Tinker Smokeout shows dip in snuff use

  • Published
  • By John Parker
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kindall doesn’t dip snuff anymore, but he did in high school. He quit a while back when many of his friends started getting black tongues from the tobacco habit, he said.

He stopped by Tinker’s Great American Smokeout event last week at the football/soccer field to check out the football throwing and kicking prize contest. He also checked out the information table packed with quit-smoking kits, pamphlets and other resources.

The senior airman and crew chief with the 552nd Maintenance Squadron also tried Baccoff, a tea-based, snuff-pouch alternative that helps dippers slowly “back off” their habit and eventually quit. He gave it a good review.

“It tastes like wintergreen to me,” he said.

Tinker Health Promotion Manager Laura Crowder said this year seems to be the Great American “dip out” on base. Her recent tobacco education visits to base squadrons turned out a lot of dippers who wanted to learn more, she said.

“This is the first time that a lot of people who use smokeless tobacco were wanting to quit, which is awesome,” Ms. Crowder said. “I’m very excited that people have said, ‘I’ll try it this time.’ I’ve been giving out a lot of the Baccoff.”

The sign is encouraging because surveys show about 5 percent of active duty military personnel on base use smokeless tobacco, a percentage that hasn’t changed over the years, she said.

The annual Smokeout ended Nov. 17, but the base’s free cessation resources are active year-round.

Ms. Crowder conducts 20-minute personal consultations with tobacco users who request one. She’ll talk about a person’s habit history, whether they’ve quit before, what works and what doesn’t, and then come up with some aids and options for changing ingrained behaviors.

“There’s a physical addiction to the nicotine, but also a habit related to tobacco use,” Ms. Crowder said. “I focus more on the habit – what to do if there’s a trigger to using tobacco, what to do instead, and identifying healthier coping techniques.”

TRICARE covers 100 percent of any tobacco-cessations costs for military personnel and families, while all federal health plans do the same for civilians. The plans cover prescription medications that can help with quitting. Quit coaches and online aids are available, too.

“You can use an online quit coach, text message support program, speak with your provider at your next dental or medical appointment or come see me for a face-to-face tobacco cessation consult,” Ms. Crowder said. “It really depends on what the individual wants or needs because everyone’s just a little bit different with their quit.”

Ms. Crowder can be reached at 734-5506. Other resources include 1-800-QUIT-NOW, FREEDOM Quitline (1-844-426-3733) and www.ucanquit2.org.