Robins encourages smokeless tobacco users to quit habit Published Feb. 13, 2015 By Holly Logan-Arrington Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Sometimes being a quitter is a good thing. The Great American Spit Out is Thursday, and it's a great opportunity for smokeless tobacco users to kick their tobacco addiction for 24 hours. They're also encouraged to quit the habit for good. Smokeless tobacco is bad for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 75 percent of all mouth, lip, tongue, throat, nose and larynx cancers are due to smokeless tobacco use and, like cigarette smokers, smokeless tobacco users are at an increased risk for death from heart disease and stroke. "Smokeless tobacco is not harmless," said Stuart Bapties, Health and Wellness Center Flight chief. "In fact, smokeless tobacco contains three to four times more nicotine than cigarettes." According to the National Institute of Health, holding an average-size dip in your mouth for 30 minutes gives you as much nicotine as smoking three cigarettes. "A two-can-a-week snuff dipper gets as much nicotine as a pack and a half-a-day smoker," Bapties said. Smokeless tobacco is also expensive, he said. "A can of dip costs an average of $3," he said. "A two-can-a-week habit costs about $300 per year. A can-a-day habit costs nearly $1,100 per year." The best way to reduce the harm to your body and wallet is to quit, Bapties said. "Ditch the snuff for better stuff on Great American Spit Out and go tobacco-free for 24 hours," he said. For more information on smokeless tobacco and free resources to help smokeless tobacco users quit, please stop by or call the Health and Wellness Center at 327-8480 between 7:30 a.m and 4 p.m., or contact the Robins American Lung Association QUITLINE at (877) 695-7848. www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/publications/factsheets/oral_cancer/oc_facts.htm www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/Topics/ SmokelessTobacco/SmokelessTobaccoA GuideforQuitting