I smoked for 42 years. While I knew I should quit, I never had noticeable signs of any damage being done by smoking (I foolishly thought). I enjoyed smoking and the pleasurable benefits of nicotine. I live an actively lifestyle and have become an avid cyclist over the past 7 years. It was the cycling that finally convinced me that my lungs were reaping the negative impact of smoking. While I could go pretty hard for 2 hours, I got to the point where my lungs could not keep up with my legs. Something had to change if I was going to continue cycling at the level I desired. Time to quit smoking, but how? I chanced upon an article about snus use in Sweden and that county??s incredibly low incidence of cancer and cardiac related diseases. How could such a large percentage of the population use tobacco yet they have the lowest frequency of medical conditions typically attributed to tobacco use in the EU (U.S. for that matter)? As a PhD researcher I began seeking real data on this phenomenon. The studies, many done by prestigious medical researchers and associations, seem to indicate that snus (Swedish, not the American kind) was processed in such a way as to greatly minimize the negative effects of typical tobacco use. It became apparent that it??s the smoke that gets you as well as the way the tobacco is cured. But would it work for me? I bought some Swedish snus (not easy to find in U.S. retail stores) and thought at least it might help me cut back on the amount I smoked. The first couple of weeks I cut my smoking in half. One week later I stopped smoking altogether. It has been 1 year and 10 months since I last smoked. The benefits: feel better, greater endurance, softer skin, thicker hair, smell better, don??t have to deal with the elements to get my nicotine, discreetly get to enjoy tobacco without incurring the wrath of the tobacco Nazis, my house and car smell better, and my sense of taste and smell have improved.