Through With Chew Week (February 15-21) calls attention to the dangers of using chew and other forms of smokeless tobacco. It encourages users to seek ways to quit and start living a healthier lifestyle.
The benefits begin to add up immediately after you quit. You will reduce your risk of oral cancer. You’ll have a healthier mouth and gums. Sores caused by chewing will start to disappear. Your teeth will be whiter and less likely to decay. And your breath will smell better.
Unfortunately, there are many in Colorado who have yet to quit and are exposing themselves to real danger. It’s estimated that roughly 132,000 men in Colorado1 chew, as do almost 16,000 of its high school students2 (about 4% of adults compared with 7% of high school students).
Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents, making it a high-risk factor for oral cancers, especially those associated with the gums and cheeks. They can cause death or lead to treatments that require disfiguring surgery. And with larger concentrations of the addictive ingredient nicotine, smokeless tobacco products are even more difficult to give up than cigarettes.3
San Juan Basin Health Department, with funding from CDPHE’s State Tobacco Education and Prevention Program promotes community-wide tobacco-free efforts in both La Plata and Archuleta Counties. For more information, contact Cindy Schultz at cschultz@sjbhd.wbprg.pw. If you are considering breaking your tobacco addiction – smokeless or not – the resources listed below will increase your chances of success. Quitting tobacco is hard, you are not alone.
Visit TobaccoFreeCO.org to find several free resources to help you quit. They include:
- The Colorado QuitLine, which provides access to expert coaches who can help you make a plan to quit successfully, and are there to help […]