Resources and References

[QuitSpeak]

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

 

[RickDicolus]

NIce bro

[schaef]

http://massachealth.org/blog/quit-smoking-the-facts-of-nicotine-addiction/

Facts about nicotine addiction. Good read.

[schaef]

http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/freedom-smoking/nicotine-receptors-take-over-month-normalize-after-quitting

Normalization of nicotine receptors

[schaef]

http://www.mentalworkout.com/blog/2014/02/05/are-e-cigarettes-for-quitting/

[Dirty Randy]

http://www.mentalworkout.com/blog/2014/02/05/are-e-cigarettes-for-quitting/

That was a really interesting take on NRTs.  As we all know, that shit just doesn't work.  I'm sure every last one of us has tried "cutting down" and it clearly didn't pan out.  What worked really well for me was just the opposite.  I had been cutting down for about two weeks, only allowing myself one chew a day.  Then, I planned the day I would quit.  When I actively chewed, it was a rare day if I went through more than half a tin.  So, to get myself off of it, one night I was drinking with a buddy and I tore through an entire tin in about six hours.  I know that seems counter intuitive, but my goal was to make myself sick of chew.  I wanted my lip to be so fucking raw that I couldn't even stomach putting another dip in the next day.  It fucking worked like a gem.  The next day I was hungover and felt like shit and the very last thing I wanted was a dip.  In fact, this strategy powered me all the way through Day 1 and most of the way through Day 2, which are easily some of the hardest days.  After that, I was on my own and had to be mentally tough, but it made it way easier being sick of chew right off the bat.  I certainly wouldn't recommend this strategy to everyone, but I just wanted to put up my take on the opposite of the cutting back strategy.

[schaef]

 

http://www.mentalworkout.com/blog/2014/02/05/are-e-cigarettes-for-quitting/

That was a really interesting take on NRTs.  As we all know, that shit just doesn't work.  I'm sure every last one of us has tried "cutting down" and it clearly didn't pan out.  What worked really well for me was just the opposite.  I had been cutting down for about two weeks, only allowing myself one chew a day.  Then, I planned the day I would quit.  When I actively chewed, it was a rare day if I went through more than half a tin.  So, to get myself off of it, one night I was drinking with a buddy and I tore through an entire tin in about six hours.  I know that seems counter intuitive, but my goal was to make myself sick of chew.  I wanted my lip to be so fucking raw that I couldn't even stomach putting another dip in the next day.  It fucking worked like a gem.  The next day I was hungover and felt like shit and the very last thing I wanted was a dip.  In fact, this strategy powered me all the way through Day 1 and most of the way through Day 2, which are easily some of the hardest days.  After that, I was on my own and had to be mentally tough, but it made it way easier being sick of chew right off the bat.  I certainly wouldn't recommend this strategy to everyone, but I just wanted to put up my take on the opposite of the cutting back strategy.

From the article "Using a patch or e-cigarette to delay, or reduce smoking, or wait until you get the chance to smoke is the opposite of quitting. This breeds frustration and fatigue. It’s like holding onto the side of a mountain. Eventually your strength gives out and you go back to the cigarette you’ve been missing. Allowing yourself to heal and say goodbye to your cigarettes involves a very different psychological approach: Release yourself, and let yourself off the hook of addiction so your brain and mind can begin to heal. Saying goodbye is completely different than waiting to meet up again." Totally agree with this statement!

[schaef]

It is good to know the background...

http://science.howstuffworks.com/nicotine1.htm

[IndianaMike]

http://stillblowingsmoke.org

 

The truth about Vaping.  

[Zook]

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/curt-schilling-letter-to-my-younger-self/

Very good read concerning Curt Schilling's letter to himself at age 16.

[Ace]

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/recent-research-sheds-new-light-on-why-nicotine-is-so-addictive/

Interesting article on why nicotine is so addictive.

In summary, because nicotine is used so often and with every activity of daily life, the brain is taught that those daily activities are more enjoyable with nicotine.  I’ve felt this early on in my quit where I had a hard time enjoying everyday activities that I used to enjoy. As I have progressed in my quit, some of those activities are becoming enjoyable again and I’m finding that they are things that should be enjoyable like taking my kids to the park or a hike in the woods. Some old activities are still not as enjoyable but I think it’s because they are just boring activities that nicotine made enjoyable. For example I used to love mowing the lawn because it was 2 hours with a wad of shit in my mouth and no one bothering me.  Mowing the lawn is no longer enjoyable but that’s ok, it’s not supposed to be. 

Another thing the article talks about is how nicotine modifies the brain to be more susceptible to abusing other substances. 

“nicotine makes it easier for other drugs to teach users’ brains to repeat their use.”

I have observed this as well since quitting dip.  99 days in and I have noticed on several occasions that I do not have the same urge or desire to binge drink that I used to.  As a long time and often times problem drinker, this is really shocking.  I feel like nicotine fueled other addictive behaviors within me.  For 20 years I would have that first drink and I would feel a very specific way (I want more).  The 5 times or so I’ve had a drink since quitting dip, I don’t feel that way at all.  My brain feels completely different and I don’t attribute it to having abstained from alcohol for 60 days either.  I’ve gone years without a single drink in the past and I would always have that feeling after the first one.  

Anyway, read the article if you want and fuck nicotine.  

 

[QuitSpeak]

3 hours ago, Ace said:

Anyway, read the article if you want and fuck nicotine. 

Agree 100% fuck nicotine. Nicotine is not a reward though, it makes nothing better and it adds no enjoyment to any person's brain, it is nowhere equivalent to pleasure. Nicotine is a poison to your body, brain, and life, there is no "but science..." scenario where that's untrue. Only a bolshevik like the author would tell you otherwise. It's very clearly a false belief the one that nicotine provides enjoyment or rewards.

That said, I agree with your observations. For me once I broke that false need signal that was a wrap. The same thing happened with alcohol too, and then sugar. Quit is its own second preimage. Which is to say, quitting is not hard!

[Owl]

Nicotine never made anything more enjoyable. That's a lie we told ourselves every day.  The only thing nicotine ever did was ease the withdrawal symptoms from going too long without nicotine.

Joy is, always has been, and always will be a choice.  You will enjoy whatever "activities" you choose to enjoy.

And yeah, fuck nicotine.

[Jerb]

https://tobaccoatlas.org/

Specifically about smokeless:

https://tobaccoatlas.org/2019/04/18/smokeless-tobacco-control-policy-lags-cigarette-policy-globally/

Edited June 26, 2019 by Jerb

[Jerb]

https://www.kaggle.com/anjalichappidi/tobacco-consumption/data