Tobacco, Nicotine, Vaping, and Quit Resources

For millennia, people have used tobacco leaves for smoking and chewing. Early on, many suspected a link between tobacco use and certain illnesses, including cancer. It wasn't until 1996, however, that researchers established a clear connection between smoking and lung cancer.

Despite the health risks, many smokers struggle to quit. Surveys indicate that most people who smoke express a desire to stop, but only a small fraction manage to stay smoke-free for at least a year. If you're a smoker who has tried to quit but hasn't succeeded, don't be disheartened. It's common to need several attempts before achieving long-term success. Learn more about tobacco, nicotine, and resources to help you quit smoking below.

UT Austin's Tobacco-Free Policy

Since April 9, 2012, the University of Texas at Austin has maintained a strict tobacco-free policy. The use of any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes/vaping, is prohibited in all university buildings and on university grounds, including parking lots, sidewalks and parking structures. This policy is part of UT Austin's broader commitment to fostering a healthy and sustainable environment for students, staff and visitors. It's designed to promote a positive, health-oriented atmosphere on campus, reinforcing the university's dedication to the well-being of its community.

Vaping (E-Cigarettes)

Vaping is an alternative way of getting the effects of smoking tobacco or marijuana. Devices used for vaping are often referred to as e-cigarettes, vapes or vape pens. They function by heating a chemical (“vape juice”), most commonly containing nicotine or THC, to create an aerosol that is then inhaled. This chemical sometimes has added flavors. These devices come in many forms, some look like USB drives, others like pens and others like various everyday items.

Facts About Vaping

While e-cigarettes do contain fewer harmful chemicals than smoke from burned tobacco products, they are still harmful to the body.
for adults of all ages
There is some evidence that e-cigarette use by young adults can lead to cigarette use.
Long-term research is needed to understand fully the effects and risks of vaping.
E-cigarettes are not an FDA-approved method for quitting smoking, and researchers have much to learn about their effectiveness and safety in helping smokers quit.

Vaping Risks and Health Implications

Vaping has been linked to severe lung injuries, causing cough, shortness of breath and chest pain. Less severe symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea have also been reported. The long-term risk of various types of cancers remains unknown.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can negatively affect brain development, which continues through the mid-twenties.
The liquid used in e-cigarettes contains many other harmful substances besides nicotine or THC and often has a higher concentration of nicotine than cigarettes.

Smokeless Tobacco

Instead of smoking tobacco, smokeless tobacco products consist of tobacco or a tobacco blend that is most often chewed, sucked on or sniffed. There are many different types of smokeless tobacco. The main types are:

Chewing Tobacco: Sweetened, loose tobacco leaves are placed between the user's cheek and gum, held there, sometimes for hours at a time, to usually spit out or sometimes swallow the tobacco juices.
E-Cigarettes: Electronic cigarettes or personal vaporizers are battery powered devices, which orally deliver smokeless nicotine vapor, flavors and physical sensations similar to conventional cigarettes. Even though e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, the FDA has found cancer-causing chemicals in the vapors.
Snuff: Snuff is finely ground or shredded tobacco leaves, packaged in tins or tea bag-like pouches. A pinch is placed between the lower lip and gum or cheek and gum. Dry forms of snuff can be sniffed into the nose. The process of using snuff is also called dipping.
Snus: Snus (pronounced snoos) is a spitless tobacco product. It comes in a pouch and users stick it between their upper lip and gums.
Dissolvable Tobacco: These are pieces of compressed powdered tobacco, similar to small hard candies. They dissolve in your mouth, requiring no spitting of tobacco juices. They're sometimes called tobacco lozenges, but they are not the same as the nicotine lozenges used to help you quit smoking.

Does Smokeless Tobacco Help You Quit Smoking?

Smokeless tobacco is not a safe or effective alternative for people who want to quit smoking. Nicotine gum or patch is a much safer treatment to quit smoking cigarettes. Learn more about nicotine replacement therapy and other quit resources below.

Smokeless Tobacco Risks and Health Implications

Addiction: Because smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, the user can get addicted, just as they can with cigarettes and other tobacco products. The body may actually absorb more nicotine from chewing tobacco or snuff than it does from a cigarette.
Cancer: Chewing tobacco and snuff contain 28 cancer-causing agents. The user's risk of esophageal, mouth, throat, lips, tongue, gum and chin cancer increases if they use smokeless tobacco products.
Cavities: Chewing tobacco and other forms of smokeless tobacco cause tooth decay. Chewing tobacco contains high amounts of sugar and coarse particles that make the user's teeth more vulnerable to cavities.
Gum Disease: The sugar and irritants in smokeless tobacco can cause the user's gums to pull away from their teeth in the area of their mouth where they place the chew.
Heart Disease: Smokeless tobacco use increases the user's heart rate and blood pressure. Repeated nicotine exposure through smokeless products contributes to accelerated coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and increases the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke.
Precancerous Mouth Lesions: Smokeless tobacco increases the user's risk of developing small white patches called leukoplakia, which are precancerous lesions, inside their mouth where the chew is most often placed.

Hookah

What is Hookah?

A hookah is a water pipe used to smoke flavored tobacco.
Hookahs are heated with charcoal and smoke passes through the water in the hookah before being inhaled from a mouthpiece.
A hookah is typically smoked in groups and the mouthpiece is passed from person-to-person.
A hookah session typically lasts about 1 hour.

Hookah Risks and Health Implications

Gram for gram, hookah smoke contains more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than cigarette smoke. An hour of hookah smoking delivers as much carbon monoxide to the user as a pack of cigarettes.
Besides increasing cancer risk, the nicotine in hookah smoke can cause yellow teeth, wrinkles and erectile dysfunction. Use may also result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Irritation caused by the mouthpiece may give hookah users an even higher risk of cancers in the mouth than cigarette smokers.
The water inside the Hookah does not filter out any of the harmful substances in the tobacco smoke. The water cools the Hookah tobacco smoke so that it feels less harsh. This causes more harm as it leads to deeper inhalations.

Resources to Help You Quit Smoking and Tobacco

The University of Texas at Austin supports its students, faculty and staff who want to quit using tobacco products by offering resources.

The Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) offers counseling with a Substance Use Support Team member for students wishing to quit or lower their tobacco use. Students may call the Counseling and Mental Health Center at 512-471-3515 for more information.

Students may also make an appointment with a UHS medical provider if they are interested in discussing the use of prescription medication to assist in quitting tobacco by calling 512-471-4955.

Apps and Online Quit Programs

Apps & Programs	Web Based	App	Text/Phone
Become an Ex The EX plan provides a free customized quit plan. It is based on scientific research and practical advice from ex-smokers.	X	X	X
Smokefree.gov The National Cancer Institute (NCI) created smokefree.gov to help you or someone you care about quit smoking. Smokefree.gov offers smartphone apps and texting plans, as well as resources specific to individuals with a variety identities.	X	X	X
Freedom from Smoking® Online Program A program from the American Lung Association that includes a comprehensive variety of evidence-based, proven-effective cessation techniques.	X

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

As part of a comprehensive smoking cessation program, the American Heart Association recommends NRT as an effective tool to help quit smoking. NRT reduces feelings of withdrawal by giving smaller, controlled amounts of nicotine without the harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke. This satisfies the craving for nicotine but reduces the urge to smoke. Below are a few options:

NRT Type	Description	How to Access
Gum or Lozenges	A type of chewing gum or lozenge that delivers nicotine to the bloodstream through tissues in the mouth.	Over the Counter
Patch	A patch that releases nicotine through the skin.	Over the Counter
Inhaler	A thin, plastic tube. By puffing on it, a person extracts and absorbs nicotine vapor through the lining of their throat and mouth.	Prescription
Nasal Spray	An aerosol nicotine spray that delivers nicotine to the person through their nostrils. The nicotine is absorbed by the nasal membranes inside the nose.	Prescription

Prescription Medications

There are also non-addictive prescription medications such as bupropion (Wellbutrin®, Zyban®) and Varenicline (Chantix®). Using NRTs or prescription medications like these doubles the odds of successful quitting and maintaining cessation long-term.