Old habits die hard

The following column was originally published in 2013. Dear Annie: After many years of using smokeless tobacco, I’d like to quit. Are there any effective measures one can take to beat this highly addictive habit?

I use the kind of tobacco that comes in a can, and it goes wherever I go. It wakes me up in the morning demanding attention. I believe it is partially responsible for my high blood pressure. My dentist has concerns for my teeth and gums. I mentioned my tobacco use to my doctor, but he couldn’t give me a response that would be an effective way to quit.

I see commercials on TV for a drug that helps smokers, but I don’t know whether it would be helpful for those of us who dip. I, and the many others with this problem, would appreciate any advice.

Not a Baseball Player

Dear Not: Smokeless tobacco is also called chew, snuff, spit and oral tobacco, but it still can cause cancer, just like cigarettes, along with other health problems such as tooth loss and gum disease. While some nicotine replacement therapy (patches, lozenges, sprays) can be helpful, not all work for smokeless tobacco. Some people prefer alternative medicine (hypnosis, acupuncture, herbal treatments, etc.), although studies are inconclusive as to its effectiveness.

The American Cancer Society offers a Guide to Quitting Smokeless Tobacco on its website (cancer.org) and assistance by phone at 800-227-2345. Here are additional resources: Nicotine Anonymous (nicotine-anonymous. org) at 877-879-6422; Kill the Can (killthecan.org); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov/tobacco) at 800-QUIT-NOW, and the National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov) at 800-4-CANCER.