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Smokeless Tobacco- You need to know!
Spit (Smokeless) Tobacco
In 1986, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that the use of spit tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes or cigars, as these products can cause various cancers and noncancerous oral conditions, and can lead to nicotine adiction. Some of these conditions are listed below.
• Cancer of the mouth and pharynx
• Leukoplakia (white sores in the mouth that can lead to cancer)
• Gum recession, or peeling back of gums
• Bone loss around the teeth
• Abrasion of teeth
• Bad breath
The most serious health effect of spit tobacco is an increased risk of cancer of the mouth and pharynx. Oral cancer occurs several times more frequently among snuff dippers compared with non-tobacco users. The risk of cancer of the cheek and gums may increase nearly 50-fold among long-term snuff users.
Leukoplakia is a white sore or patch in the mouth that can become cancerous. Studies have consistently found high rates of leukoplakia at the place in the mouth where users place the “chew.” One study found that almost 3/4 of daily users of moist snuff, and chewing tobacco had non-cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions (sores) in the mouth. The longer you use spit tobacco, the more likely you are to have leukoplakia.
Studies have shown that about 7% to 27% of regular spit tobacco users have gum recession and bone loss around the teeth. The surface of the tooth root may be exposed where gums have drawn back. Tobacco can irritate or destroy the tissue.
Spit tobacco may also play a role in cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Nicotine enters the users’ bloodstream through the lining of the mouth and/or the gastrointestinal tract. Nicotine causes your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure to go up.
Why Is It So Hard To Quit?
Spit tobacco delivers a high dose of nicotine. An average dose for snuff is 3.6 mg, for chewing tobacco, 4.6 mg – compared to 1.8 mg for cigarettes. Blood levels of nicotine throughout the day are similar among smokers and those who use spit tobacco.
A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association calculated that smokeless tobacco users ”. . . who use dip or chew 8-10 times a day might be exposed to the same amount of nicotine as people who smoke 30-40 cigarettes a day.” Stopping spit tobacco use causes symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that are similar to those smokers get when they quit.
In a study of Swedish oral snuff users, many of the participants said they were addicted to snuff, and they reported having as much trouble giving up spit tobacco as did cigarette smokers trying to quit smoking. Evidence also suggests that when regular snuff users can’t use snuff, they will smoke cigarettes to satisfy their need for nicotine.
How Nicotine Affects the Body
Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive, as addictive as heroin and cocaine. The body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine, and studies have shown that users must overcome both of these to be successful at quitting and staying quit.
Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including your heart and blood vessels, your hormonal system, your metabolism, and your brain. During pregnancy, nicotine freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants. Nicotine is metabolized mainly by the liver and lungs, but a small amount is excreted by the kidneys. Nicotine is broken down by the body into the by-products cotinine and nicotine-N’-oxide.
Nicotine produces pleasurable feelings that make the tobacco user want to use more and also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to nicotine, tobacco users tend to increase the amount of tobacco they use, and hence the amount of nicotine in their blood. After a while, the tobacco user develops a tolerance to the drug, which leads to an increased use over time. Eventually, the tobacco user reaches a certain nicotine level and then keeps up the usage to maintain this level of nicotine.
Immediate Benefits of Quitting
There are many reasons to stick it out through withdrawal and quit using tobacco for good. In addition to the health reasons mentioned earlier, consider the following.
Chewing and dipping carry a heavy social stigma, especially with the opposite sex. Bad breath, gum disease, and discolored teeth are very unappealing. The spitting associated with spit tobacco use is offensive and has a potential health risk as well.
The tobacco habit can be expensive. It isn’t hard to figure out how much you spend on tobacco: multiply how much money you spend on tobacco every day by 365 (days per year). The amount may surprise you. Now multiply that by the number of years you have been using tobacco and that amount will probably astound you.
Multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the upcoming 10 years) and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money. Do you really want to continue wasting your money with nothing to show for it except possible health problems?
If you have children, you want to set a good example for them. When asked, nearly all tobacco users say they don’t want their children to chew or dip. You can become a good role model for them if you quit now.
Quitting Spit Tobacco
Surveys show that most people who use snuff or chew would like to quit. In one survey, more than half said they would try to quit in the next year.
In many ways, quitting spit tobacco is a lot like quitting smoking. Both involve tobacco products that contain nicotine and both involve the physical and psychological components of addiction. Many of the methods of handling the psychological hurdles of quitting are the same. Two elements are unique for smokeless users, however:
There is often a stronger need for oral substitutes to take the place of the chew or snuff.
Because spit tobacco often causes sores in the mouth and gum problems, the disappearance of these after quitting provides a readily visible benefit.
People can get help quitting by calling ACS at 800.ACS.2345.
Source: www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2x_Smokeless_Tobacco_and_Cancer.asp?sitearea=PED
Is smokeless tobacco safer than cigarettes?
NO WAY! It’s true that many people think smokeless tobacco (also known as chewing or spit tobacco, or snuff) isn’t as bad as cigarettes. One study quoted in the SGR said that 77 percent of kids thought cigarette smoking was very harmful, but only 40 percent thought smokeless tobacco was very harmful. Very wrong! The truth is that smokeless tobacco use is connected with all sorts of problems.
• BAD HEALTH! Smokeless tobacco can cause bleeding gums and sores of the mouth that never heal. Eventually you might end up with cancer.
• TOUGH TO QUIT! Tobacco is tobacco: it all contains nicotine, and nicotine is addictive!
• VERY DISGUSTING! It stains your teeth a yellowish-brown color. It gives you bad breath. It can make you dizzy, give you the hiccups, even make you throw up. (Definitely NOT cool!)
Finally, one more fact to chew on—according to the SGR, kids who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to start using cigarettes, too. That’s a double whammy that no healthy body can survive! So spit it out; say no to smokeless tobacco.
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