Also called: Chewing tobacco, Dip, Oral tobacco, Snuff, Spit tobacco
Many people who chew tobacco or dip snuff think it’s safer than smoking. But you don’t have to smoke tobacco for it to be dangerous. Chewing or dipping carries risks like
- Cancer of the mouth
- Decay of exposed tooth roots
- Pulling away of the gums from the teeth
- White patches or red sores in the mouth that can turn to cancer
Recent research shows the dangers of smokeless tobacco may go beyond the mouth. It might also play a role in other cancers, heart disease and stroke.
Smokeless tobacco contains more nicotine than cigarettes. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug that makes it hard to stop using tobacco once you start. Having a quit date and a quitting plan can help you stop successfully.
NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Also called: Cigar smoking, Cigarette smoking, Pipe smoking, Tobacco smoking
There’s no way around it. Smoking is bad for your health. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. It is also responsible for many other cancers and health problems. These include lung disease, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke and cataracts. Women who smoke have a greater chance of certain pregnancy problems or having a baby die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Your smoke is also bad for other people – they breathe in your smoke secondhand and can get many of the same problems as smokers do.
E-cigarettes often look like cigarettes, but they work differently. They are battery-operated smoking devices. Not much is known about the health risks of using them.
Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of health problems. The earlier you quit, the greater the benefit.
NIH: National Cancer Institute