General Discussion - 2010

[Nolaq]

A trip to the Service Department

Let's do a little comparison. If your computer shit the bed, what would you do? If your car stops running what do you do? When you're not feeling well, or your kids are sick what do you do? Water heater not heating? Well?

The answer is, you go to what ever Service Department, Doctor, call a plumber, etc. Basically, you call on those people that fix your shit. And when you bring your laptop into the Geek Squad and the wormy little pencil neck behind the counter (no offense to those of you who work at the Geek Squad) says you need a new hard drive, do you listen? When the auto guy says you need (fill in the blank) do you argue? When the Dr. says you need anti-biotics do you pass on his advice? When the plumber says you need to replace your heater do you do it your way?

Well, maybe yes for some of you that are plumbers, or mechanics or doctors, or geeks, but do you all get my point? I don't know shit about computers. When mine stops working I take it to 'the guy'. Why do we do this? Because 'the guy' knows. This is what he does. We listen. We may not like it, but we listen because, well, they know, right?

So why is it different here? Why are there guys that come on here and think they can do it "My way". "I don't need to account to nobody." "I can have just one." "I know better than that vet." "I don't need to justify my cave to you or anyone."

Read anything like this in a group? Of course you have, but why? Why are you here? I'll tell you. You are here because YOUR WAY DOESN'T FUCKING WORK! You may have replaced the heater, but you got the supply and discharge sides mixed up.

I'm not the inventor here. I don't lay claim to any great secret, or anything like that. Here's all I'm saying. I dipped for almost 30 years. I tried to quit a million times. I've been successful once: this time. What's different? Two things. KTC and my MINDSET.

When I got here I read. And I hate to read. But I read, and then I read, and then I read some more. Every time I saw something that made sense and I identified with, I read it twice.

Now, I try to be a part of the solution. I know what works for ME. Not you, but I know that KTC works for EVERYONE that wants it to. Read new guys. Read. And when a guy who has a couple of zeroes after his post tells you something - listen. You may not like it. You may not identify completely with it, but listen. You won't regret it.

[jatan]

I've been reflecting also on certain aspects of my quit lately as well.  Todays reflection revolves around addiction.  My wife told me many times that my addiction was the reason I couldn't have a successful quit (previous quits that is).  I told myself, this is just a bad oral habitat that I've been doing for 20 yrs, thats why its so hard to quit.  In the past 80 days I've come to realize, the nic bitch was telling me those lies.  She didn't want me to quit, so she told me that I'm not addicted, addiction is for illicit drugs, not me, cute cuddly nicotene.  I never looked up the contents of snuff.  Didn't want to.  The Nic bitch didn't want me to.  She said, its just tobacco and some preservatives, kinda like candy, but better.  So I kept going.  I can handle this, I'm bullet proof.  The nic bitch is strong, she's great at whispering in your ear, convincing you that you're not killing yourself, but pleasing yourself.  The more the merrier in her eyes.  Through some mechanism we have come to the realization that the nic bitch has lied to us for 1-30+ years.  LIED.  We know it now, and if you're reading this with a dip in your mouth or fingerbangin a can, think about it.  How strong is that voice in your head?  Might not be too strong if you're in this site reading up on stuff.  Read on, you'll see hundreds, if not thousands of guys that have made the realization that the nic bitch is not looking out for them.  And that we hate her.  We want to fight her the rest of our lives, one day at a time.  Think about it.  Make your decision to live and not be controlled.

Tarpon day 80 and winning my daily battle.

Awesome! This gets me fired up too!

Well done fish boy!

'clap'

Very nice tarpon......you just helped me through another day and then some. I am on day 24 and the nic bitch has been doing some pretty sweet talking this week. Almost had me convinced to go back with her a few times. I just read this and it is more clear to me now of what is going on with me. The more I can learn about the nic bitch, the stronger I can be to fight her.........Thanks

[jburrus4]

It's been one of those weird days. Nothing really to keep me busy and not really craving but it seems to always be on my mind today. At day 87 I'm really happy that this quit has taken and that I found KTC. But as I/we move closer and celebrate our buddys (and buddesses) making the HOF I'm feeling kind of odd about the whole thing. I'm excited but also spooked. Making the HOF is a big step and something I'll be proud of, but then I realize, on day 101 I'll get up and do it all over again. On day 1001, I'll get up and do it all over again. I've never really been involved in something I can't finish or better yet that has no finish, so it's weird. Grateful, but trying to get my mind around it.

[kms]

Apparently we can't post in the calendar, so here's an Early Reminder:

Happy birthday Cliff!

We still miss you. RIP

David J. Clifford
December 1, 1967 - September 10, 2006

What happened to Cliff? He was only a year older than I am.

[Nolaq]

I've been reflecting also on certain aspects of my quit lately as well. Todays reflection revolves around addiction. My wife told me many times that my addiction was the reason I couldn't have a successful quit (previous quits that is). I told myself, this is just a bad oral habitat that I've been doing for 20 yrs, thats why its so hard to quit. In the past 80 days I've come to realize, the nic bitch was telling me those lies. She didn't want me to quit, so she told me that I'm not addicted, addiction is for illicit drugs, not me, cute cuddly nicotene. I never looked up the contents of snuff. Didn't want to. The Nic bitch didn't want me to. She said, its just tobacco and some preservatives, kinda like candy, but better. So I kept going. I can handle this, I'm bullet proof. The nic bitch is strong, she's great at whispering in your ear, convincing you that you're not killing yourself, but pleasing yourself. The more the merrier in her eyes. Through some mechanism we have come to the realization that the nic bitch has lied to us for 1-30+ years. LIED. We know it now, and if you're reading this with a dip in your mouth or fingerbangin a can, think about it. How strong is that voice in your head? Might not be too strong if you're in this site reading up on stuff. Read on, you'll see hundreds, if not thousands of guys that have made the realization that the nic bitch is not looking out for them. And that we hate her. We want to fight her the rest of our lives, one day at a time. Think about it. Make your decision to live and not be controlled.

Tarpon day 80 and winning my daily battle.

Awesome! This gets me fired up too!

Well done fish boy!

'clap'

[tarpon17]

I've been reflecting also on certain aspects of my quit lately as well. Todays reflection revolves around addiction. My wife told me many times that my addiction was the reason I couldn't have a successful quit (previous quits that is). I told myself, this is just a bad oral habitat that I've been doing for 20 yrs, thats why its so hard to quit. In the past 80 days I've come to realize, the nic bitch was telling me those lies. She didn't want me to quit, so she told me that I'm not addicted, addiction is for illicit drugs, not me, cute cuddly nicotene. I never looked up the contents of snuff. Didn't want to. The Nic bitch didn't want me to. She said, its just tobacco and some preservatives, kinda like candy, but better. So I kept going. I can handle this, I'm bullet proof. The nic bitch is strong, she's great at whispering in your ear, convincing you that you're not killing yourself, but pleasing yourself. The more the merrier in her eyes. Through some mechanism we have come to the realization that the nic bitch has lied to us for 1-30+ years. LIED. We know it now, and if you're reading this with a dip in your mouth or fingerbangin a can, think about it. How strong is that voice in your head? Might not be too strong if you're in this site reading up on stuff. Read on, you'll see hundreds, if not thousands of guys that have made the realization that the nic bitch is not looking out for them. And that we hate her. We want to fight her the rest of our lives, one day at a time. Think about it. Make your decision to live and not be controlled.

Tarpon day 80 and winning my daily battle.

[Nolaq]

What's the hardest thing you can do?

I'm a coach. That's how I make my living. I coach cartwheels and shit to pre-schoolers, and competitive gymnastics to girls and boys. I own my own gym, and I love what I do every day. Every now and then, my kids will hit a mental brick wall, or plateau. Often times this is accompanied with fear. Fear is a huge part of gymnastics. When one of my gymnasts does poorly on a math test, or answers a history question incorrectly, there is no real physical threat. If that same gymnast misses her hands when doing a back handspring on a 4 inch wide balance been that stands 4 feet off the floor, it's going to hurt. A lot. So, as a coach, it's my job to try to get in their heads, in a good way. I need to understand their thought process and help them rationalize their way through the fear, and on to success.

I've been using a specific technique recently with a group of girls that are having a hard time with cartwheels on the beam. I asked them, “What's the hardest thing you can do?” Ask yourself that question. I bet it's not an easy answer if you really read the question. My kids couldn't really answer it either. “What' the hardest thing you can DO?” Not, what's the hardest thing you learned to do, or have ever done, but that you can DO.

I worded it specifically. If you can DO something is it hard? Is riding a bike hard? Not for me...anymore. It was hard to learn. I fell. A lot. But now, I can ride every time I try. If you can't do something, it seems hard, until you've conquered it. Quitting is not that different.

I've been applying the lessons I've learned at KTC in my coaching recently, and vice versa. My success depends on my courage. I must have the courage to continue this quit. I see the new guys posting through their first two weeks. THAT takes a lot of courage. It sucks so bad back in the beginning. I am afraid of going through that again. I see guys with hundreds of days think they can have “just one”. I'm afraid of being that guy. I'm afraid the next time I go to the dentist, he's going to find something. I'm afraid my quit came too late in my life to avoid cancer.

I am working through this fear every day. I do this one simple way: I post roll. Posting roll is my security blanket. It's my lucky charm. It's my voodoo. It's where I draw my strength to face the coming day, knowing she is out there. You know who I'm talking about. She's around the corner right now. She's waiting in my truck. She's at the drive through. She's waving to me when I drive by the C-store. When I see her, or hear her whisper in my ear, I grab my security blanket that is KTC and I find the courage to say, “I am not afraid”.

So, what's the hardest thing I can do? I can quit!

[husky086]

I know, right? That's what everyone has always said... but it's been that way forever and they have always happened around the same time. My doc says that some people just work like that... lucky me.

I guess I will need to buy tons of bran products and just try stuff. If it does last for a long time, I will talk to my dr.

[Nolaq]

Hey everyone,

I'm on day 8 of my quit. Everything is going pretty well. Today I seem to have lost the fog and I haven't had one headache. However, there is one thing that is still really painful, and that's the whole not-being-able-to-go-thing or at least not being able to go regularly.

Any suggestions? I already drink coffee and tried oatmeal... but it only helps a little. I'm down from 4 or 5 deuces a day to just one and it's really giving me problems.

thanks,
Husky

I am NO doctor, but 4 or 5 dumps a day? Holy shit, no pun intended. I'm a once a day guy, and have been my whole life.

If you're having real problems, I would go see my doc.

[husky086]

Hey everyone,

I'm on day 8 of my quit. Everything is going pretty well. Today I seem to have lost the fog and I haven't had one headache. However, there is one thing that is still really painful, and that's the whole not-being-able-to-go-thing or at least not being able to go regularly.

Any suggestions? I already drink coffee and tried oatmeal... but it only helps a little. I'm down from 4 or 5 deuces a day to just one and it's really giving me problems.

thanks,
Husky

[Greg5280]

I've been doing a lot of soul searching if you will the past few weeks. I've been hanging around KTC and posting roll, checking other groups out, posting here and there, and offering support. But then the March group got started, and I all of a sudden I got involved. I got the feeling that I wanted to help this group as much as possible. Three reasons for this: my quit date was March 16, 2010; my birthday is in March, and my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March.

Then I started reflecting on some of the sayings we use from time to time. I'm sure you've said, or heard someone say things, like “Get your head in the game.” Or, you've heard people make analogies to sports in a business meeting, etc. That got me to thinking about this thing we're doing called quitting. It's not a game, it's a fight.

I get angry at my addiction. I get angry at my weakness. When I wake up in the morning, I expect to go knuckles up with my nicotine addiction all day long. Some days, it's just a first round knock out. I post roll, I go on with my day and have no cravings. Other days, it's a street fight. The kind of nasty street fight that makes you nervous to even watch. This ain't no game. There can only be one winner – ME.

Your favorite team is in the Super. They're down by 6 in the 4th quarter and they're driving to the end zone with little time. On the last play of the game, they throw a pass into the end zone to win and it's intercepted! OH! What a bummer. Guess what? Tomorrow, everyone involved in that game, and everyone that watched it will get up and go about their days just like before.

In my daily fight with my addiction, I one day decide I'm not strong enough. I can't fight any more. I cave. I die.

There is no trophy. There is no signing bonus. There is no medal. There is only life.

I'm not playing games here. I'm in a fight, and I'm going to win.

-Spring
Dec 8, 2010
268 days of freedom.

Well Said !!

'clap'

[Kdip]

I've been doing a lot of soul searching if you will the past few weeks. I've been hanging around KTC and posting roll, checking other groups out, posting here and there, and offering support. But then the March group got started, and I all of a sudden I got involved. I got the feeling that I wanted to help this group as much as possible. Three reasons for this: my quit date was March 16, 2010; my birthday is in March, and my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March.

Then I started reflecting on some of the sayings we use from time to time. I'm sure you've said, or heard someone say things, like “Get your head in the game.” Or, you've heard people make analogies to sports in a business meeting, etc. That got me to thinking about this thing we're doing called quitting. It's not a game, it's a fight.

I get angry at my addiction. I get angry at my weakness. When I wake up in the morning, I expect to go knuckles up with my nicotine addiction all day long. Some days, it's just a first round knock out. I post roll, I go on with my day and have no cravings. Other days, it's a street fight. The kind of nasty street fight that makes you nervous to even watch. This ain't no game. There can only be one winner – ME.

Your favorite team is in the Super. They're down by 6 in the 4th quarter and they're driving to the end zone with little time. On the last play of the game, they throw a pass into the end zone to win and it's intercepted! OH! What a bummer. Guess what? Tomorrow, everyone involved in that game, and everyone that watched it will get up and go about their days just like before.

In my daily fight with my addiction, I one day decide I'm not strong enough. I can't fight any more. I cave. I die.

There is no trophy. There is no signing bonus. There is no medal. There is only life.

I'm not playing games here. I'm in a fight, and I'm going to win.

-Spring
Dec 8, 2010
268 days of freedom.

Nice, needed to read that this morning!!! You can NEVER give up or the Nic Bitch will win!!!

Kdip - Day 827

[Nolaq]

I've been doing a lot of soul searching if you will the past few weeks. I've been hanging around KTC and posting roll, checking other groups out, posting here and there, and offering support. But then the March group got started, and I all of a sudden I got involved. I got the feeling that I wanted to help this group as much as possible. Three reasons for this: my quit date was March 16, 2010; my birthday is in March, and my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March.

Then I started reflecting on some of the sayings we use from time to time. I'm sure you've said, or heard someone say things, like “Get your head in the game.” Or, you've heard people make analogies to sports in a business meeting, etc. That got me to thinking about this thing we're doing called quitting. It's not a game, it's a fight.

I get angry at my addiction. I get angry at my weakness. When I wake up in the morning, I expect to go knuckles up with my nicotine addiction all day long. Some days, it's just a first round knock out. I post roll, I go on with my day and have no cravings. Other days, it's a street fight. The kind of nasty street fight that makes you nervous to even watch. This ain't no game. There can only be one winner – ME.

Your favorite team is in the Super. They're down by 6 in the 4th quarter and they're driving to the end zone with little time. On the last play of the game, they throw a pass into the end zone to win and it's intercepted! OH! What a bummer. Guess what? Tomorrow, everyone involved in that game, and everyone that watched it will get up and go about their days just like before.

In my daily fight with my addiction, I one day decide I'm not strong enough. I can't fight any more. I cave. I die.

There is no trophy. There is no signing bonus. There is no medal. There is only life.

I'm not playing games here. I'm in a fight, and I'm going to win.

-Spring
Dec 8, 2010
268 days of freedom.

[davenc]

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world ... y/8741674/

Family of man from NC who died from cancer from years of chewing sues UST and wins $5 million settlement. First of its kind lawsuit against makers of chewing tobacco. Looks like the tide is finally turning for those companies...

[jcook]

Hello everyone. I just passed 6 years quit and thought I'd drop by. :)

This quittin' stuff is worth the effort.

Congrats!!! Ready to join you.