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Dear Mr. NMCB We are responding to your inquiry to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), one of the federal government's National Institutes of Health (NIH). Congratulations on being tobacco-free. You inquired about the reduction of health risks after quitting dip also known as smokeless tobacco. The following resources discuss the risk factors of smokeless tobacco use, but also the health benefits of quitting. We’ve included specific links to these resources below: The American Cancer Society also has a topics page on “Guide to quitting smokeless tobacco” which can be located here: (http://www.cancer.or...bacco-why-quit). This page discusses risks of using smokeless tobacco and reduction of these risks when you quit. “Many studies have shown high rates of leukoplakia in the mouth where users place their chew or dip. One study found that nearly 3 of 4 daily users of moist snuffs and chewing tobacco had non-cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions (sores) in the mouth. The longer you use oral tobacco, the more likely you are to have leukoplakia. Tobacco can irritate or destroy gum tissue. Many regular smokeless tobacco users have receding gums, gum disease, tooth decay (from the high sugar content in tobacco), and bone loss around the teeth. The surface of the tooth root may be exposed where gums have shrunken. All this can cause teeth to loosen and fall out.” The National Center for Health Statistics may be a good resource if you are looking for statistical information associated with smokeless tobacco­: National Center for Health Statistics 3311 Toledo Rd Room 5419 Hyattsville, MD 20782 1 (800) 232-4636 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ and http://www.cdc.gov/n...ats/smoking.htm The NIDCR has online information on smokeless tobacco at the following web site: http://www.nidcr.nih...okelessTobacco/. To learn more, you may wish to visit the following patient support organization web sites that may be sources of additional materials or referrals: Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (http://oralhealthame...programs/nstep/) The American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org/index) You may also find it helpful to contact the following organizations for information: National Cancer Institute BG 9609 MSC 9760 9609 Medical Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-9760 (800) 4–CANCER (422–6237) Fax: (301) 402–5872 http://www.cancer.gov and http://www.cancer.go...okeless-tobacco and https://pubs.cancer....uYLRHKGNQNJzQ== NHLBI Health Information Center National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute P.O. Box 30105 Bethesda, MD 20824–0105 (301) 592–8573 or (240) 629–3255 nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov and http://www.nhlbi.nih.../smo_risks.html National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health Office of Science Policy and Communications Public Information and Liaison Branch 6001 Executive Boulevard Room 5213, MSC 9561 Bethesda, MD 20892–9561 (301) 443–1124 or (240) 221–4007 (Spanish) information@nida.nih.gov http://www.drugabuse.gov or http://www.nida.nih.gov Office on Smoking and Health National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Coordinating Center for Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K–50 Atlanta, GA 30341–3717 (800) 232–4636 (CDC public Inquiries) or (800) 784–8669 (QUIT NOW) (888) 232–6348 tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov or cdcinfo@cdc.gov http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco or http://apps.nccd.cdc...uicksearch.aspx (Smoking & Health Resource Library) SAMHSA’s Public Engagement Platform Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration P.O. Box 2345 Rockville, MD 20847–2345 (877) 726–4727 or (800) 487–4889 http://store.samhsa.gov/ American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery 1650 Diagonal Road Alexandria, VA 22314–2857 (703) 836–4444 http://www.entnet.org and http://www.entnet.or...ess-Tobacco.cfm National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center Georgetown University 2115 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 601 Washington, DC 20007–2292 (202) 784–9771 or (202) 784–9777 info@mchoralhealth.org or OHRCinfo@georgetown.edu http://www.mchoralhealth.org and http://www.mchoralhe...ts/tobacco.html To view or order NIDCR publications, visit http://www.nidcr.nih.gov. We hope you find this information helpful. Information Specialist National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Four score and 2 years ago, I ventured onto the web in search some magical quitting potion or modern medical miracle that could help me quit chewing tobacco. What I found instead was a website that managed to bring me back to reality and showed me that I didn't need those things to quit. All I needed was to act like a man of character and stop being a pussy that was controlled by a little toxin-laden weed. What I read that day gave me enough information and examples to know that I could do this without magic. That was February 6, 2014 and that was the day I decided I would quit. I went it alone for the first 30 days and was doing quite well. I wouldn't have made it long, though. I needed quit knowledge to fuel my quit. I went back to that site and began to immerse myself in it. I joined up with a band of brothers known as Mayhem of which I am a proud member. The brotherhood, camaraderie and quit support was invigorating. My new brothers and I would prop each other up when needed and tear each other down if needed. It wasn't always pretty but my quit was strengthening from getting support and giving support. My new super power, quit-knowledge, was bolstering my quit more and more. The first year was quite the ride as everything seemed new. I hadn't experienced life without nicotine poisoning my brain since I was 11 or 12 years of age. At first, like a child riding a bike, it was scary but before I knew it, I was poppin' wheelies and cuttin' cat's asses! I had found what would keep me quit...brotherhood and accountability. We were a band of misfits that just seemed to fit together. Our one true common denominator....We are ALL addicts to nicotine. Although we are addicts, we are in control of our addictions. Most addicts don't realize how controlled they are by their vice. But the people that I interact with here do. Try to slip some dip-romancing crap into a paragraph and you'll see what I mean. The quitters here will call out all of your bullshit addict speak and support you as you grow into a quitter. Fast forward to a couple years and I have a steely resolve in my quit. I wouldn't dip or chew again for any reason because I just don't do that. It isn't even something I would consider. We've burned the boats and will never go back, not for any reason. There are many reasons that I will never cave; most of them are on this site. The most frustrating thing for someone that is quit when trying to help another addict achieve the same is that we can't make you want to quit. You have to want it more than anything...then it will be easy. There isn't some magic potion, but luckily one is not needed. If you get to the point that you want to be quit, the people on this site, www.quittingdip.com will show you how to make it stick. Leave your addict pride at the door and pull up a seat on the quit side of life. Lastly, I would like to extend a sincere "Thank you" to the quitters that have helped me achieve my quit. I owe you my life and consider you all life-long friends. Here's to you and being quit as fuck!