Josh Brolin Says He Sleeps with Nicotine Pouches in His Mouth, Uses Them '24 Hours a Day'

The actor shared that he switched to pouches after getting seven cavities from nicotine lozenges

Josh Brolin london 11 02 24
Josh Brolin in London in 2024. Photo:

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  • Josh Brolin shared that he uses nicotine pouches "24 hours a day" — even when he's sleeping
  • The actor, who recently released his memoir, From Under the Truck, told Marc Maron on his WTF podcast that he switched to pouches after getting cavities from sugar-filled nicotine lozenges
  • He shared a bad experience with "black market" pouches, which he bought while filming in the Middle East

Josh Brolin shared that he uses nicotine pouches — and even sleeps with them. 

And as Brolin, 56,  told Marc Maron on the Nov. 14 episode of his podcast WTF, he uses the pouches constantly after giving up chewing tobacco and nicotine lozenges. 

“My wife would hear this in the middle of the night,” Brolin said, imitating the sound of chewing. “I don't even know I'm doing it, I'm asleep. I have a pouch in my lip, and I'm not f—ing lying, 24 hours a day.”

Nicotine pouches, as Yale Medicine explains, do not contain tobacco, and “are tucked in between a person’s lip or cheek and gums; the nicotine is absorbed into their bloodstream through mucous membranes in their mouth.”

Josh Brolin Marc Maron
(Left) Josh Brolin; (Right) Marc Maron.

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Brolin, who shared his struggles with addiction in his new memoir, From Under the Truck, said he switched to pouches after experiencing some bad side effects with nicotine lozenges. 

“They taste like gasoline and they got a punch to them,” he said of the lozenges. “But I used to keep them up by my between my gum and my tooth line. I got seven cavities.”

“That's why I switched to this,” the Brothers star said, adding that he’s such a fan that he ended up using some questionable pouches while filming in the Middle East.

“We're in Jordan. And [this guy] comes up to me, and he says, 'I have some.' And it has a skull and crossbones on the top.. And it's 40 milligram packets. And I said, 'I can't do that.' ”

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“And then one day, I start running out, and I haven't quite run out, I probably have four or five more tins [of my usual pouches] left. And I have his thing in my pocket, and I'm running back from the gym." 

He tried the other tin, and says, “I stick the thing in my mouth for no more, and I swear to God on my kids, for no more than 20 seconds, and I had to cancel dinner that night. I literally was sh—ting my brains out. It was f—ing crazy.”

The Avengers alum said that afterward, he paid $300 on the black market for his preferred product.

Josh Brolin and Kathryn Boyd Brolin los angeles 04 07 24
Josh Brolin with his wife, Kathryn Boyd.

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He shared that he’s so addicted, “I have them all over the house.”

While some people consider nicotine pouches to be safe, more research is needed — the pouches may cause long-term health effects like cancer of the throat and mouth, dental problems like tooth loss and discoloration, gastrointestinal issues, and gum disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“I’ve started taking them out and putting them on the bedside table,” Brolin said, adding that he was concerned about the pouches being found by his young kids.

Along with his eldest children, Trevor Mansur, 36, and Eden, 29, whom he shares with his ex-wife Alice Adair, Brolin shares daughters Westlyn Reign, 6, and Chapel Grace, 3, with wife Kathryn Boyd

“If [my daughter] puts it in her mouth, she's gonna get sick. And instead of stopping, I try and teach them, ‘Don’t do that.’ “

“Stay away from Daddy’s s—t,” Maron joked.

“Daddy needs that,” Brolin chimed in. 

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