Across South and Southeast Asia, hundreds of millions of people carry a quiet dependence on smokeless tobacco — a habit woven into culture and chemistry alike. A controlled trial in India has now offered a partial answer to one of cessation's oldest questions: not simply what helps people quit, but what makes the attempt bearable. Nicotine gum proved far superior to behavioral counseling in relieving the cravings, anxiety, and sleeplessness that so often pull people back — even as both approaches led to roughly equal rates of lasting abstinence. The finding reminds us that the path out of addi
Nicotine gum outperforms counseling for smokeless tobacco withdrawal symptoms
Smokeless tobacco use is associated with oral mucosal lesions, tooth loss, gum disease, oral cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and adverse pregnancy outcomes affecting millions globally.