Great American Spit Out

February 23, 2012

Join the Great American Spit Out February 23, 2012

Each year on February 23, smokeless tobacco users join together and quit for a day or longer as part of the Great American Spit Out .  
 
  

Live a healthier life today.

Smokeless tobacco is still tobacco: it’s addictive and causes cancer.  Make a plan to quit today or encourage smokeless tobacco users you know to quit.

Consider these statistics about smokeless tobacco:  nearly 8.9 million Americans aged 12 and older are current users of smokeless tobacco and 8.9 percent of American high school students report current use of smokeless tobacco. 

Using smokeless tobacco products can cause mouth cancer, gum disease, and tooth loss.  It is also addictive.  Smokeless tobacco products now contain warning labels on packaging.

Spread the Word

If you are taking part in the Great American Spit Out, or encouraging smokeless tobacco users to quit, RSVP for the event on Facebook   and access promotional tools   for spreading the word.

Quitting Resources

Seeking help to quit smokeless tobacco can increase your chance of success. Please visit our federal partners’ quitting resources for free, evidence-based information and support:

• 1-800-QUIT-NOW: A free, phone-based service with educational materials and coaches that can help you quit chewing tobacco.
• 1-877-44U-QUIT: A National Cancer Institute tobacco cessation help line.
• Great American Spit Out : Official page from the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Quit Tobacco: Make Everyone Proud : A U.S. Department of Defense campaign for military personnel and their families.
• Train2Quit : Learn how to beat cravings, overcome weight gain, and get valuable information about nicotine replacement therapy, from the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Smokeless Tobacco: A Guide for Quitting : A guide from National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
   

View all past FDA Tobacco feature articles here

Posted February 23, 2012