Wise Words From Joe Garagiola
Joe Garagiola was an advocate against the use of chewing tobacco. He had picked up the habit during his playing days with the St. Louis Cardinals, but quit cold turkey in the late-1950s. He annually visited major league teams during spring training with players from his generation who have suffered from oral cancer related to the addiction, and he always made comments about it on broadcasts whenever the camera would be on a player chewing tobacco.
Joe Garagiola on Chewing Tobacco
“I chewed tobacco because it seemed to be the thing to do if you were playing baseball,” says Garagiola. “Everybody chewed when I was playing, and nobody knew the dangers of it.” But he’s seen the dangers since, losing three close friends to oral cancer and seeing the harmful effects of spit tobacco on other people.
“You won’t die of gum disease or yellow teeth, but develop oral cancer and it’s a terrible way to go,” Garagiola says. “Here you are with oral cancer from using spit tobacco, your jaw has been removed and you have to eat through a tube. You die one piece at a time. Spit tobacco is a horrible, horrible thing. I just wish I could get this message across to everyone.”
Joe Garagiola – It’s never too late to quit
If you’re using smokeless tobacco, quit. Now that you know the dangers associated with it, you have extra motivation to give it up. Here’s what to do:
Many people will tell you to set a quit date. The suggestion is to mark your quit day on your calendar and commit to it. Select a day at least one week away so that you have time to prepare for your life as a former tobacco user.
OR better yet… QUIT TODAY. Make TODAY day #1 of your quit. The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll get that nicotine out of your system.
Talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor about your goal to quit using smokeless tobacco and ask for advice. Smokeless tobacco users have more success with quitting if they talk to a doctor or dentist about strategies for quitting.
If you’re concerned with withdrawals you can ask your doctor about medications that can help you quit. There are also non-nicotine prescription medications such as bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix) that can ease nicotine withdrawal symptoms when you quit.
Get support. Join a support group. Go online. Get help and support from people who understand what you’re going through. Free resources are available, so don’t worry about a financial cost. In fact, the BEST free resource for people quitting their smokeless tobacco and nicotine addiction is right here at KillTheCan.org!
Devise a plan to deal with cravings and know that cravings typically last only a few minutes. Using some fake dip, eating licorice, chewing gum, going for a walk or calling a friend can help you get through them. And the interval between cravings increases the longer you’ve stopped using tobacco and eventually the cravings will go away.
