r/QuittingZyn

Fuck me. Okay so I’ve never smoked or vaped or anything before but I wanted to get into taking pouches. So I go to the store and ask the guy for the lowest mg can he has in any flavour. The guys doesn’t really know about the mgs and stuff so he asks me like how many dots and I just reply 2. He checks my id and everything but before he gives them to me he asks me if this is my first time taking them. I freak out and kinda panic so I just reply that they’re not for me, I didn’t really want to get into a lecture yk. But then he asks why the person who actually wants them doesn’t get themselves, and I reply that they just couldn’t but I’m here rn. And then he gives me my money back and refuses to sell them to me bcs he doesn’t know if I’m facilitating it for an underaged person. Atp I can’t tell him they’re actually for me bcs that would be so fricking humiliating so I just take my money and leave. I felt so lame and ig this is a sign for me never to start.

I’ve been thinking about nicotine and how differently people talk about it compared to other substances.
With alcohol, for example, a lot of people can genuinely have a drink once in a while…at a party, on a weekend, at dinner and not feel the need to drink every day. On the other hand we have r/stopdrinking . Same with certain recreational drugs for some people: occasional use exists, even if there are obvious risks. What makes nicotine so dangerous? Is it actually possible to use nicotine only occasionally like alcohol?

I stopped for 46 days and then i was like one time wont hurt, I went back to using and I can’t find the urge to stop again, any advice if you faced a similar situation? Im so sick of it having the power over me I want to stop once and for all

I started Zyn'ing about 3 years ago.
About 1.5 years of doing it daily.
I average 3/4 - a full disc of the 6mg a daily...

For the past year I've noticed that I stopped going to the gym and just felt content, i'm 39 and about to turn 40 next month... so i figured its just part of getting older.

But I recently got a dog, an active one at that....
Today I took her to the beach and decided to run with her off leash a bit.... I love watching her sprint in the water and want to do this with her. (great bonding experience, right?)

Well...

I barley made it 1/8 of a mile before my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.... I've NEVER gotten tired like that so quickly.

For context, I used to run a lot and even did the Burning Man Ultra marathon 3 years ago, (30Miles) my cardio was fine the whole time, it was my ankles that slowed me down... I've always always been the more in-shape guy with my friends...

This was my wake the fuck up call.

I just threw away a full disc of Zyns i bought last night before bed.
Fuck Zyn and fuck the culture that makes it seem totally fine and not bad for you, total bs.

Long-time lurker here -- first post. I really appreciate the support in this community.

Goddamn I did not realize how fully I had fried my physiology and my nervous system using zyn. I've used nicotine on and off for 14 years now. By 2026, I was going through a 6mg can every two days or so as a crutch during a stressful cross country move, where I had to find a new job, new home, new community. After settling in and (luckily) finding a new job, I started a cold turkey quit attempt.

Holy shit what a ride. First two weeks actually went fairly smoothly, probably due to the predictability. But week 3 has wrecked me so far. I have low blood pressure to begin with, and this week I have been feeling on-and-off lightheadedness and throbbing, eyes can't focus, feeling like I'm going to pass out. This feeling, which has sprung up in not ideal situations, then triggers a panic response made far worse by my nervous system being so out-of-whack, accompanied by air-hunger, all compounding into basically anxiety episodes.

This has all been a lesson for me in how horribly zyn has dysregulated my nervous system, my blood pressure, physiology, my sleep, my ability to deal with stress, even my breathing (or at least how I perceive it).

If you're on the fence, do yourself a favor and quit. This stuff is demon-spawn. Resist the devil, and he will flee! For those in the early stages of the quit -- I'm right there with you. Push through, the best is yet to come. Never again!

I’ve been using pouches since 2021. About a can of 12mg a day. Dropped down to 3s in October, still using around a can a day. Saw a guy on here say he’s about a year into recovery and somehow still feels just as bad as day one. I’m terrified.

Contrary to a lot of people's beliefs, nicotine is a miracle worker in my life. I work 16 hour midnight shifts in a level 1 trauma centers ER. Helps me focus when im exhausted. Keeps me awake for the drives home its amazing. I recently quit that job because FUCK that job. Now I work daylight as a dialysis nurse (easy peasy) but still addicted and trying to quit. I quit cold turkey for a week, but I was about to relapse simply because I love it and can't get enough. My wife has a can hidden somewhere in the house and once a day she retrieves a single zyn and I use it. Is even one zyn good for you? No. But knowing ill still have one zyn a day, keeps me from using 2+ cans a day. Plus my tolerance has gone way down. Instead of using 15mg pouches, I can use a 6mg and feel the same. Im sure ill eventually be able to drop that to a 3mg. I still get cravings but I know they'll be quenched at the end of the day so its easy to hold off. After 5+ years of trying to quit, this has worked wonders. Eventually ill probably try to get off completely but for now, im happy with just one a day.

Important notes: dont try to do this yourself, this only works because I have an amazing wife who doesn't back down. Ive relapsed many times because I just try to "limit my intake" and it always turns into "well one more wont hurt". My wife knows this and knows that wont fly.

Also, if you are gonna try this but you bicker with your partner, dont do this, fighting over an addiction is so unhealthy in ever way. Just like everything else in life, happy wife, happy life. Good luck mates, just wanted to share what's worked for me thus far

Hello,
Im a 19 (20 soon) year old snus user. I’ve been using snus ever since I turned 15 and I’ve lost count on the amount of times I’ve tried to quit. I recently went through my expenses through out high school and realised I’ve spent almost 30000kr (3000 USD) on snus since I started.

I now want to quit but got no idea how to do it. I get headaches 1-2 hours after my last pouch. Any tips?

One thing nobody talks about enough is how invisible the spending becomes when you smoke every day.

When I was smoking, buying cigarettes felt “normal.” A pack here, another one there, maybe a vape or lighter too. I never really thought about the total because it was part of my routine.

After quitting, I finally sat down and calculated how much money I had spent over time and it honestly shocked me.

It wasn’t just small daily purchases anymore. It was hundreds, then thousands gone into something that was damaging my health and controlling my habits at the same time.

What’s crazy is that while smoking, I would hesitate to spend money on useful things for myself, but nicotine always got paid first without question.

Quitting is hard, but seeing how much money stays in my pocket now is one of the most motivating parts.

Did anyone else get shocked when they finally calculated the real cost of smoking?

I tried to quit about a week ago and got like 3 days in before I caved and bought again. Really feel like I’m letting myself down but I turn into such a negative and unpleasant person. Any tips on how to conquer that first week?

Title says it. These things are the absolute worse. What am I doing to myself? For what? I am sick and tired of craving a little wintergreen packet and sucking on it for an hour only to crave another one an hour later. I keep telling myself I am about to quit but have only been able to ween down to 3-4 3 mg pouches/ day. I am ready to pull the plug and let my body and mind clear this drug.

Good luck to everyone who is looking to quit living like this and thank you all!

Day 4 nicotine-free and still going strong.

Today was rough though. I’ve been absolutely starving all day. Tried to control it, tried to stick to good foods, but honestly the hunger got the best of me and I ended up eating a lot.

On top of that, the bloating from quitting nicotine is making everything feel even worse, so it’s kind of a double suck situation right now lol.

Still, I haven’t caved. Staying strong and reminding myself this is part of the process. Just wanted to do a little check-in because today definitely tested me.

I am on an all day vacation at cedar point and lost my zyn pack somewhere. Haven’t had any nicotine since 12PM and am going to be here pretty much all day. I am with parents and siblings and am already starting to get annoyed at all the stupid things they do that waste my time. Like wandering around slow and old just pisses me off to no end. I really just want to be alone I hate that I was dragged to go here with them. Literally everything they do pisses me off so much omg lol

Day 3 here pretty much fine except at the gym and the gas station is right across the street and trying to talk myself out of getting a pack .

I quit a few days ago and one of the things I’m struggling with is focusing at work. I don’t show up as sharp as before. It feels like it goes hand in hand with not being as motivated at the gym.

It feels weird and not good lol. Any advice?

Today marks 200 days free from ZYN, and let me tell you, it’s been one hell of a journey.

My story goes back to October 2025. I quit after having a massive panic attack and finally realizing that my constant use of ZYN was what was triggering these panic attacks, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts.

The next several months were brutal. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. There were times I genuinely thought I was having a mental breakdown. The intrusive thoughts, anxiety waves, tingling sensations, nervous system feelings, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

But fast forward to today, and it’s honestly night and day compared to where I was back then.

Every now and then, I still get hit with a random wave of anxiety or an intrusive thought, but it’s nowhere near as loud as it used to be, and it passes pretty quickly now.

So for anyone reading this who’s early in the process and scared, I’m telling you: you will get better. There ARE better days ahead. For some people, it just takes longer, and I was one of those people. I still have some healing to do.

Keep going. It’s worth it.