Smoke, Dip, or Pouch It and Suffer the Horrific Consequences?

Anxiety and stress are unquestionably part of our lives. We may manage it, but it will always be there (and it can be a motivator booster), and some try to manage it with products that can bring not just quiescence to our lives but unpleasant, even ugly health issues.

Think tobacco, obviously, and how it can help calm smokers who, by virtue of the product formulation, become addicted to smoking. Besides the added ingredients, such as flavors, bronchodilators, or chemicals to keep the tobacco lit, there is nicotine, a part of our nervous system. Didn’t know that?

When we’re anxious, one thing we seek is relief, and nicotine can provide it by way of our body’s nicotinic receptors, which form a fundamental part of our body’s neurotransmission. If we ingest a nicotine-containing product (yes, smoking pushes nicotine into the sensitive lung lining and our bloodstream), it stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine. All of these neurotransmitters provide calm and pleasure. Therefore, nicotine uplifts our mood, increases our alertness, and can even affect our cognitive abilities positively. But there is no free lunch here.

We know that some forms of nicotine-seeking, such as dipping, where a smokeless product is placed between the cheek and jaw are not safe. In a CDC survey of these products, it was revealed that there were 5.2 million adults aged 18 and up who said they currently used smokeless tobacco products.

About 4 out of every 100 men (4.2%) currently use smokeless tobacco, while less than 1 out of every 100 women (0.2%) currently use smokeless tobacco. Non-Hispanic white adults were the most likely to use smokeless tobacco, with nearly 3 out of every 100 (2.9%) currently using it.

We now know that the gums are one of the most vulnerable places in our bodies where toxins or bacteria can get into our blood. Putting anything in our mouth and leaving it there is like walking in traffic while wearing a blindfold.

If someone has used chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, or dissolvable tobacco at least once in their life, and at the time of the survey, at least one of these products “every day” or “some days,” then they were considered to have “current smokeless tobacco product use.” The survey was given to people aged 18 and up.

The dangers of dipping are apparent when we review research on the physical price users may pay. I worked with a woman whose husband was a cancer surgeon who often performed operations on cancers of the jaw related to dipping. They called it “kamikaze surgery” because of the troubling aftermath. Smokeless tobacco products may also contain arsenic, which can poison you slowly.

Although the health implications of smokeless tobacco products have been well documented, newer nicotine-containing pouch products are an area where research needs to catch up. It has already been established that nicotine products are addictive, but what about the potential for cancer or other health consequences? Their popularity is impressive according to sales. From August to December 2019, sales rose to 126.06 million units. From January to March 2022, sales rose to 808.14 million units.

Sold as tobacco-free products, the assumption would appear to be that pouches are safer than items containing tobacco. But do we know its safety profile? We’ve already dealt with e-cigarettes and vaping and the hidden health dangers in that “tobacco-free” smoke. Nothing like taking heavy metals directly into your lungs for future multiple health disorders.

Do we need nicotine to help us deal with anxiety and stress? No, of course, we don’t, but again, here’s a “quick fix” that is as appealing to many as cigarettes once were. Does anyone know that the original Marlboro man died of lung cancer?