by Edward Flynn

Created on: September 01, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

One of the main problems of attempting to stop smoking is breaking the behavioural habit as well as dealing with the nicotine addiction. How many people say that they enjoy a cigarette with a beer or a cup of coffee? The behavioural habit of smoking is at least as difficult to break as the nicotine addiction itself.

In order to deal with a smoking addiction, it is not necessary to exercise the will-power towards an act of cold-turkey giving up. It can be accomplished by other means which are less challenging for the smoker. The best way to break the behavioural habit of smoking is to replace the habit with something else that is equally satisfying. There is a way of doing this that enables the smoker to continue to enjoy tobacco and the nicotine effect without resorting to ignition!

Let me explain how I managed to overcome my smoking addiction.

The first thing I did was convert from buying packs of cigarettes to buying loose tobacco. I started to smoke 'roll-ups'. What this did was educate my hands to become accustomed to an action that did not involve taking a cigarette from the packet and lighting up.

The act of rolling a cigarette became a ritual that occupied my hands and was satisfying in itself. Once my hands had become accustomed to the act of fiddling about with tobacco, I began to gradually replace rolling a cigarette with another equally satisfying ritual. This was the act of taking a pinch of snuff (a finely ground tobacco powder).

Nasal snuff may seem an odd thing to suggest, however the act of tapping the box, taking a small pinch, placing it on the back of the hand and gently sniffing is very satisfying. What's more it meets my demand for a nicotine input! Over a period of time I found that I was reducing the number of cigarettes I smoked and increasing the amount of snuff that I took, until eventually I no longer felt the need to smoke, and yet I could still enjoy a nicotine hit.

Nasal snuff has many advantages. It does not pollute the air around you, contaminating clothing etc; it does not cause offense to others. It does not involve inhalation of smoke and all the nasties contained therein; it can be be taken anywhere, even when surrounded by non-smokers. It stimulates conversation(!).

The health risks of tobacco use are minimalised (although research is scarce, indications seem to be that nasal snuff is a much safer option than smoking).

And so my recommendation to anyone who is concerned about the health risks of tobacco, and yet still feels a need for nicotine dependancy is to give this a try. It works for me. In the uk there are a number of different snuffs available ranging from plain tobacco through menthol flavoured types to all kinds of aromatic snuffs including strawberry, apricot and many more. It is an area that is well worth exploring and can give even more pleasure than lighting up a cigarette!

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