits. It is a waste of paper, and irritating to have to wash my hands.

Next time I meet one of those fake antis, I'd like to spit my snuff at him. If he doesn't like it, he can go and lobby for pouches, which are a lot less messy to get spit in his face!

Protecting 'the children' fallacy.

One of the more silly pretentions of anti tobacco zealots are that 'the children' must be protected from taking smokeless tobacco. That is a stupid point. The best protection one can get against picking up the habit of smoking cigarettes, is to have a smokeless tobacco habit! From personal experience, I know that the difference between smoking an 'chewing' is so small, that somebody 'addicted' to smokeless tobacco would not very likely switch to smoking.

Conclusion.

I hope you find my observations useful. I do not imagine that I am the only person that prefers unique strands of tobacco. Thanks again for being so tireless in promoting smokeless as harm reduction.

Best regards

Søren Højbjerg

PS: Competing interests: Collumnist at Forces + chairman of the Danish Smokers Rights organization DaRy.

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 06-17-2006, 5:58 PM
I used snuff to quit smoking in my twenties. I wished I had stayed with it. I went back to smoking I guess because, I thought the risks where the same. Back at that time there was no internet so it was hard to find any studys on it. After this new smoking ban came into effect here in ontario I was doing lots of research on bans worldwide and the economical and social effects of them. I have become so upset at some of the disimformation and tactics of these anti-smoking zealots. I think that the laws as they where fine and respected smokers and non-smokers.

That said this is how I came to your site I think harm reduction is a valid and truthful way to help people quit smoking . I have been using snuff again and have got my smoking down to a couple a day I was smoking 30 to 40 my stress levels are much better I feel in control again i.e. I can go where I want and not worry about smoking bans. By the way I work in the plastics industry and the whole place is filled smoke, ozone, and god no's what. I still give myself the option of having a smoke every day it gets easier. I think for me anyway just getting out of the habit of smoking is the hardest part. Well I hope I can do it so far so good.

Anyway thanks

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 06-19-2006, 10:18 AM
We appreciate the submissions of stories of quitting through the use of smokeless tobacco. Though some of these describe the transition as easy and longlasting, we think that may not be true for many people who try this route. Usually when you substitute one behavior for another, there is some resistance. It might be helpful to others, and to us in our research, to know about some of the problems you found with quitting smoking through using smokeless tobacco.And while we will maintain your anonymity, it would a greater help as well if you would give us your email address(which would never be posted) so that we could follow up on the details of your switching experience. Thank you. (admin)

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 06-21-2006, 12:18 PM
When transitioning to smokeless I still find its hard for me to get away from that first smoke in the morning with coffee or after a meal. It still takes some will power to overcome it. But I have been able to get over these hurtles. If I do have a smoke I don't beat myself up for it. I think that part is important to me. The more I seem to unlearn my smoking habits it gets more easy to overcome these hurtles. I went 48 hours without a smoke the last couple of days, I did well even though I have been under a lot of stress at work . But yes I still find smoking enjoyable, thats the hard part.

Also smokeless tobacco is still perceived to be harmful so if you tell people some don't understand it. Smokers seem to be o.k. with me doing this, non-smokers have issues with it so I don't tell them unless they are good friends.

So if you can change peoples attitudes about smokeless then maybe harm reduction will become mainstream. But I think its going to be an uphill battle the anti-tobacco sediment is so strong.

Thanks later

Tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 08-21-2006, 9:54 AM
I started smoking in my late 20s, and smoked about a pack a day for 6 years. I tried many times to quit, but found that I would inevitably start again after a few weeks of abstinence. This was a very unpleasant cycle - a lot of guilt and shame. In desperation, I began to use smokeless tobacco pouches about five years ago. The benefits were immediate:

Zero impact on other people from my tobacco use
improved lung function and energy
Product is very discreet; very few people are even aware that I use it
reduced consumption - one pouch keeps delivering nicotine for hours, without the "spike" that cigarettes deliver

I didn't know much about the science, but my body's response to quitting smoking was sufficient to convince me that this was the better route to take (for me). When I talk to smokers who want to quit, I will sometimes suggest they give smokeless a try. Inevitably, I hear things like "I'd rather get lung cancer than oral cancer" or "yuck - all that spitting is disgusting" and so on, which goes to show just how successful the anti-harm reduction camp has been in getting their message across. I used to point out that the pouches I use do not require spitting, and that oral cancer rates are higher for smokers than for smokeless users. Now I'll be able to direct these folks to this website.

It's a shame that public perception has been shaped to such a large extent by the "quit or die" side. So much illness and misery could be prevented if people would look at the statistics, rather than the alarmist messages about smokeless tobacco use.

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 11-27-2006, 5:17 PM

I posted here this spring I just wanted to update. I have not had a smoke since june 23 2006. I am using about 7.5 grams of snuff Skoal long cut per day. I was smoking 25 to 40 cigs per day before.

Thanks later

tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 03-03-2007, 4:02 PM
Today I bought a tin of Skoal cherry. I was once an athelete, but after years of smoking I became lazy and I cannot jog for more than 200m. I want my lungs back!

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 03-26-2007, 1:19 AM
I was a heavy smoker for years. Switched to chewing tobacco then snuff. Skoal berry blend. I used it for several years. Sure less harmful than smoking. I can breath but my gums are down to nothing and the nerves are exposed. I gave up snuff about 30 days ago and it is not easy but remember the goal is to quit. Life is better with out tobacco.

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

admin 03-26-2007, 12:07 PM
There are a number of different possible causes for gingival recession (smoking being one of the main ones). If you are using smokeless tobacco, play it safe and move the site of placement from time to time. This will minimize any local irritation. Though using smokeless tobacco might have caused your condition it is as possible that the origin of these gum problems were from the previous heavy smoking. But as you say, these problems are preferable to cancer. And if you haven't already, seen your dentist, do so. They should be able to help you with the recession and the exposed nerves. Congratulations on quitting smoking, and on quitting tobacco.

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

Anonymous 08-30-2007, 2:23 PM
Well it's been over a year for me since I made the switch to smokeless, and in my experience I have not had any troubles with my gums or teeth. I actualy think I have had less staining, and overall I think that there has been an improvement in my
oral heath. I have to admit I was smoking alot 30 to 40 a day. I do have days that it does irritate me but
thats maybe because I am not drinking enough fluids . Well that is my experience as far as physical heath
I do feel better but, I have been lazy since I quit smoking and was in better shape when I was smoking
and working out more! But I do not what to go back to smoking I feel much better about using smokeless.

P.S. I have posted on this thead before just wanted to update my progress

Again thanks for the site

Re: tell us your harm reduction stories

admin 08-31-2007, 2:03 PM
Glad to hear its working out for you. I've heard that story about ex-smokers cutting down on exercise. Its too bad that when it comes to exercise that we have to be motivated by guilt and fear rather than just the general feeling better and stronger that comes with working out. I know I'm no different. If I am not doing anything particularly unhealthy then it seems to reduce the necessity of staying fit. But push those limits and I'm back in the gym.

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