I Can Quit!

With all the smoke-free laws going into effect, many people think they can safely switch to a smokeless form of tobacco. Don’t be fooled. Smokeless tobacco is NOT a safe alternative to smoking.

You can call it what you want — smokeless tobacco, spit tobacco, snus, chew, snuff, pinch, plug or dip — but don’t call it harmless. If you’re considering making the switch from cigarettes to chewing tobacco because you think the smokeless version of tobacco won’t hurt you, be forewarned — chewing tobacco also causes serious health problems.

Using smokeless tobacco products can cause serious health problems, from gum irritation to oral cancer. It also increases your heart rate and blood pressure and puts you at a greater risk of heart attack.

If you aren’t convinced that chewing tobacco, spit tobacco and other forms of smokeless tobacco aren’t risk-free, consider the words of someone who’s seen the damage tobacco can do. Joe Garagiola, a former spit tobacco user, played major league baseball and later worked in broadcasting. After retiring from baseball he became a crusader against spit tobacco — the term he prefers since “smokeless” makes tobacco sound harmless.

“I chewed tobacco because it seemed to be the thing to do if you were playing baseball,” says Garagiola. “Everybody chewed when I was playing, and nobody knew the dangers of it.” But he’s seen the dangers since, losing three close friends to oral cancer and seeing the harmful effects of spit tobacco on other people.

“You won’t die of gum disease or yellow teeth, but develop oral cancer and it’s a terrible way to go,” Garagiola says. “Here you are with oral cancer from using spit tobacco, your jaw has been removed and you have to eat through a tube. You die one piece at a time. Spit tobacco is a horrible, horrible thing. I just wish I could get this message across to everyone.”

Set a date to quit. Think of healthy ways to deal with cravings. Know that cravings typically last only a few minutes. Drinking water, eating licorice, chewing gum, going for a walk or calling a friend can help you get through them. And the interval between cravings increases the longer you’ve stopped using tobacco and eventually the cravings will go away.

Remember, it’s never too late to quit. For help, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or go to www.indianatobaccoquitline.net.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 8:13 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.