DOSE:

buccal

Tobacco

(plant material)

BODY WEIGHT:

210 lb

Being that I live in southern Indiana, chewing tobacco (or as it's called here, dip) has been something I've kind of grown up around but never really tried until recently. Normally I wouldn't spend the time typing this up, but there seems to be sort of a lack of information about this stuff. I mean, there's no instructions on the can, and some dude took like the entire thing and swallowed the juice....as a semi-experienced user I felt like getting some good information out there so nobody has to rush in to this uninformed.

My first experience wasn't with actual dip, but instead with chew. The difference is that chewing tobacco (this particular kind was called Redman or something similar) has big leaves, while dip is almost ground up into a powder. My friend had a bag of this Redman stuff on the bus and he was almost out so three of us polished it off. I didn't get much, so I didn't really buzz or anything. It was just there. However, I was intrigued, so I asked him over a few days later.

He brought with him some Grizzly, which is a type of dip. The most common brand I see is usually Skoal or Copenhagen, though Skoal is about $5 a can and Grizzly is about $2. I think he had mint. Grizzly comes in mint, wintergreen, and straight (which is unflavored) if I recall correctly, though Skoal comes in stuff like apple, vanilla, cherry, berry blend, mint, etc. It's all about personal tastes (I have had all 3 flavors of Grizzly and Skoal Mint, the Skoal was probably my favorite but the afformentioned price of Skoal generally keeps me away). Skoal also comes in little paper pouches which are a little bit weaker, but keep the tobacco contained in a small portion in your mouth to minimize messes that occur when you inevitably lose hold on a few small leaves. It should also be noted that Grizzly is much, much stronger than Skoal.

He warned me to take a small pinch, as to avoid getting too much. Getting too much could make a person buzz so bad they get sick. In fact, I accidently gave my friend too much his first time and he threw up all over the school parking lot. It can be hard to judge one's tolerence for it the first time, so I recommend taking a small amount and gradually building upon it until you feel comfortable with what you have.

When I take it, I place it between my gums and cheek in the front of my mouth. I could put it on the sides of my mouth, but the front of the mouth keeps it in a tight wad, which is good because I won't lose lots of the leaves or let them go crazy all over my mouth.

The first thing I noticed was the intense flavor, which is almost unbearable but you need to give it a few seconds. Once it cools down a little, so to speak, the taste is actually pretty pleasant. I will say that straight is something of an acquired taste.

Now, many people have talked about their first cigarette buzz. I myself have never buzzed off cigs, but my first dip buzz left me unable to walk in a straight line. I almost fell into a big pile of cow feces trying to feed them (the cows) while I was buzzing. I was very lightheaded, almost dizzy, but a pleasurable dizzy. My fingers and toes get cold too, because nicotine constricts the blood vessels.

Remember to spit! I can't stress that enough for a new user. Swallowing it won't do anything to speed it up, and will simply hurt one's throat (it burns) and maybe lead to later damage as my friend told me.

Ah yes, I forgot. The onset of the effects should be almost instantaneous, yet the high of the buzz will maybe come 5 to 10 minutes in. It's usually over after about 15-20, depending on how much is taken. The nice thing about it is I can keep adding more in for better taste and an additional little 'afterbuzz' as I like to call it. The flavor doesn't run out too fast, I can always stick my tongue down into it and unearth a little bit of new flavor, which makes dip much more enjoyable and longlasting than a cig. Tightening the bottom lip up around the dip, one should be able to squeeze out some of the best flavors from deep inside the leaves. Just experiment! As long as you don't swallow the spit or throw up from taking too much, you'll be alright until you find the flavor/dosage size for you.

Do keep in mind that it's addictive, I wouldn't say I'm addicted yet, but keep in mind that some people notice some changes in their mood and such after about a week. About 2 hours after I've buzzed, I feel great, but afterwards there's kind of a small coming down during which I'm irritable. I guess my parents just chalk it up to teenage hormones though.

I hope my information has been at least a little bit useful to everybody, just remember to spit and don't take too much! If you get too dizzy you will probably end up throwing up!

Exp Year: 2004	ExpID: 38786
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Dec 28, 2004	Views: 134,287
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Tobacco (47) : Various (28), Retrospective / Summary (11)