This article is your guide to a successful switch from smoking or vaping to nicotine pouches. We at Nic Pouch UK believe that anyone can make this change!
If You are a Smoker
It is common knowledge that smoking is a very harmful habit, being the single greatest cause of preventable illness and early death in the U.K., killing more than 120,000 people a year, that is more than 13 people every hour. These horrifying statistics serve as a very good reason to quit. The good news is that many people report having had great success in quitting smoking using nicotine pouches, and there are only benefits to be had from doing so.
For those that are unfamiliar with nicotine pouches, they are discreet, soft, all-white bags that are filled with synthetic nicotine and other natural ingredients, completely free from tobacco, smoke, and vapour, to be placed under the upper lip for up to 60 minutes. You can find out more about what is in a nicotine pouch here.
Now, here are some tips on how to use nicotine pouches to successfully quit smoking!
- Set a Switch Date – Setting a date to commit to switching to nicotine pouches is a great way to increase the likelihood of a successful quit. Count down the days to your switch using a visual aid such as a calendar that you can cross off, or a virtual countdown clock. You may feel anxious as you get closer to your switch date, which is to be expected, but what is helpful to practise in this situation is optimism and generating excitement. Think about all the negatives that you will leave behind, and all that there is to gain from your switch to nicotine pouches. No more bad breath, no more stained fingers, better fitness, and do not forget all the money that you will save! The average price of a 20 pack of cigarettes in the U.K. is roughly £12, whereas most cans of nicotine pouches containing 20 portions are no more than £7!
- Connect with Other Nicotine Pouch Users – With an ever-expanding online community of nicotine pouch users active on platforms such as Reddit and YouTube, it is a great idea to connect with these like-minded people, in the run-up to your switch/quit date and throughout your smoke-free journey. In such communities, you will be able to find lots of useful information, tips, quit stories, and other content to motivate and help you to switch. Despite being named after and dedicated to snus - the tobacco-containing alternative to nicotine pouches, a good place to start is https://www.reddit.com/r/Snus/. r/snus contains lots of good nicotine pouch related posts, content, quit stories, and advice. Further, snubie.com, a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/SnubieDotCom) and website (http://snubie.com/) founded by Chad Jones who is a well-respected member of the snus community, both contain vast amounts of helpful information and nicotine pouch content to help you quit.
- Find Products that Suit You – There is a huge amount of choice now in nicotine pouches, with many new brands emerging and lots of different flavours, strengths, portion materials, and sizes. This choice may seem overwhelming at first, but the key is experimentation with all the different aspects of nicotine pouches. There is nothing to lose by trying different flavours, brands, sizes, and materials, as it is all down to personal preference and will help you in quitting once you find a product that you can enjoy regularly. However, leading to the next point, you should consider the strength of the pouches that you use very carefully.
- Choose the Right Strength – This step is especially important in making your switch to nicotine pouches successful. Whilst it may be tempting to dive straight into the deep end and choose a very strong pouch, with the belief that this will make quitting smoking easier, the truth is that it will not. As a smoker, regardless of how heavy, you are only obtaining only 1.1 to 1.8mg of nicotine by the time you stub your cigarette out. Some nicotine pouches in the extra strong range contain up to 18mg/pouch, and in the super-strength and extreme ranges, up to 30mg/pouch. The difference in nicotine between cigarettes and nicotine pouches can be large. Although nicotine levels peak in the bloodstream faster from a cigarette because of the efficiency of the lungs to transport nicotine inhaled via tobacco smoke to the brain, nicotine pouches provide a steady delivery of much more nicotine throughout use. Using a high strength pouch for your first time will likely end up bad, this is because your tolerance to such high levels of nicotine with a different method of consumption is very low. To avoid the potential negative effects of nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate and gum pain, you should start low and go slow. Starting low means using pouches in the light range with 4 to 6mg/pouch, to begin with. If you are a heavy smoker, you could consider starting with a pouch in the medium range, with 6 to 9mg per pouch. However, there is nothing to lose from starting right at the lowest strength, as you can slowly move up in nicotine mg/pouch until you feel adequate satisfaction. We have some useful resources on our site for more information on strength selection, including ‘A Guide to Nicotine Pouch Strengths’ here, and ‘Up-Dosing – Why is it not a Good idea’ here.
- Start Using Nicotine Pouches! – Once you have reached your quit date and smoked your last ever cigarette, joined the relevant online communities, and found a product that you are happy with that is of a suitable strength, you are now ready to live a smoke and tobacco-free life! Using nicotine pouches is the simplest step. Whenever you feel a craving for a cigarette, place a nicotine pouch under your upper lip for up to 60 minutes and feel the craving subside. Repeat and enjoy as necessary. Take your nicotine pouches with you, wherever you go, and enjoy discreet nicotine satisfaction whenever you need it. It is good to practise taking your nicotine pouches with you to places that you would often smoke, to avoid temptation.
If You are a Vaper
Although vaping is proven to be less harmful than smoking, there are still many reasons to quit and switch to nicotine pouches. Coughing, breathing difficulties, headaches, dry mouth, and a sore throat, amongst other negative effects, are caused by vaping and are good reasons to quit.
If you are a vaper, you should follow the same points 1 to 5 for smokers, with a slight exception to point 4 that regards strength choice.
Vapes often contain nicotine salts and higher levels of nicotine compared to cigarettes, with some containing up to 50mg of nicotine salts that are absorbed faster and work longer than the nicotine in cigarettes. As a result of this, and especially if you vape high concentrations of nicotine salts, your tolerance to nicotine may be greater than that of a smoker. Starting low and going slow in nicotine mg/pouch strength still very much applies to you as a vaper, however, you may want to consider using a pouch in the medium range as a starting point and move up in strength, as necessary.
The Take-Home Message
Nicotine pouches are a great way to quit smoking or vaping. Discreet, smoke and vapour free, and far safer, you can expect to feel a great change in your physical health. All you must do is set a date and get started!
We offer a vast selection of nicotine pouches on our website that will be effective in enabling you to quit smoking or vaping. Browse our products here.
Good Luck!
