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> too embarrassed of chewing-gums In case others don't know, there are nicotine lozenges that are smaller than the gum and require no chewing. And if you happe

> too embarrassed of chewing-gums In case others don't know, there are nicotine lozenges that are smaller than the gum and require no chewing. And if you happen to swallow them nothing happens, the nicotine is destroyed by your stomachs without being absorbed. They are really very discreet to use. (Even the gum isn't actually chewed like regular gum; you just chew it for a few seconds and let it sit on your gum.)

augusto-moura 5y ago
I think that she means chewing gum to mask off the breath. I'm a smoker and do that very often, it's kinda rude to speak to other people while having a breath of thousand cigarrettes
- dingo454 5y ago
  That hardly masks anything TBH. You smell the same with some hint of mint on top. Most of the smell comes from your lungs, your clothing and your hair. You need to stay outside for a good 10 minutes to make a significant difference in perceived smell. Anything else is mostly wishful thinking...
  - augusto-moura 5y ago
    It does make a difference, even so slightly. Trust me in that one, I have been called off more than one time by not using mints. But yeah, I agree that it doesn't remove the stench completely
    - dingo454 5y ago
      I generally never comment on this to my coworkers because I want to be polite and keep good relationships (I've had very hard responses to very polite requests just to open the windows in the past, so I simply stopped commenting). I'm doing this here because I'm seeing this often, and I want to be honest: no, it doesn't really do much, unless we're talking about ~50cm face-to-face conversations maybe (something that would make me back-off quite sharply, gum or not). Keep in mind the smell after 10 minutes of open-air ventilation is still not a smell I would consider acceptable. For consideration, a very nasty and strong office fart would be in the same line of stench for my nose at that point. Except a fart doesn't tend to cling on for so long. Sorry for the analogy :(
- jessriedel 5y ago
  That wasn't my interpretation of the blog post, but we'd have to ask the author to find out what she meant for sure.
pengaru 5y ago
It's also worth noting nicotine has interesting "nootropic" properties. You don't really have to quit your addiction to quit smoking, and there can be some advantages to continuing if you can afford it in safer forms.
- bitcuration 5y ago
  has vaping been out of question?
  - jessriedel 5y ago
    The author said they were embarrassed by gum. Outside of very specific subcultures, it's safe to say they would be much more embarassed by vaping. But sure, vaping will deliver nicotine, and its significantly safer than cigarettes (though we don't know if it's safe).
- motohagiography 5y ago
  It is a suprisingly powerful drug. I gave up cigarettes over 20 years ago and have zero craving for them, the smell is revolting. Looking back, the craving felt a lot like fasting. However today, I have a cigar a little more than once a month on average, and I can tell the nicotine content affects mood, sleep, and maybe some hormone levels for a day or two after, as much or moreso than most prescriptions I've ever taken. There is extra focus and centeredness under its influence and a kind of diminished neuroticism, which I suppose was what made it "cool." There are other factors on that as well, since who today has an hour of uninterrupted solitude (let alone in good company) to sit and do nothing but contemplate, with the space of your own to temporarily pollute, and afford to spend the kind of money on yourself that a good one costs. It would be hard to separate this mini-vacation from the percieved smart drug effects of nicotine. Cigarettes are evil and cruel in every concievable way, and anyone under their yoke who breaks it deserves support. Fan of OP's interintellect startup as well.
  - HKH2 5y ago
    "diminished neuroticism" - you've reminded me of the link between smoking and schizophrenia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia_and_tobacco_smoking https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia_and_tobacco_sm...
alea_iacta_est 5y ago
Don't be like me and end up addicted to the lozenges... Still using them after 5 years since I quit smoking.
- staticautomatic 5y ago
  Better than being addicted to cigarettes though.
  - alea_iacta_est 5y ago
    Yes, definitely, even if they're not perfect, they can give you some stomach ache, bloating, mouth sores, etc, but overall, I don't regret the trade.
xzel 5y ago
Tobacco free snus like pouches have exploded in the US the past two years. I quit smoking about a year and a half ago by switching to them. I'm not sure if they're cooler or less cool than gum but it's pretty great not smoking. I'd recommend anyone trying to quit to look into them as a possibility.
- hansbo 5y ago
  I'm on them now, though I used snus before, not cigarettes.

augusto-moura 5y ago

I think that she means chewing gum to mask off the breath. I'm a smoker and do that very often, it's kinda rude to speak to other people while having a breath of thousand cigarrettes

dingo454 5y ago
That hardly masks anything TBH. You smell the same with some hint of mint on top. Most of the smell comes from your lungs, your clothing and your hair. You need to stay outside for a good 10 minutes to make a significant difference in perceived smell. Anything else is mostly wishful thinking...
- augusto-moura 5y ago
  It does make a difference, even so slightly. Trust me in that one, I have been called off more than one time by not using mints. But yeah, I agree that it doesn't remove the stench completely
  - dingo454 5y ago
    I generally never comment on this to my coworkers because I want to be polite and keep good relationships (I've had very hard responses to very polite requests just to open the windows in the past, so I simply stopped commenting). I'm doing this here because I'm seeing this often, and I want to be honest: no, it doesn't really do much, unless we're talking about ~50cm face-to-face conversations maybe (something that would make me back-off quite sharply, gum or not). Keep in mind the smell after 10 minutes of open-air ventilation is still not a smell I would consider acceptable. For consideration, a very nasty and strong office fart would be in the same line of stench for my nose at that point. Except a fart doesn't tend to cling on for so long. Sorry for the analogy :(
jessriedel 5y ago
That wasn't my interpretation of the blog post, but we'd have to ask the author to find out what she meant for sure.

pengaru 5y ago

It's also worth noting nicotine has interesting "nootropic" properties. You don't really have to quit your addiction to quit smoking, and there can be some advantages to continuing if you can afford it in safer forms.

bitcuration 5y ago
has vaping been out of question?
- jessriedel 5y ago
  The author said they were embarrassed by gum. Outside of very specific subcultures, it's safe to say they would be much more embarassed by vaping. But sure, vaping will deliver nicotine, and its significantly safer than cigarettes (though we don't know if it's safe).
motohagiography 5y ago
It is a suprisingly powerful drug. I gave up cigarettes over 20 years ago and have zero craving for them, the smell is revolting. Looking back, the craving felt a lot like fasting. However today, I have a cigar a little more than once a month on average, and I can tell the nicotine content affects mood, sleep, and maybe some hormone levels for a day or two after, as much or moreso than most prescriptions I've ever taken. There is extra focus and centeredness under its influence and a kind of diminished neuroticism, which I suppose was what made it "cool." There are other factors on that as well, since who today has an hour of uninterrupted solitude (let alone in good company) to sit and do nothing but contemplate, with the space of your own to temporarily pollute, and afford to spend the kind of money on yourself that a good one costs. It would be hard to separate this mini-vacation from the percieved smart drug effects of nicotine. Cigarettes are evil and cruel in every concievable way, and anyone under their yoke who breaks it deserves support. Fan of OP's interintellect startup as well.
- HKH2 5y ago
  "diminished neuroticism" - you've reminded me of the link between smoking and schizophrenia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia_and_tobacco_smoking https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia_and_tobacco_sm...

alea_iacta_est 5y ago

Don't be like me and end up addicted to the lozenges... Still using them after 5 years since I quit smoking.

staticautomatic 5y ago
Better than being addicted to cigarettes though.
- alea_iacta_est 5y ago
  Yes, definitely, even if they're not perfect, they can give you some stomach ache, bloating, mouth sores, etc, but overall, I don't regret the trade.

xzel 5y ago

Tobacco free snus like pouches have exploded in the US the past two years. I quit smoking about a year and a half ago by switching to them. I'm not sure if they're cooler or less cool than gum but it's pretty great not smoking. I'd recommend anyone trying to quit to look into them as a possibility.

hansbo 5y ago
I'm on them now, though I used snus before, not cigarettes.