Alternatives to Smokeless Tobacco: Healthier Habits to Replace the Chew
At some point, many smokers consider quitting, whether it’s prompted by a specific motivation or a drive to improve their quality of life. This moment can be an exciting time that represents change and the start of something new. However, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, considering how difficult it is to break a habit that’s been around for years.
Similar to how Louisiana gives new users $200 in bonus cash at many online casinos, the accessibility of these alternatives can provide the support they need to stay on track. But to kick the habit, plenty of people opt for smokeless tobacco as a “healthier” alternative, yet it can quickly become a case of swapping one bad habit for another. While you spare your lungs, these alternatives are still harmful to your health in a variety of ways. That’s why we’re going over a range of healthier habits you might want to transition to.
What Is Smokeless Tobacco?
Smokeless tobacco is exactly what it sounds like—tobacco products that don’t require the user to inhale smoke into their lungs. Users might suck or chew the product so that the nicotine and other chemicals are absorbed through the lining of the mouth. These might take the form of loose leaves, prepackaged pouches, compressed blocks, dip, or even modern dissolvable products like lozenges or strips.
Why Is Smokeless Tobacco Not the Best Alternative to Smoking?
Even with smoke out of the picture, these products still come with health risks due to the nicotine and other substances they contain. While you reduce your risk of lung cancer, you still put yourself at risk of pancreatic, mouth, and esophagus cancer and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. As nicotine is what makes the act of smoking so addictive, smokeless tobacco can sustain your addiction to nicotine. From the chemicals formed when tobacco is cured to the naturally occurring harmful metals, the variety of toxic substances may surprise many users.
Healthier Alternatives to Smokeless Tobacco
The good news is that smokeless tobacco isn’t the only alternative to quitting smoking. Here are some substance-related products and non-substance-related options to consider:
Herbal Chews and Teas
With nicotine completely out of the equation, herbal chews can provide that familiar feeling of chewing smokeless tobacco without the chemicals. They provide a long-lasting flavor, oral stimulation, and other components that can actually improve health, such as green tea and ginseng. Some herbal products are made to be chewed or held in the mouth, while others are made to be brewed into a tea or drink.
Exercise
Exercise is a precursor to a healthy lifestyle, and this doesn’t have to mean lifting weights at the gym. Whether you prefer dancing, Pilates, swimming, or an extreme sport, exercise can, over time, permanently change the structure of your brain for the better. With more available dopamine receptors and more dopamine circulating in the system, you can improve your health and mood and even repair the damage caused by smoking. This chemical has a vast effect on the body and brain, and smokers usually look for that feeling from nicotine. By replacing the source of nicotine, it offers a much healthier way to break free of cigarette dependence.
Mindfulness Techniques
As the mind works in mysterious ways, practicing mindfulness can give us more control over our habits, triggers, and reactions and brings us back to the present during stressful moments. The simplest act of incorporating deep breathing sessions into your daily life can give you a few quiet moments of solace, helping you concentrate on each breath rather than the temptation of your cravings. Making mindfulness a habit, whether through breathwork, mindful meditation, or another technique, can help manage cravings and give room for pause before blindly reaching for a cigarette.
Support Systems
Quitting smoking can often seem like a one-person feat, but the reality is that a strong support system can make all the difference. This emotional support can make an otherwise enormous task more manageable, providing the motivation and accountability you’ll likely need to succeed in the long term. This support system doesn’t always have to include your own friends and family; it can also mean joining a support group with fellow smokers looking to quit and those who have successfully quit.
Therapy
Sometimes, smoking can be a vice to help cope with a bigger personal struggle. Perhaps there’s a source of stress in your life, or you’re coping with symptoms of anxiety. Attending therapy regularly can be a huge help on your journey, providing a space for you to speak to a professional about hidden triggers and ways to manage cravings. There might even be room to explore advanced therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy to change patterns in your thoughts and behaviors that lead to addiction in the first place.
