Are You Ready to Ditch the Snuff for Better Stuff? Published Feb. 19, 2015 By TRICARE WASHINGTON -- Say "Cheese!" It's picture time and you are getting ready to smile for the camera; but wait. What happens when you expose your lip full of dip, stained teeth, mouth sores and maybe even tooth loss from gum disease? You may think that smokeless tobacco is harmless, but it isn't! Smokeless tobacco is not only harmful to your mouth, but according to research, it contains 3 to 4 times more nicotine than a cigarette, making it more addictive and harder to quit. Join TRICARE and Quit Tobacco this Thursday, February 19, 2015 for the Great American Spit Out (GASpO), when the military community can ditch the snuff for better stuff - like a trip to the beach! In the military, smokeless tobacco use is currently 12.8 percent, compared to 2.3% in the civilian population. That is a large gap, and TRICARE wants to help beneficiaries make a healthy change. Quitting is not always easy, but the Quit Tobacco campaign is ready to help you keep commit to quit and stay quit. Quit Tobacco has tools to assist beneficiaries become and stay tobacco free. You can access a quit-support text message program, FAQs, a savings calculator and 24/7 live chat support at UCanQuit2.org. Additionally, beneficiaries should take full advantage of the available TRICARE programs to help with their individual goals and needs. These services include: · Web-based Educational Materials · Smoking Quitlines · Live Chat Counseling Services · Tobacco Cessation Medication Quit for GASpO on February 19, and you will have plenty of time to completely ditch the snuff and start saving your money, time and health. Visit us online for more information on TRICARE's tobacco cessation benefit. USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)