Current or previous users should report any of the following signs to a physician:

• a sore that bleeds and does not heal
• a lump or thickening anywhere in your mouth or cheek
• soreness or swelling in the mouth that does not go away
• a red or white patch that does not go away
• difficulty chewing, swallowing, or moving the tongue of jaw
  

 

LIVING WITHOUT

SMOKELESS TOBACCO

Quitting is an ongoing process-You may have slips when you feel a strong urge to use chew.

A slip is normal, but it does not mean you have relapsed-A one-time use of snuff does not mean you are now a failure.  Use a slip or occasional lapse to learn how you can deal with that situation next time.  It is normal to have slips.  Now put your effort into staying off totally.

The main goal is to stop using smokeless totally-If you had a “slip” and used snuff or chew, this may be a situation you want to avoid for awhile or learn to handle differently next time.

Even if you went back to using smokeless again, quit again-Each time you quit, it will be easier.

People who quit tobacco addictions often have to try several times-Make a new plan and quit again-for good!

 

 

AVOID-One way to deal with tough situations is to avoid settings or activities that are high risk situations until you have been off chew or snuff long enough to have more confidence being a non-user.

ALTER-This strategy is to alter you plan to better deal with the urge.  Think of ways you can change your pattern of behavior to break up the usual plans.

ALTERNATIVES-When you get an urge to chew, you can substitute gum (sugar-free is best), sunflower seeds (unsalted are best), beef  jerky, or herbal (non-tobacco) snuff (like ground mint or clover leaves) for your usual chew.

ACTIVITIES-A lot of people chew or use snuff when bored or sitting around.  When you get an urge to use chew, take a walk or bike ride, work out on weights, or any other exercise or activity that can take your mind off the urge to chew.

 

Source: 

Enough Snuff: Pocket Guide                               Herbert H. Severson, PhD

Applied Behavior Science

 

Smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking.

 

It contains many of the same poisonous chemicals found in cigarettes. 

Using spit tobacco may lead to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and can cause cancer, tooth decay, face disfiguration...even death.

• Spit tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking – it causes oral, esophageal and stomach cancers, and tooth and gum disease.
• One in three people diagnosed with oral cancer die from it.

• Spit tobacco contains carcinogenic chemicals, as well as arsenic and lead, both of which cause health problems.
• According to the Mayo Clinic, some spit tobacco products contain additives that increase the rate at which nicotine is absorbed into the body.

Spit Tobacco is Addictive

• Compared to cigarettes, spit tobacco delivers five times as much nicotine, a highly addictive chemical.
• Spit tobacco products vary. Many have added sweeteners that are attractive to young users. Beginning users usually graduate to products containing more nicotine after becoming regular users.
• New evidence proves that spit tobacco use leads to smoking.