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Journalism Award Winner: Winter 2002: Third Place
By Ben Truscott, Staff Reporter
West Henderson High School Wingspan
West Henderson High School
Hendersonville, NC
Some use it as an alternative to cigarettes, thinking it is healthier. Others use it for a concealable method of getting a buzz, and still more do it as a social activity with friends or to seem older and prove themselves to others.
The fact is, more and more teens are picking up the habit of using chewing tobacco and getting addicted.
Nicotine is the addictive drug in chewing tobacco, usually referred to as chew. Being addicted takes a lot of money and is very controlling, according to a senior boy who has chewed for three years. A junior boy said, "I think I'm addicted. I wake up at five in the morning and thinking about having one (a dip)."
With a can of chew averaging around $6, it can also control one's wallet. Another senior boy said he spends over $20 a week on chew.
Both senior boys are over age 18, the legal age to purchase tobacco.
Just like cigarettes, chew can cause cancer, especially in the cheeks, gums and throat. It can also cause lips to bleed, crack and develop white patches and sores that can turn into cancer, according to the American Cancer Society Web site.
There are many medical options to deal with these types of cancers, but none are without major side effects.
Dr. David Daniel, an advocate of the national anti-smoking campaign and a pulmonologist at Wenatchee Valley Clinic, said, "How would you like to have your doctor take a piece of your shoulder muscle and reshape your new tongue out of it? Such reconstruction is used when surgery becomes necessary to fight cancer.
With known health risks, many want to quit, but they say it's tough.
"I tried quitting once, and it only worked for 16 hours," the second senior boy said. "My girlfriend wanted me to start again because I was [irritable]."
Withdrawal symptoms that occur after one stops chewing include dizziness, shakes and irritability but usually do not last long according to a University of Michigan Study on chewing tobacco.
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