Why do people use chewing tobacco? People start out for many reasons, but ultimately, they end up continuing their use because they become addicted. They are addicted to nicotine, not the chewing tobacco, dip, pouches, snuff, snus or any other ingestion method, they are addicted to nicotine.
We have all heard chewers and dippers say things like “I’m not addicted, I just enjoy it” or “I can quit any time I want to”. This is what we call addict talk. I know that to some these may seem like bold statements, but we know this to be fact from very personal experience. All of our members are nicotine addicts, myself included, the only difference between us and someone who is still chewing is that we made a decision to be in control.
We all start out for very similar reasons. For most of us it was peer pressure or seeing and ad on the TV that told us it would make us cool or feel like a man. We began to enjoy the feeling, it gave us a buzz at first, making us feel good. But over time the addiction sets in and everything begins to change. We start needing it, we start self medicating when we are tired, frustrated or angry. Once we have reached this point, nicotine has already sunk her dirty little claws into us.
At this point, an addict starts to feel trapped, enslaved to her almost. We know we should quit when our blood pressure is through the roof, our gums are receding and we are walking the fine line of getting cancer. But we have to have it, when we don’t we get irritated, crave for it, and would do anything to get our fix.
This is why people use chewing tobacco.