Smokeless tobacco is more commonly known as spit tobacco, chewing tobacco, chew, and dip. Smokers suck on tobacco leaves instead of smoking them in cigarettes.
There are two types of smokeless tobacco: snuff and chewing tobacco:
- The finer-grain tobacco that is sometimes found in pouches that look like teabags is known as snuff.
- The chewing tobacco is larger-grain tobacco leaves that are twisted or shredded and sold loose in paper packets or small cans.
Users of Killa smokeless tobacco suck on the tobacco juices between their inner cheeks and gums on the lower part of their jaw when using snuff or chewing tobacco. The saliva in the mouth of users who smoke tobacco causes them to spit often. Through this sucking and chewing, nicotine is delivered to the bloodstream without the need to swallow tobacco juices.
Smokeless Tobacco: Why Do People Use it?
The history of smokeless tobacco dates back hundreds of years. A number of baseball players in the 1970s began using it as a safer alternative to smoking, making it more popular in the U.S.
However, nicotine is present in all tobacco products. This chemical is so addictive that nicotine addiction often occurs immediately after the first use. To get the same sensation as the first time, people addicted to nicotine need more nicotine. There are still many people who believe smokeless tobacco is a safer alternative to smoking, but this isn’t true. The effects of smokeless tobacco use can be just as harmful as those of smoking cigarettes.
What Are the Dangers of Smokeless Tobacco?
Smokeless tobacco poses serious health risks, including:
- Gums and lips that are cracked or bleeding
- Eventually, receding gums can cause teeth to fall out
- High blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and increased heart rate
- Heart attacks and strokes are more likely
- Angiogenesis
Cancer of the mouth (cancer of the mouth) is the cancer most often associated with smokeless tobacco use. Likewise, the chemicals in tobacco can also cause cancer in the stomach, the throat, and the bladder because they enter the digestive system through spitting.
Smokeless tobacco can cause permanent disfigurement in severe cases, such as loss of teeth and even bones in the face.
Most users of smokeless tobacco experience bad breath, yellowish-brown stains on their teeth, and mouth sores.
How Can I Quit Smokeless Tobacco?
Following are some tips to help you stop using smokeless tobacco:
- Talk to your doctor about which nicotine gum or patch is best for you before using them.
- Engage in healthier activities. Consider lifting weights, shooting baskets, swimming, biking, and other sports.
- For support, talk to your family and friends.
If you are trying to quit smoking, try these alternatives to smokeless tobacco:
- Mint leaf snuff that is tobacco-free
- sugarless gum
- hard candy
- beef jerky
- sunflower seeds
- shredded coconut
- raisins
- dried fruit
Quitting is difficult, and many people use smokeless tobacco while trying to quit. Never give up, though. Every time you quit, your chances improve!