- A reddish or white patch inside your mouth
- Loose teeth
- Ear or mouth pain
- A lump or growth inside your mouth
- A sore on your lips or mouth that won’t go away
“If you’re experiencing any of these issues and they persist for more than two weeks, see a doctor,” Price advises.
How to quit pipe smoking
“Statistically, smoking shortens your life span by 10 to 15 years. But if you quit by age 30, you can recover almost all of them,” Dr. Maher Karam-Hage, a tobacco treatment expert and addiction specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Center, explains in a center article.
He also notes that when you stop smoking:
- Your cancer risk falls by 50 percent after five years and is the same as a nonsmoker after 15 years
- Your risk of having a heart attack is the same as a nonsmoker after four years
In addition, the benefits of quitting pipe smoking extend beyond your own personal health to those around you. According to the NCHR, health problems from secondhand smoke alone have caused 2.5 million deaths since 1964.
So how exactly do you stop smoking, especially when the nicotine is so addictive? Here are four scientifically backed strategies.
Deciding to quit
OncoLink explains that deciding to quit is about making a plan to optimize your success. For example, you can write down your reasons for quitting and post them in a place where you’ll see them every day or decide on the tools you’ll use to help you through withdrawal symptoms.
Medications
Nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, lozenges and gums can help reduce your nicotine cravings, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as can two FDA-approved medications called bupropion (Wellbutrin) and varenicline (Chantix).
Therapy
Cognitive behavioral and group therapy can both assist with understanding why you smoke, help you change your behaviors and provide support along your journey, according to the NCHR.
Acupuncture
The Cleveland Clinic and the NCHR both say that acupuncture targets the nerves in the ears, which may help support you through nicotine withdrawal.
If you’d like more tools to assist with quitting pipe smoking, you can visit Smokefree.gov.