- What do I need to know about quitting?
- Why is it so hard to quit smokeless tobacco?
- How does smokeless tobacco affect your health?
- Other reasons to quit smokeless tobacco
- What are the immediate rewards of quitting smokeless tobacco?
- Getting help with the mental part of addiction to smokeless tobacco
- Getting help with the physical part of addiction to smokeless tobacco
- Other ways to quit smokeless tobacco
- A word about success rates for quitting smokeless tobacco
- Steps for long term success
- Making the decision to quit smokeless tobacco
- Setting a date and making a plan to quit smokeless tobacco
- Dealing with smokeless tobacco withdrawal
- Staying tobacco-free
- Special concerns after quitting smokeless tobacco
- To learn more
Other reasons to quit smokeless tobacco
Besides health reasons, here a few more to consider:
Tobacco use is less socially acceptable now than ever. Chewing and dipping can carry a heavy social price, especially when dating. Bad breath, gum disease, and stained teeth are very unappealing. The spitting you have to do with most smokeless tobacco is not pretty, either.
Some employers ban all types of tobacco on their premises. Others won’t hire people who use any form of tobacco.
A tobacco habit can cost a lot of money. 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 a year). The amount might surprise you. Now multiply that by the number of years you have been using tobacco and the total will probably shock you.
Multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the next 10 years) and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money.
And this doesn’t include other possible costs, such higher health care and life insurance costs and time away from work due to tobacco-related problems.
Setting an example
If you have children in your life, you probably want to set a good example for them. When asked, nearly all smokeless tobacco users say they don’t want their children to chew or dip. You can become a better role model for them if you quit now.
Being a slave to the can or pouch
After long use, many smokeless users start to feel like their lives are being taken over by the can or the pouch. They don’t feel free to live as they’d like because of their tobacco habit. They clearly see how it limits them and causes problems in their lives.
Last Medical Review: 02/20/2014
Last Revised: 02/20/2014