The same goes for adults aged 25 and older2. According to the most recent Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS), 10.9% of Canadians over the age of 15 (3.5 million) reported daily smoking, with a slightly higher 11.7% (3.2 million) for those 25 and older.
While it’s somewhat encouraging that the percentage of younger people who start smoking is not growing, those who are older (and likely been smoking for longer) continue to struggle to quit. Roughly 822,000 Canadian smokers (31.4%) aged 15 and older report that making at least one attempt to quit that lasted at least 24 hours in the past year3.
Meet Yashas
Yashas is a 25-year-old professional who is on the brink of celebrating a significant milestone: 10 months smoke-free. This summer, as he turns 26, he reflects on a journey that began nearly a decade ago when he first picked up a cigarette. “I smoked for about nine years,” he recalls. “I used to smoke 5-6 cigarettes a day.”
The Struggle to Quit
Quitting smoking can be especially challenging for light smokers, contrary to the notion that lighter smoking would be easier to stop. Research suggests that light smokers (five cigarettes and fewer per day) are just as addicted to nicotine as heavy smokers and may experience significant difficulty quitting without assistance4. Anecdotally, lighter smokers really savour their fewer cigarettes as well.
Like many, Yashas had tried and failed multiple times before finally being successful in quitting smoking. “Yes, I did try to quit before,” he admits. “But I was never motivated enough.”
Finding the Motivation
So, what changed? “After trying a bunch of smoking cessation products, ZONNIC nicotine pouches helped a lot,” Yashas explains. “I tried vaping, nicotine patches … ZONNIC nicotine pouches came to the rescue.” Yashas disliked disrupting his social outings to head outside by himself to smoke a cigarette. “The main motivation was my time and walking away from the tables alone to go out for a smoke. Whenever I felt like having a smoke, I used a ZONNIC nicotine pouch.”
Overcoming Stumbling Blocks
Yashas identifies the challenges he faced during his journey to quit smoking. “Social situations where people are smoking haven’t been a big issue, it’s the urge that comes after drinking and eating good food.” And he identifies a lifestyle aspect of the quitting journey that is often overlooked, the notion of a break or “me time.” Yashas continues, “Majorly, it was also a fixation to take a break from work or anything that got me too involved in it. It also was my ‘me time’ zone where I got a chance to be with myself; not having that sometimes becomes a stumbling block.”
Managing Side Effects
Interestingly, Yashas reports that he did not experience major side effects during his quitting process. “No effects, honestly. Whenever I had an urge to smoke, nicotine pouches helped me get fixed before I could experience anything. Prior to trying nicotine pouches, I used to easily get annoyed when I couldn’t smoke when I wanted.”
The Role of Zonnic and Nicotine Pouches
Yashas credits ZONNIC nicotine pouches, a Nicotine Replacement Therapy for helping him succeed in his quitting smoking journey. “I tried a bunch of replacement therapies but all in vain, as the oral fixation for smoking was a big stumbling block,” he says. “The nicotine pouch also helps with the oral fixation and is probably the reason why I was able to quit.”
Conclusion
Yashas’s success story is a testament to the power of finding the correct nicotine replacement therapy and staying motivated to push through the difficult moments. His journey to stop smoking was achieved with the help of Zonnic nicotine pouches that helped Yashas temporarily relieve his cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms. As Yashas celebrates 10 months smoke-free, he serves as an inspiration for others who are struggling to break free from the grip of smoking.
References
1 https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canadian-tobacco-nicotine-survey/2022-summary.html
2 https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canadian-tobacco-nicotine-survey/2022-summary.html
3 https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canadian-tobacco-nicotine-survey/2022-summary.html
4 https://psychiatry.duke.edu/news/light-smokers-may-not-escape-nicotine-addiction-study-reveals
