If you happen to use smokeless tobacco and have come across this website or if you know someone who chews, give me a few minutes of your time before hitting that back button. While BecomeAnEx is a site designed to help people stop smoking, there are a number of useful tools, strategies, and discussions here that may support you in your decision to stop chewing.
First of all, you are not alone. In the US, almost 12 million people chew tobacco and many of them would like to quit (1). While there are similarities between smoking and chewing tobacco, there are some unique challenges to quitting the dip. For example, smokeless tobacco use is often easier to “hide” than smoking and, consequently, people who use it can do so at work and other places where smoking is prohibited. As a result, planning a quit attempt requires looking at all of the triggers and routines associated with chewing. Between the psychological connection to dipping and the oral habit of chewing, it often takes time to consider the coping tools and strategies needed to overcome this addiction.
My time is almost up, so I'll be brief. If you are contemplating a quit attempt, I encourage you to spend time perusing the Ex Community to read others' experiences in quitting tobacco. While smoking and chewing are different in many ways, hope is a universal emotion that transcends our differences. There are many effective treatments and tools to help you in the quit process from counseling support to medications. However, like any big life change, it starts with making the decision and committing yourself to a new life journey.
References:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General.Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014
