July 23, 2019 4 min read

How to Quit Dipping Step By Step

So, you’re ready to stop chewing tobacco but not quite sure how to get started. Well, you’ve come to the right place to find out how to quit dipping.

Quitting smokeless tobacco is a lot like quitting smoking. Both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. It’s difficult to break these habits because they both involve the physical, mental, and emotional parts of addiction.

Although many of the tactics people use to overcome the obstacles of quitting dipping and quitting smoking are the same, there is a difference for oral tobacco users, who feel the need to have something in their mouths. This is why the best way to quit chewing tobacco is to use smokeless tobacco alternatives, such as tobacco-free pouches, to replace the chewing tobacco.

It will be challenging, but just keep in mind that tobacco use causes more deaths each year than all other substance abuse related deaths combined. So you’re doing the best thing for you and your loved ones.

 

10 Steps to Quit Chewing Tobacco

Now give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far and prepare for the real challenge that lies ahead. Follow these steps to stop chewing tobacco.

  1. Set a Date to Quit – The first step in quitting smokeless tobacco is to set a date. Picking a date creates a sense of responsibility and commitment. It doesn’t have to be anything special, like New Years Day or The Great American Smokeout, but Mondays seem to be the best day of the week to adopt new habits. On your quit day, make sure you stay busy and avoid situations that trigger your cravings to dip. In order to be successful, you really need to stay entirely tobacco-free on your quit day, so think about how you can change-up your usual routine.
  2. Make a Plan – Set yourself up for success and make a quit plan. Your plan can include a list of all the reasons why you want or need to quit, and list activities, places or feelings that may trigger your urges to dip.
  3. Tell a Friend – Let family and friends know about your plan to quit so they can hold you accountable. By keeping the people around you informed of your goal to quit chewing tobacco they will become more cautious about what they do around you, and how it might affect your success. For example, if your friend is a dipper, maybe he’ll be sensitive enough to your situation that he’ll avoid dipping around you. Or if your wife knows the stressors that trigger your cravings to dip, she’ll probably take extra precautions to help you avoid those situations where you might be tempted.
  4. Cut Back – Cutting back on the amount of smokeless tobacco you use before your actual quit day, can ease the transition for when the day arrives. It can also help you identify situations and places that trigger your urges to chew smokeless tobacco, so you’re more prepared.
  5. Stock Up On Snacks – You’re going to want to keep your mouth occupied when you quit dipping, so stock up on sugarless gum, mints, hard candy, beef jerky, and sunflower seeds.
  6. Stay Busy – When you quit chewing tobacco, you will go through nicotine withdrawal – the tough part. Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, sleeplessness, weight gain, aches, and pains. The best way to overcome withdrawal is to distract yourself as much as possible. A busy body is a distracted one. Engaging in a sport or a new workout routine can help kick withdrawal symptoms to the curb.
  7. Try the 4 Ds – The American Cancer Society recommends using what they call the 4 Ds to help fight the urges to dip: delay for 10 minutes; deep breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth; drink water slowly, sip by sip; and do something else.
  8. Find a Support System – Make sure you have someone you can talk to who will help you stay on track. Whether you join a face-to-face group, find a web-based program like BecomeAnEx, or a confide in a friend or family member who has quit chewing tobacco, having a support system can make a big difference. And don’t put yourself in situations where you’re around other dippers. Ask family and friends who use tobacco not to use it around you or leave it out where you can see it.
  9. Ditch the Dip – You will need to remove all your smokeless tobacco products from your house, car, and workplace. Any trace of a tobacco product is just a temptation lingering around waiting for you to slip up. Replace your old tobacco products with tobacco-free smokeless alternatives like TeaZa Tobacco-Free Pouches. Through TeaZa’s Ditch the Dip program, you can send in your unused, unopened cans of smokeless tobacco in exchange for free TeaZa.
  10. Use Smokeless Tobacco Alternatives – When you quit tobacco you may still have the habits to reach for your pocket and throw in a pouch. That’s why the best way to stop chewing tobacco is to use a smokeless tobacco alternative such as a tobacco-free pouch.

Because TeaZa pouches are similar in shape and size to a snus pouch, they satisfy the craving of feeling the dip in your mouth. TeaZa pouches also cause that lip burning sensation dippers love.

TeaZa Tobacco-Free Pouches are the best way to quit chewing tobacco because they have been proven by independent research to help people quit dipping.

TeaZa contains herbs and vitamins and comes in both caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties. Popular TeaZa flavors, like Peppermint and Bangin’ Black Cherry Bomb, contain herbs and caffeine that can help improve energy and focus. Caffeine-free TeaZa Chill contains Relora, which is an all-natural relaxation supplement, which has been shown to help reduce stress and improve mood.

Ready to Quit Chewing Tobacco?

If you’re ready to quit chewing tobacco, check out our resources to quit chewing tobacco!