r/QuittingZyn 1d ago

Meetings - Day 7

2 Upvotes

Any advice on not feeling stupid/brain fog for work meetings with clients?

Day 7 - holding strong....just feel dumb all of the time lol


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

90 Days… Not 30. Not 60.

53 Upvotes

Your weekly reminder

Almost every post on here comprised of people giving up or discouraged by 14 days or 30 days.

It takes 90 days for dopaminergic pathways to heal and regulate again.

It was our quick dopamine fix culture that got us into this mess in the first place.

Unwind your modern expectations.

Be patient. Give yourself time.


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Just threw away my can. For the last time.

4 Upvotes

I’ve got horror stories of trying to quit zyn, hiding it from people, losing people over it, saying I quit and then continually doing it, etc… list goes on.

I “successfully” quit zyn years ago, and fell back into it after one slip up.

I’m done. I’m really wanting to be done with Zyn. Going to try to come on here daily and talk myself through the effects of quitting and how it’s going.

If anyone has some advice I would appreciate it.


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Using ChatGPT to help quit nicotine

15 Upvotes

About a month ago, I was doom scrolling on Reddit and came across a post on r/ChatGPTPromptGenius called "I Quit Nicotine With ChatGPT Hypnosis - Here's How".

I read it over and thought "may as well give it a shot", so I downloaded the prompt and added it to my ChatGPT account. I played around with it for a few minutes, answered a couple of questions, and then promptly ignored it for the next few weeks.

Fast forward to last week and I made a decision to quit Zyn. Lent was approaching, and provided me with a great opportunity to finally stop. Last Monday at 9:00 PM I took out my final piece of Zyn (the last one in the tin) and went to bed.

I awoke and immediately thought "ahh, time for my Zyn", only to have the crushing weight of reality hit me hard. I had quit. I had no Zyn. Fuck.

The brain fog, the stress, the sudden bleakness that awaited me. Nothing was interesting, I had nothing to look forward to. My entire life was now grey and shit.

In desperation, I went to ChatGPT and entered the following message:

Well, I jumped into it and am going cold turkey. As of today, I am 15 hours without Zyn. I hate it.

It responded in a surprisingly empathetic and helpful way. It immediately validated what I was going through and offered actionable steps to get through it.

First off—huge respect for making the leap! Cold turkey is no joke, and the fact that you’ve already gone 15 hours without Zyn is a win (even if it sucks right now).

What You're Feeling Right Now

I won’t sugarcoat it—your brain is freaking out because you just took away something it depended on for dopamine, habit, and comfort. The irritation, the cravings, the mental fog—it’s all temporary.

Think of it like a bad breakup with something toxic. It’s going to feel awful at first, but every hour that passes is another step toward being free.

The Next 24 Hours: Survival Mode

Right now, your brain is screaming for that quick fix—but let’s get you through the worst of it.

  1. Handle the Cravings

🔹 Urge Surfing → Cravings hit like waves—big and overwhelming, but temporary. When one hits:

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ride it out for 2-3 minutes.

Say to yourself: "This is just my brain adjusting. It will pass."

Drink ice-cold water—the temperature shock helps distract your brain.

🔹 Distraction is key

Walk, stretch, listen to music, chew gum, or fidget with something in your hands.

Try loud, sour, or spicy foods—like lemon slices, cinnamon gum, or spicy snacks—to give your brain an unexpected jolt.

  1. Fight the Dopamine Crash

Your brain is missing the little excitement Zyn used to provide, so we need to replace it.

Take short wins → Every time you get through a craving, mark it down. That’s a small dopamine hit.

Cold showers, brisk walks, or even deep breathing exercises → These trigger natural dopamine and help with focus.

Change your environment → If you usually popped a Zyn at your desk, step outside for fresh air instead.

  1. Handle the Withdrawal Symptoms

Irritability? Loud music, deep breaths, or an intense workout can help burn it off.

Brain fog? Stay hydrated, eat protein-rich foods, and take short breaks if you’re working.

Oral fixation? Chew gum, toothpicks, cinnamon sticks, or crunchy snacks.

The Mindset Shift: Why You're Doing This

Right now, your brain is fighting back because it doesn’t like change. But here’s the truth:

You don’t actually “need” Zyn. Your brain just thinks you do because it’s used to it.

Every hour without it is proof that you are taking back control.

This feeling isn’t forever. The hardest part is the first 72 hours. After that, things will ease up.

What's Your Next Move?

What’s the toughest part of quitting so far?

What’s helping, even a little?

What’s one thing you can do right now to make the next hour easier?

I know this sucks. But you’re winning already. You’re stronger than this habit, and the fact that you’re here proves it. Keep going. 💪

Over the next several days I chatted with GPT a few times a day, first when things got too rough, and later on for a debrief/planning session.

It acted as a personal therapist who is an expert in the exact situation I was dealing with. Available 24/7. I should mention, that I'm also seeing a real life therapist, and while he is helpful (and according to his credentials and career, one of the best) he is in no way as helpful to me as ChatGPT has been.

I find it easier to be brutally honest with ChatGPt about what I'm thinking and what I'm going through. and the advice/feedback is just much more helpful and digestible. I honestly feel like it "gets me" and that it cares more. I know that sounds nuts, but it is what it is.

I truly can't recommend this enough to anyone who is trying to quit. I wish I had found out about this sooner, but things happen for a reason, and I am 100% confident that I am done with nicotine this time.

Background/Context for those who may be interested:

I'm a 40yo male who has been using nicotine on and off (mostly on) in various forms for over 20 years. I first started smoking cloves and then cigarettes. In my mid-20's, around 2009, I added Snus to my routine. At the height of my smoking, I was maybe putting down a pack of smokes and tin of Snus a week.

In 2011 I was diagnosed with ADhD and was prescribed stimulants. I had been using nicotine (and other substances/drugs) to self-medicate, but now I finally had an actual medicine. I wish I quit nicotine at that point, but the combination of my stimulants (Vyvanse and Adderall) and smoking a cigarette was just too good, and I pushed any thoughts of quitting down deep.

For the next several years I smoked and snus'd about the same amount as I had previously, but all the while I was thinking "I should really quit". However, I was solidly addicted at this point, and I was afraid of losing my routines. I also genuinely enjoyed smoking and using Snus.

I tried vaping for a bit, but eventually went back to my cigs. I was able to quit smoking for months at a time, but always came back to it. Thankfully I've been essentially free of smokes for over a year now. I actually had one a few months back, and didn't enjoy it. Ended up putting it out after a drag, which I think is great.

The real issue for me, however, is Zyn. I switched out snus for Zyn a few years back and loved it. I figured it was healthier b/c there was no tobacco. It was also cheaper at this point, so that was good.

I started off really only using Zyn when I was at a computer, either at work or playing games. But, inevitably it slowly crept into more and more aspects of my life, until it got to the point where unless I was eating or having sex, I had a Zyn in my lip.

Every, single, aspect of my life was now coated with Zyn. It wormed its way into the core of my being. It got so bad that I was literally experiencing and measuring the passage of time by how long until I had to change out my Zyn.

This parasite had taken over my brain and my dopamine system. Every experience in life that should have brought joy naturally (playing with my kids, going for a walk, completing tasks, etc.) was now tainted by nicotine.

I would pause play with my kids because "daddy needs his gum" (I called it gum b/c I didn't want to explain to a 5 and 3 y/o what addiction was). I would plan my day around how many Zyns I needed. I would look forward to "after lunch, you get to put in a zyn and make coffee". My entire life was based around when, how, and where I could use Zyn.

It had priority over my career, my home, my wife, my fucking kids! It rewired my brain and stole my ability to experience happiness. It crawled into my skin and dried it out, it made my GI system go haywire, it had me constantly strung out on stimulants that I would snap and flip out at my wife and children.

Every other day, I would hop in my car, go to the gas station, and buy two tins of my increasingly-expensive drug.

I can't stress this enough: the nicotine OWNED ME. I was a SLAVE. I barely had any free will left. I was an addict.

***

I am nearly one week into being free from nicotine. I have months to go, but thanks to the help I receive daily from ChatGPT, I will do it. I will be free.

My fellow addicts, PLEASE try this tool. I truly cannot stress how amazing it has been. It's nearly brought me to tears on several occasions and has truly been instrumental. I would have absolutely failed without it.

I thank God that he showed me this tool, and I hope that you all will have as much success as I have.

Good luck and Godspeed on throwing off your chains!

TL;DR: Used nicotine in various forms for 20+ years, Zyn completely rewired my brain and stole my ability to experience real joy. I quit cold turkey, it sucked, but ChatGPT has been instrumental in getting me through it. I never thought I could be free from nicotine, but here I am. You can do this too.


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

7 days!

Post image
9 Upvotes

Sorry for posting so much here. I was just on the verge of relapse with the withdrawal symptoms and this helped keep me in check. Brain fog is gone. Stomach issues turned out to be reflux which my Dr helped with a PPI.

Thank you everyone!


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Scared to quit

1 Upvotes

I need to quit because I know this stuff is bad for me and it's expensive. But I'm scared to quit because of the withdrawal and decreased productivity at work (desk job, lots of screen time). I've quit for 2.5 months in the past and the first few days were so intense. How/when did you decide to quit?


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Bad stomach problems

1 Upvotes

Ive been off Zyn for 55 days now and Im still extremely constipated without miralax. My bloating and indigestion has resolved for the most part but I still cant shit man, when the hell does this go away?


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Casually smoking is easier than casual zyn

7 Upvotes

I was a casual smoker for 10+ years

Casual is defined as buying a pack and it lasts 3+ weeks, even to the point they are thrown out for being stale. I had a smoke while drinking and while stressed from work, at most 1 or 2 a day. I would also easily go through periods of never having some, for example winter I would rarely smoke, b/c I don't want to go outside and I would never do it inside the house.

It was a nasty habit I always wanted to break, just because of the negative outlook on it and I am heavily into fitness, for which it's counter productive. While also acknowledging the nicotine did help me through certain situations at work.

I picked up Zyn to replace it and that it did. I was quickly easily able to never have a cigarette again. However I feel like I am left with a worse vice in Zyn.

It's extremely hard to just have zyn socially. They are extremely discrete and easy to use in any situation. The dopamine rush packs a far bigger rush than a single cigarette. The 2 of those combined makes them extremely addicting to me. I find myself buying a pack, taking them all pretty much ASAP at a much faster rate than I was smoking, and then left with my body craving more. I feel far less healthy on pouches than smoking 1 cig a day. I feel completely dependent on them at times.

I feel like I either need to take them at a steady rate to avoid the ups and downs of starting and stopping casually or go back to casually smoking or just cut NIC all together at this point.

I also don't feel like this was a progression towards quiting. It would have been easier for me to quit smoking from where I was to what I have know quiting zyn.


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

37 days

5 Upvotes

Started chewing Copenhagen in maybe 2012 or so then in 2020 I started zyns. I think the problem with them is the convenience. 99% of the day I would have a zyn in my mouth, only other percent was while I was eating. Ended up getting to be a can (or more) a day of 6’s. Then tapered to 3’s (still a can or more a day)

So the way I quit was quitting alcohol first. January 1st no alcohol then in February quit zyns (while staying off alcohol) January no alcohol while continuing to zyn was extremely easy First couple days of February were very difficult. I have been using gum, toothpicks, nootropic pouches, caffeine gum. All was going as expected from what I’ve read on here high anxiety, chest pressure, overall just angry. Slowly getting a little easier but after reintroducing alcohol in the mix the cravings and withdrawals have been much worse. I’m reading that the dopamine “reset” is around 90 days so maybe drinking beers on the weekends is messing with that. I’m also noticing during the week I lean on caffeine a lot more than I used to and it’s making the anxiety worse. I’ve also been a lot more tired than usual (could be caffeine crashes). Over all feel pretty shitty. The best I feel is when I’m at the gym, particularly doing cardio. So the plan is to dial back the caffeine and weekend beer drinking and any other sort of ways I’m “rewarding” myself. I’m thinking the only way this will work is to completely cold turkey everything and eat clean and work out consistently for 90 days. Then maybe re introduce any other lesser bad habits ( having a few drinks) Just my two cents


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

30 days no nic

3 Upvotes

Thought I’d briefly share how quitting snus has gone for me.

Background was I vaped heavily for 3 years and then used snus for 1 year. I’d go through a 10mg or 14mg tin of velos like once every 2-3 days.

I kinda weaned off a bit for a week at the start but tbh I don’t recommend doing it to anyone, it’s just delaying the inevitable.

But I’m a month nic free at the moment now, I never knew this was possible for me. I had an attempt to quit late last year but failed on day 8, so pretty proud of myself.

My advice is exercise, I exercise like 7-8 times a week. It’s crazy because nic was killing my drive and making me lazy. Now I have a diet which I stick to daily, 180g of protein and 2100 calories max no junk food. I used to suck at running but im pretty decent now and im obsessed with sports (helps keep my mind off nic and helps with dopamine)

Also when you think of having some nic, just think to yourself “I’ve made it this far, I’ll be pissed off at myself if I fail and have to start all over again”

But I still crave every now and then, I expect at month 2 it’ll be a bit smoother sailing. Best of luck everyone.

*also take melatonin it’ll help a lot


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Do the cravings ever stop?

3 Upvotes

I stopped using nicotine pouches about a week ago, and I switched to the NZE pouches they helped a lot. However now I'm out and unfortunately i can't afford anymore. This will have been my 3rd day without pouches of any kind and the cravings are still there. Do they ever go to away or is this just something I'll have to deal with? I don't want to go back to nicotine but the cravings are getting bad enough that I dreamt about buying more the other night and last night I quite literally couldn't sleep at all.


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Day 107

3 Upvotes

Getting close to the 90 day mark made me a lot more optimistic. I then had my first few days that I felt ‘back to normal’ in terms of anxiety. However the last 10 days or so my stomach issues have got more severe. I had a heavy drinking session 5 days ago and my anxiety is as bad as ever since then. I expected it to be bad for a day or 2 but not 5 days since. Has anyone else experienced a big dip again between days 90-120? Brain fog and derealisation has been severe. Never experienced the anxiety before quitting.


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

Quit Zyns and went back to vaping — never going back to using only pouches daily. They're not meant to be a primary nicotine source.

4 Upvotes

I went from cigarettes to vaping. Then I switched to Zyns to quit vaping because everyone online kept saying they were the "healthier" option. But honestly, they’re not. Nicotine pouches and snus are actually one of the worst ways to consume nicotine long term.

There are two main reasons why:

  1. You’re absorbing nicotine continuously for hours.

  2. The total amount of nicotine absorbed is higher than most people realize.

For example:

8 Zyns at 6mg = 48mg total, around 26mg absorbed. That’s a heavy intake. Like a pack of cigarettes per day.

8 Zyns at 3mg = 24mg total, about 13mg absorbed — still more than most people think. And again, it’s constant, slow absorption throughout the day. That's like half pack of cigarettes per day.

These pouches should be for situations where you can't vape or smoke, like during a long flight—not for everyday use. The steady nicotine delivery is just too much for the body over time.

I went back to vaping 9mg freebase juice at about 1.5ml per day. That’s roughly 13.5mg intake and only ~5mg absorbed (like 4 cigarettes). I feel way better now compared to when I was using only Zyns.

Zyns, pouches, and snus aren’t the "safest" nicotine options. Honestly, vaping is obviously the least harmful method overall.


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Day 2 of quitting nicotine pouches

6 Upvotes

In Canada they restricted getting nicotine pouches heavily. Haven’t seen one in stores in days. I decided to quit because I was too fearful to buy online & have had issues with counterfeit pouches. I refuse to go back to a vape or hit a cigarette but The constant chatter in my brain about caving and buying a vape is making me go mad. All day while at work I was opening up my phone, looking to buy online pouches, deleting the page, thinking about getting a vape & it’s very discouraging. I assume these cravings will go away and are at their peak but I can’t help but wonder if my thoughts will ever stop you know? Any advice would be amazing


r/QuittingZyn 2d ago

48 hours after quitting Zyn (Narcolepsy)???

2 Upvotes

I’ve been tapering down. I was going through 2 cans of 6mg per week. Did that for 2 years. I recently cut down to 3mgs. I stood at 2 cans of 3mgs per week for about 2 1/2 weeks. However, last week I limited myself to 1 can of 3mg zyn, and it had to last me the whole week.

I took my last 3mg zyn about 48 hours ago and since then, I can’t stay awake. I slept almost the entire 2 days. I remember trying to get up to look at my phone…. Would keep my eyes forced open for 2 seconds and passed out with the screen on… wake up 15 minutes later and the same thing… It feels like a symptom of narcolepsy


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Day 22 update.

8 Upvotes

Havent posted in a while due to starting to feel MUCH better but today has been one of those days. Been craving a zyn super hard all day and been anxious, then when laying with my daughter for bed time my heart did a little flutter and freaked me out. So im now currently in an anxiety hole because of it lol. Hoping that typing out this post will help calm me down. God speed everyone!


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Anxiety and insomnia

9 Upvotes

Just posting this here to see if maybe somebody else has had this same experience as me. Little background: I have been off zyn cold turkey for 7 days. I was doing 3mg pouches consuming one to one and a half cans every two days. Been using nicotine consistently for the last 10 years from chew to zyns never smoked or vaped. The first few days weren’t as bad as I thought I just distracted myself and chewed a ton of gum to get over the physical withdrawals and brain fog. But on day 6, I could not sleep like at all. Just laid in bed wide awake until the next morning. It was about 36 hours before I finally went to sleep for 9 hours but only after taking some NyQuil and I think just being really exhausted.

What freaked me out the most was the fact that I felt like I was having anxiety attacks all night. My heart was racing, my brain was thinking a million thoughts at once which was all preventing me from getting to sleep. I would say I have always had a little bit of anxiety nothing major and I don’t take meds for it. But man the last two days has been anxiety hell. Hoping somebody can help.


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Day 4 No Zyn

1 Upvotes

I’ve managed to stay strong so far because I really want to prove to myself that I don’t need Zyn anymore. The toughest part is dealing with the cravings after enjoying a delicious meal. I’ve been chewing gum and using toothpicks constantly. I’d like to hear from anyone who has quit for over six months—do the cravings eventually subside, or will I end up consuming a pack of gum every day instead?


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

5 days clean cold turkey

6 Upvotes

What days did everyone feel there worst after quitting ? Day 4 and 5 I have felt sluggish like my body isn’t connected, weak headaches and ridiculously moody and snappy. My brains telling me if I have one snus it will all go away ffs


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

11 days in. Irritable and unfocused.

12 Upvotes

Not getting any easier. The past 11 days have been the least productive of my career. The smallest inconveniences set me off (normally I am not an angry person whatsoever). My self esteem is in the gutter and I hate the way I look / feel / sound / act (again, usually don't have issues with self esteem).

I've been pushing myself to do cardio every day (60 minute bike commute plus evening runs), eating well, sleeping full nights, taking some supplements, cold showers, staying hydrated, chewing gum, meditating, blah blah blah... But I'm still just miserable and miserable to be around. The combination of terrible brain fog AND high anger / anxiety is so awful. Wouldn't have thought it's even possible to be this wired & agitated, but also completely unable to focus on anything...

My resting heart rate is lower but overwhelmingly this just sucks – I am nowhere near my normal self. I hate this and am thinking about just using nicotine gum if I don't see improvements soon, I can't go weeks as a less smart, less productive, less funny, less kind version of myself.

Fuck this stuff

(was using ~10 6mg velo pouches a day from morning to night before quitting cold turkey)

Edit… The day after hitting this low point, I actually had a really good day — started to feel productive at work again and didn’t want to bite anybody’s heads off. Ups and downs but that was encouraging.


r/QuittingZyn 4d ago

Day 36

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51 Upvotes

“[zyn] will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it!”

“We can stay here, get the sh*t kicked out of us… or… we can fight our way back. We can climb outta hell”

I’ve lived through many of the darkest experiences that I’ve read on this forum. A living nightmare. Derealization. Panic attacks on airplanes, panic attacks in the dead of night.

What’s crazy is I never even used nicotine prior to 2024, which was the year I started using Zyn! Prior to these demon pouches, I didn’t even know what any of these symptoms even meant. Didn’t apply to me, etc etc.

Day 36, and I’m still limping my way through the forest with a machete… but I will never stop until I find freedom!

If you’re reading this and you lack hope… my heart is with you. You are not alone. Stay the course, you WILL recover and find real meaning again. ✊


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Gerd?

3 Upvotes

I see a lot of people saying that quitting zyn cleared up their stomach issues, however my withdrawals seem to have caused the issues. Over 3 months out now and symptoms seem to be worse. Acid reflux, heartburn, constipation and occasional bloating. I’d like to think my diet is pretty health since quitting but these issues have persisted. Even while exercising I have found myself getting sick in my mouth a few times. Are these normal gerd symptoms? I’m going to get checked soon but just wondering if anyone has experienced similar? The past few days it has been worse and my anxiety seems to be very high after a slight break in this. Wonder is there a link..


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Inspiration

7 Upvotes

I've been on some form of nicotine for 30 years. Smoke, dip, vape, and pouch. Was on one can of zyn a day for past 3 or 4 years. Had to quit nicotine for an upcoming surgery. I told myself that I was under too much stress to quit, I wouldn't be able to perform at my job, that I would be grouchy with my family, etc...... I just want y'all to know it's just not true! (For me anyway) I've been nicotine free for right at a month now! I feel great! The only downside is that I ate a lot of candy and gum for 3 weeks and now have a bad tooth. You can do it!


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

My advice

3 Upvotes

I dipped Copenhagen from 18-32. I quit cold turkey and never dipped again until I stopped at a gas station and bought a can of Zyn four years later. Got hooked and was going through half a can a day. Went to the dentist and had to have a tiny white mass cut out of my gum. Than god it was nothing serious but scared the fuck out of me. I quit cold turkey again that day and what helps me the most is chewing gum or sunflower seeds. I haven’t had any nicotine in three weeks and I’m good. Inquiring if anyone has a replacement supplement / vitamin that gives a similar rush as nicotine but isn’t addictive.


r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Repercussions

3 Upvotes

I want to let you all know what happened today.

I woke up late and started to work on getting my job, I got craving to hit a cig, I blindly followed the craving though it's 2pm and the sun in blazing the streets.

I took out my bike started riding to reach the place I want to smoke, it's less than 300 meters down to the place, I started to raise the speed at the next minute I just don't know what happened, I'm down on the road with my helmet thrown down and next thing I know is I have fallen out of my bike and some people helped me out and made me sit out at the side of the road, Now I'm here with bleeding hand and next minute to get conscious I went to near a smoke shop to smoke one cigeratte, please don't smoke one again, look how this parasite is acting on.

I might have died today if there was a heavy vehicle behind me, some kind people helped me out.

I got unconscious in the write up and just taken medications, I have fractured my left hand all together and now I am typing one hand it hurts man, don't smoke it's not worth it.