HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: My 17-year-old son and his friends have started a habit I detest. They all dip tobacco. They seem to think it’ s cool for some reason. They carry around a plastic foam cup and spit into that cup all day long. I won’t allow them in my house if they are chewing tobacco, and that’s caused some problems with my son. But I’m standing my ground. I find this whole thing disgusting, especially when he sets that cup down and walks away.

He had a nice girlfriend, but she dumped him due to his use of chewing tobacco. I had hoped that would end his “dipping days,” but apparently not.

I went online and found that oral cancer is a huge concern with those who chew tobacco. Maybe this is a passing phase, but until he chooses to stop, he’s not doing it in my house.

— Julie-Ann, Amarillo, Texas

DEAR READER: Personally, I find chewing tobacco to be revolting, not to mention unsanitary. And you are correct about oral cancer — it can cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, gums, stomach and bladder. Many times, doctors must cut away part of a patient’s face in an effort to save their lives.

Unfortunately, nearly 54,000 Americans will be diagnosed with some type of oral cancer this year, while nearly 10,000 will lose their lives due to oral cancer.

Please remind your son that impressing his friends isn’t nearly as important as having clean, healthy gums and teeth and fresh breath. The dangers of oral cancer, stained teeth and receding gums aren’t worth this habit in the long run. The time to stop is now, before any serious damage is done.

DEAR HELOISE: When I travel for business, there are so many things I take with me, such as my daily to-do book, a list of clients, slides, additional papers, etc. I worry that some of it might get lost.

In order to get these things returned, should they happen to be left somewhere, I had a set of labels printed up that read, “If found, there is a $100 reward for its return to …,” followed by my address and phone number. I started doing this after I set down my slides one day and couldn’t find them. I thought all that work was lost, but it was returned to me by someone who saw me set them down. I thanked the person and gave them a reward.

— Eldon W., Falstaff, Ariz.