6 Tips to Quit Tobacco Chewing Habit in 2024
As a dipper you might be looking to quit tobacco, but you have already discovered that it is not that easy. But don’t worry! It’s not impossible.
Quitting your tobacco chewing habit is similar to quitting smoking. Tobacco cravings can be intense for many users. Both these involve addictive nicotine products and have physical, mental and emotional aspects of addition.
If you are determined to quit tobacco chewing for good, there is no single correct method available. But there are some key steps and strategies that help you to break free from your habit. Here is what you need to know.
Let’s read this blog carefully.
What Are the Risks of Chewing Tobacco?
Smokeless tobacco products include tobacco that is chewed, sucked, or sniffed, rather than smoked. The addictive chemical in tobacco, nicotine, is absorbed through the mouth or nose tissues and sometimes swallowed.
Chewing tobacco typically involves placing leaves or plugs in the cheek and chewing them. Many believe smokeless tobacco is less harmful than smoking, but this is not the case. It has numerous adverse effects and can lead to severe health issues.
Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, which can cause addiction, and dozens of chemicals that can lead to cancer.
Health problems associated with smokeless tobacco include:
Addiction:
Users of smokeless tobacco can absorb as much or more nicotine as cigarette smokers. Withdrawal from smokeless tobacco can cause intense cravings, anger, and depression.
Cancer:
Using chewing tobacco and other smokeless products increases the risk of mouth, throat, and pancreatic cancers. It can also cause leukoplakia, small white patches in the mouth that may turn into cancer.
Heart disease:
Some smokeless tobacco types raise heart rate and blood pressure. Long-term use increases the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
Dental disease:
The sugar and irritants in smokeless tobacco can cause cavities, worn-down teeth, staining, bad breath, gum disease, receding gums, bone loss around roots, and tooth loss.
Pregnancy risk:
Using smokeless tobacco during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth, low birth weight, and heart rate issues in infants.
Poisoning risk:
The candy-like appearance and flavors of some smokeless tobacco products attract children, posing a risk of nicotine poisoning. This can cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, shaking, coma, breathing difficulties, and even death in children.
How Do I Get Rid of the Habit of Chewing Tobacco?
The process to quit tobacco is challenging, but having a plan can make it easier. Here are some tips to help you quit chewing or dipping.
Pick a Quit Date
Choose a date to quit tobacco within the next two weeks so you can prepare. Aim for a low stress period.
Understand Nicotine Withdrawal
After quitting, you might experience withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, discomfort, and mood changes. These symptoms include:
- Feeling a bit depressed
- Insomnia
- Irritability, frustration, or anger
- Anxiety, nervousness, or restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
Withdrawal symptoms usually peak within a few days to a few weeks. Although you may feel tempted to chew or dip during this time, remember that these feelings are temporary.
Handle Triggers and Cravings
Triggers are people, places, or activities that make you want to chew or dip. Identifying your triggers can help you manage them. Common triggers include:
- Waking up during the night or having nightmares
- After meals or during breaks
- Driving
- Stress or pain
- Feeling anxious, angry, impatient, or bored
- Seeing someone else smoke, chew, or dip
- Drinking coffee or alcohol
- After sex
- Before bedtime
- Watching TV or live sports
- Playing sports
Triggers can cause short but intense cravings. Remember, all cravings are temporary and will pass. Learn more about triggers and find strategies to handle cravings.
Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
NRT can help manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Options include:
- Nicotine gum
- Patches
- Lozenges
- Nasal sprays
- Inhalers
Consult a doctor to create a suitable NRT plan.
Try Other Medications
Other medications, like varenicline or bupropion, can double your chances of quitting. These medications can help you stay committed to quitting.
Quitting “cold turkey” isn’t your only option. Talk to your VA healthcare provider about medications to help you quit chewing or dipping.
Go Online for Support
Join an online stop-smoking program or participate in a quitter’s blog to share and receive encouragement. Learn from others who have managed their tobacco cravings.
What Happens If You Suddenly Quit Tobacco Chewing?
The benefits of quitting tobacco begin almost immediately and continue to enhance your health over time.
- Just 20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal levels.
- Within 12 hours: The carbon monoxide levels in your blood normalize.
- After 2 weeks to 3 months: You will notice improved circulation and increased lung function.
- Within 1 to 9 months: You will experience less coughing and shortness of breath. Your lungs and airways become better at handling mucus, cleaning out the lungs, and reducing infection risks.
- By the 1-year mark: Your risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by half compared to that of a current tobacco user, and your heart attack risk significantly decreases.
What Are the 3 Withdrawal Symptoms of Tobacco?
When quitting tobacco, three common withdrawal symptoms are cravings, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
- Cravings are intense urges to use tobacco, often triggered by specific situations or stress.
- Irritability includes feelings of frustration, anger, and restlessness as your body adjusts to the absence of nicotine.
- Difficulty concentrating arises due to the brain’s dependency on nicotine for stimulation, leading to mental fog and challenges in maintaining focus.
These symptoms, though challenging, are temporary and signify the body’s healing process.
What Are the Benefits of Quit Tobacco?
Quitting tobacco offers numerous health benefits that begin almost immediately and continue to improve over time. Within just 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your blood pressure and heart rate drop to normal levels. After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood normalizes, improving oxygen flow throughout your body.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months, your circulation improves and lung function increases, making physical activities easier and more enjoyable. Between 1 to 9 months, you will notice a significant reduction in coughing and shortness of breath. Your lungs become more efficient at clearing mucus, reducing the risk of infection.
A year after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s, and the risk of heart attack drops dramatically. Over the long term, quitting reduces the risk of various cancers, including those of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and lungs.
Achieving quit tobacco also enhances your overall quality of life. You will experience improved taste and smell, better oral health, and a lower risk of dental issues. Your skin will look healthier, and you will have more energy. Additionally, quitting tobacco can lead to financial savings, as you no longer need to spend money on tobacco products.
Overall, quitting tobacco is one of the best decisions you can make for your health and well-being.
The Bottom Line
Quitting tobacco chewing is a challenging journey, but with the right strategies and support, it is achievable. At Qtox Wellness, we offer a holistic, nicotine-free plan tailored to help you break free from tobacco addiction. Our program includes free consultations, personalized plans, and clinically proven, FDA-approved medications.
With a 95% success rate, our comprehensive approach addresses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of addiction.
Take the first step towards a healthier, tobacco-free life with Qtox Wellness. For more information, visit Qtox Wellness.
As a dipper you might be looking to quit tobacco, but you have already discovered that it is not that easy. But don’t worry! It’s not impossible.
Quitting your tobacco chewing habit is similar to quitting smoking. Tobacco cravings can be intense for many users. Both these involve addictive nicotine products and have physical, mental and emotional aspects of addition.
If you are determined to quit tobacco chewing for good, there is no single correct method available. But there are some key steps and strategies that help you to break free from your habit. Here is what you need to know.
Let’s read this blog carefully.
What Are the Risks of Chewing Tobacco?
Smokeless tobacco products include tobacco that is chewed, sucked, or sniffed, rather than smoked. The addictive chemical in tobacco, nicotine, is absorbed through the mouth or nose tissues and sometimes swallowed.
Chewing tobacco typically involves placing leaves or plugs in the cheek and chewing them. Many believe smokeless tobacco is less harmful than smoking, but this is not the case. It has numerous adverse effects and can lead to severe health issues.
Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, which can cause addiction, and dozens of chemicals that can lead to cancer.
Health problems associated with smokeless tobacco include:
Addiction:
Users of smokeless tobacco can absorb as much or more nicotine as cigarette smokers. Withdrawal from smokeless tobacco can cause intense cravings, anger, and depression.
Cancer:
Using chewing tobacco and other smokeless products increases the risk of mouth, throat, and pancreatic cancers. It can also cause leukoplakia, small white patches in the mouth that may turn into cancer.
Heart disease:
Some smokeless tobacco types raise heart rate and blood pressure. Long-term use increases the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
Dental disease:
The sugar and irritants in smokeless tobacco can cause cavities, worn-down teeth, staining, bad breath, gum disease, receding gums, bone loss around roots, and tooth loss.
Pregnancy risk:
Using smokeless tobacco during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth, low birth weight, and heart rate issues in infants.
Poisoning risk:
The candy-like appearance and flavors of some smokeless tobacco products attract children, posing a risk of nicotine poisoning. This can cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, shaking, coma, breathing difficulties, and even death in children.
How Do I Get Rid of the Habit of Chewing Tobacco?
The process to quit tobacco is challenging, but having a plan can make it easier. Here are some tips to help you quit chewing or dipping.
Pick a Quit Date
Choose a date to quit tobacco within the next two weeks so you can prepare. Aim for a low stress period.
Understand Nicotine Withdrawal
After quitting, you might experience withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, discomfort, and mood changes. These symptoms include:
- Feeling a bit depressed
- Insomnia
- Irritability, frustration, or anger
- Anxiety, nervousness, or restlessness
- Difficulty concentrating
Withdrawal symptoms usually peak within a few days to a few weeks. Although you may feel tempted to chew or dip during this time, remember that these feelings are temporary.
Handle Triggers and Cravings
Triggers are people, places, or activities that make you want to chew or dip. Identifying your triggers can help you manage them. Common triggers include:
- Waking up during the night or having nightmares
- After meals or during breaks
- Driving
- Stress or pain
- Feeling anxious, angry, impatient, or bored
- Seeing someone else smoke, chew, or dip
- Drinking coffee or alcohol
- After sex
- Before bedtime
- Watching TV or live sports
- Playing sports
Triggers can cause short but intense cravings. Remember, all cravings are temporary and will pass. Learn more about triggers and find strategies to handle cravings.
Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
NRT can help manage withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Options include:
- Nicotine gum
- Patches
- Lozenges
- Nasal sprays
- Inhalers
Consult a doctor to create a suitable NRT plan.
Try Other Medications
Other medications, like varenicline or bupropion, can double your chances of quitting. These medications can help you stay committed to quitting.
Quitting “cold turkey” isn’t your only option. Talk to your VA healthcare provider about medications to help you quit chewing or dipping.
Go Online for Support
Join an online stop-smoking program or participate in a quitter’s blog to share and receive encouragement. Learn from others who have managed their tobacco cravings.
What Happens If You Suddenly Quit Tobacco Chewing?
The benefits of quitting tobacco begin almost immediately and continue to enhance your health over time.
- Just 20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal levels.
- Within 12 hours: The carbon monoxide levels in your blood normalize.
- After 2 weeks to 3 months: You will notice improved circulation and increased lung function.
- Within 1 to 9 months: You will experience less coughing and shortness of breath. Your lungs and airways become better at handling mucus, cleaning out the lungs, and reducing infection risks.
- By the 1-year mark: Your risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by half compared to that of a current tobacco user, and your heart attack risk significantly decreases.
What Are the 3 Withdrawal Symptoms of Tobacco?
When quitting tobacco, three common withdrawal symptoms are cravings, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
- Cravings are intense urges to use tobacco, often triggered by specific situations or stress.
- Irritability includes feelings of frustration, anger, and restlessness as your body adjusts to the absence of nicotine.
- Difficulty concentrating arises due to the brain’s dependency on nicotine for stimulation, leading to mental fog and challenges in maintaining focus.
These symptoms, though challenging, are temporary and signify the body’s healing process.
What Are the Benefits of Quit Tobacco?
Quitting tobacco offers numerous health benefits that begin almost immediately and continue to improve over time. Within just 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your blood pressure and heart rate drop to normal levels. After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood normalizes, improving oxygen flow throughout your body.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months, your circulation improves and lung function increases, making physical activities easier and more enjoyable. Between 1 to 9 months, you will notice a significant reduction in coughing and shortness of breath. Your lungs become more efficient at clearing mucus, reducing the risk of infection.
A year after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s, and the risk of heart attack drops dramatically. Over the long term, quitting reduces the risk of various cancers, including those of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and lungs.
Achieving quit tobacco also enhances your overall quality of life. You will experience improved taste and smell, better oral health, and a lower risk of dental issues. Your skin will look healthier, and you will have more energy. Additionally, quitting tobacco can lead to financial savings, as you no longer need to spend money on tobacco products.
Overall, quitting tobacco is one of the best decisions you can make for your health and well-being.
The Bottom Line
Quitting tobacco chewing is a challenging journey, but with the right strategies and support, it is achievable. At Qtox Wellness, we offer a holistic, nicotine-free plan tailored to help you break free from tobacco addiction. Our program includes free consultations, personalized plans, and clinically proven, FDA-approved medications.
With a 95% success rate, our comprehensive approach addresses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of addiction.
Take the first step towards a healthier, tobacco-free life with Qtox Wellness. For more information, visit Qtox Wellness.