Somewhere, a small group of soldiers is formed in a loose circle, attention fixed on a noncommissioned officer at the center, delivering sharp, no-nonsense instructions. Their voice carries authority, punctuated by rhythmic spit of smokeless tobacco into a bottle.
Dip and other tobacco use has been a tradition in the military for generations -- and more recently a health concern. Times may be changing, though, and those dip bottles that are a symbol of authority and Army life could be on the outs, according to a new study.
But nicotine, the addictive stimulant in tobacco, doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Many soldiers are now using nicotine pouches, made wildly popular by the product Zyn, and in numbers far higher than other Americans, the University of Virginia found.
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Soldiers use the nicotine pouches at 10 times the rate of the general civilian population, according to the university study published Tuesday, a finding that should come as no surprise for any service member reading this.
The small, white pouches contain nicotine salts and no tobacco. Unlike dip, there's no spitting, so no need to carry empty water or soda bottles. Sales of pouches increased 641% in the U.S. between 2019 and 2022, the university reported.
So, you may not need to ask, if your platoon sergeant doesn't have Grizzly Wintergreen, is the unit even combat effective? Many soldiers may be more interested in bumming a Zyn.
Those unhealthy vices, to some, may be just as critical as water. Look at the pouches of your squad in the field: Someone has nicotine in one of their body armor pouches ready to go, next to their ammunition.
The researchers looked at the survey data of 1,957 soldiers at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, from 2022 to 2023. They found 23.8% reported using nicotine pouches in the previous 30 days.
That's a rate way above the general U.S. population, where just 2.9% use the pouches, the study noted.
"Military personnel historically use tobacco and nicotine products at much higher rates than their civilian counterparts," Dr. Melissa Little, director of the Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Our results show that these same disparities are continuing with new and emerging products, like nicotine pouches."
The study highlights a demographic trend among users within the military: Nicotine pouch users are more likely to be younger, white and unmarried -- 92% of users are also male.
Usage goes down with education level, with half of soldiers who use nicotine pouches having only a high school diploma, 30% having some college education, and just under 20% with a bachelor's degree.
The university analysis suggested that some soldiers were turning to nicotine pouches for "harm reduction," or to avoid the serious and known consequences of tobacco use such as dipping and smoking.
The habit may be a calming vice for many during military service, but it could also have serious long-term health effects.
"The use of tobacco and nicotine remains an important threat to the health and readiness of U.S. military service members," the Military Health System said in an article on use trends published in March.
Nicotine addiction could also follow troops when they leave the service.
Veterans are three times more likely than the general population to develop various mouth, neck and gum cancers, according to 2024 data from the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, veterans also are more likely than their civilian counterparts to develop numerous cancers unrelated to tobacco use due to exposure to toxic environments, numerous studies and reports have shown.
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