Some people are skipping the coffee run and reaching for something far more habit-forming.
asserted
people → skip → something
At his desk, the 29-year-old slips a tiny, white pillow beneath his upper lip, where saliva draws out the natural stimulant inside — a straight shot to the bloodstream.
asserted
saliva → slip → bloodstream
Ten times a day, he repeats the ritual, usually during meetings or long stretches of work.
asserted
he → repeat → work
“They’re very subtle, so I love that I can have them in during meetings or throughout the day,” he told The Post.
asserted
he → ’re → Post
“It just kind of gives me a little bit more energy and focus when I need it, and it’s definitely been a good tool.”
asserted
it → give → it
Zyn nicotine pouches have become Borgersen’s go-to productivity tool, a habit he picked up during his senior year of college.
asserted
he → become → college
He reaches for them during the work week, but his routine follows him on weekends, too — sometimes doubling up with two pouches at once.
asserted
routine → reach → pouches
He says he would like to quit eventually.
asserted
he → say → ?
For now, though, he’s under no illusion about his relationship with nicotine.
asserted
he → ’ → nicotine
“Oh, I am addicted,” he told The Post.
asserted
he → tell → Post
Nicotine pouches — small, fiber sachets containing nicotine, flavorings, sweeteners and plant-based fibers — first emerged in Sweden in the early 2000s, before arriving on the US market in the late 2010s.
asserted
pouches → contain → 2010s
As cigarette use has declined, the discreet, smoke-free products have carved out a growing niche in the tobacco industry.
asserted
products → decline → industry
Researchers estimate that 2.5% of American adults use nicotine pouches, with many users potentially turning to them as a way to cut back on or quit smoking.
asserted
users → estimate → smoking
But the products have also found a new audience far removed from traditional tobacco users.
asserted
products → find → users
Wellness influencers and biohackers like neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman and entrepreneur Dave Asprey have increasingly promoted nicotine as a productivity supplement, touting its ability to sharpen focus, boost motivation and deliver a quick hit of energy without caffeine’s familiar jitters.
asserted
influencers → promote → jitters
Meanwhile, other famous fans include Tucker Carlson (who called nicotine a “life-enhancing, God-given chemical”), Joe Rogan, “Biggest Loser” host Jillian Michaels and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But the growing enthusiasm for nicotine as a cognitive enhancer has also brought renewed attention to its addictive properties and the longer-term health effects researchers have yet to fully understand.
asserted
researchers → include → properties
Dr. Ryan Marino, an emergency physician, addiction medicine specialist and professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told The Post that the short-term payoff of nicotine pouches may not be worth the unknowns that come with using it over time.
uncertain
that → tell → time
“At this point, we have evidence for the harms,” he said.
asserted
he → have → harms
“Because there’s no evidence of a long-term benefit, you’re only putting yourself at risk for the the long-term harms.”
asserted
you → ’ → harms
Borgersen had been documenting his marathon-training journey on TikTok when he filmed a “What I Eat in a Day” video, featuring a heavy lineup of Zyns and coffee at his investment banking job.
asserted
I → document → job
That August 2025 post racked up 10.1 million views — and plenty of concerned comments.
asserted
post → rack → comments
“It gives me a little boost of energy, and definitely gives me a little bit of an extra ability to focus,” he explained.
asserted
he → give → ability
A chemical compound found naturally in the tobacco plant, nicotine acts on acetycholine receptors in the brain, which play a role in attention, learning and memory.
asserted
which → find → attention
That interaction can produce a temporary feeling of alertness and focus, prompting users to reach for another pouch.
asserted
interaction → produce → pouch
Frances Leslie, a neuropharmacologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine, confirmed that adults may experience improved cognition and focus from nicotine.
uncertain
adults → confirm → nicotine
Over time, though, nicotine use can lead to addiction, which is among the hardest conditions to overcome.
asserted
which → lead → conditions
“Once you’re addicted, it’s pretty hard to to kick it,” Leslie told The Post.
asserted
Leslie → ’re → Post
“It becomes a critical part of your life, even when you’ve stopped.”
asserted
you → become → life
When the focus fades
Max Rodman of Fort Lauderdale was looking for a “cleaner” way to get his nicotine fix.
asserted
Rodman → fade → fix
The 23-year old started vaping in high school, then switched to nicotine pouches in college because he believed they were safer.
asserted
they → start → college
A nationally ranked high-school sprinter, he experimented with pouches alongside pre-workout supplements and energy drinks.
asserted
he → rank → supplements
“I would try and combine that with my caffeine to get that spike of energy and focus at the same time,” he said.
asserted
he → try → time
Over time, nicotine became part of what Rodman called his “focus ritual.”
asserted
Rodman → become → what
If he needed to study or research his business, he would use a pouch while taking KALOS, the caffeinated energy-and-focus mint he and his brother created.
asserted
he → need → KALOS
But in 2024, Rodman stopped using the pouches regularly after hearing more criticism of the stimulant.
asserted
Rodman → stop → stimulant
That’s when he noticed how difficult it was to focus without them.
asserted
it → ’ → them
“I would have constant brain fog,” he recalled.
asserted
he → have → fog
“It would just feel like I would zone out a ton.”
asserted
I → feel → ?
Because Rodman has ADHD and does not take medication for it, he said he was unsure whether the symptoms were caused by nicotine withdrawal or whether nicotine had simply helped him focus — making a return to his baseline feel worse by comparison.
asserted
return → have → comparison
Rodman now occasionally pairs a KALOS mint with a nicotine pouch, using the combo about once a month before an important business meeting.
asserted
Rodman → pair → meeting
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
