Facts About Smokeless Tobacco

The idea behind this site is quitting dip. It’s our intention to get as much information (facts and figures) about quitting out there as possible… please let us know if you know of a resource that isn’t listed here!

Smokeless Tobacco Facts Feature

Facts and Information About Smokeless Tobacco

Got a fact or figure we’ve missed? Please pass it along! 

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TJ
TJ
3 years ago

This is awsome my dad has been chewing since he was 15 about 22 years. He is trying to quit with a No Tobacco Chew it looks exactly like it smells a bit different but he went from chewing 12 cans in 2 weeks to 2 cans a week.

Walter
Walter
3 years ago
Reply to  TJ

What is the No Tobacco Chew that looks and smells similar to chew?

Brandon
Brandon
5 years ago

2 weeks today. Good to hear the stories.

Brandon Wallace
Brandon Wallace
4 years ago
Reply to  Brandon

How much truth is there to Dr. Rodu’s research? It’s maddening that there is so much strong evidence that he seemingly has put forth.

Rick
Rick
5 years ago

Very interesting article. I have three years already quit tobacco use in all its manifestations. Three out of four users of oral tobacco have oral cavity damage. Spong tobacco diseases and inflammations of the gums, tooth decay, tissues attaching the teeth are dying, which can lead to early loss of teeth. In regular users of tobacco, the teeth are yellowish-brown or even black and covered with bloom. Breath gets unpleasant smell. One of the reasons why the use of spongy tobacco is common among young people is the belief that it is not as harmful as smoking.

herry
6 years ago

I would like to see some facts about smokeless tobacco. Like what exactly is the shit is made out of? .. I’m on day two of quitting, and tomorrow is day three. It’s going ok for now. Got a serious craving tonight after supper. The site helps me

James
James
8 years ago

Deeply
What is do you mean by safe? Moist snuff and snus do not I repeat do not cause any type of cancer. It has been documented for the last several decades in scientific research. If you would like to present one scientific study that shows a link between moist snuff or snus causing cancer and controls for alcohol, smoking, and hpv exposure be my guest. Hint: there are none.

oz1
oz1
5 years ago
Reply to  James

In that case, would you suggest deleting the entire cancer pictures and face surgery section on this web site so as to not “scare” people into quitting? one thing is for sure, dip is addicting and people here are trying to quit.

rxod
rxod
4 years ago
Reply to  oz1

I don’t think anyone is claiming that tobacco or nicotine products in general aren’t addictive, it’s common knowledge that neurotropic stimulants have high addictive potential. I cannot claim to speak for others on the matter but in relation to James’ initial post as I interpreted it, dip, snus, etc. as shown by numerous studies conducted by third party organizations and or individual specialists have little to zero correlation to the occurrence of mouth or other mouth related cancers. Yes it is true that if one doesn’t practice proper proportionate oral hygiene then they are more likely to develop oral health problems (since starting to dip regularly myself I brush my teeth at least 3 times a day floss upwards of 10 times a day and use mouthwash every time I’ve finished a dip on top of after every meal and every time I brush my teeth). The fact to the matter is this, as a recovered addict of numerous substances (now completely sober just over 2.5 years) it is my belief as well as the majority of professionals who specialize in addiction, that an addict will only “get clean” once they’ve made up their mind to do so, no warnings or images of the health repercussions will really do much before that decision is made. I support anyone who decides that they need to quit a substance as it takes a great deal of inner strength to do so and I have a great deal of respect for those people, if you think that you have an addiction problem then the decision to stop is one that I back 100%. with that being said, I do take issue with the active spreading of disinformation whether the intent be benevolent or malicious. I use dip as a way to keep myself sober from everything else, as an informed adult I’ve taken the costs of this into account and the benefits outweigh them exponentially. Nothing is all good or all bad, everything comes with its own set of risks, and to suggest otherwise is a blatant lie. At the end of the day it comes down to the circumstances, method, and frequency of consumption. If INFORMED ADULTS want to quit nicotine products then they should, if INFORMED ADULTS want to continue using nicotine products then they should.

Chris S.
Chris S.
8 years ago

I’m posting to make sure this stays fresh…no pun. According to the WHO there is a preponderance of evidence linking chew and its many additives to at least 3 types of cancer. Guys, its not a question. Having kids and not wanting them to be over exposed (and wanting to live long enough to meet their kids), and quite honestly, being sick of waking up with what I can only describe as the taste of a 6 month old dried out sawdusty Copenhagen can in my mouth finally forced my hand. It was not easy, I’m a year and half to the day off the stuff after what was probably a 20 can every day or three habit of Cope. I had a few false starts before i kicked it. I still have cravings sometimes. I know I can’t have another dip and won’t and that’s it. If your just kicking or contemplating, know that it is absolutely possible, yes it is difficult, and no, you can’t just take one dip and be ok. It won’t work, trust me. My family is thankful, I’m thankful, and as an old guy athlete, I can also attest to the fact that my endurance improved within a few weeks. Thank you to the folks that put together and keep this site up. It helped and helps me. Good fortune to everyone

Bob1978
Bob1978
8 years ago
Reply to  Chris S.

New here and liked your post.

klardoin
8 years ago

Right on!!! Well said.

MikeLiveFree
MikeLiveFree
8 years ago

I am 29 days nic free. During that time I have sat with my daughter and watched two basketball games. I have gone to bed at decent times and enjoyed an early morning read after a good nights rest. I have saved money. I have begun singing again. I have had many more meaningful conversations with my wife. I have not worried once about cancer or whether I’ll see my granddaughter grow up. And this is just off the top of my head. This site is the biggest reason I am where I am today. Thank you!!

James
James
1 year ago
Reply to  MikeLiveFree

Great to hear! This alone has motivated me to stay off dip!

Robert
Robert
8 years ago

Let’s make it easy. 45k cases of oral cancer/yr. 75% tobacco, 25% non tobacco users. Do this exercise, contact the CDC,ncs,OCS,fda and ask them what % of their “tobacco users” smoke, smokeless, drink, HPV etc… Dont be surprised if you see claims like 75% of ALL oral cancer are SMOKERS(but how,thought you said 75% are TOBACCO users????).Lollll been there , done that, nothing…you try.

Meanwhile there is a last decade study that does this….

james
james
9 years ago

please learn the facts. rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com. scare tactics are not science. there are virtually no studies linking smokeless tobacco to any meaningful disease. The only study linking a smokeless product to oral cancer is the Winn study done in 1981 on dry powdered snuff, a product rarely used this day in age, and a product containing a much higher level of contaminants. Current products have been studied extensively over the last 20-25 years and have been found to have no ill effects in humans. all national group medical sources quoted on the site mirror the Winn study or the IARC 2007 monograph(finds oral cancer risk in the third world country products and applies to all products,us and swedish moist snuff does not contain lime, an extremely caustic substance) and do not factor in any other evidence. the only truthful warning label on current products is that nicotine is addictive. however so is caffiene. the others have no scientific backing whatsoever. Tony Gwynn’s story( he had salivary gland cancer, proven not linked to any tobacco use). Curt Schilling case, he had Tonsil Cancer(linked to smoking, alcohol, and HPV) He most likely had HPV 16 positive cancer as it presented in a lymph node. Its unfortunanate and continues to fuel the misperception but many of the moderatotrs on here post thigs like addiction, disgusting, take your chances etc. Drugs like nicotine can be used very safely and it provides many benefits such as relaxation, concentration, etc. This is no different than caffiene as long as there is no smoke.

To answer Chewie’s question on corrections from above: everything, especially all the copy and paste jobs from smoking related sites to make them look like they are related to all tobacco products. Oral cancer presented on this site in young people related to smokeless is a coincidental diagnosis. again the only study showing any link, showed an avg of 55 years of use before cancer presentation and again in dry powdered snuff. Gruen and Marsee both had rare tongue cancer but they just happened to use smokeless so it was blamed the cause. Bender was a heavy smoker as well and now owns a Vape shop. go figure. Please see the comprehensive meta analysis done by Peter Lee and Jan Hamling. They reviewed every study ever done on smokless tobacco and found no link to any disease when controlling for smoking and heavy alcohol use. By the way alcohol has zero warning labels and is celebrated and causes much more illness and death than smokeless tobacco.

the tide is turning in this argument. the truth is coming out. Swedish Match filed with the FDA to have all unscientifcally based warning labels be removed from their products.

I think it is great if you want to help people if they want to quit for whatever reason. the drug nicotine is addictive and is not a natural state the body should be in. however again neither is drinking 5 cups of coffee per day. however IMO you lose all credibility by continuing the same misinformation that is out there today.

To reply to skippy above its basically made of air or fire cured dark tobacco, salt(added to increase PH level allow nicotine absorption), sugar and flavoring. Studies have shown there are 28 carcinogens in smokeless tobacco however they are in tiny amounts that are unproven at that level to cause harm. the dose determines the effect. also coffee has 21 of the 28 at similar levels and no one is calling a coffee drinker an addict or asking for disease.

Dave
Dave
9 years ago
Reply to  james

As a nicotine addict for the past 45 years (cigarettes the first twenty, dip the past 25), I’m now at day 15 tobacco free. I personally have not researched the studies connecting smokeless tobacco to cancer, but at very least James mentioned that nicotine is not a natural state the body should be in; I agree. So thankful I quit smoking 25 years ago and now I’m looking forward to continued success in quitting tobacco all together.
I don’t know if dipping is related to cancer, but my reasons for quitting are: seems nicotine may be robbing my body of oxygen (I’m a runner), I chew more out of habit than enjoyment, it costs a lot of money and I could name a number of other reasons. I really did like dipping, but I just can no longer live with being a slave to it. If I could do a can a month, I’d probably never quit. I know for myself, that is not possible so I am resolved to give it up all together.
I live in Florida where a can costs $7.00. I had my cans shipped in by a friend from another state where I was paying $3.50 a can delivered. Just shipped back 75 cans, which my friend agreed to take back; that’s my first savings of about $250.
To all of you who wish to quit for whatever reason, I pray you do and wish you the resolve, strength and courage to do so.

J
J
9 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Cope wintergreen is $5 a can where I am in Oregon, I used to drive to Idaho and buy my friends logs of the shit for half price. I am now three weeks free of dip and I wouldn’t be able to afford my apartment right now if I were still chewing a can a day

Dave
Dave
9 years ago
Reply to  J

I’m right with you J at the three week mark and feeling good (that is other than the root canal I had today, lol).

DeepyDeeDont
DeepyDeeDont
9 years ago
Reply to  james

Mr James, are you saying that Tobacco products are safe? and your argument is that people should not be discouraged from using these products? May I ask if you and your family use tobacco? Do you have kids? and if you do, do you tell them that tobacco products are safe to use?

Kevin
Kevin
7 years ago
Reply to  DeepyDeeDont

Don’t think he is saying it is completely safe.
Do agree with him it is not very scientific to try using smoking statistics and lump those to create a false case against chewing tobacco (they are exclusive in way of ingestion).
We all put bad things in our mouths everyday (food, drinks, etc.) , most all of those items house known carcinogens.
All plant life has trace carcinogens: Fruits , vegetables, nuts and grains all contain them.
If someone stands down wind of a fire burning all day, whether what it is burning is natural or unnatural they are probably going to have some adverse health effects.
I think his argument is when you separate cigarettes from chew the risk of cancer and other health issues go down immensely. When you compare smokeless tobacco users to non tobacco users it is actually a fairly small percentage of risk increase.
I no longer use chew, I am 42 years old and chewed from age 15-36. I quit to make my wife and kids happy (to be truthful they are the only ones happy about it). I will admit I loved it, I was calmer and always in a better mood.
To answer your question, would I tell my kids that tobacco is safe? My answer is I’m not really sure, I know smoking cigarettes is bad. I have seen people die from things that can surely be attributed to its usage. I know quite a few people who chew tobacco, I have have fortunately not heard of any of them getting any kind of oral cancer to this point, but conversely know 2 people who have had mouth cancer and asked each of them if they ever chewed. One said they smoked for 12 years the other never used any tobacco products.
But I can tell you this for sure, you can warn your kids against everything you know or think is dangerous.
They are probably gonna be like most of us and do some of them anyway

Ry
Ry
7 years ago
Reply to  james

bolgspot? wow definitely “alternative facts”

SKIPPY
SKIPPY
9 years ago

I would like to see some facts about smokeless tobacco. Like what exactly is the shit is made out of? .. I’m on day two of quitting, and tomorrow is day three. It’s going ok for now. Got a serious craving tonight after supper. The site helps me

TSD
TSD
10 years ago

sounds like an addict trying to rationalize their addiction by believing everything negative about the product the consume is lies and propaganda. Oliver just know this, you may or may not get some sort of cancer from dipping (or any tobacco product for that matter). Some people go their whole lives and never have a problem, then again some people use the product for 2 years and have to get their jaw removed. The fact of the matter is on a whole you are increasing your risk. If you want to just hope you will be one of the lucky ones, that’s your decision.

oliver durgen
10 years ago

I thought this was a good site until I read all of the propaganda on the fact/figures page.

this is why kids don’t listen to adults. because they lie.

you idiots think you can scare people into a way of thinking. not unlike religion or any other propaganda.

it’s ignorant and irresponsible.

maybe open up a modern sociology book before you spew your garbage.

deepydeedont
deepydeedont
10 years ago
Reply to  oliver durgen

Sir, they are not scaring anyone into anything, we come here on our own, most of the information posted here is contributed by ex addicts like myself, it is real life.

At least these guys are doing something to help out, if anything, just by encouraging us to desist from the disgusting habit.

If you find wrongful information in here then by all means let the administrators know, instead of complaining, you should help them.

Julia Grace
Julia Grace
7 years ago
Reply to  deepydeedont

Hi, my husband uses the pouches and I hate the nasty habit. He’s in denial and knows he should quit, but doesn’t. He always brushes his teeth afterward but I think it gets into the pores of his mouth and into his bloodstream. He is a runner and goes to the gym (4-5) days a week kinda guy. Sounds counter healthy to me. How can I help him quit?

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