The Truth About Chewing Tobacco

By Gretchen Kernbach on October 12, 2015

Chewing tobacco. Chances are you know someone who uses it. Then chances are they use it a lot.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

According to cdc.gov, more than five out of every 100 high school students admitted to frequent use of smokeless tobacco. But the use does not stop there.

Some college campuses today have banned not only smoking, but the use of all tobacco products as well. They have joined the fight against the harmful, addictive powers of tobacco. Although more than 5 percent of kids use this product in high school, one should not expect usage to decline later in life.

A common fact about any kind of tobacco is that it contains nicotine. What exactly is nicotine? First off it is a part of the deadly nightshade family of flowering plants. This group of plants is rich in alkaloids – an organic compound that has intoxicating effects.

With dip, a slang term for chewing tobacco, users absorb nicotine through the gastrointestinal tract and skin. This chemical is highly addictive and makes quitting almost impossible. Therefore, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) found that more than 10.5 percent of young adult males, in between 18-25, were frequent users.

Dip is not something anyone can just put down. Of course, just like taking one sip of alcohol will not give someone liver damage, dipping one time will not give someone mouth cancer. However, after years of use it becomes part of a regular, everyday routine.

Consequently, I am not addressing those who have only used such a product as this once or twice. I am addressing those who are plainly hooked and dependent. The risks are far too great to give up on quitting and succumb to tobacco’s luring chemicals. The dangers need to be talked about for what they are. The days are over to overlook smokeless tobacco.

The Ingredients

One component of dip is Polonium 210. To put this in an easier concept to grasp, this chemical is also in nuclear waste. Second, formaldehyde and cadmium are found in smokeless tobacco. Again, to put in clearer terms, formaldehyde is in products such as plywood, paneling, pressed-wood products and permanent press. Cadmium is used in car batteries.

Lead, nitrosamines, cyanide, and arsenic are also in dip. Cyanide poisoning deprives the body of oxygen, thus cells die. Arsenic poisoning affects the skin, lungs, liver and kidneys. An effect of the severity of such symptoms can result in coma or even death.

All of these chemicals combined can create major health risks. The most well-known effect of chewing tobacco is cancer. However, not a lot of people know the specific results of such cancer.

Cancer and its Effects

Tobacco is more commonly known with its affiliation with lung cancer. Even though smokeless tobacco is not smoked, it is still just as harmful.

Dip causes mouth, tongue, cheek, gum and throat cancer. Quite the list. In addition, records of stomach and pancreatic cancer have also been linked to chewing tobacco, even cancer in the esophagus.

Cavities and tooth decay also occur. In accordance with that, tooth loss is also known to be a side effect of dip. For those who do keep all their teeth, it is likely they will become stained and discolored. Around the roots of the teeth bone loss can transpire as well as receding gums and gingivitis.

Warning signs include bleeding sores inside the mouth, red or white patches, or difficulty in chewing/swallowing. Sometimes even a mediocre lump possibly means a dangerous road ahead.

In the worst case scenario (besides death) it is very well possible to have the bottom half of your jaw removed, just like Gruen Von Behrens. This man, only at age 17, was faced with life threatening surgery after dipping for four years. He was given a 25 percent chance of survival. Today, Von Behrens travels nationally to inform young adults of the dangers of smokeless tobacco.

The addiction to nicotine can lead to a startup in smoking, unleashing a whole new list of horrors. Get clean today.

Breaking Free

Deciding to quit dipping is an accomplishment in and of itself.  Nevertheless, it is a difficult journey. Coping with withdrawal symptoms is a first step off tobacco. These symptoms can range from constipation to hunger and weight gain.

It is important to drink lots of water and eat well-balanced meals to fight off the weight gain. As expected, the urge to dip will be greater than it has ever been before. The sense of irritability and restlessness will also be withdrawal signs.

The second step is dealing with triggers. The struggle in quitting a bad habit is the temptations to get back into it. Furthermore, the more time that passes, the less bothersome these temptations will be. The main key is to stick to a plan and not to give in. The slightest set back can ruin all the previous progress.

The Big Picture

The world today is torn apart by the harmful products offered to young adults. Picking up something one time is enough to get hooked. Across campuses, students need to join together to end the era of smokeless tobacco — or, tobacco in general.

The side effects are not worth the buzz. Speaking up to your peers about the destructive results of dip will benefit them in the years to come. Remember, “smokeless does not mean harmless.”

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