KillTheCan.org Accountability Forum

Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: chewie on January 01, 2020, 08:08:34 AM

Title: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on January 01, 2020, 08:08:34 AM
Welcome to 2020 quitters!

So... who quit dipping on New Year's Eve? I know you're not alone...

You CAN do this. It won't be easy but it's TOTALLY worth it. Keep fighting!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bhill on January 03, 2020, 04:59:27 PM
I quit the day after Christmas. I am having a rough time..
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Skolvikings on January 03, 2020, 05:10:30 PM
I quit the day after Christmas. I am having a rough time..

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16165.0 <<<< this is your group, go in and post roll.

There will be a ton of support, talk it out with the other members.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Givers on January 05, 2020, 12:35:06 PM
Day 10 of my 2nd and final quit! Not liking the fog or the panic/anxiety that has come with it. But I'm confident in my commitment to end this addiction once and for all!!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on January 05, 2020, 02:48:06 PM
Day 10 of my 2nd and final quit! Not liking the fog or the panic/anxiety that has come with it. But I'm confident in my commitment to end this addiction once and for all!!

congrats on double digit quit @Givers (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16484) - that's HUGE!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Indrek on January 06, 2020, 05:37:14 AM
Day 10 of my 2nd and final quit! Not liking the fog or the panic/anxiety that has come with it. But I'm confident in my commitment to end this addiction once and for all!!

It gets better, its my 73rd day of quitting nicotine and it seems like forever when you are in that anxious/panic cycle but it does get better when days pile up. Just hang in there, better days ahead!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on January 06, 2020, 09:44:29 AM
Day 10 of my 2nd and final quit! Not liking the fog or the panic/anxiety that has come with it. But I'm confident in my commitment to end this addiction once and for all!!
Nice work on double digits @Givers (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16484). In an effort to help adjust your mindset, addictions can not be ended or eradicated "once and for all". I joined here thinking the same thing but was informed quickly that addictions will stick with us for the rest of our lives. And I don't say this to discourage you. On the contrary, a person's success on this site partially hinges on understanding our enemy and the battle. This is why here at KTC we focus one day at a time (ODAAT). It's all we can control; we let tomorrow take care of itself. Beat nicotine TODAY then do it again tomorrow when God willing you roll out of bed. Make a promise each and every day and honor your word and you will win ODAAT.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Nyles33 on January 06, 2020, 02:47:41 PM
Hey gents - first off, the support here, is phenomenal, truly great. I'm happy to say I'm through week 1, and legitimately haven't even come close to caving.  Yes it's been a bitch at times, but cravings, nada.
That said, I am struggling with a sore jaw especially, and at times a sore throat. My jaw feels tired, like I've been biting down / clenching on something for days. Anyone else experience this? I'm fine in the morning,  but as the day goes on I get steadily worse. Any ideas and/or tips to help with this?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Ben72 on January 06, 2020, 04:05:35 PM
I'm on day 63.  I have a raging sore throat that won't go away. I've had it over 2 weeks and my doctor is stumped. I've seen others mention this issue early on in their quit, but getting it at 9 weeks seems odd.  Anyone else experience something like this? 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on January 06, 2020, 04:38:55 PM
I'm on day 63.  I have a raging sore throat that won't go away. I've had it over 2 weeks and my doctor is stumped. I've seen others mention this issue early on in their quit, but getting it at 9 weeks seems odd.  Anyone else experience something like this?

@Ben72 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16213) - absolutely. My throat KILLED me for weeks when I quit. Can't tell you WHY it happens, but it's incredibly common. Keep fighting!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on January 06, 2020, 04:41:15 PM
Hey gents - first off, the support here, is phenomenal, truly great. I'm happy to say I'm through week 1, and legitimately haven't even come close to caving.  Yes it's been a bitch at times, but cravings, nada.
That said, I am struggling with a sore jaw especially, and at times a sore throat. My jaw feels tired, like I've been biting down / clenching on something for days. Anyone else experience this? I'm fine in the morning,  but as the day goes on I get steadily worse. Any ideas and/or tips to help with this?

@Nyles33 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16465) - 100% normal.

A quote from my HOF speech: "tired jaw – tingling jaw – crawling jaw – acid reflux – dizzy – foggy – rage – aches – pains – insanity – depression"

My jaw felt like it was going to damn near crawl off my face. Not sure if this was due to me grinding my teeth at night or what... but it does indeed go away. Congrats on a week of freedom - keep it up!

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: VA_CountryBoy540 on January 06, 2020, 10:47:06 PM
Question has anyone experienced stomach anxiety when they quit like feels like it jus sucks in on its own its weird as fuck only way to temp stop it is breathan push out ive had since i was 5 hours into it now at 78 hours
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: sethwwagner on January 08, 2020, 09:40:06 AM
Going on day 4 with no nicotine. I'm fairly confident in my willpower to quite but everything that comes with it is another story. The depression, lack of understanding from those around me, and not having the nicotine to rely on to smooth out emotions is really kicking my ass. I picked a fight with my wife this morning again. Though she says she understands and is supportive, her actions speak louder than words. I don't need her approval but having some support has to be necessary. My anger issue rears its head usually in the morning. Do you have any ideas when I can expect to be a little more level headed in the AM. Any stratagies that you would suggest?

Hang in there everyone. The journey may not be easy but the detestation far outweighs a few flat tires along the way.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bug Guy on January 08, 2020, 12:45:32 PM
Hey @sethwwagner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16521)
First thing you need to do every morning is post roll with your support group here https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16165.0 This is the price of admission to KTC. To post your name, day count, and promise to not use any form of nicotine for 24 hrs.

Now to address your addiction, because we are all addicts, no matter how many days we have been quit. But your addiction is YOURS, not your wifes or anyone else's around you. YOU chose to be a slave to nicotine like the rest of us, now it's YOU that has to beat it one day at a time. So no more starting fights with your wife. Come in here and rant and rave about how much life sucks and bitch all you want. That's how this works. But don't do it to your family, they arw innocent in all of this. To expect your wife to sympathetic is selfish. That's not to say she won't eventually come around later down the road when she sees that you are actually serious about this, but you have to give her time, and you have to OWN YOUR QUIT. It is yours and yours alone, but we are here to support you in any way we can. Now get over to April 2020 and post your promise. Proud to be quit with you today brother!
370
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on January 08, 2020, 02:08:34 PM
Hey @sethwwagner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16521)
First thing you need to do every morning is post roll with your support group here https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16165.0 This is the price of admission to KTC. To post your name, day count, and promise to not use any form of nicotine for 24 hrs.

Now to address your addiction, because we are all addicts, no matter how many days we have been quit. But your addiction is YOURS, not your wifes or anyone else's around you. YOU chose to be a slave to nicotine like the rest of us, now it's YOU that has to beat it one day at a time. So no more starting fights with your wife. Come in here and rant and rave about how much life sucks and bitch all you want. That's how this works. But don't do it to your family, they arw innocent in all of this. To expect your wife to sympathetic is selfish. That's not to say she won't eventually come around later down the road when she sees that you are actually serious about this, but you have to give her time, and you have to OWN YOUR QUIT. It is yours and yours alone, but we are here to support you in any way we can. Now get over to April 2020 and post your promise. Proud to be quit with you today brother!
370
@sethwwagner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16521) - listen to what @Bug Guy (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1866) has to say... he 'gets it' in a big bad way.

honored to be quit with both of you today.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Alaska49 on January 09, 2020, 02:03:22 AM
On day 8 of quitting, This is the longest I’ve done without dipping since I was 14. ( 24 year old now.) and It was a tough week, but I feel great now, minus the cravings.
 was not aware of the terrible stomach aches that came with the withdrawals....
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on January 09, 2020, 03:29:36 AM
On day 8 of quitting, This is the longest I’ve done without dipping since I was 14. ( 24 year old now.) and It was a tough week, but I feel great now, minus the cravings.
 was not aware of the terrible stomach aches that came with the withdrawals....

How’s it going @Alaska49 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16529) ,

8 days on your own is bad ass.  I recommend joining the April 2020 Quit Group (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16165.1050).  There you will find other quitters in the nearly the same stage of quit as you.  You will also find a bunch of us vets there to support and help where we can.

We are all addicts here Quitting one day at a time.  The process is easy:

1. Wake up
2. Piss
3. Post your promise to be nicotine free for the day
4. Keep your word
5. Repeat daily

Simple process but it is hard.  You can do it though.  We can help.

chris2alaska
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: cbird65 on January 11, 2020, 01:43:35 PM
Great line from a movie Dead Again......”People who say they’re trying to quit are basically pussies who cannot commit”
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Serapis on January 23, 2020, 03:40:09 PM
Great line from a movie Dead Again......”People who say they’re trying to quit are basically pussies who cannot commit”
I told a customer I was trying to quit,  and she cut me off at the knees.  Did me a favor.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on January 23, 2020, 05:37:38 PM
Great line from a movie Dead Again......”People who say they’re trying to quit are basically pussies who cannot commit”
I told a customer I was trying to quit,  and she cut me off at the knees.  Did me a favor.

"Do or Do Not, there is no Try" ~ Yoda
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Crusader Big D on January 27, 2020, 04:46:54 AM
The night between day 2 and 3 was filled with weird dreams, night sweats, and finally up at 4 am after only 5 hours of sleep. Oh the sweet struggle for freedom! Everything worth having is worth fighting for so grinding it out ODAAT...TTF (today, tomorrow, forever).
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on January 30, 2020, 08:38:09 AM
The physical part seems better, but the mind games are starting. Sometimes i fell overwhelmed with dread just thinking about whats going to happen later in a single day. work grocery laundry todo repairs hobbies etc. i'm trying odaat, but there is so much in a day that It makes that "nicotine whisper" so much stronger when i start rolling through my head all the things i need to do in the day to live and to stay quit. I get overloaded with fear that there is no quick fix. but then there it is the "nic whisper of the quick fix" So i have to start taking it one hour at a time-just to stay focused on the now. Not thinking of the day, but how im going to stay focused until the next hour. That helps me remember that im in a struggle to quit and it reminds my of what i have to do so i don't say anything hurtful anyone and do anything rash in the moment that would effect my feelings and make me loose my quit.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: SmokeyMountainExpress on January 30, 2020, 10:12:39 AM
The physical part seems better, but the mind games are starting. Sometimes i fell overwhelmed with dread just thinking about whats going to happen later in a single day. work grocery laundry todo repairs hobbies etc. i'm trying odaat, but there is so much in a day that It makes that "nicotine whisper" so much stronger when i start rolling through my head all the things i need to do in the day to live and to stay quit. I get overloaded with fear that there is no quick fix. but then there it is the "nic whisper of the quick fix" So i have to start taking it one hour at a time-just to stay focused on the now. Not thinking of the day, but how im going to stay focused until the next hour. That helps me remember that im in a struggle to quit and it reminds my of what i have to do so i don't say anything hurtful anyone and do anything rash in the moment that would effect my feelings and make me loose my quit.

@Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)... I’m no poet, but here is my two cents!  Quitting sucks, I mean some days are hell and there is nothing we can do but embrace the pain and fight. Remember what is causing the pain and learn to hate it.  Nicotine addiction is why you are going through this bullshit so keep fighting it will get better!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on January 30, 2020, 10:48:37 AM
The physical part seems better, but the mind games are starting. Sometimes i fell overwhelmed with dread just thinking about whats going to happen later in a single day. work grocery laundry todo repairs hobbies etc. i'm trying odaat, but there is so much in a day that It makes that "nicotine whisper" so much stronger when i start rolling through my head all the things i need to do in the day to live and to stay quit. I get overloaded with fear that there is no quick fix. but then there it is the "nic whisper of the quick fix" So i have to start taking it one hour at a time-just to stay focused on the now. Not thinking of the day, but how im going to stay focused until the next hour. That helps me remember that im in a struggle to quit and it reminds my of what i have to do so i don't say anything hurtful anyone and do anything rash in the moment that would effect my feelings and make me loose my quit.

@Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)... I’m no poet, but here is my two cents!  Quitting sucks, I mean some days are hell and there is nothing we can do but embrace the pain and fight. Remember what is causing the pain and learn to hate it.  Nicotine addiction is why you are going through this bullshit so keep fighting it will get better!
Break it down however small so that you are able to honor your promise to yourself and all of us. There is no shame in quitting minute by minute, hour by hour. We don't have to quit forever because we focus on quitting just for TODAY. It's all we can control.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on January 30, 2020, 03:36:29 PM
The physical part seems better, but the mind games are starting. Sometimes i fell overwhelmed with dread just thinking about whats going to happen later in a single day. work grocery laundry todo repairs hobbies etc. i'm trying odaat, but there is so much in a day that It makes that "nicotine whisper" so much stronger when i start rolling through my head all the things i need to do in the day to live and to stay quit. I get overloaded with fear that there is no quick fix. but then there it is the "nic whisper of the quick fix" So i have to start taking it one hour at a time-just to stay focused on the now. Not thinking of the day, but how im going to stay focused until the next hour. That helps me remember that im in a struggle to quit and it reminds my of what i have to do so i don't say anything hurtful anyone and do anything rash in the moment that would effect my feelings and make me loose my quit.

@Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)... I’m no poet, but here is my two cents!  Quitting sucks, I mean some days are hell and there is nothing we can do but embrace the pain and fight. Remember what is causing the pain and learn to hate it.  Nicotine addiction is why you are going through this bullshit so keep fighting it will get better!

@SmokeyMountainExpress (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16052)  Thanks that is right i need to learn to hate it. what it does and how it controls me thank for the advice
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on January 30, 2020, 03:37:48 PM
The physical part seems better, but the mind games are starting. Sometimes i fell overwhelmed with dread just thinking about whats going to happen later in a single day. work grocery laundry todo repairs hobbies etc. i'm trying odaat, but there is so much in a day that It makes that "nicotine whisper" so much stronger when i start rolling through my head all the things i need to do in the day to live and to stay quit. I get overloaded with fear that there is no quick fix. but then there it is the "nic whisper of the quick fix" So i have to start taking it one hour at a time-just to stay focused on the now. Not thinking of the day, but how im going to stay focused until the next hour. That helps me remember that im in a struggle to quit and it reminds my of what i have to do so i don't say anything hurtful anyone and do anything rash in the moment that would effect my feelings and make me loose my quit.

@Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)... I’m no poet, but here is my two cents!  Quitting sucks, I mean some days are hell and there is nothing we can do but embrace the pain and fight. Remember what is causing the pain and learn to hate it.  Nicotine addiction is why you are going through this bullshit so keep fighting it will get better!
Break it down however small so that you are able to honor your promise to yourself and all of us. There is no shame in quitting minute by minute, hour by hour. We don't have to quit forever because we focus on quitting just for TODAY. It's all we can control.

@MNxEngineer314 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21). Yes today is what im focusing on and today is going to be great thank you
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: TobNaissur on January 31, 2020, 02:34:34 PM
Hey y'all.  Just signed up.  Today is my last day chewing.  Tomorrow starts my third and final time quitting.  I'm 28 and have been chewing relentlessly since I was 14.  I was a baseball player all through college and have hunted/fished my whole life so I have certainly had my fair share of tobacco.  Started out stealing my dad's RedMan when the bags got low and eventually moved on to Grizz Green. This time it is for real.  The chew has taken a toll on my gums and I am worried I will lose a few teeth from it.  As a Southerner I certainly wouldn't be out place if I had a few holes in my mouth, but could not live with myself if that did happen.  That along with my wife and I starting a family this year have finally driven me to completely quit for good.  As mentioned I have "quit" before: once for 5 months and once for 3.  First time I was scared to death of hunting without chew, and the second time I could not see how I was going to sit at a desk for 8-9 hours a day without chewing.  No more.  Time to nut up and deal with it. So here I am, ready to KILL THE CAN.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Zeus on January 31, 2020, 03:00:55 PM
Hey y'all.  Just signed up.  Today is my last day chewing.  Tomorrow starts my third and final time quitting.  I'm 28 and have been chewing relentlessly since I was 14.  I was a baseball player all through college and have hunted/fished my whole life so I have certainly had my fair share of tobacco.  Started out stealing my dad's RedMan when the bags got low and eventually moved on to Grizz Green. This time it is for real.  The chew has taken a toll on my gums and I am worried I will lose a few teeth from it.  As a Southerner I certainly wouldn't be out place if I had a few holes in my mouth, but could not live with myself if that did happen.  That along with my wife and I starting a family this year have finally driven me to completely quit for good.  As mentioned I have "quit" before: once for 5 months and once for 3.  First time I was scared to death of hunting without chew, and the second time I could not see how I was going to sit at a desk for 8-9 hours a day without chewing.  No more.  Time to nut up and deal with it. So here I am, ready to KILL THE CAN.

Congrats! You should do yourself a favor and copy and past this to the introduction section. Create your very own 'New Topic' and name it whatever you want, such as TobNaissur's Intro. Then you can go back to it and add to it as you get through each day or certain milestones.

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?board=29.0

Next I encourage you to join the Accountability portion of this site by signing up with a Quit Group. Quit Groups are organized by what month you will reach 100 days in. Stay quit every day and you will hit 100 days in May 2020. You can join the May 2020 HOF (Hall of Fame) Group here: https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16257.0

To join, all you have to do is post your name, day 1, and promise not to use nicotine for the rest of the day. Keep your word.  Wake up tomorrow morning and repeat the process. You can spit that shit out and call it day 1 RIGHT NOW. If it's worth quitting tomorrow, it's even better today. Don't give your addict self a chance to talk yourself out of it. We'll keep you accountable and expect the same from you.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Louthemechanic on February 01, 2020, 02:16:19 AM
I don’t know how to use this website. But if anyone can hear me, I’m 39 years old and I’ve been chewing for 23 years, about 3 cans a day. Used to be skoal mint when I was younger and then grizzly wintergreen dark. I am on day 5 tobacco free right now. I  joined this website mainly to find out if it’s normal to have extremely painful sores in my mouth (on my left cheek and on my tongue) as soon as I stopped chewing. It first started when I cut back about 2 weeks ago. I noticed I had a small sore or two. Now it’s downright agonizing. Can anyone see me writing this? I’m on chantix day 10 of that. It seems to be working but what’s really keeping me from putting tobacco in my mouth is the painful sores. If it’s not better by Monday I’m going to the doctors. I thought I bit my cheek in my sleep but I don’t think that’s what happened. I’ve never had any sores or pain in my mouth (at least nothing like this) for the last 23 years of chewing. Now all of a sudden I stop and I have all these sores and pain. I read a few places that said that’s normal and they go away?? I hope so. It’s really freaking me out! Well anyway, hopefully I’m not typing all this for nothing. I don’t know how to use this thing
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Zeus on February 01, 2020, 02:09:46 PM
I don’t know how to use this website. But if anyone can hear me, I’m 39 years old and I’ve been chewing for 23 years, about 3 cans a day. Used to be skoal mint when I was younger and then grizzly wintergreen dark. I am on day 5 tobacco free right now. I  joined this website mainly to find out if it’s normal to have extremely painful sores in my mouth (on my left cheek and on my tongue) as soon as I stopped chewing. It first started when I cut back about 2 weeks ago. I noticed I had a small sore or two. Now it’s downright agonizing. Can anyone see me writing this? I’m on chantix day 10 of that. It seems to be working but what’s really keeping me from putting tobacco in my mouth is the painful sores. If it’s not better by Monday I’m going to the doctors. I thought I bit my cheek in my sleep but I don’t think that’s what happened. I’ve never had any sores or pain in my mouth (at least nothing like this) for the last 23 years of chewing. Now all of a sudden I stop and I have all these sores and pain. I read a few places that said that’s normal and they go away?? I hope so. It’s really freaking me out! Well anyway, hopefully I’m not typing all this for nothing. I don’t know how to use this thing

@Louthemechanic (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16683)

Yes, we can see you. You are able to use this website, so there is no excuse not to use this website and the resources found therein if you want to stay quit.

Yes, it's completely normal have sores and pain in your mouth upon quitting. Your mouth chemistry begins to change the second you spit that crap out. That said, I highly suggest you make an appointment with your doctor anyway. It's always a good idea to have a professional give your mouth a good inspection. When you get a clean bill of health, you'll have peace of mind going forward. There are some folks who run out of luck.

Let us know if you want to make a commitment to stay quit. We'll help you with that.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: thepeculiarunicorn on February 03, 2020, 08:06:17 AM
Happy Monday everyone,

Just curious, are there any other women in the forum trying to quit?
Also, I'm starting at Day 1 again and feel like a complete asshole about it.
Anyone else think I'm an asshole for messing up on their first day?

-Holly
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on February 03, 2020, 11:11:33 AM
Happy Monday everyone,

Just curious, are there any other women in the forum trying to quit?
Also, I'm starting at Day 1 again and feel like a complete asshole about it.
Anyone else think I'm an asshole for messing up on their first day?

-Holly

Hi Holly @thepeculiarunicorn (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16694)  ,

There are quite a few other women here that are bad ass quitters. @ankape (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=15914) , @ChickDip (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=164) , @Falcon67 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=484) , @FLLipOut (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=53) , @buttons7886 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=15249) , @L8x55d (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14776) , @harvestgirl (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=98) to name a few are all quitters here that would be more than happy to exchange digits and help keep you quit.

Feel free to reach out to any or all of them, I know they will be reaching out to you as I have just tagged them and they will be reading this the next time they are on the site.

If you would like my number, please feel free to send me a PM. 

Chris
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Falcon67 on February 03, 2020, 12:31:26 PM
Happy Monday everyone,

Just curious, are there any other women in the forum trying to quit?
Also, I'm starting at Day 1 again and feel like a complete asshole about it.
Anyone else think I'm an asshole for messing up on their first day?

-Holly

Hi Holly @thepeculiarunicorn (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16694)  ,

There are quite a few other women here that are bad ass quitters. @ankape (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=15914) , @ChickDip (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=164) , @Falcon67 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=484) , @FLLipOut (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=53) , @buttons7886 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=15249) , @L8x55d (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14776) , @harvestgirl (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=98) to name a few are all quitters here that would be more than happy to exchange digits and help keep you quit.

Feel free to reach out to any or all of them, I know they will be reaching out to you as I have just tagged them and they will be reading this the next time they are on the site.

If you would like my number, please feel free to send me a PM. 

Chris
Message from me already in your inbox.  Shared the ingredients for quitting --read it -- read it again and follow the recipe.  This is your quit -- we are here to coach and support you -- YOU need to do this!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hunter4life on February 07, 2020, 08:49:02 PM
How would one go about deleting his account?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on February 08, 2020, 07:50:13 AM
How would one go about deleting his account?
We typically don't delete accounts for a variety of reasons... that said, send me a PM and we can discuss.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on February 09, 2020, 11:32:57 AM
Does anyone have any good ideas for distracting yourself on boring days? Maybe hobbies? I'm always looking to try something new.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on February 09, 2020, 11:58:22 AM
Does anyone have any good ideas for distracting yourself on boring days? Maybe hobbies? I'm always looking to try something new.

Go to the gym, walking, video games, beer brewing, picking daisies, etc... anything to keep away from the can.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: rvwade04 on February 10, 2020, 11:56:55 AM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Daviddim on February 10, 2020, 12:08:56 PM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: rvwade04 on February 10, 2020, 12:27:45 PM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I use Smokey Mountain various flavors (favorites are wintergreen and peach).  I also use cinnamon stick.  I just chew on them like a cigar.  I haven't broken the habit yet but have cut back a ton.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on February 10, 2020, 12:53:25 PM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I use Smokey Mountain various flavors (favorites are wintergreen and peach).  I also use cinnamon stick.  I just chew on them like a cigar.  I haven't broken the habit yet but have cut back a ton.

I used a TON of fake dip back in the day. Sunflower seeds and beef jerky (specifically Slim Jims) as well. Was never a big gum guy.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: DonkeyMN on February 11, 2020, 08:37:01 AM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I use Smokey Mountain various flavors (favorites are wintergreen and peach).  I also use cinnamon stick.  I just chew on them like a cigar.  I haven't broken the habit yet but have cut back a ton.

I used a TON of fake dip back in the day. Sunflower seeds and beef jerky (specifically Slim Jims) as well. Was never a big gum guy.

I used fake, but also sweet stuff.  I sucked on lemon drops, rootbeer barrels, swedish fish out of the freezer (those are good , almost the exact size of a dip )....  Whatever you use, enjoy not putting catshit in your mouth!  QWU today
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chitownsnus on February 12, 2020, 01:28:47 PM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I use Smokey Mountain various flavors (favorites are wintergreen and peach).  I also use cinnamon stick.  I just chew on them like a cigar.  I haven't broken the habit yet but have cut back a ton.

I used a TON of fake dip back in the day. Sunflower seeds and beef jerky (specifically Slim Jims) as well. Was never a big gum guy.

I used fake, but also sweet stuff.  I sucked on lemon drops, rootbeer barrels, swedish fish out of the freezer (those are good , almost the exact size of a dip )....  Whatever you use, enjoy not putting catshit in your mouth!  QWU today
I like '40'
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Caleb6688 on February 13, 2020, 12:04:01 AM
I have just chewed on coffee stir sticks from Dunkin Donuts. Gum sometimes.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Falcon67 on February 13, 2020, 09:16:03 AM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I use Smokey Mountain various flavors (favorites are wintergreen and peach).  I also use cinnamon stick.  I just chew on them like a cigar.  I haven't broken the habit yet but have cut back a ton.

I used a TON of fake dip back in the day. Sunflower seeds and beef jerky (specifically Slim Jims) as well. Was never a big gum guy.

I used fake, but also sweet stuff.  I sucked on lemon drops, rootbeer barrels, swedish fish out of the freezer (those are good , almost the exact size of a dip )....  Whatever you use, enjoy not putting catshit in your mouth!  QWU today
I like '40'

I was a mini dry portion Swedish Snus person so the Smokey Moutain packs are PERFECT!  Still keep them handy when the craves really hit.  I prefer the Artic Mint.  A good fake for traditional Swedish Snus portion users are Baccoff pouches.  I use the Caramel and Vanilla for a change of pace. 

Early on I also chewed on tons of sesame seeds -- BIGGS were best / great flavors and a lot less salt than Davids.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on February 15, 2020, 05:03:15 PM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I use Smokey Mountain various flavors (favorites are wintergreen and peach).  I also use cinnamon stick.  I just chew on them like a cigar.  I haven't broken the habit yet but have cut back a ton.

I used a TON of fake dip back in the day. Sunflower seeds and beef jerky (specifically Slim Jims) as well. Was never a big gum guy.

I used fake, but also sweet stuff.  I sucked on lemon drops, rootbeer barrels, swedish fish out of the freezer (those are good , almost the exact size of a dip )....  Whatever you use, enjoy not putting catshit in your mouth!  QWU today
I like '40'

I was a mini dry portion Swedish Snus person so the Smokey Moutain packs are PERFECT!  Still keep them handy when the craves really hit.  I prefer the Artic Mint.  A good fake for traditional Swedish Snus portion users are Baccoff pouches.  I use the Caramel and Vanilla for a change of pace. 

Early on I also chewed on tons of sesame seeds -- BIGGS were best / great flavors and a lot less salt than Davids.

i think flavored tooth oicks are kinda cool. keep them in a old camera film bottle. and pop them in you look super old school cool, its a good distraction and helps with oral fixation and you can create your own with different flavors. i would visit art of manliness website they have a few cool things to try, not specific at nicotine abstinence, but things to do.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on February 15, 2020, 05:06:33 PM
Does anyone have any good ideas for distracting yourself on boring days? Maybe hobbies? I'm always looking to try something new.

Go to the gym, walking, video games, beer brewing, picking daisies, etc... anything to keep away from the can.

@chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) beer brewing sounds good. i tried making prison hooch in my closet once. apple juice raisins sugar bread yeast and even a pin sized hole in a condom used for the airlock, it gets you drunk but it tastes like "shit"
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on February 20, 2020, 08:57:30 PM
I want to check my sent messages in the sent folder like email. But every time I go into the folder it is empty does anyone know how to check your sent folder in the forum.?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on February 20, 2020, 09:07:52 PM
I want to check my sent messages in the sent folder like email. But every time I go into the folder it is empty does anyone know how to check your sent folder in the forum.?

Hi @Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)

Click "Profile" at the top.

Hover over "Modify Profile" and select "Personal Messaging".  Make sure the box to the right of "Save a copy of each personal message in my sent items by default." is checked.

CLick "Save Profile" bottom right of screen.  Now your sent messages will be saved.

To access them, Click "My Messages".  Hover over "messages" on the left and select "sent Messages".
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on February 20, 2020, 09:24:30 PM
I want to check my sent messages in the sent folder like email. But every time I go into the folder it is empty does anyone know how to check your sent folder in the forum.?

Hi @Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)

Click "Profile" at the top.

Hover over "Modify Profile" and select "Personal Messaging".  Make sure the box to the right of "Save a copy of each personal message in my sent items by default." is checked.

CLick "Save Profile" bottom right of screen.  Now your sent messages will be saved.

To access them, Click "My Messages".  Hover over "messages" on the left and select "sent Messages".

Got it thanks @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130) that helps thanks for the tech tip
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on February 20, 2020, 11:54:04 PM
I want to check my sent messages in the sent folder like email. But every time I go into the folder it is empty does anyone know how to check your sent folder in the forum.?

Hi @Vin70 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16656)

Click "Profile" at the top.

Hover over "Modify Profile" and select "Personal Messaging".  Make sure the box to the right of "Save a copy of each personal message in my sent items by default." is checked.

CLick "Save Profile" bottom right of screen.  Now your sent messages will be saved.

To access them, Click "My Messages".  Hover over "messages" on the left and select "sent Messages".

Got it thanks @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130) that helps thanks for the tech tip

My pleasure
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on February 24, 2020, 09:43:50 AM
Main Site Outage - 2.24.2020

Main site is down this AM. I'm working on restoring it but may take some time.

Forums, blog, chat and social are unaffected.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on February 24, 2020, 03:02:19 PM
Main Site Outage - 2.24.2020

Main site is down this AM. I'm working on restoring it but may take some time.

Forums, blog, chat and social are unaffected.

UPDATE: Looks like the main site is back up and running. Appears there may be a couple of posts that were rolled back - I'll do my best to get them manually restored as well. Carry on.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Vin70 on February 27, 2020, 03:52:49 PM
Is their a way i can distribution list and tag my whole group when i post so everyone will get tag in there notifications and know to read what was posted?

Can we get more smiley face graphics?

Thank you
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NErancher on February 27, 2020, 11:52:08 PM
what is your go to oral distraction to dip?  Gum, fake dip(what brand), etc.  Please chime in!!!

I’m a big fan of the new hooch fat packs and sunflower seeds. Got the wintergreen fat packs, they can be a little dry so I throw a few drops of water in the can when I open it to moisten them up. Its been great for those big OH FUCK triggers. I really try not to keep the habit alive though so Ive only put one in if I’m REALLY struggling. Still in the early days but it’s working for me so thought I’d share.

I like grinds any flavor, but i am a coffee drinker anyway. Right now I am night calving from 2:00pm to 12:00am 7 days a week so the extra caffeine is no big deal. Before I thought it was contributing to my not being able to sleep. Personally gum helps me not to crave but after two days of gum chewing my jaw try's to lock up. I'm at 44 days and I'm craving all the time lately. I use grinds a lot in the evening sitting here waiting to go on my next check. I'm contemplating hiring a mad scientist to take the nicotine out of Copenhagen. But that is just were I'm at right now. I have had some good days they just seem hard to remember right now.
Title: Face to Face with the Bitch
Post by: drums636 on February 28, 2020, 12:52:03 PM
I feel the need to tell this story. 302 days in feeling good about everything including not dipping.

Story;
Me and my dog are at the bank and the teller asked if my dog could have a dog treat. I said sure and gave it to him.
Problem;
He dropped half of between the seat and console of my truck and spent the entire rest of the trip home trying to get it. I pull in the driveway and begin to dig under my seat for the bone. I find spare change, toothpicks, some trash, the piece of bone, and then, I pull out an at least 302 day old bag of fucking Redman. My whole quit flashed before my eyes ( that is not a joke). You can't make this shit up. So I'm standing in my driveway with nothing between my hand and a bag of chew except air. I can't explain all of the thoughts that went through my head, but I said, man would one chew hurt? I even opened it up to smell it. Then reality set in and I said to myself, you have way too much invested in this quit to screw it up now this up. I held the bag in my hand for a moment, then proceeded to crumble it up and throw it in the garbage can. That actually made me feel good.
Lesson;
No matter how far along you are in your quit, the nic bitch is ALWAYS waiting for a weak moment to strike. You have to stay vigilant.

Sorry, I felt like I need to say this.
Title: Re: Face to Face with the Bitch
Post by: MN_Engineer on February 28, 2020, 01:21:27 PM
I feel the need to tell this story. 302 days in feeling good about everything including not dipping.

Story;
Me and my dog are at the bank and the teller asked if my dog could have a dog treat. I said sure and gave it to him.
Problem;
He dropped half of between the seat and console of my truck and spent the entire rest of the trip home trying to get it. I pull in the driveway and begin to dig under my seat for the bone. I find spare change, toothpicks, some trash, the piece of bone, and then, I pull out an at least 302 day old bag of fucking Redman. My whole quit flashed before my eyes ( that is not a joke). You can't make this shit up. So I'm standing in my driveway with nothing between my hand and a bag of chew except air. I can't explain all of the thoughts that went through my head, but I said, man would one chew hurt? I even opened it up to smell it. Then reality set in and I said to myself, you have way too much invested in this quit to screw it up now this up. I held the bag in my hand for a moment, then proceeded to crumble it up and throw it in the garbage can. That actually made me feel good.
Lesson;
No matter how far along you are in your quit, the nic bitch is ALWAYS waiting for a weak moment to strike. You have to stay vigilant.

Sorry, I felt like I need to say this.
Thanks for sharing @drums636 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14616)!! I love hearing stories of victory like this. Next time something like this happens, don't hesitate to jump on the phone and call someone in your quit arsenal to make sure those tempting thoughts don't turn into reality.

Early in my quit I found a corn cob pipe and tobacco tucked away I had bought less than a year before I quit dipping. I grabbed a dead blow hammer and smashed the living shit out it, leaving it but a pile of corn dust.

Keep up the solid quit and proud to be quit with you today!
Title: Re: Face to Face with the Bitch
Post by: drums636 on February 28, 2020, 05:20:20 PM
I feel the need to tell this story. 302 days in feeling good about everything including not dipping.

Story;
Me and my dog are at the bank and the teller asked if my dog could have a dog treat. I said sure and gave it to him.
Problem;
He dropped half of between the seat and console of my truck and spent the entire rest of the trip home trying to get it. I pull in the driveway and begin to dig under my seat for the bone. I find spare change, toothpicks, some trash, the piece of bone, and then, I pull out an at least 302 day old bag of fucking Redman. My whole quit flashed before my eyes ( that is not a joke). You can't make this shit up. So I'm standing in my driveway with nothing between my hand and a bag of chew except air. I can't explain all of the thoughts that went through my head, but I said, man would one chew hurt? I even opened it up to smell it. Then reality set in and I said to myself, you have way too much invested in this quit to screw it up now. I held the bag in my hand for a moment, then proceeded to crumble it up and throw it in the garbage can. That actually made me feel good.
Lesson;
No matter how far along you are in your quit, the nic bitch is ALWAYS waiting for a weak moment to strike. You have to stay vigilant.

Sorry, I felt like I need to say this.
Thanks for sharing @drums636 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14616)!! I love hearing stories of victory like this. Next time something like this happens, don't hesitate to jump on the phone and call someone in your quit arsenal to make sure those tempting thoughts don't turn into reality.

Early in my quit I found a corn cob pipe and tobacco tucked away I had bought less than a year before I quit dipping. I grabbed a dead blow hammer and smashed the living shit out it, leaving it but a pile of corn dust.

Keep up the solid quit and proud to be quit with you today!
@MNxEngineer314 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) It didn't get bad enough to call someone, but I have plenty of digits if it does happen. PTQWYT
Title: Mind Games
Post by: GS9502 on February 29, 2020, 08:15:49 AM
I wish I had a can of Grizzly from 15 years ago to compare with the last can I dipped. I swear the cans have gotten smaller over the years as the cost has gotten bigger. At least that's the argument I would throw up to my wife when she grilled me about buying so much Grizzly each week (2 rolls, at least).
Whether the Big Tobacco Machine has been squeezing us or not, I was dipping a lot. It got to the point I would wake up during the night, get a dip, and go back to bed. There were fewer hours I didn't have a dip in than there were hours when I did. I dipped at work. I teach at a college, so when I wasn't in class, I was in my office with a dip. I was a slave to the bear.
What really made me realize it was nothing more than a habit happened this past week. I cut way back, weaning myself to make Friday a little easier. Well, Thursday, the dips I had after breakfast, lunch, and dinner about made me drunk! That was the feeling I remember having when I first started dipping back in college. Since those days, the dip became a need, but I didn't get that feeling. I couldn't put enough Grizzly or Cope in to get that feeling, so I was just dipping to be dipping. I was getting the nicotine, but I wasn't getting the relaxed feeling.
I'm in the June 2020 group. June 6, 2020, will be my 100th day. I'm not concerned about that day, though. I'm more concerned about 2/29/2020 - today. I've posted Roll and made my promise. I don't break promises. Not today, Satan (Grizzly). Not today.
Matthew (GS9502)
Title: Re: Face to Face with the Bitch
Post by: Vin70 on February 29, 2020, 12:23:47 PM
I feel the need to tell this story. 302 days in feeling good about everything including not dipping.

Story;
Me and my dog are at the bank and the teller asked if my dog could have a dog treat. I said sure and gave it to him.
Problem;
He dropped half of between the seat and console of my truck and spent the entire rest of the trip home trying to get it. I pull in the driveway and begin to dig under my seat for the bone. I find spare change, toothpicks, some trash, the piece of bone, and then, I pull out an at least 302 day old bag of fucking Redman. My whole quit flashed before my eyes ( that is not a joke). You can't make this shit up. So I'm standing in my driveway with nothing between my hand and a bag of chew except air. I can't explain all of the thoughts that went through my head, but I said, man would one chew hurt? I even opened it up to smell it. Then reality set in and I said to myself, you have way too much invested in this quit to screw it up now. I held the bag in my hand for a moment, then proceeded to crumble it up and throw it in the garbage can. That actually made me feel good.
Lesson;
No matter how far along you are in your quit, the nic bitch is ALWAYS waiting for a weak moment to strike. You have to stay vigilant.

Sorry, I felt like I need to say this.
Thanks for sharing @drums636 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14616)!! I love hearing stories of victory like this. Next time something like this happens, don't hesitate to jump on the phone and call someone in your quit arsenal to make sure those tempting thoughts don't turn into reality.

Early in my quit I found a corn cob pipe and tobacco tucked away I had bought less than a year before I quit dipping. I grabbed a dead blow hammer and smashed the living shit out it, leaving it but a pile of corn dust.

Keep up the solid quit and proud to be quit with you today!
@MNxEngineer314 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) It didn't get bad enough to call someone, but I have plenty of digits if it does happen. PTQWYT

my heart raced reading that story. i found a full pack of cigs a couple days into my quit. laying on the road as a took a walk. someone told my i have to develop a reflex that as soon as i see something i don't like (nicotine) i have to get it out of my mind any way possible. all i could do was take my foot and smashed it like cockaroch. and kick it into the ditch and then kick it into a puddle and run back in the embankment...  that made me feel good....
Title: Re: Mind Games
Post by: Vin70 on February 29, 2020, 12:40:12 PM
I wish I had a can of Grizzly from 15 years ago to compare with the last can I dipped. I swear the cans have gotten smaller over the years as the cost has gotten bigger. At least that's the argument I would throw up to my wife when she grilled me about buying so much Grizzly each week (2 rolls, at least).
Whether the Big Tobacco Machine has been squeezing us or not, I was dipping a lot. It got to the point I would wake up during the night, get a dip, and go back to bed. There were fewer hours I didn't have a dip in than there were hours when I did. I dipped at work. I teach at a college, so when I wasn't in class, I was in my office with a dip. I was a slave to the bear.
What really made me realize it was nothing more than a habit happened this past week. I cut way back, weaning myself to make Friday a little easier. Well, Thursday, the dips I had after breakfast, lunch, and dinner about made me drunk! That was the feeling I remember having when I first started dipping back in college. Since those days, the dip became a need, but I didn't get that feeling. I couldn't put enough Grizzly or Cope in to get that feeling, so I was just dipping to be dipping. I was getting the nicotine, but I wasn't getting the relaxed feeling.
I'm in the June 2020 group. June 6, 2020, will be my 100th day. I'm not concerned about that day, though. I'm more concerned about 2/29/2020 - today. I've posted Roll and made my promise. I don't break promises. Not today, Satan (Grizzly). Not today.
Matthew (GS9502)

Thats the problem eventually you start dipping just to feel normal to feel good, but the drunk feeling goes away. Tobacco today is designed so much better than tobacco 5 10 15 years ago. it is more addictive than ever before they say 7000 chemicals because every step of the way from seed to "lip" chemicals are used to enhance nicotine delivery. im glad you quit. it will be harder to quit as tobacco as they continue to redesign it. be free now..
Title: Sunday Night Thoughts
Post by: GS9502 on March 01, 2020, 08:59:54 PM
My quit began Friday. I was home alone all day (I don't work on Fridays), and I could have left any time to go buy dip. But I didn't. Damn, I wanted to, though. Saturday wasn't so bad. I ate a lot of sunflower seeds. Today the restless Friday and Saturday nights caught up with me, and I napped a lot this afternoon. Guess I needed the rest.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my physician, just to talk things over. I've had BP issues for years, so I thought it would be wise to let the Doc know what's going on.

Thanks to everyone who's reached out this weekend. You guys are freaking awesome.

KTC is a great support system. There are endless support groups for smokers who are quitting, but not so many for dippers. I'm glad my dentist recommended this one.  You guys are hard core, but that's what I need.

I'm gonna kick that can's ass one day at a time. I know I can do it because I look at your numbers and see y'all did it. I want to be cool like that! ODAAT. I remind myself when the cravings hit: If your path demands you to walk through hell, walk like you own the place.

Y'all have a great night. We'll kick ass tomorrow.
Matthew - GS9502

Title: WUPP some got it - some don't
Post by: NErancher on March 01, 2020, 11:08:09 PM
 I understand weird work schedules. I am self employed but I do day work.  Right now I am night calving for a neighbor i have the 2:00pm to 12:00am shift. I also own 100 cows of my own to care for. I post when I get home at 1 or 2 am. I check on my group when I wake up and a couple more times during the day. I get it everyone is busy but why is WUPP so hard for some?  Is it a matter of to busy? just not a priority?
Title: Re: WUPP some got it - some don't
Post by: 25yeardippernomore on March 02, 2020, 09:01:03 AM
I understand weird work schedules. I am self employed but I do day work.  Right now I am night calving for a neighbor i have the 2:00pm to 12:00am shift. I also own 100 cows of my own to care for. I post when I get home at 1 or 2 am. I check on my group when I wake up and a couple more times during the day. I get it everyone is busy but why is WUPP so hard for some?  Is it a matter of to busy? just not a priority?

If people are being honest with themselves, the reason is in your last sentence.  It's just not enough of a priority for them. 
Title: My Mind's Playin' Tricks on Me
Post by: GS9502 on March 03, 2020, 06:12:51 AM
If what everyone says is accurate, here at Day 5 the nicotine should be out of my system, so physically the worst of the withdrawal symptoms should be over, right?

Well, I'm having some weird thoughts. One thing I keep thinking about is Kodiak Wintergreen. Here's why that's fucked up. I HATED Kodiak Wintergreen dip, any wintergreen dip as a matter of fact. Kodiak, especially, though, because I gave me a headache any time I tried it.

Now, though, it's like I'm damn near fantasizing about it. WTF?

Oh, well. I'm gonna ride this train all the way, so weird thoughts or not, I'm in it to win it. Here's to Day 5 - a new record for me!

Matthew, aka GS9502
Title: Re: My Mind's Playin' Tricks on Me
Post by: SmokeyMountainExpress on March 03, 2020, 10:20:37 AM
If what everyone says is accurate, here at Day 5 the nicotine should be out of my system, so physically the worst of the withdrawal symptoms should be over, right?

Well, I'm having some weird thoughts. One thing I keep thinking about is Kodiak Wintergreen. Here's why that's fucked up. I HATED Kodiak Wintergreen dip, any wintergreen dip as a matter of fact. Kodiak, especially, though, because I gave me a headache any time I tried it.

Now, though, it's like I'm damn near fantasizing about it. WTF?

Oh, well. I'm gonna ride this train all the way, so weird thoughts or not, I'm in it to win it. Here's to Day 5 - a new record for me!

Matthew, aka GS9502

You are correct the nicotine is now out of your system.  But I would caution you to not put any expectations on when things like physical withdrawals will get "easier" to deal with.  From what I understand it is different for everyone.  Just keep holding the line and quitting ODAAT.  Putting expectations on when certain symptoms should be over will just set you up for disappointment.  It will get better down the line if that helps keep you motivated.
Title: Re: My Mind's Playin' Tricks on Me
Post by: DonkeyMN on March 04, 2020, 11:39:26 AM
If what everyone says is accurate, here at Day 5 the nicotine should be out of my system, so physically the worst of the withdrawal symptoms should be over, right?

Well, I'm having some weird thoughts. One thing I keep thinking about is Kodiak Wintergreen. Here's why that's fucked up. I HATED Kodiak Wintergreen dip, any wintergreen dip as a matter of fact. Kodiak, especially, though, because I gave me a headache any time I tried it.

Now, though, it's like I'm damn near fantasizing about it. WTF?

Oh, well. I'm gonna ride this train all the way, so weird thoughts or not, I'm in it to win it. Here's to Day 5 - a new record for me!

Matthew, aka GS9502

You are correct the nicotine is now out of your system.  But I would caution you to not put any expectations on when things like physical withdrawals will get "easier" to deal with.  From what I understand it is different for everyone.  Just keep holding the line and quitting ODAAT.  Putting expectations on when certain symptoms should be over will just set you up for disappointment.  It will get better down the line if that helps keep you motivated.
Tackle each day of quitting just as you would any aspect of life.  When you walk out the door each morning, you have no idea what will happen - car accident, find a 20 dollar bill, see 2 squirrels fucking outside your office window.  who knows.. you get the idea.

Each day will have either cravings (physical challenge), mind fucks (mental challenge), feeling of happiness as if you got this licked.... but you can get through it all without nicotine.  How do you know what will happen tomorow?  You don't.  ODAAT, and soon it will be where you want to go.  But only in small steps to start.

Quit on brother, 1,129 quit with you today
Title: Re: My Mind's Playin' Tricks on Me
Post by: MN_Engineer on March 04, 2020, 12:07:22 PM
If what everyone says is accurate, here at Day 5 the nicotine should be out of my system, so physically the worst of the withdrawal symptoms should be over, right?

Well, I'm having some weird thoughts. One thing I keep thinking about is Kodiak Wintergreen. Here's why that's fucked up. I HATED Kodiak Wintergreen dip, any wintergreen dip as a matter of fact. Kodiak, especially, though, because I gave me a headache any time I tried it.

Now, though, it's like I'm damn near fantasizing about it. WTF?

Oh, well. I'm gonna ride this train all the way, so weird thoughts or not, I'm in it to win it. Here's to Day 5 - a new record for me!

Matthew, aka GS9502

You are correct the nicotine is now out of your system.  But I would caution you to not put any expectations on when things like physical withdrawals will get "easier" to deal with.  From what I understand it is different for everyone.  Just keep holding the line and quitting ODAAT.  Putting expectations on when certain symptoms should be over will just set you up for disappointment.  It will get better down the line if that helps keep you motivated.
Tackle each day of quitting just as you would any aspect of life.  When you walk out the door each morning, you have no idea what will happen - car accident, find a 20 dollar bill, see 2 squirrels fucking outside your office window.  who knows.. you get the idea.

Each day will have either cravings (physical challenge), mind fucks (mental challenge), feeling of happiness as if you got this licked.... but you can get through it all without nicotine.  How do you know what will happen tomorow?  You don't.  ODAAT, and soon it will be where you want to go.  But only in small steps to start.

Quit on brother, 1,129 quit with you today
Couldn't have said it better myself. Wise words right there^
Title: Calling All Pineapple Buttholes
Post by: GS9502 on March 05, 2020, 09:49:28 AM
Good morning, fellow PBs!

It's cool that we have a name now! We're more than just the June 2020 Quit Group; we're the Pineapple Buttholes!

I gotta ask; what the hell is a pineapple butthole (besides us)? It's all good, though. I've been called a LOT worse, and I'm proud to be called a Quitter.

I'm proud to be Quit with each of you. I've already connected with a few people in our group; it's an awesome way to support one another through this process. If you'd like to connect, you can reach me at (xxx)-xxx-xxxx. (Please only share digits via the PM tool!) My name is Matthew, and today is my 7 day quit milestone. It's not the greatest day, though. I'm having one of those "can't seem to concentrate on a damn thing" kind of mornings, which was preceded by one of those "can't sleep for shit" nights. I know, however, that this, too, shall pass.

I know this because I believe in myself. I believe my Want to Quit is stronger than my want to dip. I know this because I know I'm not alone in this. I know God's got me, and so do y'all. So, time to cowboy the hell up and kick nicotine's ass one more day.

Pineapple Buttholes, it's time to kick the tires and light the fires! Not today, Demon Nicotine! Not today!

GS9502
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Nyles33 on March 06, 2020, 07:35:07 AM
Hey guys - 20 year dipper, 67 day quitter here. I'll be honest, this quit has gone better than I expected.  Not without it's moment, I've had enough "oh shit" moments with various symptoms to drive me to the loony bin. But I've been to the dentist and I've been to my doctor,  everything checks out thank god. But keep nic out has thankfully been easier than I expected.
That said, I've been pretty reliant on the fake stuff.  Teaza, smokey Mountain pouches,  grinds, you name it. Frankly, I'm realizing I'm still addicted to having some sort of pouch in my mouth.
So, my ask for the experts: when is the best time to tackle that part of the addiction,  and what tools have worked for others?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on March 06, 2020, 10:28:20 AM
Hey guys - 20 year dipper, 67 day quitter here. I'll be honest, this quit has gone better than I expected.  Not without it's moment, I've had enough "oh shit" moments with various symptoms to drive me to the loony bin. But I've been to the dentist and I've been to my doctor,  everything checks out thank god. But keep nic out has thankfully been easier than I expected.
That said, I've been pretty reliant on the fake stuff.  Teaza, smokey Mountain pouches,  grinds, you name it. Frankly, I'm realizing I'm still addicted to having some sort of pouch in my mouth.
So, my ask for the experts: when is the best time to tackle that part of the addiction,  and what tools have worked for others?
@Nyles33 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16465) You are addicted to nicotine. I am addicted to nicotine. Every one here is an addict to nicotine. That is why were are here to fight this battle ODAAT.

I would argue you aren't 'addicted' to having a pouch in your mouth. The oral fixation aspect that accompanied your nicotine addiction is still strong though. That's ok. Keep using the fake pouches or products just make absolutely sure they don't have nicotine in them. Some products out there advertise no tobacco but still contain nicotine. If you stick with Teaza, Smokey Mountain, Grinds, Jakes or Baccoff - all those are completely fine and the most popular.

I was a avid fake dip user well beyond 100 days. For me (and I've heard the same from others), you will one day just realize you don't need or even want something in your mouth taking up space and your fake use will slow way down. I'm 1,412 days in and I still occasionally use it as a tool during times like hunting, mowing the lawn or playing softball.

Bottom line - don't stress too much about stopping your use of the fake products. Focus on your quit right now and in due time, you will find you don't need to rely so hard on the fake stuff.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: DonkeyMN on March 06, 2020, 12:30:59 PM
Hey guys - 20 year dipper, 67 day quitter here. I'll be honest, this quit has gone better than I expected.  Not without it's moment, I've had enough "oh shit" moments with various symptoms to drive me to the loony bin. But I've been to the dentist and I've been to my doctor,  everything checks out thank god. But keep nic out has thankfully been easier than I expected.
That said, I've been pretty reliant on the fake stuff.  Teaza, smokey Mountain pouches,  grinds, you name it. Frankly, I'm realizing I'm still addicted to having some sort of pouch in my mouth.
So, my ask for the experts: when is the best time to tackle that part of the addiction,  and what tools have worked for others?
@Nyles33 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16465) You are addicted to nicotine. I am addicted to nicotine. Every one here is an addict to nicotine. That is why were are here to fight this battle ODAAT.

I would argue you aren't 'addicted' to having a pouch in your mouth. The oral fixation aspect that accompanied your nicotine addiction is still strong though. That's ok. Keep using the fake pouches or products just make absolutely sure they don't have nicotine in them. Some products out there advertise no tobacco but still contain nicotine. If you stick with Teaza, Smokey Mountain, Grinds, Jakes or Baccoff - all those are completely fine and the most popular.

I was a avid fake dip user well beyond 100 days. For me (and I've heard the same from others), you will one day just realize you don't need or even want something in your mouth taking up space and your fake use will slow way down. I'm 1,412 days in and I still occasionally use it as a tool during times like hunting, mowing the lawn or playing softball.

Bottom line - don't stress too much about stopping your use of the fake products. Focus on your quit right now and in due time, you will find you don't need to rely so hard on the fake stuff.
Yep I used SmokeyMtn until around day 220, then just didnt do it anymore.... I still pop in a stick of gum if my jaw is feeling frisky every once in awhile but 67 days,.... shit man I was using fake alot then yet.  Trust the process.  See what happens in a couple months from now.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on March 08, 2020, 10:03:29 AM
Fully Loaded Chew Bullseye Pouch Review

https://www.killthecan.org/fully-loaded-chew-bullseye-pouch-review/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Tommy1 on March 10, 2020, 06:34:03 PM
Hey everyone,

Day 2 for me is almost finished.  This isn't the first time I've tried to quit but I'm confident it will be my last. 

A little backstory, last weekend the woman I've been dating for the last 5 years decided we should break up for the time being so we can focus on ourselves - something we have not taken the time to do in years.  Long story short, I was (and still am) completely devastated and spent the first week after we broke up in my bed dipping almost 2 cans a day and drinking a bottle of whiskey (beer in the morning).  On Sunday I looked back at my week of utter sadness and realized I no longer liked or respected the person I've become and I knew I do need to do something for myself.  It was at this point I put down a list of goals - running after work, eating healthy, etc... Then I realized I needed to kill the can.  It was a sad realization at first but I know I need to do it - for myself. In a couple months this woman and I could be back together (I hope we can work it out), or not - But at least I wont be held at gunpoint by this addiction anymore.

I'm going to take this one day at a time but I know that I can succeed.  My 100th day would be June 16th 2020 - 6 days before my birthday - what a birthday present to myself.

Thanks for the support... I know I am going to need it.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: GS9502 on March 10, 2020, 08:20:31 PM
Hey everyone,

Day 2 for me is almost finished.  This isn't the first time I've tried to quit but I'm confident it will be my last. 

A little backstory, last weekend the woman I've been dating for the last 5 years decided we should break up for the time being so we can focus on ourselves - something we have not taken the time to do in years.  Long story short, I was (and still am) completely devastated and spent the first week after we broke up in my bed dipping almost 2 cans a day and drinking a bottle of whiskey (beer in the morning).  On Sunday I looked back at my week of utter sadness and realized I no longer liked or respected the person I've become and I knew I do need to do something for myself.  It was at this point I put down a list of goals - running after work, eating healthy, etc... Then I realized I needed to kill the can.  It was a sad realization at first but I know I need to do it - for myself. In a couple months this woman and I could be back together (I hope we can work it out), or not - But at least I wont be held at gunpoint by this addiction anymore.

I'm going to take this one day at a time but I know that I can succeed.  My 100th day would be June 16th 2020 - 6 days before my birthday - what a birthday present to myself.

Thanks for the support... I know I am going to need it.

Welcome to the Quit, Tommy1. First thing, though, are you posting roll using a different name, or did I just just overlook your post on today's Roll Call? Brother, if you haven't posted roll, hit that shit hard and early each day. Make your promise early, and stick to it.

It sounds as though you've been through a shitstorm. Killing the can is a good step toward rising from the ashes. ODAAT, dude. One day at a time, and remember, you're not in this alone. One thing I've been super impressed with regarding this site and this group is the outstanding way quitters support one another. I've been contacted by no fewer than seven newbie and veteran quitters in the last 12 days. It's an awesome support system if you allow it to be, and more importantly, if you WANT it to be. You say in your post that you know you "need" to quit. Knowing you "need" to quit isn't enough; hell, we all know we need to do a bunch of shit, I'm sure. You've got to WANT to quit. I'm not stupid. I knew I needed to quit; I never wanted to quit before 13 days ago, though. That's the key, brother. You've got to WANT that shit!

I'll be hitting you up in a private message to send you my digits. I'm only 12 days in, but I'm fucking 12 DAYS IN. That's 12 days I never thought I'd accomplish. You can do this.

PTBQWY,
GS9502
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Firebird on March 12, 2020, 01:21:58 PM
Hey everyone,

Day 2 for me is almost finished.  This isn't the first time I've tried to quit but I'm confident it will be my last. 

A little backstory, last weekend the woman I've been dating for the last 5 years decided we should break up for the time being so we can focus on ourselves - something we have not taken the time to do in years.  Long story short, I was (and still am) completely devastated and spent the first week after we broke up in my bed dipping almost 2 cans a day and drinking a bottle of whiskey (beer in the morning).  On Sunday I looked back at my week of utter sadness and realized I no longer liked or respected the person I've become and I knew I do need to do something for myself.  It was at this point I put down a list of goals - running after work, eating healthy, etc... Then I realized I needed to kill the can.  It was a sad realization at first but I know I need to do it - for myself. In a couple months this woman and I could be back together (I hope we can work it out), or not - But at least I wont be held at gunpoint by this addiction anymore.

I'm going to take this one day at a time but I know that I can succeed.  My 100th day would be June 16th 2020 - 6 days before my birthday - what a birthday present to myself.

Thanks for the support... I know I am going to need it.

Good luck, Tommy! Your KTC brothers and sisters are here to help you each step of the way. You're making great choices in looking after you for the future - the rest will follow, you can be sure of that! ;)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on March 15, 2020, 11:48:10 AM
Now, more than ever, community will be important...

Uncharted Territory – Our Community is Ready
https://www.killthecan.org/uncharted-territory-our-community-is-ready/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NErancher on March 16, 2020, 04:17:01 PM
How many quitters did you take to the HOF in your quit group?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: ARMYDAD on March 16, 2020, 07:19:53 PM
Hey everyone,

Day 2 for me is almost finished.  This isn't the first time I've tried to quit but I'm confident it will be my last. 

A little backstory, last weekend the woman I've been dating for the last 5 years decided we should break up for the time being so we can focus on ourselves - something we have not taken the time to do in years.  Long story short, I was (and still am) completely devastated and spent the first week after we broke up in my bed dipping almost 2 cans a day and drinking a bottle of whiskey (beer in the morning).  On Sunday I looked back at my week of utter sadness and realized I no longer liked or respected the person I've become and I knew I do need to do something for myself.  It was at this point I put down a list of goals - running after work, eating healthy, etc... Then I realized I needed to kill the can.  It was a sad realization at first but I know I need to do it - for myself. In a couple months this woman and I could be back together (I hope we can work it out), or not - But at least I wont be held at gunpoint by this addiction anymore.

I'm going to take this one day at a time but I know that I can succeed.  My 100th day would be June 16th 2020 - 6 days before my birthday - what a birthday present to myself.

Thanks for the support... I know I am going to need it.

Good luck, Tommy! Your KTC brothers and sisters are here to help you each step of the way. You're making great choices in looking after you for the future - the rest will follow, you can be sure of that! ;)
Good luck and stay strong, Your main focus is to stay quit one day at a time,  Trust me it does get easier
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: ChickDip on March 19, 2020, 02:35:34 PM
How many quitters did you take to the HOF in your quit group?
July 2015 Jackals, we took 44 into HOF
31 remained after HOF
21 up to 500
12 at 1500+
Going into 5 years soon we have 4 solid every day posters (many more still quit).
I wish it was more seeing a lot of several year quitters come back at a day 1.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Skolvikings on March 19, 2020, 03:26:00 PM
How many quitters did you take to the HOF in your quit group?
July 2015 Jackals, we took 44 into HOF
31 remained after HOF
21 up to 500
12 at 1500+
Going into 5 years soon we have 4 solid every day posters (many more still quit).
I wish it was more seeing a lot of several year quitters come back at a day 1.

@NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729)

April 18

110 Total

54 Made HOF

26 still post EDD after 800 days
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on March 19, 2020, 03:52:48 PM
How many quitters did you take to the HOF in your quit group?
July 2015 Jackals, we took 44 into HOF
31 remained after HOF
21 up to 500
12 at 1500+
Going into 5 years soon we have 4 solid every day posters (many more still quit).
I wish it was more seeing a lot of several year quitters come back at a day 1.

@NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729)

April 18

110 Total

54 Made HOF

26 still post EDD after 800 days
@NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729)

August 16 - Trauma-tizers

87 people were members of Aug 16 at some point from when the month opened until it closed

31 made it to the HOF

12 members today as we are just about all at 1400 days

3 members posting at 100%

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NErancher on March 19, 2020, 04:24:57 PM
How many quitters did you take to the HOF in your quit group?
July 2015 Jackals, we took 44 into HOF
31 remained after HOF
21 up to 500
12 at 1500+
Going into 5 years soon we have 4 solid every day posters (many more still quit).
I wish it was more seeing a lot of several year quitters come back at a day 1.

@NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729)

April 18

110 Total

54 Made HOF

26 still post EDD after 800 days
@NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729)

August 16 - Trauma-tizers

87 people were members of Aug 16 at some point from when the month opened until it closed

31 made it to the HOF

12 members today as we are just about all at 1400 days

3 members posting at 100%
April 20- Cobra Kai

49 posted with us at one time or another.

3 posted 85 days today - we still have 31.

I think we will have 30 make it to HOF

We are a strong group I hope we can do as well as some of your groups. Those are some numbers to be proud of.
Title: COVID-19 and The Dip
Post by: GS9502 on March 20, 2020, 08:25:41 AM
23 days ago I would have been stocking up to prepare for the COVID-19 quarantine, but it wouldn't have been on food or water or toilet paper. I'd have bought myself three or four rolls of Grizzly Natural, just to be sure I didn't run out. That was 23 days ago. Damn, I'm happy I quit.

Today's June 2020 Quit Group QOTD made me do a little thinking: What am I prepared for? Pretty much whatever, I think. If I can quit something that had ahold of me for 28 years, I can handle a lot of hard shit. Granted, I'm only 22 days in, but that's 22 damn days! Ha! Kiss my ass, nicotine, and kiss my ass, COVID-19.

Now, as long as Amazon doesn't stop shipping my Grinds coffee pouches, I'm gonna be okay.  ;D
GS9502
Title: Re: COVID-19 and The Dip
Post by: chewie on March 20, 2020, 09:47:16 AM
23 days ago I would have been stocking up to prepare for the COVID-19 quarantine, but it wouldn't have been on food or water or toilet paper. I'd have bought myself three or four rolls of Grizzly Natural, just to be sure I didn't run out. That was 23 days ago. Damn, I'm happy I quit.

Today's June 2020 Quit Group QOTD made me do a little thinking: What am I prepared for? Pretty much whatever, I think. If I can quit something that had ahold of me for 28 years, I can handle a lot of hard shit. Granted, I'm only 22 days in, but that's 22 damn days! Ha! Kiss my ass, nicotine, and kiss my ass, COVID-19.

Now, as long as Amazon doesn't stop shipping my Grinds coffee pouches, I'm gonna be okay.  ;D
GS9502

BRAVO! Way to go my man. THIS right here is yet another reason why being a quitter is AWESOME!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on March 20, 2020, 09:56:36 AM
23 days ago I would have been stocking up to prepare for the COVID-19 quarantine, but it wouldn't have been on food or water or toilet paper. I'd have bought myself three or four rolls of Grizzly Natural, just to be sure I didn't run out. That was 23 days ago. Damn, I'm happy I quit.

Today's June 2020 Quit Group QOTD made me do a little thinking: What am I prepared for? Pretty much whatever, I think. If I can quit something that had ahold of me for 28 years, I can handle a lot of hard shit. Granted, I'm only 22 days in, but that's 22 damn days! Ha! Kiss my ass, nicotine, and kiss my ass, COVID-19.

Now, as long as Amazon doesn't stop shipping my Grinds coffee pouches, I'm gonna be okay.  ;D
GS9502

BRAVO! Way to go my man. THIS right here is yet another reason why being a quitter is AWESOME!
Thanks for sharing! Each day is a victory. QLAMF ODAAT
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on March 28, 2020, 11:53:03 AM
De Schreds Coconut Chew Review

https://www.killthecan.org/de-schreds-coconut-chew-review/

New alternative that's made from shredded coconut. If you had KIKIT way back in the day this is pretty similar.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: KieranMac17 on April 10, 2020, 08:17:48 PM
Damn, some days are harder than others but I honestly didn't expect it to get hardest after 3 weeks. These past few days have been absolutely brutal for cravings. I've got my TeaZa pouches which help a little, but I'm trying to break the oral fixation aspect of it all and cut back on those, too.

Now I'm kinda wondering how much of this is quarantine-related and how much is just a usual response that some folks get after a few weeks. Anyone else experience this around the 3-week mark?

For those who don't know me, I'm Day 22 and a proud Renegade of the June quit group.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: wildirish317 on April 10, 2020, 09:20:19 PM
Damn, some days are harder than others but I honestly didn't expect it to get hardest after 3 weeks. These past few days have been absolutely brutal for cravings. I've got my TeaZa pouches which help a little, but I'm trying to break the oral fixation aspect of it all and cut back on those, too.

Now I'm kinda wondering how much of this is quarantine-related and how much is just a usual response that some folks get after a few weeks. Anyone else experience this around the 3-week mark?

For those who don't know me, I'm Day 22 and a proud Renegade of the June quit group.
Supposedly, it takes 3 weeks to break a habit.  The problem is, you have an addiction, not a habit.
Here's where I was at 33 days. (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=805.msg531154#msg531154)  Feel free to explore my intro to see what it was like for me for the next few hundred days.  Just remember, we only quit for today.  Anyone can quit for a day.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Scott929 on April 11, 2020, 02:13:16 AM
So I was wondering if anyone here is taking Metamucil. I have made it past my 100 days mark and now I am looking at appetit supplement that will also help regulate my shits that use to be predictable when chewing. Plus wondering if anyone else is facing this issue?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on April 11, 2020, 08:11:07 AM
So I was wondering if anyone here is taking Metamucil. I have made it past my 100 days mark and now I am looking at appetit supplement that will also help regulate my shits that use to be predictable when chewing. Plus wondering if anyone else is facing this issue?

I don't / didn't take Metamucil but getting your insides back to 'normal' is something that will take a while and problems in that area are SUPER common.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on April 11, 2020, 08:26:00 AM
Today's the day!!!

First Annual KTC-ZOOM Virtual Meet Up!

https://www.killthecan.org/first-annual-ktc-zoom-virtual-meet-up/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: nmemmerl on April 12, 2020, 12:25:28 PM
Quit five days ago and worried I have mouth cancer due to a weird patch on my gum. How long did you guys wait to go to the dentist after you quit?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Scott929 on April 12, 2020, 05:37:26 PM
Quit five days ago and worried I have mouth cancer due to a weird patch on my gum. How long did you guys wait to go to the dentist after you quit?

I went to the dentist on day 36. The patches are most likely your gums healing. I had a lot of canker sores my first two months. Do get it checked out but most likely it will be nothing.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on April 13, 2020, 09:08:54 AM
Quit five days ago and worried I have mouth cancer due to a weird patch on my gum. How long did you guys wait to go to the dentist after you quit?

I went to the dentist on day 36. The patches are most likely your gums healing. I had a lot of canker sores my first two months. Do get it checked out but most likely it will be nothing.

Agree with Scott here... nothing wrong with going to get checked out, ESPECIALLY for your peace of mind, but this is pretty typical. Your mouth is healing... it'll take some time.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: PackItUp on April 15, 2020, 10:34:59 AM
Good day everyone!
Today I finally decided to join the group!
I am 26 and have been dipping since college.
I have tried to quit a couple times in the past, but I never fully committed. I've used KTC for the resources on smokeless alternatives but never posted or even signed up. Today is day 4 and the mind games are brutal, so I decided that I am going to join the forum, join the discussion, and be as active as I can in order to quit for good.
This is my first time ever posting in a forum so please bare with me as I am new to all this.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on April 15, 2020, 01:32:16 PM
Good day everyone!
Today I finally decided to join the group!
I am 26 and have been dipping since college.
I have tried to quit a couple times in the past, but I never fully committed. I've used KTC for the resources on smokeless alternatives but never posted or even signed up. Today is day 4 and the mind games are brutal, so I decided that I am going to join the forum, join the discussion, and be as active as I can in order to quit for good.
This is my first time ever posting in a forum so please bare with me as I am new to all this.

Bravo - welcome aboard! You'll quickly find that you are NOT alone. Pull up a chair, ask questions, get involved. It's SO worth it.

Honored to be quit with you today!

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Raider on April 17, 2020, 07:09:58 PM
Good day everyone!
Today I finally decided to join the group!
I am 26 and have been dipping since college.
I have tried to quit a couple times in the past, but I never fully committed. I've used KTC for the resources on smokeless alternatives but never posted or even signed up. Today is day 4 and the mind games are brutal, so I decided that I am going to join the forum, join the discussion, and be as active as I can in order to quit for good.
This is my first time ever posting in a forum so please bare with me as I am new to all this.

Bravo - welcome aboard! You'll quickly find that you are NOT alone. Pull up a chair, ask questions, get involved. It's SO worth it.

Honored to be quit with you today!

Chewie
Great step in the right direction. KTC works if you are committed to it.
Welcome to the club.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Cody1987 on April 19, 2020, 08:18:29 AM
Hey I’m Cody. Been dipping since I was 15. I’m 33. Tried so many times to quite and failed. Found this site seems people have good help and advice. I have dipped today.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Cody1987 on April 19, 2020, 08:19:42 AM
Hey I’m Cody. Been dipping since I was 15. I’m 33. Tried so many times to quite and failed. Found this site seems people have good help and advice. I have dipped today.
Haven’t sorry
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on April 19, 2020, 08:30:42 AM
Hey I’m Cody. Been dipping since I was 15. I’m 33. Tried so many times to quite and failed. Found this site seems people have good help and advice. I have dipped today.
Haven’t sorry

Haven't = good ;)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Chisler2120 on April 22, 2020, 06:30:12 PM
I wanted to start a new thread under General Discussion, but I didn't see any where obvious to start a new thread.  So instead I started a new thread "Discussion of Challenges of Quitting" under the Community group: Introductions.
    Doesn't seem like the right spot, but that's the only thing I could come up with.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020 First Timer
Post by: snusquitter423 on April 27, 2020, 03:24:52 PM
Great site here, have checked it out in the past, but first time commenting.

I quit 4.5 days ago.  Dipped off and on for about ten years, mostly on, when I was young.  Successfully quit for a few years once I got in the workforce where dipping wasn't exactly mainstream.  I have an office job in the northeast. 

But things came back hard when unfortunately I uncovered snus packets (skoal).  This was a nightmare scenario unbeknownst to me because i could literally do anything with one of these in - no one could tell, no spitter, no nothing.  It was so accommodating I found myself with one ALWAYS in, and with increasing frequency - births of kids, hospital, family gatherings, big work meetings, you name it, it was right there slyly on the side of my mouth.  Been on snus for many years by now (5+)

Finally quit when I realized during this Covid stuff where there are a ton of cases by me, I was supposed to stay inside.  At first I would buy 2 cans at a time to limit trips to dirty gas stations.  But with my wife and 2 kids I realized I was running of the risk of getting them sick to continue this poor habit.  So it seemed as good a time as any. 

Here we go.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020 First Timer
Post by: chris2alaska on April 27, 2020, 03:43:21 PM
Great site here, have checked it out in the past, but first time commenting.

I quit 4.5 days ago.  Dipped off and on for about ten years, mostly on, when I was young.  Successfully quit for a few years once I got in the workforce where dipping wasn't exactly mainstream.  I have an office job in the northeast. 

But things came back hard when unfortunately I uncovered snus packets (skoal).  This was a nightmare scenario unbeknownst to me because i could literally do anything with one of these in - no one could tell, no spitter, no nothing.  It was so accommodating I found myself with one ALWAYS in, and with increasing frequency - births of kids, hospital, family gatherings, big work meetings, you name it, it was right there slyly on the side of my mouth.  Been on snus for many years by now (5+)

Finally quit when I realized during this Covid stuff where there are a ton of cases by me, I was supposed to stay inside.  At first I would buy 2 cans at a time to limit trips to dirty gas stations.  But with my wife and 2 kids I realized I was running of the risk of getting them sick to continue this poor habit.  So it seemed as good a time as any. 

Here we go.

Welcome @snusquitter423 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17472)

First congratulations on making the decision to quit.  Now, let me point out the huge holes in your statements so that you can get your mind right for quitting.

1. "Successfully quit for a few years once I got in the workforce where dipping wasn't exactly mainstream."  You have never QUIT.  You have only stopped for brief time.  When you are quit, there is nothing in your brain saying, "I might go back to that some time down the road".  Quit is Quit.

2. You say you quit because this COVID stuff was preventing you from going to C-Store to get any because you didn't want to endanger your family.  What happens when you are allowed to go back out?  Is your first stop going to be to the C-Store for a can of death?  Are you quitting for your family or for yourself?  I can tell you from experience that if this quit is not ALL about YOU first, it will more than likely fail.  Make sure YOU are ready.

3. "...getting them sick to continue this poor habit."  Get this word out of your brain.  Using nicotine is NOT a Habit.  It is an ADDICTION.  YOU are ADDICTED to nicotine, just ike the rest of us.  This is very important for you to understand and accept as a fact.  You are an addict, there is no cure and you will be an addict until the day you die.

Here at KTC, we pledge ever morning when we wake up that we will not use nicotine for the next 24 hours.  One Day at a Time (ODAAT).  We don't worry about tomorrow because we can only control today.  The process here is simple:

1. Wake Up
2. Piss
3. Post Your Promise to remain nicotine free for the next 24 hours
4. KEEP YOUR WORD
5. Repeat Daily

Simple, but hard.  It will suck.  Embrace the suck and remember it.  You don't ever want to go through it again.  Some day in the near future it will suck a little less and it will keep sucking less and less until it doesn't suck too bad at all.  YOU ARE NOT CURED!! KEEP POSTING ROLL EVERYDAY!!

Your quit group is the August 2020 Pre-HOF Quit Group (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16445.165).  <------This is a link, just click it and it will take you there.

Go there and learn how to post roll.  Get to know your fellow quitters by exchanging phone numbers with them and some of the vets.  Those phone numbers give you instant access to support when you need it.  They are also the start of your web of accountability and brotherhood.  My number is available for the asking, just shoot me private message and I will gladly give them out.  Only share numbers through Private message, never on the open forum.

I know I've given you some things to think about.  I hope you decide to stick with it.

chris2alaska 831 days nicotine free
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: snusquitter423 on April 28, 2020, 02:28:21 PM
Thanks Chris for the words of wisdom, all true and well received.  Appreciate your perspective!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on April 28, 2020, 04:45:49 PM
Thanks Chris for the words of wisdom, all true and well received.  Appreciate your perspective!

...and yet you still did not go post your promise to remain nicotine free?!?

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on April 28, 2020, 11:15:55 PM
Thanks Chris for the words of wisdom, all true and well received.  Appreciate your perspective!

...and yet you still did not go post your promise to remain nicotine free?!?
You can lead a horse to water...
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bug Guy on April 29, 2020, 03:05:11 AM
Thanks Chris for the words of wisdom, all true and well received.  Appreciate your perspective!

...and yet you still did not go post your promise to remain nicotine free?!?
You can lead a horse to water...
Come on @snusquitter423 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17472) we are filling up August and need some more new badass quitters! Look forward to seeing your name on roll in the morning
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: olcpo on May 01, 2020, 11:57:43 AM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on May 01, 2020, 12:29:38 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: olcpo on May 01, 2020, 12:54:20 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Thanks Chewie I will suggest and she can choose. Appreciate it.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on May 01, 2020, 02:50:53 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Thanks Chewie I will suggest and she can choose. Appreciate it.

@olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)

FLLipout is a female ex-smoker that uses this site to remain nicotine free. 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: olcpo on May 01, 2020, 02:57:20 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Thanks Chewie I will suggest and she can choose. Appreciate it.

@olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)

FLLipout is a female ex-smoker that uses this site to remain nicotine free.

Great, Chris @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130) ! Good to know. She is a tremendous member. As Chewie said Nicotine is nicotine, The Quit is the same. I forwarded the stuff her, from there its hers. If she signs up I will send FLLip's way. Thanks
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: FLLipOut on May 04, 2020, 03:27:40 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Thanks Chewie I will suggest and she can choose. Appreciate it.

@olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)

FLLipout is a female ex-smoker that uses this site to remain nicotine free.

Great, Chris @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130) ! Good to know. She is a tremendous member. As Chewie said Nicotine is nicotine, The Quit is the same. I forwarded the stuff her, from there its hers. If she signs up I will send FLLip's way. Thanks
Send her my way @olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)  ! 

I searched a while for online smoking communities to join.  My neighbor, FishFlorida told me about KTC and (thankfully) rode my ass until I signed up!  There is nothing like KTC out there - the "Brotherhood + Accountability = Success" model just works in a way that no other quit model does.  But you already knew that.

The smoking cessation sites were, well, "nice."  If you caved you got an oh darn, that's too bad, "you'll get 'em next time, sport" type responses.  If you called out a caver with ...well, tough words... you were labelled a bully.  One day a guy who had already caved twice, caved again...  the responses were predictably "nice"...then one person wrote "well, maybe you should take a break until you are ready."  I thought WTF - you don't tell an addict that!!!  I was a new member of KTC and had posted my first roll within the hour.

I dragged my feet for a while because I was a smoker and I was afraid I would not be welcomed here.  Then Fish started a discussion in August 2016 to see how everyone there felt about it.  All were pretty supportive.  Then @danojeno (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=39)  posted something supportive -  he was an active Mod at the time-  and that sealed the deal.  I'm tagging him here because I never properly thanked him for it.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: olcpo on May 04, 2020, 03:46:35 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Thanks Chewie I will suggest and she can choose. Appreciate it.

@olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)

FLLipout is a female ex-smoker that uses this site to remain nicotine free.

Great, Chris @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130) ! Good to know. She is a tremendous member. As Chewie said Nicotine is nicotine, The Quit is the same. I forwarded the stuff her, from there its hers. If she signs up I will send FLLip's way. Thanks
Send her my way @olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)  ! 

I searched a while for online smoking communities to join.  My neighbor, FishFlorida told me about KTC and (thankfully) rode my ass until I signed up!  There is nothing like KTC out there - the "Brotherhood + Accountability = Success" model just works in a way that no other quit model does.  But you already knew that.

The smoking cessation sites were, well, "nice."  If you caved you got an oh darn, that's too bad, "you'll get 'em next time, sport" type responses.  If you called out a caver with ...well, tough words... you were labelled a bully.  One day a guy who had already caved twice, caved again...  the responses were predictably "nice"...then one person wrote "well, maybe you should take a break until you are ready."  I thought WTF - you don't tell an addict that!!!  I was a new member of KTC and had posted my first roll within the hour.

I dragged my feet for a while because I was a smoker and I was afraid I would not be welcomed here.  Then Fish started a discussion in August 2016 to see how everyone there felt about it.  All were pretty supportive.  Then @danojeno (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=39)  posted something supportive -  he was an active Mod at the time-  and that sealed the deal.  I'm tagging him here because I never properly thanked him for it.

@FLLipOut (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=53) Thanks! I sent her the stuff/info. Then I explained the daily promise and gave her my promise. She has not given me her promise yet and continues to waffle. I support her and continue to ask. I am glad she didnt give me some bs word and keep smoking. I told her to be sure she was ready to quit before signing up here cuz they won't put up with your excuses and crap. You screw up and you pay. I may have scared her off, but she is an addict like me and has quit a lot, like me. Single Mom raising 2 kids on her own working full time now home schooling...but I asked her how nicotine was helping her, really and she is pondering that, when she is ready I will send her your way. It's tough I know. I appreciate your help
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: danojeno on May 04, 2020, 04:42:25 PM
Is there a site out there similar to KTC for Cigarettes? I have a daughter that is finally thinking about quitting smoking. Like her Dad she can be a tough nut to crack and needs the adult supervision offered by KTC. Any help or direction is appreciated.
Olcpo

I spose, if you're comfortable with it, to send her here. We've got lots of cigarette smokers here. While the site name is 'kill the CAN' we recognize that the battle is truly against nicotine... not necessarily the delivery method.

Other than that, there's a few out there but they are nearly all funded by a hospital system / insurance carrier... take that for what it's worth.
Thanks Chewie I will suggest and she can choose. Appreciate it.

@olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)

FLLipout is a female ex-smoker that uses this site to remain nicotine free.

Great, Chris @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130) ! Good to know. She is a tremendous member. As Chewie said Nicotine is nicotine, The Quit is the same. I forwarded the stuff her, from there its hers. If she signs up I will send FLLip's way. Thanks
Send her my way @olcpo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16159)  ! 

I searched a while for online smoking communities to join.  My neighbor, FishFlorida told me about KTC and (thankfully) rode my ass until I signed up!  There is nothing like KTC out there - the "Brotherhood + Accountability = Success" model just works in a way that no other quit model does.  But you already knew that.

The smoking cessation sites were, well, "nice."  If you caved you got an oh darn, that's too bad, "you'll get 'em next time, sport" type responses.  If you called out a caver with ...well, tough words... you were labelled a bully.  One day a guy who had already caved twice, caved again...  the responses were predictably "nice"...then one person wrote "well, maybe you should take a break until you are ready."  I thought WTF - you don't tell an addict that!!!  I was a new member of KTC and had posted my first roll within the hour.

I dragged my feet for a while because I was a smoker and I was afraid I would not be welcomed here.  Then Fish started a discussion in August 2016 to see how everyone there felt about it.  All were pretty supportive.  Then @danojeno (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=39)  posted something supportive -  he was an active Mod at the time-  and that sealed the deal.  I'm tagging him here because I never properly thanked him for it.

@FLLipOut (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=53) Thanks! I sent her the stuff/info. Then I explained the daily promise and gave her my promise. She has not given me her promise yet and continues to waffle. I support her and continue to ask. I am glad she didnt give me some bs word and keep smoking. I told her to be sure she was ready to quit before signing up here cuz they won't put up with your excuses and crap. You screw up and you pay. I may have scared her off, but she is an addict like me and has quit a lot, like me. Single Mom raising 2 kids on her own working full time now home schooling...but I asked her how nicotine was helping her, really and she is pondering that, when she is ready I will send her your way. It's tough I know. I appreciate your help
As we know, nicotine is delivered in many ways.  This place could just as easily be called kill the pack or kill the stupid vape pen, or whatever other way we've chosen to kill ourselves.  Many of us have migrated from one form to another during our addiction.  If she's a tough nut, you know this is the place.  We've had many folks crush the pack here and I'm glad I said something that resonated enough with one to encourage them along.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on May 10, 2020, 10:54:33 AM
Happy Mother's Day Moms!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Menardo on May 18, 2020, 09:21:32 AM
Fellow quitters,

I’m looking for advices...

I got this bug and it’s a bug like no other. I want to live aboard a boat with my wife and daughter.

Looking for advice from anyone who has experience with this. Basically, I’m looking at three different vessel types, a trawler, a monohull sailboat, and a catamaran sailboat.

Realistically I would spend 80% of my time in a bay or marina but I would like the option to take off and travel if our situation changed.

It could be the worst idea I’ve ever had, but it could also be the best. Never know until you go for it.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on May 18, 2020, 01:01:17 PM
Fellow quitters,

I’m looking for advices...

I got this bug and it’s a bug like no other. I want to live aboard a boat with my wife and daughter.

Looking for advice from anyone who has experience with this. Basically, I’m looking at three different vessel types, a trawler, a monohull sailboat, and a catamaran sailboat.

Realistically I would spend 80% of my time in a bay or marina but I would like the option to take off and travel if our situation changed.

It could be the worst idea I’ve ever had, but it could also be the best. Never know until you go for it.
I have zero advice to give you but best of luck! Just curious, what does your wife and daughter think of this idea?!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hunter4life on May 22, 2020, 07:18:32 AM
Does anyone know how to make a “fresh roll” link to put in our group? I’m not sure how to go about doing that. Also, how do I get SSOA access. This is for our Jan 20 Juggs group. Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hunter4life on May 22, 2020, 09:51:37 PM
Does anyone know how to make a “fresh roll” link to put in our group? I’m not sure how to go about doing that. Also, how do I get SSOA access. This is for our Jan 20 Juggs group. Thanks in advance.

Never mind. I figured it out.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bobby24365 on May 28, 2020, 07:16:05 PM
I just quit few days ago. When i breathe in or out strongly then sound comes apparently from lungs.  Has anyone experienced this?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on May 28, 2020, 10:40:10 PM
I just quit few days ago. When i breathe in or out strongly then sound comes apparently from lungs.  Has anyone experienced this?

You mean you're 'wheezing'?

Were you a smoker or a dipper?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MDStriker on May 29, 2020, 12:52:35 AM
Need some help from those old timers that quit, even after believing for YEARS that they couldn't...

I've been dipping for 20 years and it has taken it's toll on me. I've tried many many times to quit. In the early days, I tried patches, medication, gum and even shots of belladonna behind the ears. In recent years, I've tied and really (honestly) they have been half-hearted attempts. I just haven't believed I could quit. There have been times where I have gone days (up to 7) without, but eventually (and quite easily) caved.

My question for the old timers is - how did you do quit, even after believing you could not do it?

I'm ready to work at the quit. I don't want to fuck it up this time. Need help. Please.

Thanks in advance and my honest respect for all you guys and gals that have rid your lives of tobacco.

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on May 29, 2020, 10:33:27 AM
Need some help from those old timers that quit, even after believing for YEARS that they couldn't...

I've been dipping for 20 years and it has taken it's toll on me. I've tried many many times to quit. In the early days, I tried patches, medication, gum and even shots of belladonna behind the ears. In recent years, I've tied and really (honestly) they have been half-hearted attempts. I just haven't believed I could quit. There have been times where I have gone days (up to 7) without, but eventually (and quite easily) caved.

My question for the old timers is - how did you do quit, even after believing you could not do it?

I'm ready to work at the quit. I don't want to fuck it up this time. Need help. Please.

Thanks in advance and my honest respect for all you guys and gals that have rid your lives of tobacco.
Whether one has used nicotine for 1 year of 40 years, they are both addicts. Addictions require constant action by the addict to keep their addiction from controlling them. Here at KTC we focus on being quit TODAY. Anyone can quit for one day. Saying no to nicotine 24 hours at a time is the constant action required to be QUIT.

When I joined KTC over 4 years ago I didn't believe I could quit. But I knew I could make and keep a promise for 24 hours so I dove in. Don't worry about tomorrow or next month or next year. Quit TODAY. It's all we can control.

I encourage you, @MDStriker (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17739), to go post roll in the September 2020 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16478.0) group and start this journey today. You CAN do it. Now go and prove it to yourself.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on May 29, 2020, 07:04:51 PM
Need some help from those old timers that quit, even after believing for YEARS that they couldn't...

I've been dipping for 20 years and it has taken it's toll on me. I've tried many many times to quit. In the early days, I tried patches, medication, gum and even shots of belladonna behind the ears. In recent years, I've tied and really (honestly) they have been half-hearted attempts. I just haven't believed I could quit. There have been times where I have gone days (up to 7) without, but eventually (and quite easily) caved.

My question for the old timers is - how did you do quit, even after believing you could not do it?

I'm ready to work at the quit. I don't want to fuck it up this time. Need help. Please.

Thanks in advance and my honest respect for all you guys and gals that have rid your lives of tobacco.
Whether one has used nicotine for 1 year of 40 years, they are both addicts. Addictions require constant action by the addict to keep their addiction from controlling them. Here at KTC we focus on being quit TODAY. Anyone can quit for one day. Saying no to nicotine 24 hours at a time is the constant action required to be QUIT.

When I joined KTC over 4 years ago I didn't believe I could quit. But I knew I could make and keep a promise for 24 hours so I dove in. Don't worry about tomorrow or next month or next year. Quit TODAY. It's all we can control.

I encourage you, @MDStriker (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17739), to go post roll in the September 2020 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16478.0) group and start this journey today. You CAN do it. Now go and prove it to yourself.

@MDStriker (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17739) MNxEngineer speaks the truth.  I dipped for over 31 years.  I did not ever really try to quit except one time I stopped for 9 months.  When I decided to actually quit, I made the decision for myself and no one else.  Quitting for someone else (i.e spouse, kids, etc.) will more than likely lead to failing.  Once you decide to quit for you and you alone, it becomes quite a bit easier to make that daily promise the MNx spoke about.

Choose to quit for you, then go post your promise to be be nicotine free for the next 24 hours in the September 2020 group.  After you post roll call, start to get to know your fellow quitters, exchange phone numbers through private message.  Having and giving out phone numbers is how we hold each other accountable.  If someone is missing by a certain time of day, their phone blows up with their quit brothers calling and texting them to find out where they are and get their ass on roll.

Roll Call is our daily promise to abstain from nicotine.  We make that promise first thing in the morning after our morning piss (Wake Up, Piss, Post - WUPP).
Then we keep our promise and use those phone numbers for instant support if we are having bad craves. 

This program works by a simple equation - Brotherhood + Accountability = Success.

The brotherhood is the connections you will make with your group and some of the vets through conversation here and personal phone calls and texts and also face to face meet ups with fellow quitters.  The accountability is everyone making sure that everyone is accounted for each day, hunting down anyone that is late and having them explain why they are late or missing.  THose conversations can be abrupt for some people, but know that no one is attacking any one personally, we are attacking the addict inside the person.  The addict will make you think and speak things that any normal person would balk at, so we call out all addict behavior when we see it, and sometimes it can look to personal, but its not.  There is saying here, "Take what you need and leave the rest".  Just means to use what ever works to stay nicotine free and forget the rest of the bs drama. 

So what say you?  Are you ready to quit nicotine and regain your freedom or are going to continue to be nicotine's slave and slowly kill yourself?

The choice is yours.  My digits are available for the asking, so feel free to hit me up.

Title: The Acceptable Addiction
Post by: GS9502 on June 04, 2020, 12:26:56 PM
The June 2020 Conductors commented on their June 3 post that we are and always will be addicts, at 100 days clean or 10,000 days clean. I can't argue that point. We are what we are.

This morning I heard a musician on the radio talking about his group's song "Sober" and how addiction tears families apart. Can't argue that, either. It does, but what about us?

Our addiction, the addiction to nicotine, is almost an "acceptable" addiction. We know we're addicted to nicotine, either through smoking or dipping or both; our families know we're addicted; our friends know we're addicted (unless, of course, we hid our addiction). Our addiction is sugar-coated, though, being called a "nasty habit." When is the last time you overheard someone whisper about you, "Oh, he's a nicotine addict. Bless his family. I hope he can get some help."

Probably never, right? Our addiction isn't looked at the same way a heroin addiction or alcohol addiction is, and should it be? Our addictions won't land us in jail or rehab like other addictions, so is it as bad? On a flight to Europe last year, I was jonesing for a dip as much as a meth addict would be jonesing for a hit. I couldn't sleep, I could barely sit still, I couldn't focus on shit or enjoy the excitement of going to Europe for the first time, all because I wanted a dip so bad. But, yeah, it's just a nasty habit.

I'll tell you where our addiction will land you...in chemo treatments or in the grave, or both.

My dipping never threatened to tear my family apart; it may have caused a few head shakes and eye rolls at worst. The monetary cost of my "habit" was more of a focus than the possible health cost of my addiction. I'll probably never be called a "recovering nicotine addict," and that's okay. I know I am, and so does my family, and that's enough.

Society may see nicotine abuse (because that's really what it is) as an acceptable addiction, if they call it that at all, but I chose not to accept it anymore. One day at a time, I'm beating my addiction; I'm breaking my habit. Done, bitch. No more.
Title: Re: The Acceptable Addiction
Post by: chewie on June 04, 2020, 04:22:25 PM
The June 2020 Conductors commented on their June 3 post that we are and always will be addicts, at 100 days clean or 10,000 days clean. I can't argue that point. We are what we are.

This morning I heard a musician on the radio talking about his group's song "Sober" and how addiction tears families apart. Can't argue that, either. It does, but what about us?

Our addiction, the addiction to nicotine, is almost an "acceptable" addiction. We know we're addicted to nicotine, either through smoking or dipping or both; our families know we're addicted; our friends know we're addicted (unless, of course, we hid our addiction). Our addiction is sugar-coated, though, being called a "nasty habit." When is the last time you overheard someone whisper about you, "Oh, he's a nicotine addict. Bless his family. I hope he can get some help."

Probably never, right? Our addiction isn't looked at the same way a heroin addiction or alcohol addiction is, and should it be? Our addictions won't land us in jail or rehab like other addictions, so is it as bad? On a flight to Europe last year, I was jonesing for a dip as much as a meth addict would be jonesing for a hit. I couldn't sleep, I could barely sit still, I couldn't focus on shit or enjoy the excitement of going to Europe for the first time, all because I wanted a dip so bad. But, yeah, it's just a nasty habit.

I'll tell you where our addiction will land you...in chemo treatments or in the grave, or both.

My dipping never threatened to tear my family apart; it may have caused a few head shakes and eye rolls at worst. The monetary cost of my "habit" was more of a focus than the possible health cost of my addiction. I'll probably never be called a "recovering nicotine addict," and that's okay. I know I am, and so does my family, and that's enough.

Society may see nicotine abuse (because that's really what it is) as an acceptable addiction, if they call it that at all, but I chose not to accept it anymore. One day at a time, I'm beating my addiction; I'm breaking my habit. Done, bitch. No more.

This... is... outstanding.

Well said. Proud to be quit (and recovering) with you today.

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: RouttCountyLegend on June 08, 2020, 01:53:49 PM
The Fog is tough AF to deal with, especially at work. Anyone have any tips? Walks seem to help, as does downing water. Curious as to any other coping strategies.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on June 08, 2020, 02:13:23 PM
The Fog is tough AF to deal with, especially at work. Anyone have any tips? Walks seem to help, as does downing water. Curious as to any other coping strategies.
You are doing the right things. I suggesting staying on the site here as much as possible to share struggles and victories. Kill time in the Wildcard section. Share digits with other members of your group and some "vets" of the site. This builds accountability and give you quick access to support when needed. Spend time getting to know your fellow quitters.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: KillGrizz on June 11, 2020, 01:45:32 PM
I am on day 260, and for the past month, I have had cravings like i am back in my first month of quit. Has anyone else had these kind of cravings this far into their quit. Any tips? I have come close, twice, to caving and buying a can.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on June 11, 2020, 02:09:49 PM
I am on day 260, and for the past month, I have had cravings like i am back in my first month of quit. Has anyone else had these kind of cravings this far into their quit. Any tips? I have come close, twice, to caving and buying a can.
@KillGrizz (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=15804) what you are experiencing is incredibly common. I encourage you do become an active member here and you will be immediately be surrounding by people like yourself fighting through the 200's. Personally, where you are at in your quit was brutal for me when I was in your shoes.

1 problem + nicotine = 2 problems

If you cave and stuff your face with poison dirt, not only will you instantly regret it, you will have to relive it all over again when you ultimately make up your mind that you are stronger than a dead weed in a plastic can.

Go to January 2020 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=15899.16185#lastPost) and start posting roll every damn day right when you wake up. Bind yourself by your word to your fellow brothers and sister who are fighting the same battle each day. And instead of wondering when this phase will end, focus on today and celebrate each 24 hours as a solid victory.

EDIT: Go back to the General Discussion 2019 thread when you posted something back on your day 88. The advice then applies now. What is preventing you from being an active member here and adding a level of accountability to your quit???
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on June 12, 2020, 04:16:20 PM
Tom Kern passed away 16 years ago today. If you've never read Jenny and Tom Kern’s Story you owe it to yourself. Rest in Peace Tom.

https://www.killthecan.org/facts-figures/jenny-tom-kerns-story/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: RouttCountyLegend on June 16, 2020, 02:42:24 PM
I’m getting a script for Chantix to give it a shot. I would really appreciate the input of anyone who’s been on it good or bad.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on June 17, 2020, 03:00:25 PM
I’m getting a script for Chantix to give it a shot. I would really appreciate the input of anyone who’s been on it good or bad.

check out this article... may give you some insight as to what you can expect from Chantix

https://www.killthecan.org/chantix-does-it-work-for-dippers/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: SHOAK on June 18, 2020, 01:29:48 PM
quit mid april but had a relapse on 5/13/2020 so using that as my official end date. Anxiety has been awful. It's something that I've never dealt with before and I feel like I'm not choosing the best time in the world to deal with it either. Not that I'm a healthy 32 year old, but I've felt like I'm having a heart attack and a stroke all in the same day. Acid reflux has been bad. Going on my second week with prescription strength prilosec and it seems to be helping. It's amazing what the acid reflux can do though. I've had asthma issues from it now and even becoming hoarse in the afternoon. I'm glad I found this site because a lot of the things I was experiencing, I was starting to think I was either crazy or there was something seriously wrong with me. My Doctor (family friend) was getting sick of hearing from me. Out of all my symptoms so far, the most disturbing has been the weird light head feeling (almost out of body feeling) that just appears out of nowhere. waiting for the day I'm symptom and tobacco free...I started chewing when I was 14 (occasionally) and have been almost a can a day chewer since about age 20 so I know it could take a while. I'm just remembering it will be worth it!
Title: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: GS9502 on June 18, 2020, 02:05:22 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: DonkeyMN on June 18, 2020, 02:20:28 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)
Fuckin woof man, woof.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: DonkeyMN on June 18, 2020, 02:25:56 PM
quit mid april but had a relapse on 5/13/2020 so using that as my official end date. Anxiety has been awful. It's something that I've never dealt with before and I feel like I'm not choosing the best time in the world to deal with it either. Not that I'm a healthy 32 year old, but I've felt like I'm having a heart attack and a stroke all in the same day. Acid reflux has been bad. Going on my second week with prescription strength prilosec and it seems to be helping. It's amazing what the acid reflux can do though. I've had asthma issues from it now and even becoming hoarse in the afternoon. I'm glad I found this site because a lot of the things I was experiencing, I was starting to think I was either crazy or there was something seriously wrong with me. My Doctor (family friend) was getting sick of hearing from me. Out of all my symptoms so far, the most disturbing has been the weird light head feeling (almost out of body feeling) that just appears out of nowhere. waiting for the day I'm symptom and tobacco free...I started chewing when I was 14 (occasionally) and have been almost a can a day chewer since about age 20 so I know it could take a while. I'm just remembering it will be worth it!

I remember that light headed, fuzzy feeling as well.  Like you hung upside down on the monkey bars for 2 minutes and then jumped down.

Your brain, is in a war.  It is trying to figure out what is going on without that chemical it got, like every hour or two.  Mental, physical, emotional... it will hit you differentlly at different times.  Find your group, man.  There are people who are 30 some days quit, many going through the same shit.  Share stories in there, post your promise on roll and don't EVER turn your back on that.  This place is here for that system, use it!

Quit today, 1,235 days.  Never thought I would say that 3+ years ago.  But here I am.  ODAAT (one day at a time) you will be here too.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: DonkeyMN on June 18, 2020, 02:28:33 PM
@SHOAK (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17828)  https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16445.3105 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16445.3105)

^^August 2020 would love to have you I'm sure
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: GS9502 on June 18, 2020, 03:37:51 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)

And thanks to my Big Brother Sheepdogs @MuleMan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16417), @stillbrewing (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16240), @NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729), and @Bigdiesel90 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14797) for showing me how important the group is early on.
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: Thefranks5 on June 18, 2020, 07:29:54 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)
It is such a blessing to be part of a site that has each others back they way we do. I have no clue what or where I would be if I never joined. It is an honor to be part of the family and I pray for all of us to be free from the nasty nic bitch. It has not been easy but nobody said it would. Only way is cold turkey and odaat. I am at 106 and just had the best week of my quit. Then today woke up with the throat issues, nausea, fog, lethargy and bad anxiety/depression. This crap makes me feel like 2 months in again. This is when we hunker down and fight thru knowing my fellow renegades are with me. Going to ent doc on june 25 and praying that the issues are just from the quit. Praying that someday all this will be gone and trying to keep my patience as it plays out. May God bless all my renegade buds, all the vets and all the newbies. As Red Green would say “keep your stick on the ice, we are all in it together”.
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: elizabeth529 on June 18, 2020, 08:27:58 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)
Wow! Matt, this was so creative and inspirational! I feel the same way about you and my other quit brothers. I love the analogy of the wolf trying to sneak in to kill us at any moment.  This reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible 1 Peter 5:8 "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Great post Matt, I agree including myself, we should be more active on the forum.  One step towards complacency is another step towards that wolf sneaking in which is our addiction.
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: elizabeth529 on June 18, 2020, 08:31:40 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)
It is such a blessing to be part of a site that has each others back they way we do. I have no clue what or where I would be if I never joined. It is an honor to be part of the family and I pray for all of us to be free from the nasty nic bitch. It has not been easy but nobody said it would. Only way is cold turkey and odaat. I am at 106 and just had the best week of my quit. Then today woke up with the throat issues, nausea, fog, lethargy and bad anxiety/depression. This crap makes me feel like 2 months in again. This is when we hunker down and fight thru knowing my fellow renegades are with me. Going to ent doc on june 25 and praying that the issues are just from the quit. Praying that someday all this will be gone and trying to keep my patience as it plays out. May God bless all my renegade buds, all the vets and all the newbies. As Red Green would say “keep your stick on the ice, we are all in it together”.
I'll be praying for your Franks that everything comes out ok.  I went through the same fears and anxiety with my first quit after dipping for 21 years. My mouth was all tore up, I had lumps all over my lips and tongue and the throat feelings too.  It was terrifying! But thank the lord I was ok.  Think positive, you are more than likely ok.  Your mouth and throat are healing.  Some of the awesome vets on this site helped me to get through it.  Praying for you. <3
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: NErancher on June 18, 2020, 10:45:45 PM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)

And thanks to my Big Brother Sheepdogs @MuleMan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16417), @stillbrewing (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16240), @NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729), and @Bigdiesel90 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14797) for showing me how important the group is early on.
PTQW all the bad ass renegades!
Title: Re: Why Your Quit Group Fucking Matters
Post by: stillbrewing on June 19, 2020, 03:18:14 AM
As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17068) @WELGE 1 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=9759) @Thefranks5 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17642) @elizabeth529 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1182) @Michael_D (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=601) @DTBrown (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17012) @soumyadeep98 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17765) @Sm potatoes (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17052) @PayDay (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17208) @KieranMac17 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17205)

And thanks to my Big Brother Sheepdogs @MuleMan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16417), @stillbrewing (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16240), @NErancher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16729), and @Bigdiesel90 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14797) for showing me how important the group is early on.
...The quit is strong within this quitter as he continues to serve quit gold to the masses!  @GS9502 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17011) I am proud to quit with you today!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on June 19, 2020, 08:42:13 AM
ConeCrusherMan (Day 1,241) and Bgbdbrd (Day 1,230) representing the one, the only, the legendary May 17! https://www.killthecan.org/breakfast-may17-style-with-conecrusherman-and-bgbdbrd/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NErancher on June 19, 2020, 02:21:47 PM
What Single KTC acronym describes your quit? Please PM me a reply with your KTC name and days quit.  I want to use it on June HOF train.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: stillbrewing on June 21, 2020, 07:34:05 AM
My hardest day.
I woke up yesterday feeling great...day 199...getting ready to step off the elevator on the 2nd floor when addiction slapped me in the face.  Yesterday was my son's high school graduation party and family from western PA had come to join in the celebration.  The dippers came to celebrate also.  I welcomed my brother into my home and showed him around as it was the first visit to my new place.  We made our way outside to the yard and then I unconsciously did something that I haven't done in a very long time...tapped my pocket feeling for that old can of dip.  I felt a little dismayed because he didn't even have a dip in his mouth.  I dismissed the thought quickly chalking it up to years of learned behavior.  Fast forward to later in the evening as I watched as my brother peel a can from a fresh roll of cope and opened it to take a dip.  I yearned to feel that familiar burn in my lip...every time he spit I wanted to be spitting also.  The nicotine devil was not just knocking on the door, he was trying to break that fucker in two.  I went to my truck and retrieved my HOF coin.  A physical, metallic, hardcore solid reminder that brought me back to earth.  The promise I made to my Mofo crew this morning.  All of the brothers and sisters I text and speak with everyday.  The thought of letting them down was way more than the nic devil could dish out.
Never let your guard down.  The inner addict is always looking for a way out and strikes when we are at our weakest.  I am celebrating 200 days today because of all of you and I thank you from the heart.  I could have never done it without all of you.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Daviddim on June 21, 2020, 11:56:59 AM
My hardest day.
I woke up yesterday feeling great...day 199...getting ready to step off the elevator on the 2nd floor when addiction slapped me in the face.  Yesterday was my son's high school graduation party and family from western PA had come to join in the celebration.  The dippers came to celebrate also.  I welcomed my brother into my home and showed him around as it was the first visit to my new place.  We made our way outside to the yard and then I unconsciously did something that I haven't done in a very long time...tapped my pocket feeling for that old can of dip.  I felt a little dismayed because he didn't even have a dip in his mouth.  I dismissed the thought quickly chalking it up to years of learned behavior.  Fast forward to later in the evening as I watched as my brother peel a can from a fresh roll of cope and opened it to take a dip.  I yearned to feel that familiar burn in my lip...every time he spit I wanted to be spitting also.  The nicotine devil was not just knocking on the door, he was trying to break that fucker in two.  I went to my truck and retrieved my HOF coin.  A physical, metallic, hardcore solid reminder that brought me back to earth.  The promise I made to my Mofo crew this morning.  All of the brothers and sisters I text and speak with everyday.  The thought of letting them down was way more than the nic devil could dish out.
Never let your guard down.  The inner addict is always looking for a way out and strikes when we are at our weakest.  I am celebrating 200 days today because of all of you and I thank you from the heart.  I could have never done it without all of you.

Way to stick it to the nico demon stillbrewing, you continue to inspire everyone around you. You put so much work into your quit, I'm confident you'll push through many more of these experiences with your brothers at your side. Ive also had a few of these moments, i don't know many dippers in Cali, but i do know some smokers and lemme tell you that nico demon comes in all shapes and sizes, but its all the same poison. Thanks for sharing bud! PTBQWY
Title: Dip Flashback
Post by: GS9502 on June 25, 2020, 11:18:45 AM
Last night I had a dip dream, the first one in a long time. I was somewhere outside working, and out of habit, I put a dip in. I immediately realized what I'd done and cleared my lip, thinking to myself, "Oh hell, what have I just done? Where did this come from? Jesus, I just fucked up my quit." I felt sick, and when I woke up from that nightmare, I still felt sick, sick that I'd let myself down, sick that I'd have to tell my Renegades I'd caved, and sick that I'd be starting from scratch. I know it was a dream, but that shit was about as real as a dream can get.

Don't ever tell me the nicodemon doesn't play havoc with your mind, long after you'd laid that shit down.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: RonnieAdams on July 01, 2020, 12:15:21 PM
Guys....it's day 3 for me. Let me begin with this. I had a pretty severe panic attack last night. Well, it was severe for me. I've only had 2 in my life. Last night and when this whole COVID-19 stuff started. I went to the doc to just get checked out. EKG, vitals, etc were all great. They told me what I already figured, it was a anxiety attack. What I didn't realize was it was exacerbated by nicotine withdrawal. I was prescribed some "as needed" meds for the the anxiety, but they also gave me a prescription for nicotine gum. What I wanted to ask is if you all had any experience with nicotine gum. I haven't gone down that road, but just asking.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on July 01, 2020, 12:33:52 PM
Guys....it's day 3 for me. Let me begin with this. I had a pretty severe panic attack last night. Well, it was severe for me. I've only had 2 in my life. Last night and when this whole COVID-19 stuff started. I went to the doc to just get checked out. EKG, vitals, etc were all great. They told me what I already figured, it was a anxiety attack. What I didn't realize was it was exacerbated by nicotine withdrawal. I was prescribed some "as needed" meds for the the anxiety, but they also gave me a prescription for nicotine gum. What I wanted to ask is if you all had any experience with nicotine gum. I haven't gone down that road, but just asking.
@RonnieAdams (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17941) KTC is a NO NICOTINE site. Cold turkey is the only way to quit (here or otherwise IMO). Using nicotine products like gum only draws out the withdrawal process and is simply replacing same for same. You are addicted to nicotine. Using nicotine gum is just continuing to feed your addiction.

Anxiety attacks are incredibly common when it comes to quitting. Our brains have to get used to not being poisoned with nicotine and thus will try to use whatever subconscious methods it can to feed the addiction. I would suggest trying to implement an exercise routine, meditation, yoga or other activities known to help reduce stress and manage anxiety. You can go the meds route too if that is something you have discussed with your doctor.

You are not alone. But always remember that 1 problem + nicotine = 2 problems. Do not even THINK about using the nicotine gum and start to get involved on the site here. Share your digits with your fellow quitters and start to form relationships and accountability.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: eevans10 on July 03, 2020, 12:19:47 PM
Guys....it's day 3 for me. Let me begin with this. I had a pretty severe panic attack last night. Well, it was severe for me. I've only had 2 in my life. Last night and when this whole COVID-19 stuff started. I went to the doc to just get checked out. EKG, vitals, etc were all great. They told me what I already figured, it was a anxiety attack. What I didn't realize was it was exacerbated by nicotine withdrawal. I was prescribed some "as needed" meds for the the anxiety, but they also gave me a prescription for nicotine gum. What I wanted to ask is if you all had any experience with nicotine gum. I haven't gone down that road, but just asking.
@RonnieAdams (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17941) I would trash the gum man, thats not really allowed here. As far as the anxiety goes, I'm in the same boat you are.  First panic attack ever was in February at the start of my quit. I've had several since then, most recently 3 nights ago. I'll wake up from a dead sleep at 3 or 4am, or I might just be talking with a group of guys from work and the anxiety starts to build for no apparent reason.  This is the most difficult part of my quit right now. I keep those "as needed" pills close most of the time. I was embarrassed to take them at first, you know, cause I'm a grown ass man and can handle anything. I eventually realized that my Copenhagen served the same fucking purpose as those pills for the last 20+ years, it just looked tougher in my mouth. I need them less now than I did in the beginning, hopefully that trend will continue until I can leave them at home in the medicine cabinet. So, my advice (if you want it), swallow the pills when you need them, trash the fuckin gum, and do whatever you have to to stay quit.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JReed101 on July 03, 2020, 06:57:28 PM
First timer here. Just joined this page. I spent  three days in the hospital and two more trips to ER 34 days ago. Thought I was having a heart attack. Haven’t had a dip since, 27 years and two months on that worm dirt. Had my first anxiety attack and dealing with it everyday. Constant chest pains and feeling down my arms. Currently been on multiple pills trying to find the right ones that work. Currently using smoking mountain herbal for the feeling in my mouth. Very great page for information.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: eevans10 on July 03, 2020, 07:48:04 PM
First timer here. Just joined this page. I spent  three days in the hospital and two more trips to ER 34 days ago. Thought I was having a heart attack. Haven’t had a dip since, 27 years and two months on that worm dirt. Had my first anxiety attack and dealing with it everyday. Constant chest pains and feeling down my arms. Currently been on multiple pills trying to find the right ones that work. Currently using smoking mountain herbal for the feeling in my mouth. Very great page for information.
Welcome @JReed101 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17968). You've come to the right place if you're serious about the quit. I too quit dipping because of medical issues (acute diverticulitis). The anxiety is no joke for some of us, myself included. If you havent already, head on over to the quit groups and find your group (October pre-hof I think). Give an introduction and talk with your new ill, and occasionally pissed-off, like-minded friends. Learn how to post roll from them, show up everyday, and quit that nasty shit for good.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: copequits on July 04, 2020, 09:28:06 AM
First timer here. Just joined this page. I spent  three days in the hospital and two more trips to ER 34 days ago. Thought I was having a heart attack. Haven’t had a dip since, 27 years and two months on that worm dirt. Had my first anxiety attack and dealing with it everyday. Constant chest pains and feeling down my arms. Currently been on multiple pills trying to find the right ones that work. Currently using smoking mountain herbal for the feeling in my mouth. Very great page for information.
Welcome @JReed101 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17968). You've come to the right place if you're serious about the quit. I too quit dipping because of medical issues (acute diverticulitis). The anxiety is no joke for some of us, myself included. If you havent already, head on over to the quit groups and find your group (October pre-hof I think). Give an introduction and talk with your new ill, and occasionally pissed-off, like-minded friends. Learn how to post roll from them, show up everyday, and quit that nasty shit for good.

@JReed101 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17968) glad you found this place and joined.  Anxiety is very common especially early on.  I am 727 days quit right now and the anxiety was one of the toughest things to deal with.  I have leveled out probably somewhere around a year quit.  If you have been quit since you were in the hospital then you would be part of the September Quit Group.  The groups are based on when you will hit "Hall of Fame" which is 100 days nicotine free.  You would be in a group with other people that quit around the same time as you and will be going through many of the same things.  Head over to the September Slayers (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16478.msg7902826#msg7902826) and post your day count on roll.  That's how we do it here, Post your promise first thing each day, keep your promise, then wake up the next day and do it again.  It's amazing how simple that is, yet it makes a huge difference for people to stay quit.

For some reference points if you haven't seen them on the main site, there is some great info on Knowing what to expect found here (https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/what-to-expect-when-you-quit-dipping/) and here  (https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/symptoms-of-quitting-dip-chew/). I hope to see you in the September quit group!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on July 04, 2020, 10:03:47 AM
Happy INDEPENDENCE DAY quitters!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Cimms119 on July 05, 2020, 02:46:33 PM
: Hi all I am about 90+ days of tobacco free after chewing for 15 years.  Over the last 3 months I have made a trip to the ER also saw a family doctor and also been the urgent care with the same issue I am having a loud beating heart fluttering feels like I'm having a heart attack and it's terrible.  I've had three EKGs and they became perfectly fine my blood pressure is perfect and my blood work was perfect.  I'm a healthy in shape human being and still have constant chest palpitations or feel like I do.  can you guys please help me out I'm really struggling these last couple days and have not slept in the last 24 hours

07-05 14:27Cimms119: My anxiety was so bad that my left arm was getting numb and it felt like I wasn't able to breath.

07-05 14:27Cimms119: Doc put me on BusPar which it seems to help but I can't sleep whatsover.  I've read a bunch of info on this site of the last few days and it may be what I am experiencing
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Breathoffreshair on July 05, 2020, 07:21:34 PM
Guys....it's day 3 for me. Let me begin with this. I had a pretty severe panic attack last night. Well, it was severe for me. I've only had 2 in my life. Last night and when this whole COVID-19 stuff started. I went to the doc to just get checked out. EKG, vitals, etc were all great. They told me what I already figured, it was a anxiety attack. What I didn't realize was it was exacerbated by nicotine withdrawal. I was prescribed some "as needed" meds for the the anxiety, but they also gave me a prescription for nicotine gum. What I wanted to ask is if you all had any experience with nicotine gum. I haven't gone down that road, but just asking.

A year ago I tried to quit using the gum and they are a joke. I’d have to chew a box of them to feel any relief. A different time I tried to quit I used the patches. That was worse. They gave me nightmares and made my skin crawl. So far this time cold turkey has been much more successful and I’ve made it past the 4th day mark which is farther than I ever have before. I’ve had cravings and headache and hulk smash feeling for days but feel much better now. Anxiety attacks suck but it’s just that anxiety.  Gotta find your chill place and relax before it gets to your head. IMHO no to the nicotine replacements it just drags is out longer and can in my experience hook you even harder. Your best bet I’ve found is some “high quality h2o”! Good luck bud stay strong. ODAAT
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: FLLipOut on July 05, 2020, 09:30:19 PM
Guys....it's day 3 for me. Let me begin with this. I had a pretty severe panic attack last night. Well, it was severe for me. I've only had 2 in my life. Last night and when this whole COVID-19 stuff started. I went to the doc to just get checked out. EKG, vitals, etc were all great. They told me what I already figured, it was a anxiety attack. What I didn't realize was it was exacerbated by nicotine withdrawal. I was prescribed some "as needed" meds for the the anxiety, but they also gave me a prescription for nicotine gum. What I wanted to ask is if you all had any experience with nicotine gum. I haven't gone down that road, but just asking.

A year ago I tried to quit using the gum and they are a joke. I’d have to chew a box of them to feel any relief. A different time I tried to quit I used the patches. That was worse. They gave me nightmares and made my skin crawl. So far this time cold turkey has been much more successful and I’ve made it past the 4th day mark which is farther than I ever have before. I’ve had cravings and headache and hulk smash feeling for days but feel much better now. Anxiety attacks suck but it’s just that anxiety.  Gotta find your chill place and relax before it gets to your head. IMHO no to the nicotine replacements it just drags is out longer and can in my experience hook you even harder. Your best bet I’ve found is some “high quality h2o”! Good luck bud stay strong. ODAAT
Hey Ronnie... I was on the patch for a while and the night I came off it I had a panic attack so severe it lasted most of the night.  So replacing one form of nicotine for another doesn't work.  Eventually you will have to face it dead on.  That is what kept me going that awful night. 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: FLLipOut on July 05, 2020, 09:37:27 PM
: Hi all I am about 90+ days of tobacco free after chewing for 15 years.  Over the last 3 months I have made a trip to the ER also saw a family doctor and also been the urgent care with the same issue I am having a loud beating heart fluttering feels like I'm having a heart attack and it's terrible.  I've had three EKGs and they became perfectly fine my blood pressure is perfect and my blood work was perfect.  I'm a healthy in shape human being and still have constant chest palpitations or feel like I do.  can you guys please help me out I'm really struggling these last couple days and have not slept in the last 24 hours

07-05 14:27Cimms119: My anxiety was so bad that my left arm was getting numb and it felt like I wasn't able to breath.

07-05 14:27Cimms119: Doc put me on BusPar which it seems to help but I can't sleep whatsover.  I've read a bunch of info on this site of the last few days and it may be what I am experiencing
@Cimms119 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17985)  I am not a doctor (glad you have sought out medical advice). But what you are describing sounds to me like a textbook case of panic attacks and severe anxiety.  It is VERY common to have heightened levels of anxiety, often for some time, after quitting.  I certainly had to manage them for a while.  This will pass in time. 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on July 06, 2020, 11:48:39 AM
: Hi all I am about 90+ days of tobacco free after chewing for 15 years.  Over the last 3 months I have made a trip to the ER also saw a family doctor and also been the urgent care with the same issue I am having a loud beating heart fluttering feels like I'm having a heart attack and it's terrible.  I've had three EKGs and they became perfectly fine my blood pressure is perfect and my blood work was perfect.  I'm a healthy in shape human being and still have constant chest palpitations or feel like I do.  can you guys please help me out I'm really struggling these last couple days and have not slept in the last 24 hours

07-05 14:27Cimms119: My anxiety was so bad that my left arm was getting numb and it felt like I wasn't able to breath.

07-05 14:27Cimms119: Doc put me on BusPar which it seems to help but I can't sleep whatsover.  I've read a bunch of info on this site of the last few days and it may be what I am experiencing
@Cimms119 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17985)  I am not a doctor (glad you have sought out medical advice). But what you are describing sounds to me like a textbook case of panic attacks and severe anxiety.  It is VERY common to have heightened levels of anxiety, often for some time, after quitting.  I certainly had to manage them for a while.  This will pass in time.

I took myself to the ER twice during my quit cause I thought I was having a heart attack.  I remember it very vividly.  I was laying on the floor watching TV and my chest was on fire from reflux.  In addition, my left arm/hand was numb (which as you know is a classic symptom of a heart attack).  Naturally, at this point I started to freak out and took my pulse, which at this point was through the roof as well cause I was stressing out.  Took myself to the ER, got an EKG and everything checked out perfectly.  They gave me some stuff to get the reflux attack under control and sent me home.  Turned out it was "just" anxiety do to my quit. 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: stillbrewing on July 06, 2020, 12:34:43 PM
: Hi all I am about 90+ days of tobacco free after chewing for 15 years.  Over the last 3 months I have made a trip to the ER also saw a family doctor and also been the urgent care with the same issue I am having a loud beating heart fluttering feels like I'm having a heart attack and it's terrible.  I've had three EKGs and they became perfectly fine my blood pressure is perfect and my blood work was perfect.  I'm a healthy in shape human being and still have constant chest palpitations or feel like I do.  can you guys please help me out I'm really struggling these last couple days and have not slept in the last 24 hours

07-05 14:27Cimms119: My anxiety was so bad that my left arm was getting numb and it felt like I wasn't able to breath.

07-05 14:27Cimms119: Doc put me on BusPar which it seems to help but I can't sleep whatsover.  I've read a bunch of info on this site of the last few days and it may be what I am experiencing
@Cimms119 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17985)  I am not a doctor (glad you have sought out medical advice). But what you are describing sounds to me like a textbook case of panic attacks and severe anxiety.  It is VERY common to have heightened levels of anxiety, often for some time, after quitting.  I certainly had to manage them for a while.  This will pass in time.

I took myself to the ER twice during my quit cause I thought I was having a heart attack.  I remember it very vividly.  I was laying on the floor watching TV and my chest was on fire from reflux.  In addition, my left arm/hand was numb (which as you know is a classic symptom of a heart attack).  Naturally, at this point I started to freak out and took my pulse, which at this point was through the roof as well cause I was stressing out.  Took myself to the ER, got an EKG and everything checked out perfectly.  They gave me some stuff to get the reflux attack under control and sent me home.  Turned out it was "just" anxiety do to my quit.
@Cimms119 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17985)
In the beginning, my anxiety was horrible.  Made me come to the conclusion that I had been using tobacco as my own form of Prozac.  My doctor gave me a script for Wellbutrin for about 8 weeks and it was like a miracle taking away almost all of the anxiety (with no side effects).  I know all drugs don't work the same for everybody, but it may be worth a shot.
Title: Quit
Post by: GS9502 on July 09, 2020, 10:29:35 AM
The first time, I just wanted
To be cool, fat lip good ol’ boy.
Looking back, I was just
A fool, another Big Tobacco toy
In the making.

Got me drunk, made me swoon,
Liked that feeling, howled at the moon,
Swiped another can, too young to buy,
Now thief and liar, was once a good guy.

Down the road, left the can and
Picked up the pack.
Smoked like a chimney,
Not minding the nicotine attack.

A promise years later to be
A better man,
Put down the pack for good, but picked up
The can.

Needed the nic, or at least so
I thought.
No telling through the years
How many rolls of death I bought.

Wasted my money, ignored looks from my peers,
Never thinking of quitting, never believing
My own fears.
What led me here wasn’t a doc
Or the sight of gross spit;
A bump on my gum
Scared me to quit.

Seeing the look in my wife’s loving eyes
Was enough to finally
Stop living the lies
The Nic bitch was whispering
Each day in my ear:
“You need me, you want me;
There’s nothing to fear.”

I talked to my dentist and
Found Kill The Can.
Brotherhood and Accountability
Make me a real man.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on July 09, 2020, 12:21:08 PM
This... is... amazing.

@GS9502 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17011) Breaks the Chain FOREVER

https://www.killthecan.org/gs9502-breaks-the-chain-forever/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Gobs on July 17, 2020, 03:44:18 PM
Hi all, can you use Tapatalk for the forum?  I can't find it.  Thanks.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on July 17, 2020, 04:17:52 PM
Hi all, can you use Tapatalk for the forum?  I can't find it.  Thanks.
You are here!

KTC is not on Crapatalk.

Post roll and stay awhile.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on July 18, 2020, 11:00:45 AM
Hi all, can you use Tapatalk for the forum?  I can't find it.  Thanks.
You are here!

KTC is not on Crapatalk.

Post roll and stay awhile.

Hello @Gobs (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14672) - no, this forum is not TapaTalk enabled. We tried it and candidly it was absolutely terrible. We have no plans to go back.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on July 18, 2020, 11:12:42 AM
Dryv Energy Pouches Review – Vanilla and Mint

https://www.killthecan.org/dryv-energy-pouches-review-vanilla-and-mint/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Ellery on July 28, 2020, 05:39:46 PM
How does everybody get threw the sick ness feeling and brain fog
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on July 28, 2020, 06:43:13 PM
How does everybody get threw the sick ness feeling and brain fog

@Ellery (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18128)

We do it One Day at a Time.

The process here is really simple:

1. Wake Up
2. Piss
3. Post your promise to remain nicotine free for the next 24 hours
4. Keep your word
5. Repeat Daily

The place to post your promise is Here (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=15852.90) if you quit on or after 7/25/2020.  If you quit a little earlier than that, then your group is Here (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16602.1815).

Either way, you need to go post your promise to remain nicotine free.  This site is based on accountability and keeping our word to one another.  We do that one day at a time, only focusing on today.  Worry about tomorrow when tomorrow gets here.

As you already know, it is not going to be easy, but I promise you it will be worth the suck you are going through now.  We have all been there and know exactly what you are going through. 

Once you get into your group, start exchanging phone numbers with other quitters in there as well as some vets.  This is how we keep each other accountable.  It also gives you instant access to support when you need it.  Yes, it may feel strange reaching out to a complete stranger on the phone, but I assure you, it is 1000% better than giving in to the cancer can.

My digits are always available for the asking.  Only exchange phone numbers through the private message feature of this forum.

Welcome to the best decision of your life.

chris2alaska 923 nicotine free days in a row.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Shutupanfish on August 01, 2020, 11:57:15 AM
How does everybody get threw the sick ness feeling and brain fog

SHUTUPANFISH. Day 7 here so im probaly not much help but i drink a lot of coffee and just try to keep calm and distracted. It helps to have someone who understands what your going through. I have a co-worker an freind who lets me bitch an rant an listens but he also tells me when im being a dumbass.
 Its hard though, i keep telling myself "this really sucks and isnt worth it"  but then i think the only thing worse would be to have to go through it all again if i cave now. Good luck brother, im rooting for you!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on August 02, 2020, 09:41:27 AM
How does everybody get threw the sick ness feeling and brain fog

SHUTUPANFISH. Day 7 here so im probaly not much help but i drink a lot of coffee and just try to keep calm and distracted. It helps to have someone who understands what your going through. I have a co-worker an freind who lets me bitch an rant an listens but he also tells me when im being a dumbass.
 Its hard though, i keep telling myself "this really sucks and isnt worth it"  but then i think the only thing worse would be to have to go through it all again if i cave now. Good luck brother, im rooting for you!

Hey @Ellery (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18128) you've got some good advice here from @Shutupanfish (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18124) - having someone you can vent to is one of the BEST things you can do... and you're in the best place to do it. There are THOUSANDS of quitters here that 'get it' and we'll tell it to you straight.

Chatting on the forums, or on live chat, the main site, our social channels, etc. is a GREAT distraction from the day to day early quit craves.

Take it one day, one hour, one minute at at time if necessary... those +1's will begin to add up to a PILE of quit before you know it.

Hang in there.

Chewie ~ 5,124
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Xiipher on August 03, 2020, 08:31:26 PM
What's up fellas. I have an odd type of question and am looking for someone who may have experienced this before. Been dipping for 15+ years. I recently stopped drinking, but just about every time I put a dip in I get terrible anxiety, shaking, extremely sweaty hands. Not to mention my bp goes up much farther than before, to around 140+/95 or 100. This has been consistent for months now. Body still craves dip, but once I pack one in I get those terrible symptoms. Don't get me wrong, my goal is to quit, but I'm hoping there's someone out there who has experienced this and might have some extra insight.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on August 04, 2020, 12:37:16 AM
What's up fellas. I have an odd type of question and am looking for someone who may have experienced this before. Been dipping for 15+ years. I recently stopped drinking, but just about every time I put a dip in I get terrible anxiety, shaking, extremely sweaty hands. Not to mention my bp goes up much farther than before, to around 140+/95 or 100. This has been consistent for months now. Body still craves dip, but once I pack one in I get those terrible symptoms. Don't get me wrong, my goal is to quit, but I'm hoping there's someone out there who has experienced this and might have some extra insight.
@Xiipher (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18161) was it also your goal to "quit" back in September of 2017 when you quit stopped for about a week before going radio silent?

Are you just trying to explain your symptoms? Or do you actually want to be quit? Sounds like most of your problems would go away if you stopped poisoning yourself with nicotine. Just think, you could be almost 3 years quit right now and not dealing with any of this shit (or at least not to such a degree).

So what say you? You going to sack up and quit this time? Let's start by posting roll early, every damn day and focus on keeping that promise 24 hours at a time.  There is an army of people here ready to help you out but you have to take the first step and do this for yourself. We can't quit for you but we can help you along the way. Please start by answering the three questions: 1.) What happened? 2.) Why did it happen? 3.) What are you going to do differently this time?

(Also, you need to send me a PM so we can get you back on your original account. Multiple accounts are never allowed here at KTC since honesty, transparency and accountability are foundational aspects of the site.)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on August 16, 2020, 09:21:03 AM
BaccOff Coffee Pouches – Vanilla Review

https://www.killthecan.org/baccoff-coffee-pouches-vanilla-review/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JoeyinAL on August 16, 2020, 08:27:59 PM
Hey everyone. Wasnt sure which forum to post in so i will try here. Recently had some labwork done and its time to quit i think. Heres my story...
I have minimal heart failure, take diuretics, and dipped tobacco for 37 years.
Labs were always normal until now.
So on july 13 my labs were
Rbc 6.17
Hematocrit 57.6
Hemoblobin 19.6
Cardiologist said to follow up with my normal dr.
I thought i might be dehydrated so made sure to drink alot
On july 28 labs were
Rbc 5.99
Hematocrit 54
Hemoglobin 18.9
Iron 166
Reticulocytes 1.5%.
Reticulocyte count .0980
She referred me to a hematologist. My appt is Oct2.
Ive been having some symptoms for the past few months.  A few hours a day my feet are cold but it always goes away. Very few minor headaches. And some nervouseness. Also heavy legs and a feeling of unbalance. My symptoms are getting better and the numbers improved. I have a recheck on Aug25 and will see how numbers are then.
Any ideas, thoughts, or opinions are welcome.
Thanks
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Zeus on August 16, 2020, 08:49:49 PM
Hey everyone. Wasnt sure which forum to post in so i will try here. Recently had some labwork done and its time to quit i think. Heres my story...
I have minimal heart failure, take diuretics, and dipped tobacco for 37 years.
Labs were always normal until now.
So on july 13 my labs were
Rbc 6.17
Hematocrit 57.6
Hemoblobin 19.6
Cardiologist said to follow up with my normal dr.
I thought i might be dehydrated so made sure to drink alot
On july 28 labs were
Rbc 5.99
Hematocrit 54
Hemoglobin 18.9
Iron 166
Reticulocytes 1.5%.
Reticulocyte count .0980
She referred me to a hematologist. My appt is Oct2.
Ive been having some symptoms for the past few months.  A few hours a day my feet are cold but it always goes away. Very few minor headaches. And some nervouseness. Also heavy legs and a feeling of unbalance. My symptoms are getting better and the numbers improved. I have a recheck on Aug25 and will see how numbers are then.
Any ideas, thoughts, or opinions are welcome.
Thanks
I 100% agree with you. It's time to quit. Nicotine is not going to make any of your medical issues better. Quitting will.

The next forum you should post in is this one:
https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=15852.0
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on August 16, 2020, 11:47:04 PM
Hey everyone. Wasnt sure which forum to post in so i will try here. Recently had some labwork done and its time to quit i think. Heres my story...
I have minimal heart failure, take diuretics, and dipped tobacco for 37 years.
Labs were always normal until now.
So on july 13 my labs were
Rbc 6.17
Hematocrit 57.6
Hemoblobin 19.6
Cardiologist said to follow up with my normal dr.
I thought i might be dehydrated so made sure to drink alot
On july 28 labs were
Rbc 5.99
Hematocrit 54
Hemoglobin 18.9
Iron 166
Reticulocytes 1.5%.
Reticulocyte count .0980
She referred me to a hematologist. My appt is Oct2.
Ive been having some symptoms for the past few months.  A few hours a day my feet are cold but it always goes away. Very few minor headaches. And some nervouseness. Also heavy legs and a feeling of unbalance. My symptoms are getting better and the numbers improved. I have a recheck on Aug25 and will see how numbers are then.
Any ideas, thoughts, or opinions are welcome.
Thanks
I 100% agree with you. It's time to quit. Nicotine is not going to make any of your medical issues better. Quitting will.

The next forum you should post in is this one:
https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=15852.0
Zeus nailed it here ^^^, get in there and post roll. Then spend as much time as possible reading through this site to better understand  your addiction.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on August 17, 2020, 09:12:32 AM
Hey everyone. Wasnt sure which forum to post in so i will try here. Recently had some labwork done and its time to quit i think. Heres my story...
I have minimal heart failure, take diuretics, and dipped tobacco for 37 years.
Labs were always normal until now.
So on july 13 my labs were
Rbc 6.17
Hematocrit 57.6
Hemoblobin 19.6
Cardiologist said to follow up with my normal dr.
I thought i might be dehydrated so made sure to drink alot
On july 28 labs were
Rbc 5.99
Hematocrit 54
Hemoglobin 18.9
Iron 166
Reticulocytes 1.5%.
Reticulocyte count .0980
She referred me to a hematologist. My appt is Oct2.
Ive been having some symptoms for the past few months.  A few hours a day my feet are cold but it always goes away. Very few minor headaches. And some nervouseness. Also heavy legs and a feeling of unbalance. My symptoms are getting better and the numbers improved. I have a recheck on Aug25 and will see how numbers are then.
Any ideas, thoughts, or opinions are welcome.
Thanks
I 100% agree with you. It's time to quit. Nicotine is not going to make any of your medical issues better. Quitting will.

The next forum you should post in is this one:
https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=15852.0
Zeus nailed it here ^^^, get in there and post roll. Then spend as much time as possible reading through this site to better understand  your addiction.

Bingo. This place can be your lifeline early in your quit and the relationships that you make... well, those can last a lifetime.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bigquita on August 17, 2020, 06:00:49 PM
Man the cravings are making me sweat today. Talking to myself outloud at times I must look like a nut job. It’s like there are 2 different parts of me. The man in me telling the immature me, “you can’t have it, it’s no good for you.” I guess I just need to let the internal Immature temper tantrums run their course. I admire the shit out of all of you vets that have been able to stay strong for so long. Thanks for the support
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Tjschu on August 17, 2020, 08:29:45 PM
Man the cravings are making me sweat today. Talking to myself outloud at times I must look like a nut job. It’s like there are 2 different parts of me. The man in me telling the immature me, “you can’t have it, it’s no good for you.” I guess I just need to let the internal Immature temper tantrums run their course. I admire the shit out of all of you vets that have been able to stay strong for so long. Thanks for the support
You are stronger than you know @Bigquita (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18234)!! Do not give in! Hell I remember when I first quit I was breaking the days into minutes. Quitting is hard as hell but way worth it!!! Every day gets better and easier from here. Sure there will be hard times but YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Rexmanning on August 18, 2020, 12:09:35 PM
Man the cravings are making me sweat today. Talking to myself outloud at times I must look like a nut job. It’s like there are 2 different parts of me. The man in me telling the immature me, “you can’t have it, it’s no good for you.” I guess I just need to let the internal Immature temper tantrums run their course. I admire the shit out of all of you vets that have been able to stay strong for so long. Thanks for the support

Keep going man
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Kodiakslave on August 24, 2020, 08:06:33 PM
30 years of chewing kodiak. Help me quit
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on August 24, 2020, 09:26:00 PM
30 years of chewing kodiak. Help me quit
@Kodiakslave (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18290) you are in the right spot. However, none of us can quit for you. You have to accept the fact you are an addict and quit for yourself. We (the site) are here to help hold you accountable as you navigate your quit.

Start by going to the December 2020 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16691.0) group and posting roll. Quitting for forever is too daunting. So that's why here at KTC we quit 24 hours at a time. We post roll which is our word to not use nicotine in any form for the next 24 hours and honor that word through hell or high water. We do that daily and simply focus on the only thing we can control - TODAY.

The process is simple but certainly challenging. If you are ready, we will be here waiting to help you along the way.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bobby24365 on August 25, 2020, 03:54:06 PM
I used Copenhagen southern blend for about 6 years- few breaks in between. I am 40 yrs old now. I quit forever 3 weeks ago - cold turkey. I have strong will, not to use it again. There was some minor headache,  gone now. I have neck stiffness a bit, when i move the neck.. i would not call it pain. Has anyone experienced similar situation?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Bobby24365 on August 26, 2020, 10:42:21 AM
I used Copenhagen southern blend for about 6 years- few breaks in between. I am 40 yrs old now. I quit forever 3 weeks ago - cold turkey. I have strong will, not to use it again. There was some minor headache,  gone now. I have neck stiffness a bit, when i move the neck.. i would not call it pain. Has anyone experienced similar situation?
just to add...i started taking Ginger shots and turmeric shots, every day. It makes the neck normal
Title: A Quit Positive Today
Post by: GS9502 on August 27, 2020, 08:35:47 PM
Got to share a bit of good news that I know y'all will appreciate...

As many of you know, Tuesday 8/25 marked my 180th day of quit. I went to the dentist two days before I quit for a cleaning. My dentist is actually the one who pointed me to KTC. Anyway, today was my regularly scheduled 6 month checkup, and let me tell you...

IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!!! Now, let's get this straight. I fucking HATE going to the dentist. I never have liked it - before, during, or after dipping. Today, though, my hygienist and my dentist both complimented my gums and teeth, telling me how healthy looking my mouth was. My hygienist did a thorough once-over of my mouth, throat, and tongue, too. NO CANCEROUS LOOKING TISSUE!!  It was without a doubt the best dentist appointment I've had in almost three decades. It was certainly the most guilt-free cleaning I've had in a very long time.

My old dentist died last year. He was a good guy who never fussed too much about my dipping; his disapproving looks said enough. I hope he was watching today and heard what my new dentist said about my oral health. He'd be proud.

I'm proud of me, and dammit, I'm proud to be quit with all of you! To any new quitters reading this, don't give in to the nicodemon. There are good things on the horizon for you if you'll just stick with your quit. Quitting is a good thing. Staying quit is an even better thing. Long term, I have no idea what I may have done to myself by using tobacco. I can't worry about that, though. The Good Book says to take care of today. Tomorrow has its own troubles. So that's what I'm doing, and today I had a good dentist appointment. Y'all have one coming, too!

GS9502 - 182 days of quit power!!!


@RonnieAdams (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17941)  @CaptainVlach (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18262)  @Bigquita (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18234)  @ForChad (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18240) @Rexmanning (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18169) You guys hang in there. Your day is coming.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: HR Guy on September 06, 2020, 01:47:51 PM
So, I picked a Sunday on a holiday weekend to quit because we’re in church on Sunday until about 1:30, then I can nap. Then I just have to get through the evening routine. Tomorrow being Labor Day, my wife will keep me busy all day so I’m hoping these two days will give me some momentum.
As far as what I’m feeling right now is so far I’ve had 3 bigger nicotine attacks (at wake up, around 10 and right after lunch). After lunch was the hardest but I knew it would be. So I ate light, and went for a long walk right after. So far, so good. I’m not sure what tomorrow will do but I definitely got today. ODAAT
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 06, 2020, 02:16:08 PM
So, I picked a Sunday on a holiday weekend to quit because we’re in church on Sunday until about 1:30, then I can nap. Then I just have to get through the evening routine. Tomorrow being Labor Day, my wife will keep me busy all day so I’m hoping these two days will give me some momentum.
As far as what I’m feeling right now is so far I’ve had 3 bigger nicotine attacks (at wake up, around 10 and right after lunch). After lunch was the hardest but I knew it would be. So I ate light, and went for a long walk right after. So far, so good. I’m not sure what tomorrow will do but I definitely got today. ODAAT

Sounds like you've got a solid plan for your first couple of days... the fact that you're here is a tremendous step as well. Get involved, get to know folks, get phone numbers and get to quittin!

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 06, 2020, 07:07:10 PM
How does one start a new topic here?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NukeEngineer on September 06, 2020, 09:36:18 PM
So, i'm about to hit the 2 weeks quit mark after 5 years of off and on dipping and I just wanted to vent about my experiences so far. Btw. I'm 25 as of this coming Wednesday.

The biggest thing on my mind is that I've had a sore and slightly swollen throat for 2 weeks now, starting the day before my quit.  Went to the doctor to have it checked for strep. Negative. Also had my mom check it (she's a nurse) she also didn't think anything of it.  Between the two, and the fact that it doesn't look different than sore throats in the past, I'm a little more at ease that it isn't some type of throat cancer, but I'm setting up a dentist appointment and will have him do a formal check of my mouth.  I'm pretty sure it's caused by a bacterial infection due to one of my teeth being dead.(got the gray tongue with it, which is a sign of bacteria) In addition to all of this, I just sold $8000 worth of my stocks to hopefully fund the replacement of two teeth and many cavity fillings.  That one hurt like a bitch. A year and a half of saving gone.  But taking care of myself is worth it. Really hoping that they can get me in ASAP to sooth this anxiety.

Withdrawals:  So far, they haven't been horrible.  I've had occasional cravings, especially with my main trigger (sitting at my computer), but I've been doing my best to embrace the trigger for as long as I can and just drink water whenever I feel an urge.  It's really not something I'd like to avoid, so reprogramming my brain early on should help me stay quit.
The biggest withdrawal symptom so far though has been this incredibly overpowering emptiness followed by nostalgia.  I've found myself craving to do things that I did before dipping.  I used to be more organized and more proactive about daily chores and activities.  Recently, I've found myself having a strong urge to keep my room in perfect order, make my bed in the morning, clean and vacuum my car, go to the gym, make an actual dinner every night.  I honestly think my nicotine usage actually hindered my normal daily function without me really realizing it.  and now that my brain is normalizing, it feels nostalgic because its been 5 years since I really felt motivated to do these things.

If you all have any advice regarding my anxiety with my throat, while I wait for my appointment, I'd love to hear it.  And if anyone can relate to my withdrawal symptoms or has any advice on dealing with them, I'd love to hear your stories/advice. 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: HR Guy on September 07, 2020, 08:46:58 AM
So, i'm about to hit the 2 weeks quit mark after 5 years of off and on dipping and I just wanted to vent about my experiences so far. Btw. I'm 25 as of this coming Wednesday.

The biggest thing on my mind is that I've had a sore and slightly swollen throat for 2 weeks now, starting the day before my quit.  Went to the doctor to have it checked for strep. Negative. Also had my mom check it (she's a nurse) she also didn't think anything of it.  Between the two, and the fact that it doesn't look different than sore throats in the past, I'm a little more at ease that it isn't some type of throat cancer, but I'm setting up a dentist appointment and will have him do a formal check of my mouth.  I'm pretty sure it's caused by a bacterial infection due to one of my teeth being dead.(got the gray tongue with it, which is a sign of bacteria) In addition to all of this, I just sold $8000 worth of my stocks to hopefully fund the replacement of two teeth and many cavity fillings.  That one hurt like a bitch. A year and a half of saving gone.  But taking care of myself is worth it. Really hoping that they can get me in ASAP to sooth this anxiety.

Withdrawals:  So far, they haven't been horrible.  I've had occasional cravings, especially with my main trigger (sitting at my computer), but I've been doing my best to embrace the trigger for as long as I can and just drink water whenever I feel an urge.  It's really not something I'd like to avoid, so reprogramming my brain early on should help me stay quit.
The biggest withdrawal symptom so far though has been this incredibly overpowering emptiness followed by nostalgia.  I've found myself craving to do things that I did before dipping.  I used to be more organized and more proactive about daily chores and activities.  Recently, I've found myself having a strong urge to keep my room in perfect order, make my bed in the morning, clean and vacuum my car, go to the gym, make an actual dinner every night.  I honestly think my nicotine usage actually hindered my normal daily function without me really realizing it.  and now that my brain is normalizing, it feels nostalgic because its been 5 years since I really felt motivated to do these things.

If you all have any advice regarding my anxiety with my throat, while I wait for my appointment, I'd love to hear it.  And if anyone can relate to my withdrawal symptoms or has any advice on dealing with them, I'd love to hear your stories/advice.

I'm newer at this game than you so sadly, I don't have alot of advice. I'm somewhat expert at the withdrawal symptoms because sadly, I've tried and failed more than once, like most long time addicts. I've always been a ninja dipper and have been able to hide it for years; so my primary mistake before was not thinking I needed a support network. Interestingly enough, almost every quit program, blog, medicine, nrt label I've ever read mentions needing one. It dawned on me on friday that this may be what I've been missing. That and a true drive. Not sure how this will end, but I've never wanted anything more than I do this. This time, the desire to quit is stronger than the desire to cave if that makes sense. So my plan is to drive you all nuts with posts and support and questions as I go through this mess. Hopefully, we will go through it together.
I'll cover your back on this bro, please cover mine.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 07, 2020, 08:53:15 AM
So, i'm about to hit the 2 weeks quit mark after 5 years of off and on dipping and I just wanted to vent about my experiences so far. Btw. I'm 25 as of this coming Wednesday.

The biggest thing on my mind is that I've had a sore and slightly swollen throat for 2 weeks now, starting the day before my quit.  Went to the doctor to have it checked for strep. Negative. Also had my mom check it (she's a nurse) she also didn't think anything of it.  Between the two, and the fact that it doesn't look different than sore throats in the past, I'm a little more at ease that it isn't some type of throat cancer, but I'm setting up a dentist appointment and will have him do a formal check of my mouth.  I'm pretty sure it's caused by a bacterial infection due to one of my teeth being dead.(got the gray tongue with it, which is a sign of bacteria) In addition to all of this, I just sold $8000 worth of my stocks to hopefully fund the replacement of two teeth and many cavity fillings.  That one hurt like a bitch. A year and a half of saving gone.  But taking care of myself is worth it. Really hoping that they can get me in ASAP to sooth this anxiety.

Withdrawals:  So far, they haven't been horrible.  I've had occasional cravings, especially with my main trigger (sitting at my computer), but I've been doing my best to embrace the trigger for as long as I can and just drink water whenever I feel an urge.  It's really not something I'd like to avoid, so reprogramming my brain early on should help me stay quit.
The biggest withdrawal symptom so far though has been this incredibly overpowering emptiness followed by nostalgia.  I've found myself craving to do things that I did before dipping.  I used to be more organized and more proactive about daily chores and activities.  Recently, I've found myself having a strong urge to keep my room in perfect order, make my bed in the morning, clean and vacuum my car, go to the gym, make an actual dinner every night.  I honestly think my nicotine usage actually hindered my normal daily function without me really realizing it.  and now that my brain is normalizing, it feels nostalgic because its been 5 years since I really felt motivated to do these things.

If you all have any advice regarding my anxiety with my throat, while I wait for my appointment, I'd love to hear it.  And if anyone can relate to my withdrawal symptoms or has any advice on dealing with them, I'd love to hear your stories/advice.

I'm newer at this game than you so sadly, I don't have alot of advice. I'm somewhat expert at the withdrawal symptoms because sadly, I've tried and failed more than once, like most long time addicts. I've always been a ninja dipper and have been able to hide it for years; so my primary mistake before was not thinking I needed a support network. Interestingly enough, almost every quit program, blog, medicine, nrt label I've ever read mentions needing one. It dawned on me on friday that this may be what I've been missing. That and a true drive. Not sure how this will end, but I've never wanted anything more than I do this. This time, the desire to quit is stronger than the desire to cave if that makes sense. So my plan is to drive you all nuts with posts and support and questions as I go through this mess. Hopefully, we will go through it together.
I'll cover your back on this bro, please cover mine.

I can't tell you how awesome it is to see you guys in here, chatting it out, having each other's backs. You two have just stumbled upon the greatest asset of KTC - strength in numbers and the fact that you're not alone... EVER. 

Congrats on 2 weeks of freedom @NukeEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18300)  - don't underestimate just how awesome that is!

Give this a read... https://www.killthecan.org/facts-figures/2-week-weakness/ The two week mark can be a rough spot. It's good to be prepared.

I too had throat issues when I quit. The good news is, they'll go away. You did what you needed to do by getting checked out and making an appointment to see your dentist. For me, my throat issues were brought on by allergies and acid reflux which got way WORSE when I quit but has now completely gone away.

As for the nostalgia... it's hard. It'll take quite some time for your brain to rewire. Fake dip (no nicotine / no tobacco) is great for this as it allows you to continue the ACT of dipping without feeding your addiction. Some people say this prolongs your addiction, but I was a HUGE fan (and chewed about a can / day for a good 220 days or so into my quit. https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

Bottom line... you're healing. You fucked up your body for 5+ years... it's going to take some time.

Take it one day at a time. Drink water, get some exercise, get here and get involved. You're on your way.

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 07, 2020, 08:54:09 AM
How does one start a new topic here?

Topics can't be opened within general discussion but a mod / admin can start one for you. What are you looking to chat about?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 07, 2020, 11:11:49 AM
I was just going to introduce myself.



So, i'm about to hit the 2 weeks quit mark after 5 years of off and on dipping and I just wanted to vent about my experiences so far. Btw. I'm 25 as of this coming Wednesday.

The biggest thing on my mind is that I've had a sore and slightly swollen throat for 2 weeks now, starting the day before my quit.  Went to the doctor to have it checked for strep. Negative. Also had my mom check it (she's a nurse) she also didn't think anything of it.  Between the two, and the fact that it doesn't look different than sore throats in the past, I'm a little more at ease that it isn't some type of throat cancer, but I'm setting up a dentist appointment and will have him do a formal check of my mouth.  I'm pretty sure it's caused by a bacterial infection due to one of my teeth being dead.(got the gray tongue with it, which is a sign of bacteria) In addition to all of this, I just sold $8000 worth of my stocks to hopefully fund the replacement of two teeth and many cavity fillings.  That one hurt like a bitch. A year and a half of saving gone.  But taking care of myself is worth it. Really hoping that they can get me in ASAP to sooth this anxiety.

Withdrawals:  So far, they haven't been horrible.  I've had occasional cravings, especially with my main trigger (sitting at my computer), but I've been doing my best to embrace the trigger for as long as I can and just drink water whenever I feel an urge.  It's really not something I'd like to avoid, so reprogramming my brain early on should help me stay quit.
The biggest withdrawal symptom so far though has been this incredibly overpowering emptiness followed by nostalgia.  I've found myself craving to do things that I did before dipping.  I used to be more organized and more proactive about daily chores and activities.  Recently, I've found myself having a strong urge to keep my room in perfect order, make my bed in the morning, clean and vacuum my car, go to the gym, make an actual dinner every night.  I honestly think my nicotine usage actually hindered my normal daily function without me really realizing it.  and now that my brain is normalizing, it feels nostalgic because its been 5 years since I really felt motivated to do these things.

If you all have any advice regarding my anxiety with my throat, while I wait for my appointment, I'd love to hear it.  And if anyone can relate to my withdrawal symptoms or has any advice on dealing with them, I'd love to hear your stories/advice.

I'm newer at this game than you so sadly, I don't have alot of advice. I'm somewhat expert at the withdrawal symptoms because sadly, I've tried and failed more than once, like most long time addicts. I've always been a ninja dipper and have been able to hide it for years; so my primary mistake before was not thinking I needed a support network. Interestingly enough, almost every quit program, blog, medicine, nrt label I've ever read mentions needing one. It dawned on me on friday that this may be what I've been missing. That and a true drive. Not sure how this will end, but I've never wanted anything more than I do this. This time, the desire to quit is stronger than the desire to cave if that makes sense. So my plan is to drive you all nuts with posts and support and questions as I go through this mess. Hopefully, we will go through it together.
I'll cover your back on this bro, please cover mine.

I can't tell you how awesome it is to see you guys in here, chatting it out, having each other's backs. You two have just stumbled upon the greatest asset of KTC - strength in numbers and the fact that you're not alone... EVER. 

Congrats on 2 weeks of freedom @NukeEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18300)  - don't underestimate just how awesome that is!

Give this a read... https://www.killthecan.org/facts-figures/2-week-weakness/ The two week mark can be a rough spot. It's good to be prepared.

I too had throat issues when I quit. The good news is, they'll go away. You did what you needed to do by getting checked out and making an appointment to see your dentist. For me, my throat issues were brought on by allergies and acid reflux which got way WORSE when I quit but has now completely gone away.

As for the nostalgia... it's hard. It'll take quite some time for your brain to rewire. Fake dip (no nicotine / no tobacco) is great for this as it allows you to continue the ACT of dipping without feeding your addiction. Some people say this prolongs your addiction, but I was a HUGE fan (and chewed about a can / day for a good 220 days or so into my quit. https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

Bottom line... you're healing. You fucked up your body for 5+ years... it's going to take some time.

Take it one day at a time. Drink water, get some exercise, get here and get involved. You're on your way.

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 07, 2020, 11:16:46 AM
How does one start a new topic here?

Topics can't be opened within general discussion but a mod / admin can start one for you. What are you looking to chat about?

I was just going to introduce myself.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 07, 2020, 11:21:00 AM
How does one start a new topic here?

Topics can't be opened within general discussion but a mod / admin can start one for you. What are you looking to chat about?

I was just going to introduce myself.

Hi, I am new here. I am in my 28th day that I have quit after using for 35 years. I have been looking at your posts since about day 6. I am a got scared quitter. 27 Days ago I had a PE that could of cost me my life. So now I am quitting smoleless, caffeine, sugar and trying to get back in shape. The worst part of all of this is the anxiety of it all.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Cincibuck on September 07, 2020, 07:30:19 PM
@NukeEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18300) I am glad to hear you are getting your mouth taken care. I am also struggling with the anxiety part of the quit. My quit started when I had some tooth sensitivity and went to the dentist. Dentist said everything looked fine but I took that as time to quit. Since my quit I’ve dealt with jaw soreness, tingly sensation in jaw and cheek, and now I’ve had a slight ear ache off and on. It totally freaks me out and all I can think about is the worst outcome. You aren’t in this alone and aren’t the only one struggling with this. Stay strong.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 07, 2020, 08:55:42 PM
How does one start a new topic here?

Topics can't be opened within general discussion but a mod / admin can start one for you. What are you looking to chat about?

I was just going to introduce myself.

Hi, I am new here. I am in my 28th day that I have quit after using for 35 years. I have been looking at your posts since about day 6. I am a got scared quitter. 27 Days ago I had a PE that could of cost me my life. So now I am quitting smoleless, caffeine, sugar and trying to get back in shape. The worst part of all of this is the anxiety of it all.

Good to meet you! You're in the right place to be a quitter!

Feel free to start an intro here: https://ktcforum.org/index.php?board=29.0

Many quitters use their intro as sort of a 'blog' of their progress, but feel free to post anywhere you'd like. Make sure you post roll daily... that's the price of admission around here. Everything else is gravy.

Damn glad to have you!

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 08, 2020, 08:44:17 AM
@NukeEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18300) I am glad to hear you are getting your mouth taken care. I am also struggling with the anxiety part of the quit. My quit started when I had some tooth sensitivity and went to the dentist. Dentist said everything looked fine but I took that as time to quit. Since my quit I’ve dealt with jaw soreness, tingly sensation in jaw and cheek, and now I’ve had a slight ear ache off and on. It totally freaks me out and all I can think about is the worst outcome. You aren’t in this alone and aren’t the only one struggling with this. Stay strong.

@Cincibuck (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18192) / @NukeEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18300) - anxiety was TERRIBLE for me too. Took myself to the ER TWICE during the early days of my quit cause I thought I was having a heart attack. Had ALL the symptoms including tightness in chest, tingling left arm, etc. Diagnosis... anxiety.

I don't tell you this to scare you, just to inform... anxiety is real and it can lead your brain to some crazy places. For me I drank a lot of water, got exercising, etc.

Hang in there!

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: HR Guy on September 08, 2020, 04:39:49 PM
Not gonna lie gents. Today sucked...in a major way. Days one and too has some minor struggles but I was so busy, I made it through fairly easy by staying distracted. Today was busy at work but I felt every second of it it seemed. Went through most of a tub of orbit gum, and 2 or 3 dum dums. I'm hoping this means the fog is starting to lift so that I can just deal with the suck because at least it means progress. Ready to "embrace the suck, I guess. "
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Cincibuck on September 08, 2020, 06:53:53 PM
Not gonna lie gents. Today sucked...in a major way. Days one and too has some minor struggles but I was so busy, I made it through fairly easy by staying distracted. Today was busy at work but I felt every second of it it seemed. Went through most of a tub of orbit gum, and 2 or 3 dum dums. I'm hoping this means the fog is starting to lift so that I can just deal with the suck because at least it means progress. Ready to "embrace the suck, I guess. "


Stick with it man.....you are almost over the first hump.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: GS9502 on September 09, 2020, 10:05:37 AM
Not gonna lie gents. Today sucked...in a major way. Days one and too has some minor struggles but I was so busy, I made it through fairly easy by staying distracted. Today was busy at work but I felt every second of it it seemed. Went through most of a tub of orbit gum, and 2 or 3 dum dums. I'm hoping this means the fog is starting to lift so that I can just deal with the suck because at least it means progress. Ready to "embrace the suck, I guess. "
Hey man, there are gonna be days like that, and I hate to tell you, they'll happen off and on far past this first week of quit. Use the gum, find some fake dip that works for you, eat sunflower seeds like a damn bird...whatever it takes to stay quit. Weirdly enough, cinnamon gum works best for me. I order Mentos Pure cinnamon gum by the case from Amazon, 300 pieces at a time.

Drink plenty of water. As you said, embrace the suck. It's better than embracing chemo. Get through this ODAAT. I know you can.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: HR Guy on September 09, 2020, 05:48:18 PM
Today was a little better. Had a few bouts but nothing terrible. Funny thing about the cinnamon gum. I had just read that it seems to mimic the sensation of nicotine the most and works. Maybe the burn of cinnamon is close to the tingle of nicotine? Idk but it was a lifesaver.
Definitely out of the fog now and know I can do this. Just hoping I’ll remember that later. But as we say, I just need to quit today. I’m not going to worry about tomorrow. Anyway, I’m kind of liking this daily journal I’m doing in here. It’s helping me address and organize all the emotions and feelings. Hopefully it will help me be prepared. And, who knows, maybe it will help someone else down the road. I also love the support and feedback from it. I’ll keep doing it until someone makes me stop. See y’all at roll call tomorrow, gents.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 10, 2020, 09:15:32 AM
Today was a little better. Had a few bouts but nothing terrible. Funny thing about the cinnamon gum. I had just read that it seems to mimic the sensation of nicotine the most and works. Maybe the burn of cinnamon is close to the tingle of nicotine? Idk but it was a lifesaver.
Definitely out of the fog now and know I can do this. Just hoping I’ll remember that later. But as we say, I just need to quit today. I’m not going to worry about tomorrow. Anyway, I’m kind of liking this daily journal I’m doing in here. It’s helping me address and organize all the emotions and feelings. Hopefully it will help me be prepared. And, who knows, maybe it will help someone else down the road. I also love the support and feedback from it. I’ll keep doing it until someone makes me stop. See y’all at roll call tomorrow, gents.

Tremendous... way to go!

Feel free to post away... that's why we're here. If you're interested, you can also get access to post on our quitter blog here: https://www.quit4today.com/

Let me know if that's something you'd like or if you'd just prefer to keep posting here.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: HR Guy on September 10, 2020, 03:22:11 PM
First off Happy Birthday Freddi and belated one Nuke.
Today (5) has been...well, "Meh" describes it perfectly. Work was busy this morning and only had a couple of urges. This afternoon has been slow, so I've been bothered alot. As for what I've learned today, it's this. Learn to recognize the urges or nic-fits early. If you ignore them and allow them to go, you'll struggle harder. I've discovered that at least for myself, if I catch them when they are coming on, I can go for a walk , or step outside and breathe some aire, whatever, but it takes much less effort than if I ignore it and struggle with the craving. Letting the craving grow, it becomes more powerful, lasts longer and seems harder to "shut down". I'd be curious to see if anyone else has this experience?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NukeEngineer on September 11, 2020, 09:15:56 AM
First off Happy Birthday Freddi and belated one Nuke.
Today (5) has been...well, "Meh" describes it perfectly. Work was busy this morning and only had a couple of urges. This afternoon has been slow, so I've been bothered alot. As for what I've learned today, it's this. Learn to recognize the urges or nic-fits early. If you ignore them and allow them to go, you'll struggle harder. I've discovered that at least for myself, if I catch them when they are coming on, I can go for a walk , or step outside and breathe some aire, whatever, but it takes much less effort than if I ignore it and struggle with the craving. Letting the craving grow, it becomes more powerful, lasts longer and seems harder to "shut down". I'd be curious to see if anyone else has this experience?
I actually had my first craving in several days, yesterday. I was at my desk (which is a trigger) on my day off, it was hot and stuffy inside and gloomy outside. I started to get a slight craving and got some water and some gum, and then the headache came. I finally decided to go outside and take a nice long walk. Completely refreshed me.
Came home and opened the windows to get some sunlight and air and was good to go.

So anyway, you are absolutely right. Take care of the craving early if you can and holy cow fresh air and just a simple walk to clear your head does wonders.

Thanks for the birthday wish btw.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NukeEngineer on September 11, 2020, 01:09:12 PM
So, with my current job, I work nights for 2 weeks out of every 5.(1830-0700)  I have gotten to the 2-3 week mark in my quit 3 other times in the last year.  Each one was snuffed out by the dreaded night shift cravings.  I can't dip at work, and stay busy, but the days off on my night shifts are the absolute biggest trigger for me.  I originally started dipping as a way to cope with having to sit at a desk and study for hours on end, so that is my trigger.  On day shift, I can get up and go for a walk, go home and see my family, or whatever to get away from my desk.  Night shift. Not so much. I have a roommate that works a normal schedule, and the city has a curfew, so I need some other ideas for coping at 4 am when I've been locked in a room for 8 hours.

Trying to get 10 ideas:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.



Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on September 12, 2020, 09:13:27 AM
So, with my current job, I work nights for 2 weeks out of every 5.(1830-0700)  I have gotten to the 2-3 week mark in my quit 3 other times in the last year.  Each one was snuffed out by the dreaded night shift cravings.  I can't dip at work, and stay busy, but the days off on my night shifts are the absolute biggest trigger for me.  I originally started dipping as a way to cope with having to sit at a desk and study for hours on end, so that is my trigger.  On day shift, I can get up and go for a walk, go home and see my family, or whatever to get away from my desk.  Night shift. Not so much. I have a roommate that works a normal schedule, and the city has a curfew, so I need some other ideas for coping at 4 am when I've been locked in a room for 8 hours.

Trying to get 10 ideas:

1.Anything physical: push-ups,  sit ups, etc
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: GS9502 on September 12, 2020, 09:23:06 AM
So, with my current job, I work nights for 2 weeks out of every 5.(1830-0700)  I have gotten to the 2-3 week mark in my quit 3 other times in the last year.  Each one was snuffed out by the dreaded night shift cravings.  I can't dip at work, and stay busy, but the days off on my night shifts are the absolute biggest trigger for me.  I originally started dipping as a way to cope with having to sit at a desk and study for hours on end, so that is my trigger.  On day shift, I can get up and go for a walk, go home and see my family, or whatever to get away from my desk.  Night shift. Not so much. I have a roommate that works a normal schedule, and the city has a curfew, so I need some other ideas for coping at 4 am when I've been locked in a room for 8 hours.

Trying to get 10 ideas:

1.Anything physical: push-ups,  sit ups, etc (just to add to Franx, here's a great website for exercise ideas (https://snacknation.com/blog/office-exercises/).
2. Pray or meditate. If you're at the 2-3 week mark, it's a mind game at this point. Focus your mind.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Scott929 on September 12, 2020, 05:06:28 PM
So, with my current job, I work nights for 2 weeks out of every 5.(1830-0700)  I have gotten to the 2-3 week mark in my quit 3 other times in the last year.  Each one was snuffed out by the dreaded night shift cravings.  I can't dip at work, and stay busy, but the days off on my night shifts are the absolute biggest trigger for me.  I originally started dipping as a way to cope with having to sit at a desk and study for hours on end, so that is my trigger.  On day shift, I can get up and go for a walk, go home and see my family, or whatever to get away from my desk.  Night shift. Not so much. I have a roommate that works a normal schedule, and the city has a curfew, so I need some other ideas for coping at 4 am when I've been locked in a room for 8 hours.

Trying to get 10 ideas:

1.Anything physical: push-ups,  sit ups, etc (just to add to Franx, here's a great website for exercise ideas (https://snacknation.com/blog/office-exercises/).
2. Pray or meditate. If you're at the 2-3 week mark, it's a mind game at this point. Focus your mind.
3. break it down to small chunks of time with a reward. I used 1 gummy bear for every 30 minutes. Eventually the urge left.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 13, 2020, 05:03:36 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 13, 2020, 06:51:17 PM
So, with my current job, I work nights for 2 weeks out of every 5.(1830-0700)  I have gotten to the 2-3 week mark in my quit 3 other times in the last year.  Each one was snuffed out by the dreaded night shift cravings.  I can't dip at work, and stay busy, but the days off on my night shifts are the absolute biggest trigger for me.  I originally started dipping as a way to cope with having to sit at a desk and study for hours on end, so that is my trigger.  On day shift, I can get up and go for a walk, go home and see my family, or whatever to get away from my desk.  Night shift. Not so much. I have a roommate that works a normal schedule, and the city has a curfew, so I need some other ideas for coping at 4 am when I've been locked in a room for 8 hours.

Trying to get 10 ideas:

1.Anything physical: push-ups,  sit ups, etc (just to add to Franx, here's a great website for exercise ideas (https://snacknation.com/blog/office-exercises/).
2. Pray or meditate. If you're at the 2-3 week mark, it's a mind game at this point. Focus your mind.
3. break it down to small chunks of time with a reward. I used 1 gummy bear for every 30 minutes. Eventually the urge left.
4. Hold your breath for 15 minutes or until you can't hold it anymore.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on September 15, 2020, 10:54:50 AM
So, with my current job, I work nights for 2 weeks out of every 5.(1830-0700)  I have gotten to the 2-3 week mark in my quit 3 other times in the last year.  Each one was snuffed out by the dreaded night shift cravings.  I can't dip at work, and stay busy, but the days off on my night shifts are the absolute biggest trigger for me.  I originally started dipping as a way to cope with having to sit at a desk and study for hours on end, so that is my trigger.  On day shift, I can get up and go for a walk, go home and see my family, or whatever to get away from my desk.  Night shift. Not so much. I have a roommate that works a normal schedule, and the city has a curfew, so I need some other ideas for coping at 4 am when I've been locked in a room for 8 hours.

Trying to get 10 ideas:

1.Anything physical: push-ups,  sit ups, etc (just to add to Franx, here's a great website for exercise ideas (https://snacknation.com/blog/office-exercises/).
2. Pray or meditate. If you're at the 2-3 week mark, it's a mind game at this point. Focus your mind.
3. break it down to small chunks of time with a reward. I used 1 gummy bear for every 30 minutes. Eventually the urge left.
4. Hold your breath for 15 minutes or until you can't hold it anymore.
5. Log in to KTC and read about Tom and Jenny Kerns or any number of other inspirational reads here...oh and...if all else fails, open your desk drawer, insert nuts, slam drawer closed...it always works.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NukeEngineer on September 25, 2020, 03:31:06 AM
Rant/Nuke Sharing Time. Day 32.

Yep. I 100% need to start looking for a new job. I’ve done the swapping between nights and days for almost a year and a half now, and it’s continuously getting harder.

I’m not even craving a chew right now, I’m just miserable. I can’t spend all of my waking hours on my days off in front of a screen, alone. Nicotine gave me the fake dopamine rush to make me think I was fine on these nights off, but since quitting, I’ve realized just how much I hate it. This is exactly why I caved on my own a few months ago. Every cave I’ve had in the past has been due to issues coping with lack of social life. (I’m a rare breed of extroverted engineer) I’ve got a new mindset now and know that the chew was a crutch that masked the problem while it festered, so no need to worry about a cave now. But now that the problem is unmasked, I need to find a way to deal with it.

I know what I need, but I definitely feel stuck. All of the bars are shut down, so I can’t go out and socialize, my 24 hour gym cut their hours to 7am-9pm for Covid, so I can’t lift, my friend and his girlfriend whom I’m renting from have their room directly beneath mine, so I have to tiptoe to even move around.  I feel like a damn princess locked in a tower.  I’d go for a night time drive to unwind, but finances are too tight to waste gas and it’s a major trigger for me since I used to take breaks during my homework all-nighters and drive around with a dip in.

I am so fucking ready to have a place to call home. This is the 4th place I’ve lived in the last 3 years. I feel like a nomad. The girlfriend and I are planning on getting engaged next month, so that will be nice. She lives and works 2 hours away, so we have been trying to figure out that situation. There are no jobs for me in her area and none for her in mine. Ultimately we are looking for something for both of us out in Knoxville, TN area. 10 hours from my home town, so it’ll be a shift, but the area is gorgeous and is a compromise for us.(I’m from Missouri btw) She’s a St. Louis city girl and I’m small town country, so she wants to live in a city, and I want land. Knoxville is medium sized and you can get a decent amount of land fairly close to town for a reasonable price.
In the mean time, we’re debating an apartment roughly half way between us so we can see each other more than twice a month and so we can feel settled a bit. My current situation definitely lends itself to me feeling like a guest in someone else’s home.

I know I’m pretty much the young buck around here and many of you have had to work shift work and some might have been the poor unsettled guy renting out his buddies place in his 20s at one point.

I know my rant isn’t exactly nicotine related, but do any of my fellow quit brothers have any words of wisdom for me?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Warpig on September 25, 2020, 01:33:42 PM
(ALLLLL OF THIS IS MY OPINION BASED ON MY OBSERVATIONS OF MYSELF AND OTHERS LIKE ME)

Being an addict (tobacco/nicotine) in one aspect of our lives lends itself well to other aspects.  Most people that have the addictiion tendancies of being either smoker, dipper, alcoholic or drug addict do that because it is what our body needs to function.  Think rain man and traveling by car instead of plane, instead of plane, instead of plane....

Our minds crave something, working out, sex, fast driving, running equipment, wood working, welding, eating, etc.

Find something that feeds that craving, you say you work out at a gym, maybe make a workout area in the yard where you are living, or find a park and do random work outs around the park.
You are a nuker, you have immense inteligence and precision.  (how many old dumb nuke engineers do you know) (like a EOD guy that is a clutz, they only last so BOOM)

Find another addiction and feed it.  Myself, I have up keep on the family land, spraying brush, cutting timber, working cows etc.  It keeps me from wanting a dip and a drink.

PM me your digits if you need a shoulder, unless you are a woman, then sorry the wife says you are on your own.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NukeEngineer on September 25, 2020, 02:10:29 PM
(ALLLLL OF THIS IS MY OPINION BASED ON MY OBSERVATIONS OF MYSELF AND OTHERS LIKE ME)

Being an addict (tobacco/nicotine) in one aspect of our lives lends itself well to other aspects.  Most people that have the addictiion tendancies of being either smoker, dipper, alcoholic or drug addict do that because it is what our body needs to function.  Think rain man and traveling by car instead of plane, instead of plane, instead of plane....

Our minds crave something, working out, sex, fast driving, running equipment, wood working, welding, eating, etc.

Find something that feeds that craving, you say you work out at a gym, maybe make a workout area in the yard where you are living, or find a park and do random work outs around the park.
You are a nuker, you have immense inteligence and precision.  (how many old dumb nuke engineers do you know) (like a EOD guy that is a clutz, they only last so BOOM)

Find another addiction and feed it.  Myself, I have up keep on the family land, spraying brush, cutting timber, working cows etc.  It keeps me from wanting a dip and a drink.

PM me your digits if you need a shoulder, unless you are a woman, then sorry the wife says you are on your own.

Thanks for the response. The suggestions are nice, and when I’m on day shift I try to do as many of those types of things as I can. The issue is that I can’t do a single thing you suggested at night. The things I can do are all limited in that they aren’t physical or social.  I can only sit down and watch Netflix or learn a new computer program for 12 hours straight so many times before it gets old.

I need to change my situation because this shit ain’t working for me.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: stillbrewing on September 26, 2020, 06:17:12 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 28, 2020, 01:08:41 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB

The Lexapro did not cause the blood clot in the lung. The doctors are not really sure about the why as they did every test known to man to find the cause. I think I am having the anxiety due to everything that is going on with me right now: Covid scare, Pulmonary embolism, quit dipping cold turkey, job issues etc. Is it still hard for anybody else at and after the day 50 milestone? ARRRRRRGH!!!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on September 28, 2020, 02:05:10 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB

The Lexapro did not cause the blood clot in the lung. The doctors are not really sure about the why as they did every test known to man to find the cause. I think I am having the anxiety due to everything that is going on with me right now: Covid scare, Pulmonary embolism, quit dipping cold turkey, job issues etc. Is it still hard for anybody else at and after the day 50 milestone? ARRRRRRGH!!!
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246) When it comes to quitting, the best thing you can do it only focus on TODAY. I don't know how long you poisoned your body with nicotine but our bodies, brains and mind take time to heal and adjust to life free from nicotine.

While 50 days is an incredible milestone, your quit is very young and fresh. The best thing to do at this point is to keep drinking lots of water, get some exercise (if you can due to your recent medical scare) and focus on remaining nicotine free 24 hours at a time.

Anxiety hits everyone a little differently. Many (and probably most) people experience varying levels of anxiety early on in their quits. Others (like myself) experienced it much later on in our quits. I encourage you to seek professional help for counseling and medication if you determine that is the best approach.  My anxiety was relatively mild and I've been able to control it with proper diet, sleep and exercise/activity.

Have you been getting involved in your quit group? How many digits have you swapped with other quitters? Success here is proportional to the effort you put in. It's a uphill battle brother but I promise you it will get easier and will be completely worth it. ODAAT
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 28, 2020, 04:22:21 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB

The Lexapro did not cause the blood clot in the lung. The doctors are not really sure about the why as they did every test known to man to find the cause. I think I am having the anxiety due to everything that is going on with me right now: Covid scare, Pulmonary embolism, quit dipping cold turkey, job issues etc. Is it still hard for anybody else at and after the day 50 milestone? ARRRRRRGH!!!
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246) When it comes to quitting, the best thing you can do it only focus on TODAY. I don't know how long you poisoned your body with nicotine but our bodies, brains and mind take time to heal and adjust to life free from nicotine.

While 50 days is an incredible milestone, your quit is very young and fresh. The best thing to do at this point is to keep drinking lots of water, get some exercise (if you can due to your recent medical scare) and focus on remaining nicotine free 24 hours at a time.

Anxiety hits everyone a little differently. Many (and probably most) people experience varying levels of anxiety early on in their quits. Others (like myself) experienced it much later on in our quits. I encourage you to seek professional help for counseling and medication if you determine that is the best approach.  My anxiety was relatively mild and I've been able to control it with proper diet, sleep and exercise/activity.

Have you been getting involved in your quit group? How many digits have you swapped with other quitters? Success here is proportional to the effort you put in. It's a uphill battle brother but I promise you it will get easier and will be completely worth it. ODAAT


Thank you Sir!! I dipped for 35 years, seems like anxiety is worse in the mornings than afternoons.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on September 29, 2020, 08:23:52 AM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB

The Lexapro did not cause the blood clot in the lung. The doctors are not really sure about the why as they did every test known to man to find the cause. I think I am having the anxiety due to everything that is going on with me right now: Covid scare, Pulmonary embolism, quit dipping cold turkey, job issues etc. Is it still hard for anybody else at and after the day 50 milestone? ARRRRRRGH!!!
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246) When it comes to quitting, the best thing you can do it only focus on TODAY. I don't know how long you poisoned your body with nicotine but our bodies, brains and mind take time to heal and adjust to life free from nicotine.

While 50 days is an incredible milestone, your quit is very young and fresh. The best thing to do at this point is to keep drinking lots of water, get some exercise (if you can due to your recent medical scare) and focus on remaining nicotine free 24 hours at a time.

Anxiety hits everyone a little differently. Many (and probably most) people experience varying levels of anxiety early on in their quits. Others (like myself) experienced it much later on in our quits. I encourage you to seek professional help for counseling and medication if you determine that is the best approach.  My anxiety was relatively mild and I've been able to control it with proper diet, sleep and exercise/activity.

Have you been getting involved in your quit group? How many digits have you swapped with other quitters? Success here is proportional to the effort you put in. It's a uphill battle brother but I promise you it will get easier and will be completely worth it. ODAAT


Thank you Sir!! I dipped for 35 years, seems like anxiety is worse in the mornings than afternoons.

A little light reading: https://www.killthecan.org/anxiety-when-you-quit-dipping-dealing-with-stress/

Hang in there fellas... it gets better.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hunter4life on September 30, 2020, 12:49:40 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB

The Lexapro did not cause the blood clot in the lung. The doctors are not really sure about the why as they did every test known to man to find the cause. I think I am having the anxiety due to everything that is going on with me right now: Covid scare, Pulmonary embolism, quit dipping cold turkey, job issues etc. Is it still hard for anybody else at and after the day 50 milestone? ARRRRRRGH!!!
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246) When it comes to quitting, the best thing you can do it only focus on TODAY. I don't know how long you poisoned your body with nicotine but our bodies, brains and mind take time to heal and adjust to life free from nicotine.

While 50 days is an incredible milestone, your quit is very young and fresh. The best thing to do at this point is to keep drinking lots of water, get some exercise (if you can due to your recent medical scare) and focus on remaining nicotine free 24 hours at a time.

Anxiety hits everyone a little differently. Many (and probably most) people experience varying levels of anxiety early on in their quits. Others (like myself) experienced it much later on in our quits. I encourage you to seek professional help for counseling and medication if you determine that is the best approach.  My anxiety was relatively mild and I've been able to control it with proper diet, sleep and exercise/activity.

Have you been getting involved in your quit group? How many digits have you swapped with other quitters? Success here is proportional to the effort you put in. It's a uphill battle brother but I promise you it will get easier and will be completely worth it. ODAAT


Thank you Sir!! I dipped for 35 years, seems like anxiety is worse in the mornings than afternoons.

A little light reading: https://www.killthecan.org/anxiety-when-you-quit-dipping-dealing-with-stress/

Hang in there fellas... it gets better.

@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)

You’re not alone man. I’ve had my share as well. Daughter had a bad case of Covid, luckily she beat it and is alive, my dad (elderly) got robbed at his house, two hurricanes, one tore up my dads place, my sister died, and I found that I have a few medical issues as well. I’m still quit though. I’m debating anxiety meds as well. I’m at 353 days quit today. It never goes completely away man, but it gets easier. Just stay focused on one day at a time.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 30, 2020, 03:04:53 PM
LOOOOONG but good read, kinda helped me along so far.
I am big tobacco's worst enemy. Why? Because I am an ex-nicotine user and I can show you how to quit. I wasn't just a casual smoker or someone who tried a chew of tobacco. I was a hard-core 3-pack-a-day chain-smoker for a decade and then a 2-can-a-day snuff-dipper for another decade. I know as well as anyone else what it means to be addicted to tobacco. More importantly, I quit nicotine forever, and I am willing to share with you, no strings attached, everything you need to quit too.
You're a smart person. Most tobacco users are quite intelligent. You're so intelligent in fact, that what I'm about to say may insult you because it's something that's obvious and you already know this.. If you regularly smoke cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe, or use smokeless tobacco products, you are an addict. You are a user. You are a nicotine junkie.

You know you're addicted because you've tried to quit at some point and you always end back where you started using tobacco again. However, you don't understand why you are an addict. Sometimes you fool yourself into thinking you like what you've become. But there is a small voice inside your head that isn't so happy that you're an addict. You've never stopped to consider why you can't control your own mind and body. But you are not in control and it's quite obvious to you and those around you.

You know that your health is being adversely affected, but you are powerless to do anything about it. Quite the opposite; you are gladly destroying your own body in exchange for the fleeting effects of nicotine on your mind. But how can this be? You are, after all, a very intelligent person!

Have you wondered why it is that you can't control yourself? Why you literally just lose control of your own mind when you're craving nicotine? Have you ever wondered how addiction works? What's going on inside your brain, the complicated organ that does the thinking and controls your body? What is your brain doing when you're craving nicotine? What is happening when you get it? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you weren't addicted? How would your brain and decision-making processed work without the burden of constantly keeping the nicotine levels up?

An interesting fact is that you weren't always an addict. You remember that first drag, puff, chew, or dip? Well just before that coughing, choking, gagging, dizzying first experience with tobacco and nicotine, you weren't addicted. You were not an addict. You were a normal, healthy, human being who was in control of his or her body and mind.

But somehow you surrendered. You surrendered to something like peer pressure or social expectations or family tradition or maybe just curiosity. But you did surrender. You gave up your control and your freedom and you stepped into the mind and body trap that is nicotine addiction. You didn't realize you were stepping into this trap because you'd never been addicted to anything before, so you literally had no clue. But now, after living in the trap for so long, you understand what addiction is. You are the very definition of addict.

What's sad about this trap is that you don't even know who YOU are any more. What I mean is, the only "you" that you now know is the smoker-you, or dipper-you: the user-you. This version of your personality, the one that rationalizes the use of tobacco to itself and who is self-destructive, isn't who you were before you fell into the trap. And, more importantly, it really isn't who you want to be. There is a small voice of your former self who is standing on the sidelines of your mind either whispering or screaming for you to snap out of this chemically-driven mind-trap you've gotten yourself into. This small voice in your head wants you to stop being an addict, forever.

What you need to realize is that you don't have to be an addict. You don't have to be trapped. You don't have to continue damaging your body in order to put a chemical in your brain that makes you feel "normal". Actually you don't even remember what normal is anymore. Your day consists of peaks and valleys of emotional ups and downs tied directly to the level of nicotine in your blood. That's not normal, that's a drug-addict.

So now you have a choice to make:

Option 1: You want to get out of this trap, retake control of your mind, your body and your health.
Option 2: You want to go have a cigarette or a dip or a chew and continue to convince yourself that what you're doing is something you have to do to feel normal, that non-addicts just don't understand and that you're willing to live with the consequences.
If you take Option 2, you might as well stop reading now. There is no hope for you. The part of you that wants out of the jail tobacco has you in gave up a long time ago. Perhaps that voice will come back to life someday. If it does, I encourage you to come back and learn how to get out of the nicotine jail.
I'll assume you really want Option 1. You want to be free of nicotine. That's all you need to get started: a desire to be free. Let's get started!

To free yourself of nicotine the most important thing you can do is fully understand the relationship between your brain and nicotine. Nicotine throws a nasty wrench into the machinery of your mind. But your mind is now altered in such a way that it can't figure out what's going on. It is now impossible for you figure this out on your own. Let me explain it to you.

Your brain is composed of billions of cells called neurons. These special cells gather and transmit electrochemical signals (similar to transistors in a computer). In layman's terms, neurons "fire", like a spark plug in a motor, and transmit signals to other neurons. This firing of neurons happens all the time and it happens a lot: if the average human brain were executing instructions like a computer, it would perform more than 20 quadrillion operations in one second. The firing "patterns" and connections between neurons in your brain are what define everything about your state of mind: your emotions, your personality, your intellect, and your decision-making processes.

The key thing to note about neuron signals is that they are electrochemical. This means they are based on electricity and chemicals, sort of like a battery. There is only one kind of electricity, but there are many kinds of chemicals. The chemicals involved in neuron signal transmission are called neurotransmitters. Chemicals like acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters. The amounts of these neurotransmitters in your brain at any given time determine how your neurons fire.

In much the same way your car needs certain amounts of oil, coolant, and brake fluid for normal operation, your brain needs the proper amounts of each neurotransmitter. To achieve the proper function, the brain actively regulates neurotransmitter levels for optimal neuron operation. For example, if serotonin levels are too high for too long, which would result in someone being overly happy or hyper, the brain reduces production of serotonin. If serotonin levels are too low, which would result in someone being overly sad or depressed, the brain increases serotonin production. Normal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain result in someone being 'normal'. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters cause all sorts of mental illness.

This is extremely important: the brain's natural adjustment of neurotransmitter base levels happens very slowly, usually over a period of weeks. There is no "dip-stick" in your brain. Your brain senses neurotransmitter levels by complex chemical reactions that are not instantaneous. It simply takes a few weeks for these base levels to be adjusted. You might think of the brain as mainly managing the 'trend' of the levels, not micro-managing each fluctuation.

When you put nicotine into your body several things happen:

Nicotine, because of it's chemical structure, binds to the fast-acting acetylcholine receptors of the organs controlled by your sympathetic nervous system. This includes the heart, blood vessels, and adrenal glands. This "fools" these organs into thinking they have been triggered by acetylecholine, the mechanism your brain uses in "fight-or-flight" situations to tell your body to get ready for action.
Your organs all go on alert: your heart beats faster, your blood vessels constrict, and your adrenal glands dump norepinephrine into the bloodstream.
The norepinephrine, which is a neurotransmitter (as well as a hormone), arrives at your brain and starts immediately making changes to your brain chemistry.
So, in essence, you have artificially put your body into fight-or-flight mode. Your brain didn't start this mode of operation on it's own accord. It was artificially stimulated by nicotine. The result is an overabundance of norepinephrine in your brain.
So what does having too much norepinephrine in your brain do? Well, it's basically an anti-depressant because it causes an increase of another neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the prefrontal cortex. In essence, it makes you feel "good". This is why when you smoked your first cigarette or had your first chew of tobacco, you may have gotten a "buzz". But now that you're an addict, you never experience the buzz any more. The buzz is now gone, and you may not even remember it. So why can't you feel the buzz? Here's why: if you continue to artificially stimulate norepinephrine levels by ingesting nicotine, your brain starts to think there is a problem. It's like your brain says "Hmmm, the levels of dopamine and serotonin seem to be too high. I will slightly decrease production of the these neurotransmitters to see if that fixes the problem." This happens slowly, over a period of weeks. You won't even notice. It is during this time, that you, without even realizing it, are becoming an addict and the buzz is being diminished.

After a while, if you've been regularly using nicotine, your brain has now lowered normal production of several neurotransmitters to counteract the artificial stimulation you're creating. This is the point at which you don't "feel normal" unless you're taking nicotine. In addition, you no longer get a buzz. And this is the point at which you start becoming an addict. Because if you don't take nicotine, you feel like crap and start to experience withdrawal, both physical and mental, and you develop a craving for nicotine that takes control of your mind.

Why do you start to feel bad? If you don't get nicotine at regular intervals you feel like crap because your dopamine and serotonin levels are down. These are very important neurotransmitters that greatly affect your overall mood. When they're levels are down, you're irritable, grumpy, grouchy, maybe even irrational and depressed. You may even experience "nicotine fits" where you find you'll do almost anything to get some nicotine into your body. Because when you finally do smoke another cigarette or dip some tobacco, all of a sudden your dopamine and serotonin levels come back up and you start to feel better. Not normal, just better than you did.

Congratulations, you are now hooked on nicotine! You're trapped in a neverending usage cycle trying to feel normal again but only feeling marginally better than you feel while craving nicotine.

Keep in mind, this process isn't something that happens overnight. Depending on your body and brain chemistry it takes anywhere from two to six weeks to get solidly hooked on nicotine. But after you're hooked, it's very difficult to stop. Very difficult indeed. It's why you haven't been able to stop despite having tried a few times.

Why is it so difficult to stop nicotine? That's a good question, and the answer is as simple as it is obvious. The reason it is so difficult to stop nicotine is because the very thing that you make decisions with, your brain, is now crippled by your mucking around with it's chemistry. Your thoughts, emotions, personality, and decision-making processes all "run" in your brain. Now you have tossed a giant wrench into this machine. Do you really expect it work properly? Do you really expect that you can control your own mind now? In order for you to approach feeling normal, you have to take nicotine. Without it, you become irate, mentally handicapped, and depressed. You don't feel good, and your decision-making machine, your brain, is all out of whack.

The most important thing you can do right now is just stop and ponder what you have learned. This is how your addiction works: Using nicotine, you've fooled your brain into under-producing a vital set of neurotransmitters that it needs to operate normally. Now when you take away the stimulation of nicotine, your brain doesn't have the neurotransmitters it needs to function properly and you feel like crap. To escape feeling like crap, you take more nicotine.

This is your never-ending mind-trap. This is why continue stimulation with nicotine. This is why when you first wake up in the morning you need nicotine. This is why, repeatedly, throughout your day, you have to take breaks to ingest nicotine. This is why when you walk into a convenience store, you have to buy nicotine. This is why before you go to bed at night, you take nicotine. You must constantly resupply your level of nicotine to stimulate your body to 'be normal'.

The negative health consequences of the nicotine delivery, whether it be a cigarette, a pipe, a cigar, or a big wad of tobacco in your now-stretched cheek don't matter to you any more. They are easily rationalized and overlooked by the very machine, your brain, which is now in desperate need of dopamine and serotonin. This affects you in many ways, none of them good.

You will now willingly accept your heightened risk of cancers, heart disease, lung disease, stinking breath, and social disgrace in exchange for getting your "fix". You will lobby for the right to continue to fuel your addiction in public places, in front of children, and to poison the air of the "fools" around you who just "don't get it." You will likely die of a tobacco related illness, and you're proud of it. Simply because your brain is craving to be normal. But it doesn't have to be this way, and you know it.

When you're ready to commit to quit, you have to decide which path to take to becoming nicotine free:

Path 1: You can quit cold-turkey. That means you just simply quit. Right now.
Path 2: You can quite by reducing consumption over a period of time and then finally stopping altogether at some point in the future.
If you choose Path 1, you're going to have to face a very difficult challenge. It will be the most difficult challenge you have ever faced in your entire life. Most who try quitting cold turkey do not succeed on the first attempt because they are unable to get past the point in time at which their brain begins its natural re-balancing of neurotransmitters. But the good news is, if you do ultimately succeed, you are much less likely to relapse because the sheer torture you've endured while quitting earns you a certain self-respect you won't easily throw away.

If you choose Path 2 it's going to be a little easier, at least physically, but there are still challenges to overcome. There are many products on the market to help ease withdrawal symptoms and/or to provide nicotine during your transition. It might be best to consult with your doctor to determine a plan for you. I won't cover this path here, mostly because I never tried it for 2 reasons:

Nicotine replacement products didn't come in a high enough dosage to satisfy my cravings
I had friends who were able to decrease usage but never completely kick the addiction
But I will talk about how I finally did quit nicotine forever: cold-turkey. Quitting cold-turkey is difficult for 2 major reasons involving timing. The first has to do with nicotine's short half-life and second has do with with the brains relatively long neurotransmitter adjustment cycle.

Nicotine has a short half-life in the body, about 60 minutes. That means one hour after a cigarette, half the nicotine you got from it has been broken down by your liver or filtered by your kidneys. In another hour only half of that half remains, and so on. In as little as two hours you will start to feel the effects of not having enough nicotine.

Contrast nicotine's short half-life with how slow your brain responds to changes and you begin to see the dilemma you're facing. The brain's mechanism of regulating neurotransmitters takes a long time to effect change, several weeks at least. This has to do with a lot of complex chemistry, but is easily seen clinically with anti-depressants which require several weeks of administration before they produce a therapeutic effect. It is believed that it is not the immediate effects on neurotransmitters that is producing the anti-depressive effect, but the long-term effects on modification of neurotransmitter receptors.

What is important to understand is you have to get through several weeks of nicotine withdrawal before your brain starts normalizing. During this time, you will be essentially mentally impaired. Quite literally, you're brain is not going to be firing on all cylinders (neurons). So what you have to do is develop a strategy that works for you during this time of mental impairment to keep you off nicotine.

Keep in mind that during the first week you'll be much more mentally impaired than the sixth week. This is why the cold-turkey approach often fails the first time you try, because you simply don't realize just how mentally impaired you're going to be. It's challenging, but no impossible.

You're also going to have physical symptoms. All this time you've been dumping fight-or-flight hormones into your body, constricting your blood vessels, making your heart race and your kidneys work overtime. You're going to feel sort of 'weird' without all this over-clocking. You may have headaches, nausea, and insomnia while those systems re-balance and return to normal operation. Add this to the emotional anguish you're going to face and you start to see why cold-turkey is difficult. But, remember, it's not impossible.

But aren't curious who you really are? The person you used to be before you became addicted to this simple chemical? Aren't you curious how your life will change in ways that you can't even comprehend now as an addict? Aren't you ready to stop rationalizing your addiction and quit kidding yourself about what's going on with your mind and your body? You know, that the answer to all of these questions is yes. You know it through and through. And yet nicotine's influence, at this very moment, is working against you, starting some bizarre rationalization process in your mind.

You have to realize that stopping the addiction is like a giant mind-game you're going to play against yourself. You have to carve out a compartment of rationalization in your mind that can't be overcome by the trauma of withdrawal. You essentially have to outsmart yourself. You have to develop a strategy and execute on it just as if you're playing a sophisticated game of chess. Only this time, what's at stake is the control of your mind, your body, you health and your future.

Here are the 5 major pieces of the strategy that ultimately worked for me:

Thoroughly educate myself on how my addiction was controlling me. Meditate on it every day so during the withdrawal phase I could actually remember it and try to rationalize in my mind what is happening.
Plan to have 2 solid weeks off work and away from my 'normal' environment (which for me is in front of a computer) where I had the strongest associations with nicotine use.
A large bottle of Ibuprofen.
Telling all my friends and my family that for the next 2 weeks they would not see me and that for the next 6 weeks I'd be going through nicotine withdrawal and I could say things I didn't' mean or could be irrational.
Completely disassociating myself with people who used nicotine and the environments in which they lurk, even if that meant terminating long friendships.
The most important part of my personal strategy was just the knowledge of how the nicotine addiction was controlling me. It's something that many people don't realize. I became determined not to let a simple chemical control my entire life. The knowledge of how this addiction works was the key to having the strength to get through the withdrawal because I knew if I could hang on for 2 to 4 weeks it would get a lot easier and at 6 weeks I'd be on easy street.
The second most important part of my personal strategy was planning to be practically incapacitated for those first 2 weeks and to remove myself from my normal environment. Normal day-to-day stresses are amplified a thousand-fold by someone in nicotine withdrawal and they become triggers for relapse. So you have to remove yourself from the stress equation altogether. Isn't the rest of your life worth dedicating 2 weeks of vacation to? Your friends and family will understand and support you.

The Ibuprofen was just to numb any physical discomfort. I'd had massive headaches on earlier cessation attempts. And of course, I knew how irritable I would be from those attempts as well, hence the warning to friends and family.

Disassociating myself from nicotine using friends was perhaps the hardest, but turned out to be a smart decision for me. Too many times in the past when I had tried to quit, I'd be in the middle of a craving and see a friend light up and the temptation overtook me. The thing about nicotine users is that they don't like to do it alone. It makes them feel more normal to be using with friends and others. Just visit a smoking area outside any public building that prohibits smoking or go to a bar. You can literally watch the chain reaction: one smoker pulls out a cigarette and it triggers several others to do the same. They don't even realize what they're doing. I had to completely avoid these situations.

You should come up with a strategy that works for you. And if you fail, adjust your strategy and try again. It's not easy. But you can do it and you have to stop making excuses. You have to stop rationalizing your addiction.

So what can you expect when you quit cold-turkey? When I quit, the first three days were utter hell for me. I locked myself in a room and forced myself to stay. And there in that room, I personally explored the edge of personal psychosis. I felt like Jack Nicholson from "The Shining". My emotions just went awry: I was angry one moment, sad the next. I cried and talked to myself. I kept rationalizing nicotine use, telling myself this wasn't going to work and I was stupid for trying and that dying from cancer wouldn't be as bad as this. It was insane!

Then I would try to sleep. While sleeping I would have nightmares and awake sweating and feeling nauseous. My head was pounding and I felt like crap. My joints ached, my jaw felt tight, and I was afraid to leave the room. I didn't eat much and when I did eat I felt sick. And the whole time I was thinking about tobacco. It was the most difficult and bizarre three days I have ever experienced.

I was also very mean to people. I remember having to drive somewhere to run an errand. I was in light traffic for about 10 minutes. I had zero patience for other drivers, I was irate. I almost ran another car off the road. Looking back, I realize now that I should not have driven. My mind was that incapacitated.

When you're in this part of withdrawal, this is when you start to realize just how powerful the addiction is. When your using regularly, you don't experience this. It's quite eye-opening and terrifying to realize just how screwed up your entire mind is and how much control you have lost when the nicotine is gone.

This is a key point: the only reason I got through day 2 was because I felt the physical and emotional investment from day 1 had been so great. You have to keep reminding yourself just how much hell you've been through with each day that ticks by. This is very important because a year from now when you're no longer physically addicted to nicotine, someone is going to offer you a cigarette. You're going to need massive internal emotional ammunition to turn it down. When someone offers you tobacco you have to be able to say in your mind, "Are you f***ing crazy?!? I spent the most miserable weeks of entire life, went to the depths of hell and crossed the borders of insanity AND came back to get nicotine out of my life! What kind of sick, pathetic, piece of worm-ridden filth are you to think I would ever venture back into that traumatic territory again?!?". Then say with your mouth and a smile, "No thanks. I kicked it years ago, don't want it, don't need it."

After week 1, which was the hardest I found myself in week 2. Week 2 has it's own set of problems. It is dangerous because of the nicotine demons. You might leave the room, or call someone, or do something you used to do, like maybe, watch a movie. That's when the nicotine demons come out and sit on your shoulder and talk to you.

For example, you go out and smell cigarette smoke coming from somewhere and the demon says "Wow! That sure smells good doesn't it?" Or friend calls and says, "We're having a get-together at a John's house tonight, wanna join us?", then the demon says "Yeah, go dude, you know John will be there on outside smoking, you can just talk to him, you don't have to smoke, you kicked it last week dude, come on, let's go" Or you go see a movie like "Die Hard" and the main character, trying to be all Hollywood-macho lights up while gunning down some guy with a fake Russian accent. Then the demon says "See, Bruce Willis smokes and he's rich and cool and on the big screen...must not be that bad."

The key point here is: week 2 feels easier, but your mind will start playing little tricks on you. You'll be surprised just how convincing your little demons can be.

This trend continues for several weeks: the physical discomfort begins to wane but the mental "demons" continue: the emotional self-talk, the temptation, the rationalization, the memories, the association of environment and nicotine. These all go through your mind, usually at random. Any one them can serve as a trigger for a relapse. So you have to be prepared to cope with this. You cut through it. You succeed. You start to be surprised at your ability to cope and you start finding it gets easier.

The difficulty in avoiding nicotine is inversely proportional to the how long it's been since you've had any. The longer you go, the easier it gets. Before you know it, six weeks will have passed. You've probably gained some weight because you weren't as hungry when you were in constant fight-or-flight mode. But you'll soon start exercising and eating right. Just give yourself body the time it needs to heal from all the carcinogens you've been dumping into it all these years.

If you can make it to the 6 week mark, you owe yourself a pat on the back. You've done something most would find impossible. You're not physically addicted to nicotine. You still have all the nicotine memories, the occasional temptation, and the demon here or there. But you've been through so much hell that you dare not fall back into the pit. After this mark is when you can begin to take a step back and look at what's going on in your brain: You are starting to become normal again. Your brain is beginning to re-balance its neurotransmitter levels. You're not out of the woods yet, but you're at a place to contemplate some things:

So, what do you think of the real you? The YOU you used to be before you became an addict? Because this is who YOU are now! Welcome back!

Do you find yourself now angry at tobacco companies?
Do you find that you now cannot tolerate being around smokers?
Do you think cigarette smoking smells good or is sexy?
Do you feel sorry for nicotine addicts?
What do you find yourself telling people about quitting nicotine?
Do you try to get friends who are addicted to consider quitting?
Do you think smoking should be legal in public places?
Do you think tobacco products should be available in convenience stores?
Do you think it's odd that heroine, cocaine, and marijuana are illegal, but tobacco is not?
What you will find is that your answers and feelings about these questions will be markedly different depending on whether or not you are addicted, and how long you've been on or off nicotine.
Tobacco companies know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, how addictive nicotine is to humans. Nicotine is as addictive (if not more so) than drugs like heroine and cocaine. They know very well the process of chemical addiction, they have known for years, and they take advantage of that process to put money in their pockets at the expense of unsuspecting people all over the world who are gladly killing themselves. Why aren't we mad about this? Why do we grow tobacco? Why does our government subsidize tobacco growers? It's insanity!

Why on earth do we allow smoking restaurants and other public places, especially the southern United States. Our laws make it is perfectly legal to light up a cigarette in many public places (a restaurant, a pub, a bowling alley, a school), in front of minor children, and smoke up the air that others in that place have to breathe. Why do we tolerate this? Why do we ignore the health consequences of second-hand smoke? It's insanity!

It's hard to imagine while your addicted, but when you are not a smoker, your sense of smell returns and you really begin to realize just how bad it smells in a smoker's car, a smoker's house, or even just being 'near' a smoker. It's hideous and they don't realize it. Furthermore, an ex-smoker, someone who's fought through the addiction, sees people who smoke as unattractive and sometimes just plain weak-minded.

People who have kicked the addiction will often feel sorry for addicts, often trying to help (in vain usually) the addict let go of nicotine.

People who have kicked the addiction begin to notice just how 'available' nicotine is in our society. It's everywhere: grocery stores, vending machines in restaurants and hotels, wholesale warehouses, gas-stations, and specialty stores. Our world is full of tobacco. After you kick the addiction, you'll see just how bizarre this is. Why do we have a highly addictive substance so readily accessible from anywhere in our society? Do you think it's really about freedom? If so, then why aren't we free to have heroine, cocaine, and marijuana? It makes no sense. It's insane.

If you're addicted you probably think everything I've said up until this point is ludicrous or impossible. That's the addiction talking. It's not impossible because I've done it. You can too. It's not magic. It's just you deciding to take control of your own mind and body. So when you reach this six-week point I'd like for you to return and re-read all of this. Once you've reached a year or more without nicotine in your life come back and read this again. Once you've reached 3 years read it one more time. Once you've reached 10 years read it one more time. Note how your feelings on the subject change over time.

It's really all about understanding how your brain is working, how you got yourself into this hole in the first place, and how that you can indeed get out of this hole. And once you're out, you'll wonder why you were a slave so long.

If you slip and fall back into the hole don't make excuses and rationalize away what's going on. Analyze it, think about it. Figure why your strategy didn't work and pick yourself up by your bootstraps and try again.

It's not easy. Even years after you've quit, the little demons may visit you occasionally. But you will learn to recognize the thoughts and eliminate them with logic. You will be in control. You will succeed.

The sense of freedom you will feel, the better health you will enjoy, the knowledge that you can and do own your mind and your body and you do indeed control them, are all worth fighting for. Wrest control of your life back away from this simple drug which consumes so much of your time, your energy, your health, your life.

When you succeed, you will share you story, you will tell a friend, you will spread the word. Because you're an intelligent, rational, human being, and you know you never needed to be an addict. You know it in your mind, you know it in your heart: you know you're not an addict. You will want to help others out of the trap that you got out of years ago.

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on September 30, 2020, 03:10:33 PM
Anxiety is through the roof, I had anxiety previously and was on Lexapro 20mg now been increased to 30mg for 5 days. I quit because I had a pulmonary embolism 5 weeks ago, lucky I survived which is anxiety inducing as well. Any tips would be appreciated.
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)
I used Wellbutrin for almost 2 months in the beginning of my quit.  It almost eliminated all anxiety (which was totally intolerable) with no side effects.  I know everyone tolerates medication differently but PE is not a known side effect and I feel is safer than escitalopram. Food for thought.
~SB

The Lexapro did not cause the blood clot in the lung. The doctors are not really sure about the why as they did every test known to man to find the cause. I think I am having the anxiety due to everything that is going on with me right now: Covid scare, Pulmonary embolism, quit dipping cold turkey, job issues etc. Is it still hard for anybody else at and after the day 50 milestone? ARRRRRRGH!!!
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246) When it comes to quitting, the best thing you can do it only focus on TODAY. I don't know how long you poisoned your body with nicotine but our bodies, brains and mind take time to heal and adjust to life free from nicotine.

While 50 days is an incredible milestone, your quit is very young and fresh. The best thing to do at this point is to keep drinking lots of water, get some exercise (if you can due to your recent medical scare) and focus on remaining nicotine free 24 hours at a time.

Anxiety hits everyone a little differently. Many (and probably most) people experience varying levels of anxiety early on in their quits. Others (like myself) experienced it much later on in our quits. I encourage you to seek professional help for counseling and medication if you determine that is the best approach.  My anxiety was relatively mild and I've been able to control it with proper diet, sleep and exercise/activity.

Have you been getting involved in your quit group? How many digits have you swapped with other quitters? Success here is proportional to the effort you put in. It's a uphill battle brother but I promise you it will get easier and will be completely worth it. ODAAT


Thank you Sir!! I dipped for 35 years, seems like anxiety is worse in the mornings than afternoons.

A little light reading: https://www.killthecan.org/anxiety-when-you-quit-dipping-dealing-with-stress/

Hang in there fellas... it gets better.

@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246)

You’re not alone man. I’ve had my share as well. Daughter had a bad case of Covid, luckily she beat it and is alive, my dad (elderly) got robbed at his house, two hurricanes, one tore up my dads place, my sister died, and I found that I have a few medical issues as well. I’m still quit though. I’m debating anxiety meds as well. I’m at 353 days quit today. It never goes completely away man, but it gets easier. Just stay focused on one day at a time.

I am glad that your daughter is okay!! Prayers for you buddy!! If You need to talk PM me your Phone #
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 06, 2020, 09:57:44 AM
Keep fighting folks... don't let your guard down. The Nic Bitch lingers...

Dip Dream in 5K
https://www.killthecan.org/dip-dream-in-5k/ via @killthecanorg
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: TSavano27 on October 06, 2020, 09:48:50 PM
Day 293 Recovering from widsom teeth removal surgery and all of the sudden I am hit by a couple of cravings. What struck me is how mild they seem now compared to when I first started, I dont even need the fake stuff anymore.

So glad to be done with it!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Firebird on October 12, 2020, 10:20:04 AM
LOOOOONG but good read, kinda helped me along so far.
I am big tobacco's worst enemy. Why? Because I am an ex-nicotine user and I can show you how to quit. I wasn't just a casual smoker or someone who tried a chew of tobacco. I was a hard-core 3-pack-a-day chain-smoker for a decade and then a 2-can-a-day snuff-dipper for another decade. I know as well as anyone else what it means to be addicted to tobacco. More importantly, I quit nicotine forever, and I am willing to share with you, no strings attached, everything you need to quit too.
You're a smart person. Most tobacco users are quite intelligent. You're so intelligent in fact, that what I'm about to say may insult you because it's something that's obvious and you already know this.. If you regularly smoke cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe, or use smokeless tobacco products, you are an addict. You are a user. You are a nicotine junkie.

You know you're addicted because you've tried to quit at some point and you always end back where you started using tobacco again. However, you don't understand why you are an addict. Sometimes you fool yourself into thinking you like what you've become. But there is a small voice inside your head that isn't so happy that you're an addict. You've never stopped to consider why you can't control your own mind and body. But you are not in control and it's quite obvious to you and those around you.

You know that your health is being adversely affected, but you are powerless to do anything about it. Quite the opposite; you are gladly destroying your own body in exchange for the fleeting effects of nicotine on your mind. But how can this be? You are, after all, a very intelligent person!

Have you wondered why it is that you can't control yourself? Why you literally just lose control of your own mind when you're craving nicotine? Have you ever wondered how addiction works? What's going on inside your brain, the complicated organ that does the thinking and controls your body? What is your brain doing when you're craving nicotine? What is happening when you get it? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you weren't addicted? How would your brain and decision-making processed work without the burden of constantly keeping the nicotine levels up?

An interesting fact is that you weren't always an addict. You remember that first drag, puff, chew, or dip? Well just before that coughing, choking, gagging, dizzying first experience with tobacco and nicotine, you weren't addicted. You were not an addict. You were a normal, healthy, human being who was in control of his or her body and mind.

But somehow you surrendered. You surrendered to something like peer pressure or social expectations or family tradition or maybe just curiosity. But you did surrender. You gave up your control and your freedom and you stepped into the mind and body trap that is nicotine addiction. You didn't realize you were stepping into this trap because you'd never been addicted to anything before, so you literally had no clue. But now, after living in the trap for so long, you understand what addiction is. You are the very definition of addict.

What's sad about this trap is that you don't even know who YOU are any more. What I mean is, the only "you" that you now know is the smoker-you, or dipper-you: the user-you. This version of your personality, the one that rationalizes the use of tobacco to itself and who is self-destructive, isn't who you were before you fell into the trap. And, more importantly, it really isn't who you want to be. There is a small voice of your former self who is standing on the sidelines of your mind either whispering or screaming for you to snap out of this chemically-driven mind-trap you've gotten yourself into. This small voice in your head wants you to stop being an addict, forever.

What you need to realize is that you don't have to be an addict. You don't have to be trapped. You don't have to continue damaging your body in order to put a chemical in your brain that makes you feel "normal". Actually you don't even remember what normal is anymore. Your day consists of peaks and valleys of emotional ups and downs tied directly to the level of nicotine in your blood. That's not normal, that's a drug-addict.

So now you have a choice to make:

Option 1: You want to get out of this trap, retake control of your mind, your body and your health.
Option 2: You want to go have a cigarette or a dip or a chew and continue to convince yourself that what you're doing is something you have to do to feel normal, that non-addicts just don't understand and that you're willing to live with the consequences.
If you take Option 2, you might as well stop reading now. There is no hope for you. The part of you that wants out of the jail tobacco has you in gave up a long time ago. Perhaps that voice will come back to life someday. If it does, I encourage you to come back and learn how to get out of the nicotine jail.
I'll assume you really want Option 1. You want to be free of nicotine. That's all you need to get started: a desire to be free. Let's get started!

To free yourself of nicotine the most important thing you can do is fully understand the relationship between your brain and nicotine. Nicotine throws a nasty wrench into the machinery of your mind. But your mind is now altered in such a way that it can't figure out what's going on. It is now impossible for you figure this out on your own. Let me explain it to you.

Your brain is composed of billions of cells called neurons. These special cells gather and transmit electrochemical signals (similar to transistors in a computer). In layman's terms, neurons "fire", like a spark plug in a motor, and transmit signals to other neurons. This firing of neurons happens all the time and it happens a lot: if the average human brain were executing instructions like a computer, it would perform more than 20 quadrillion operations in one second. The firing "patterns" and connections between neurons in your brain are what define everything about your state of mind: your emotions, your personality, your intellect, and your decision-making processes.

The key thing to note about neuron signals is that they are electrochemical. This means they are based on electricity and chemicals, sort of like a battery. There is only one kind of electricity, but there are many kinds of chemicals. The chemicals involved in neuron signal transmission are called neurotransmitters. Chemicals like acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters. The amounts of these neurotransmitters in your brain at any given time determine how your neurons fire.

In much the same way your car needs certain amounts of oil, coolant, and brake fluid for normal operation, your brain needs the proper amounts of each neurotransmitter. To achieve the proper function, the brain actively regulates neurotransmitter levels for optimal neuron operation. For example, if serotonin levels are too high for too long, which would result in someone being overly happy or hyper, the brain reduces production of serotonin. If serotonin levels are too low, which would result in someone being overly sad or depressed, the brain increases serotonin production. Normal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain result in someone being 'normal'. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters cause all sorts of mental illness.

This is extremely important: the brain's natural adjustment of neurotransmitter base levels happens very slowly, usually over a period of weeks. There is no "dip-stick" in your brain. Your brain senses neurotransmitter levels by complex chemical reactions that are not instantaneous. It simply takes a few weeks for these base levels to be adjusted. You might think of the brain as mainly managing the 'trend' of the levels, not micro-managing each fluctuation.

When you put nicotine into your body several things happen:

Nicotine, because of it's chemical structure, binds to the fast-acting acetylcholine receptors of the organs controlled by your sympathetic nervous system. This includes the heart, blood vessels, and adrenal glands. This "fools" these organs into thinking they have been triggered by acetylecholine, the mechanism your brain uses in "fight-or-flight" situations to tell your body to get ready for action.
Your organs all go on alert: your heart beats faster, your blood vessels constrict, and your adrenal glands dump norepinephrine into the bloodstream.
The norepinephrine, which is a neurotransmitter (as well as a hormone), arrives at your brain and starts immediately making changes to your brain chemistry.
So, in essence, you have artificially put your body into fight-or-flight mode. Your brain didn't start this mode of operation on it's own accord. It was artificially stimulated by nicotine. The result is an overabundance of norepinephrine in your brain.
So what does having too much norepinephrine in your brain do? Well, it's basically an anti-depressant because it causes an increase of another neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the prefrontal cortex. In essence, it makes you feel "good". This is why when you smoked your first cigarette or had your first chew of tobacco, you may have gotten a "buzz". But now that you're an addict, you never experience the buzz any more. The buzz is now gone, and you may not even remember it. So why can't you feel the buzz? Here's why: if you continue to artificially stimulate norepinephrine levels by ingesting nicotine, your brain starts to think there is a problem. It's like your brain says "Hmmm, the levels of dopamine and serotonin seem to be too high. I will slightly decrease production of the these neurotransmitters to see if that fixes the problem." This happens slowly, over a period of weeks. You won't even notice. It is during this time, that you, without even realizing it, are becoming an addict and the buzz is being diminished.

After a while, if you've been regularly using nicotine, your brain has now lowered normal production of several neurotransmitters to counteract the artificial stimulation you're creating. This is the point at which you don't "feel normal" unless you're taking nicotine. In addition, you no longer get a buzz. And this is the point at which you start becoming an addict. Because if you don't take nicotine, you feel like crap and start to experience withdrawal, both physical and mental, and you develop a craving for nicotine that takes control of your mind.

Why do you start to feel bad? If you don't get nicotine at regular intervals you feel like crap because your dopamine and serotonin levels are down. These are very important neurotransmitters that greatly affect your overall mood. When they're levels are down, you're irritable, grumpy, grouchy, maybe even irrational and depressed. You may even experience "nicotine fits" where you find you'll do almost anything to get some nicotine into your body. Because when you finally do smoke another cigarette or dip some tobacco, all of a sudden your dopamine and serotonin levels come back up and you start to feel better. Not normal, just better than you did.

Congratulations, you are now hooked on nicotine! You're trapped in a neverending usage cycle trying to feel normal again but only feeling marginally better than you feel while craving nicotine.

Keep in mind, this process isn't something that happens overnight. Depending on your body and brain chemistry it takes anywhere from two to six weeks to get solidly hooked on nicotine. But after you're hooked, it's very difficult to stop. Very difficult indeed. It's why you haven't been able to stop despite having tried a few times.

Why is it so difficult to stop nicotine? That's a good question, and the answer is as simple as it is obvious. The reason it is so difficult to stop nicotine is because the very thing that you make decisions with, your brain, is now crippled by your mucking around with it's chemistry. Your thoughts, emotions, personality, and decision-making processes all "run" in your brain. Now you have tossed a giant wrench into this machine. Do you really expect it work properly? Do you really expect that you can control your own mind now? In order for you to approach feeling normal, you have to take nicotine. Without it, you become irate, mentally handicapped, and depressed. You don't feel good, and your decision-making machine, your brain, is all out of whack.

The most important thing you can do right now is just stop and ponder what you have learned. This is how your addiction works: Using nicotine, you've fooled your brain into under-producing a vital set of neurotransmitters that it needs to operate normally. Now when you take away the stimulation of nicotine, your brain doesn't have the neurotransmitters it needs to function properly and you feel like crap. To escape feeling like crap, you take more nicotine.

This is your never-ending mind-trap. This is why continue stimulation with nicotine. This is why when you first wake up in the morning you need nicotine. This is why, repeatedly, throughout your day, you have to take breaks to ingest nicotine. This is why when you walk into a convenience store, you have to buy nicotine. This is why before you go to bed at night, you take nicotine. You must constantly resupply your level of nicotine to stimulate your body to 'be normal'.

The negative health consequences of the nicotine delivery, whether it be a cigarette, a pipe, a cigar, or a big wad of tobacco in your now-stretched cheek don't matter to you any more. They are easily rationalized and overlooked by the very machine, your brain, which is now in desperate need of dopamine and serotonin. This affects you in many ways, none of them good.

You will now willingly accept your heightened risk of cancers, heart disease, lung disease, stinking breath, and social disgrace in exchange for getting your "fix". You will lobby for the right to continue to fuel your addiction in public places, in front of children, and to poison the air of the "fools" around you who just "don't get it." You will likely die of a tobacco related illness, and you're proud of it. Simply because your brain is craving to be normal. But it doesn't have to be this way, and you know it.

When you're ready to commit to quit, you have to decide which path to take to becoming nicotine free:

Path 1: You can quit cold-turkey. That means you just simply quit. Right now.
Path 2: You can quite by reducing consumption over a period of time and then finally stopping altogether at some point in the future.
If you choose Path 1, you're going to have to face a very difficult challenge. It will be the most difficult challenge you have ever faced in your entire life. Most who try quitting cold turkey do not succeed on the first attempt because they are unable to get past the point in time at which their brain begins its natural re-balancing of neurotransmitters. But the good news is, if you do ultimately succeed, you are much less likely to relapse because the sheer torture you've endured while quitting earns you a certain self-respect you won't easily throw away.

If you choose Path 2 it's going to be a little easier, at least physically, but there are still challenges to overcome. There are many products on the market to help ease withdrawal symptoms and/or to provide nicotine during your transition. It might be best to consult with your doctor to determine a plan for you. I won't cover this path here, mostly because I never tried it for 2 reasons:

Nicotine replacement products didn't come in a high enough dosage to satisfy my cravings
I had friends who were able to decrease usage but never completely kick the addiction
But I will talk about how I finally did quit nicotine forever: cold-turkey. Quitting cold-turkey is difficult for 2 major reasons involving timing. The first has to do with nicotine's short half-life and second has do with with the brains relatively long neurotransmitter adjustment cycle.

Nicotine has a short half-life in the body, about 60 minutes. That means one hour after a cigarette, half the nicotine you got from it has been broken down by your liver or filtered by your kidneys. In another hour only half of that half remains, and so on. In as little as two hours you will start to feel the effects of not having enough nicotine.

Contrast nicotine's short half-life with how slow your brain responds to changes and you begin to see the dilemma you're facing. The brain's mechanism of regulating neurotransmitters takes a long time to effect change, several weeks at least. This has to do with a lot of complex chemistry, but is easily seen clinically with anti-depressants which require several weeks of administration before they produce a therapeutic effect. It is believed that it is not the immediate effects on neurotransmitters that is producing the anti-depressive effect, but the long-term effects on modification of neurotransmitter receptors.

What is important to understand is you have to get through several weeks of nicotine withdrawal before your brain starts normalizing. During this time, you will be essentially mentally impaired. Quite literally, you're brain is not going to be firing on all cylinders (neurons). So what you have to do is develop a strategy that works for you during this time of mental impairment to keep you off nicotine.

Keep in mind that during the first week you'll be much more mentally impaired than the sixth week. This is why the cold-turkey approach often fails the first time you try, because you simply don't realize just how mentally impaired you're going to be. It's challenging, but no impossible.

You're also going to have physical symptoms. All this time you've been dumping fight-or-flight hormones into your body, constricting your blood vessels, making your heart race and your kidneys work overtime. You're going to feel sort of 'weird' without all this over-clocking. You may have headaches, nausea, and insomnia while those systems re-balance and return to normal operation. Add this to the emotional anguish you're going to face and you start to see why cold-turkey is difficult. But, remember, it's not impossible.

But aren't curious who you really are? The person you used to be before you became addicted to this simple chemical? Aren't you curious how your life will change in ways that you can't even comprehend now as an addict? Aren't you ready to stop rationalizing your addiction and quit kidding yourself about what's going on with your mind and your body? You know, that the answer to all of these questions is yes. You know it through and through. And yet nicotine's influence, at this very moment, is working against you, starting some bizarre rationalization process in your mind.

You have to realize that stopping the addiction is like a giant mind-game you're going to play against yourself. You have to carve out a compartment of rationalization in your mind that can't be overcome by the trauma of withdrawal. You essentially have to outsmart yourself. You have to develop a strategy and execute on it just as if you're playing a sophisticated game of chess. Only this time, what's at stake is the control of your mind, your body, you health and your future.

Here are the 5 major pieces of the strategy that ultimately worked for me:

Thoroughly educate myself on how my addiction was controlling me. Meditate on it every day so during the withdrawal phase I could actually remember it and try to rationalize in my mind what is happening.
Plan to have 2 solid weeks off work and away from my 'normal' environment (which for me is in front of a computer) where I had the strongest associations with nicotine use.
A large bottle of Ibuprofen.
Telling all my friends and my family that for the next 2 weeks they would not see me and that for the next 6 weeks I'd be going through nicotine withdrawal and I could say things I didn't' mean or could be irrational.
Completely disassociating myself with people who used nicotine and the environments in which they lurk, even if that meant terminating long friendships.
The most important part of my personal strategy was just the knowledge of how the nicotine addiction was controlling me. It's something that many people don't realize. I became determined not to let a simple chemical control my entire life. The knowledge of how this addiction works was the key to having the strength to get through the withdrawal because I knew if I could hang on for 2 to 4 weeks it would get a lot easier and at 6 weeks I'd be on easy street.
The second most important part of my personal strategy was planning to be practically incapacitated for those first 2 weeks and to remove myself from my normal environment. Normal day-to-day stresses are amplified a thousand-fold by someone in nicotine withdrawal and they become triggers for relapse. So you have to remove yourself from the stress equation altogether. Isn't the rest of your life worth dedicating 2 weeks of vacation to? Your friends and family will understand and support you.

The Ibuprofen was just to numb any physical discomfort. I'd had massive headaches on earlier cessation attempts. And of course, I knew how irritable I would be from those attempts as well, hence the warning to friends and family.

Disassociating myself from nicotine using friends was perhaps the hardest, but turned out to be a smart decision for me. Too many times in the past when I had tried to quit, I'd be in the middle of a craving and see a friend light up and the temptation overtook me. The thing about nicotine users is that they don't like to do it alone. It makes them feel more normal to be using with friends and others. Just visit a smoking area outside any public building that prohibits smoking or go to a bar. You can literally watch the chain reaction: one smoker pulls out a cigarette and it triggers several others to do the same. They don't even realize what they're doing. I had to completely avoid these situations.

You should come up with a strategy that works for you. And if you fail, adjust your strategy and try again. It's not easy. But you can do it and you have to stop making excuses. You have to stop rationalizing your addiction.

So what can you expect when you quit cold-turkey? When I quit, the first three days were utter hell for me. I locked myself in a room and forced myself to stay. And there in that room, I personally explored the edge of personal psychosis. I felt like Jack Nicholson from "The Shining". My emotions just went awry: I was angry one moment, sad the next. I cried and talked to myself. I kept rationalizing nicotine use, telling myself this wasn't going to work and I was stupid for trying and that dying from cancer wouldn't be as bad as this. It was insane!

Then I would try to sleep. While sleeping I would have nightmares and awake sweating and feeling nauseous. My head was pounding and I felt like crap. My joints ached, my jaw felt tight, and I was afraid to leave the room. I didn't eat much and when I did eat I felt sick. And the whole time I was thinking about tobacco. It was the most difficult and bizarre three days I have ever experienced.

I was also very mean to people. I remember having to drive somewhere to run an errand. I was in light traffic for about 10 minutes. I had zero patience for other drivers, I was irate. I almost ran another car off the road. Looking back, I realize now that I should not have driven. My mind was that incapacitated.

When you're in this part of withdrawal, this is when you start to realize just how powerful the addiction is. When your using regularly, you don't experience this. It's quite eye-opening and terrifying to realize just how screwed up your entire mind is and how much control you have lost when the nicotine is gone.

This is a key point: the only reason I got through day 2 was because I felt the physical and emotional investment from day 1 had been so great. You have to keep reminding yourself just how much hell you've been through with each day that ticks by. This is very important because a year from now when you're no longer physically addicted to nicotine, someone is going to offer you a cigarette. You're going to need massive internal emotional ammunition to turn it down. When someone offers you tobacco you have to be able to say in your mind, "Are you f***ing crazy?!? I spent the most miserable weeks of entire life, went to the depths of hell and crossed the borders of insanity AND came back to get nicotine out of my life! What kind of sick, pathetic, piece of worm-ridden filth are you to think I would ever venture back into that traumatic territory again?!?". Then say with your mouth and a smile, "No thanks. I kicked it years ago, don't want it, don't need it."

After week 1, which was the hardest I found myself in week 2. Week 2 has it's own set of problems. It is dangerous because of the nicotine demons. You might leave the room, or call someone, or do something you used to do, like maybe, watch a movie. That's when the nicotine demons come out and sit on your shoulder and talk to you.

For example, you go out and smell cigarette smoke coming from somewhere and the demon says "Wow! That sure smells good doesn't it?" Or friend calls and says, "We're having a get-together at a John's house tonight, wanna join us?", then the demon says "Yeah, go dude, you know John will be there on outside smoking, you can just talk to him, you don't have to smoke, you kicked it last week dude, come on, let's go" Or you go see a movie like "Die Hard" and the main character, trying to be all Hollywood-macho lights up while gunning down some guy with a fake Russian accent. Then the demon says "See, Bruce Willis smokes and he's rich and cool and on the big screen...must not be that bad."

The key point here is: week 2 feels easier, but your mind will start playing little tricks on you. You'll be surprised just how convincing your little demons can be.

This trend continues for several weeks: the physical discomfort begins to wane but the mental "demons" continue: the emotional self-talk, the temptation, the rationalization, the memories, the association of environment and nicotine. These all go through your mind, usually at random. Any one them can serve as a trigger for a relapse. So you have to be prepared to cope with this. You cut through it. You succeed. You start to be surprised at your ability to cope and you start finding it gets easier.

The difficulty in avoiding nicotine is inversely proportional to the how long it's been since you've had any. The longer you go, the easier it gets. Before you know it, six weeks will have passed. You've probably gained some weight because you weren't as hungry when you were in constant fight-or-flight mode. But you'll soon start exercising and eating right. Just give yourself body the time it needs to heal from all the carcinogens you've been dumping into it all these years.

If you can make it to the 6 week mark, you owe yourself a pat on the back. You've done something most would find impossible. You're not physically addicted to nicotine. You still have all the nicotine memories, the occasional temptation, and the demon here or there. But you've been through so much hell that you dare not fall back into the pit. After this mark is when you can begin to take a step back and look at what's going on in your brain: You are starting to become normal again. Your brain is beginning to re-balance its neurotransmitter levels. You're not out of the woods yet, but you're at a place to contemplate some things:

So, what do you think of the real you? The YOU you used to be before you became an addict? Because this is who YOU are now! Welcome back!

Do you find yourself now angry at tobacco companies?
Do you find that you now cannot tolerate being around smokers?
Do you think cigarette smoking smells good or is sexy?
Do you feel sorry for nicotine addicts?
What do you find yourself telling people about quitting nicotine?
Do you try to get friends who are addicted to consider quitting?
Do you think smoking should be legal in public places?
Do you think tobacco products should be available in convenience stores?
Do you think it's odd that heroine, cocaine, and marijuana are illegal, but tobacco is not?
What you will find is that your answers and feelings about these questions will be markedly different depending on whether or not you are addicted, and how long you've been on or off nicotine.
Tobacco companies know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, how addictive nicotine is to humans. Nicotine is as addictive (if not more so) than drugs like heroine and cocaine. They know very well the process of chemical addiction, they have known for years, and they take advantage of that process to put money in their pockets at the expense of unsuspecting people all over the world who are gladly killing themselves. Why aren't we mad about this? Why do we grow tobacco? Why does our government subsidize tobacco growers? It's insanity!

Why on earth do we allow smoking restaurants and other public places, especially the southern United States. Our laws make it is perfectly legal to light up a cigarette in many public places (a restaurant, a pub, a bowling alley, a school), in front of minor children, and smoke up the air that others in that place have to breathe. Why do we tolerate this? Why do we ignore the health consequences of second-hand smoke? It's insanity!

It's hard to imagine while your addicted, but when you are not a smoker, your sense of smell returns and you really begin to realize just how bad it smells in a smoker's car, a smoker's house, or even just being 'near' a smoker. It's hideous and they don't realize it. Furthermore, an ex-smoker, someone who's fought through the addiction, sees people who smoke as unattractive and sometimes just plain weak-minded.

People who have kicked the addiction will often feel sorry for addicts, often trying to help (in vain usually) the addict let go of nicotine.

People who have kicked the addiction begin to notice just how 'available' nicotine is in our society. It's everywhere: grocery stores, vending machines in restaurants and hotels, wholesale warehouses, gas-stations, and specialty stores. Our world is full of tobacco. After you kick the addiction, you'll see just how bizarre this is. Why do we have a highly addictive substance so readily accessible from anywhere in our society? Do you think it's really about freedom? If so, then why aren't we free to have heroine, cocaine, and marijuana? It makes no sense. It's insane.

If you're addicted you probably think everything I've said up until this point is ludicrous or impossible. That's the addiction talking. It's not impossible because I've done it. You can too. It's not magic. It's just you deciding to take control of your own mind and body. So when you reach this six-week point I'd like for you to return and re-read all of this. Once you've reached a year or more without nicotine in your life come back and read this again. Once you've reached 3 years read it one more time. Once you've reached 10 years read it one more time. Note how your feelings on the subject change over time.

It's really all about understanding how your brain is working, how you got yourself into this hole in the first place, and how that you can indeed get out of this hole. And once you're out, you'll wonder why you were a slave so long.

If you slip and fall back into the hole don't make excuses and rationalize away what's going on. Analyze it, think about it. Figure why your strategy didn't work and pick yourself up by your bootstraps and try again.

It's not easy. Even years after you've quit, the little demons may visit you occasionally. But you will learn to recognize the thoughts and eliminate them with logic. You will be in control. You will succeed.

The sense of freedom you will feel, the better health you will enjoy, the knowledge that you can and do own your mind and your body and you do indeed control them, are all worth fighting for. Wrest control of your life back away from this simple drug which consumes so much of your time, your energy, your health, your life.

When you succeed, you will share you story, you will tell a friend, you will spread the word. Because you're an intelligent, rational, human being, and you know you never needed to be an addict. You know it in your mind, you know it in your heart: you know you're not an addict. You will want to help others out of the trap that you got out of years ago.

This is an absolutely amazing post, and I cannot thank you enough! This really speaks to me on so many levels. Thank you, thank you!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Firebird on October 12, 2020, 01:12:35 PM
I've just reached 3 weeks, and I am really buzzed by that! One thing that has been HUGE for me since day 3 of my quit has been anxiety. It's just about reached stella proportions this week as I have to have an upper endoscopy on Friday due to gastric bleeding.

I've been doing all of the things to take care of anxiety over the procedure and the reason for it as best as I can, but in general this third week has been a beast with increased anxiety, tension, feeling like I'm going to lose the plot and the accumulated effects of insomnia since day 5. Do any veterans have any tips how I might get over this hump, and if it's normal at this time? I'm also having bad brain fog, but after reading a superb post by a member here I'm guessing that's all about the neurotransmitters (and must be where the 'non worry' anxiety that just strikes out of the blue is coming from, too).

Many thanks for reading.

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on October 12, 2020, 05:07:55 PM
I've just reached 3 weeks, and I am really buzzed by that! One thing that has been HUGE for me since day 3 of my quit has been anxiety. It's just about reached stella proportions this week as I have to have an upper endoscopy on Friday due to gastric bleeding.

I've been doing all of the things to take care of anxiety over the procedure and the reason for it as best as I can, but in general this third week has been a beast with increased anxiety, tension, feeling like I'm going to lose the plot and the accumulated effects of insomnia since day 5. Do any veterans have any tips how I might get over this hump, and if it's normal at this time? I'm also having bad brain fog, but after reading a superb post by a member here I'm guessing that's all about the neurotransmitters (and must be where the 'non worry' anxiety that just strikes out of the blue is coming from, too).

Many thanks for reading.

@Firebird (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17097)


I too had very bad anxiety and a non stop crying spell. The best thing you can do for yourself is to tell your doctor what is going on. I am on anti-anxiety meds(Lexapro) and will stay put on them for a while. I like you also had a medical condition that scared the beejeezers out of me, but be certain that everything will turn out for the best as 99% of the stuff you worry about will never happen. As for the post I made earlier I found that on Google and found that Chewie posted an article on it quite some time before, therefore I can't take credit for it. It did indeed help me and still does as I reread it sometimes. Keep On Keeping On, it gets better I promise.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 13, 2020, 01:23:16 PM
Rocketman and Bird got together at St. Pet’s Dancing Marlin which isn’t in St. Pete, but actually Dallas!

https://www.killthecan.org/rocketman-and-bird-at-st-petes-dancing-marlin/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Firebird on October 13, 2020, 03:03:30 PM
I've just reached 3 weeks, and I am really buzzed by that! One thing that has been HUGE for me since day 3 of my quit has been anxiety. It's just about reached stella proportions this week as I have to have an upper endoscopy on Friday due to gastric bleeding.

I've been doing all of the things to take care of anxiety over the procedure and the reason for it as best as I can, but in general this third week has been a beast with increased anxiety, tension, feeling like I'm going to lose the plot and the accumulated effects of insomnia since day 5. Do any veterans have any tips how I might get over this hump, and if it's normal at this time? I'm also having bad brain fog, but after reading a superb post by a member here I'm guessing that's all about the neurotransmitters (and must be where the 'non worry' anxiety that just strikes out of the blue is coming from, too).

Many thanks for reading.

@Firebird (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17097)


I too had very bad anxiety and a non stop crying spell. The best thing you can do for yourself is to tell your doctor what is going on. I am on anti-anxiety meds(Lexapro) and will stay put on them for a while. I like you also had a medical condition that scared the beejeezers out of me, but be certain that everything will turn out for the best as 99% of the stuff you worry about will never happen. As for the post I made earlier I found that on Google and found that Chewie posted an article on it quite some time before, therefore I can't take credit for it. It did indeed help me and still does as I reread it sometimes. Keep On Keeping On, it gets better I promise.

I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful reply - thank you for taking the time. It's so helpful to hear from someone who truly understands how these things can effect you.

I'm a little leary of starting an antidepressant for anxiety as I had a rough time trying one when I entered menopause but I'm not ruling it out completely if I really need it. It's very important to me that I stay the course and I'll use every tool I need to to make that happen.

I'm so very glad that you shared that post as it's something that I can carry with me. I'm also so glad that you are succeeding on your journey, it's truly an inspiring achievement and I take my hat off to you as a fellow quitter who is now treading that path behind you.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Firebird on October 13, 2020, 03:06:44 PM
Keep fighting folks... don't let your guard down. The Nic Bitch lingers...

Dip Dream in 5K
https://www.killthecan.org/dip-dream-in-5k/ via @killthecanorg

Thanks so much for the encouragement and reminder, Chewie.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 14, 2020, 11:48:07 AM
Let's see those hunting photos quitters!!!

Dip Free Hunting Season 2020 – Share Your Hunt!

https://www.killthecan.org/dip-free-hunting-season-2020-share-your-hunt/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on October 15, 2020, 08:23:10 AM
I've just reached 3 weeks, and I am really buzzed by that! One thing that has been HUGE for me since day 3 of my quit has been anxiety. It's just about reached stella proportions this week as I have to have an upper endoscopy on Friday due to gastric bleeding.

I've been doing all of the things to take care of anxiety over the procedure and the reason for it as best as I can, but in general this third week has been a beast with increased anxiety, tension, feeling like I'm going to lose the plot and the accumulated effects of insomnia since day 5. Do any veterans have any tips how I might get over this hump, and if it's normal at this time? I'm also having bad brain fog, but after reading a superb post by a member here I'm guessing that's all about the neurotransmitters (and must be where the 'non worry' anxiety that just strikes out of the blue is coming from, too).

Many thanks for reading.

@Firebird (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17097)


I too had very bad anxiety and a non stop crying spell. The best thing you can do for yourself is to tell your doctor what is going on. I am on anti-anxiety meds(Lexapro) and will stay put on them for a while. I like you also had a medical condition that scared the beejeezers out of me, but be certain that everything will turn out for the best as 99% of the stuff you worry about will never happen. As for the post I made earlier I found that on Google and found that Chewie posted an article on it quite some time before, therefore I can't take credit for it. It did indeed help me and still does as I reread it sometimes. Keep On Keeping On, it gets better I promise.

I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful reply - thank you for taking the time. It's so helpful to hear from someone who truly understands how these things can effect you.

I'm a little leary of starting an antidepressant for anxiety as I had a rough time trying one when I entered menopause but I'm not ruling it out completely if I really need it. It's very important to me that I stay the course and I'll use every tool I need to to make that happen.

I'm so very glad that you shared that post as it's something that I can carry with me. I'm also so glad that you are succeeding on your journey, it's truly an inspiring achievement and I take my hat off to you as a fellow quitter who is now treading that path behind you.

Oh and Scotland is awesome, loved visiting Edinburgh and Loch Ness. My neighbor is also from there.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 15, 2020, 12:14:38 PM
This... is... AWESOME. Congrats boys!

Comma Party at Casa De Skol

https://www.killthecan.org/comma-party-at-casa-de-skol/ @Skolvikings (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=70) @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) @worktowin (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=436) @Gromo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14210)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Athan on October 15, 2020, 04:58:57 PM
This... is... AWESOME. Congrats boys!

Comma Party at Casa De Skol

https://www.killthecan.org/comma-party-at-casa-de-skol/ @Skolvikings (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=70) @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) @worktowin (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=436) @Gromo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14210)
Thanks Chewie!  The photo op was cool but nothing compared to seeing those boys in the flesh!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Skolvikings on October 16, 2020, 01:41:28 AM
This... is... AWESOME. Congrats boys!

Comma Party at Casa De Skol

https://www.killthecan.org/comma-party-at-casa-de-skol/ @Skolvikings (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=70) @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) @worktowin (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=436) @Gromo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14210)
Thanks Chewie!  The photo op was cool but nothing compared to seeing those boys in the flesh!

Thank you for all you do @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) dont ask @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) what happened when he thought his hand was between two pillows
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on October 16, 2020, 09:40:58 AM
This... is... AWESOME. Congrats boys!

Comma Party at Casa De Skol

https://www.killthecan.org/comma-party-at-casa-de-skol/ @Skolvikings (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=70) @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) @worktowin (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=436) @Gromo (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14210)
Thanks Chewie!  The photo op was cool but nothing compared to seeing those boys in the flesh!

Thank you for all you do @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) dont ask @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) what happened when he thought his hand was between two pillows
I wish there was an emoji that worked for that warning but I'm coming up dry.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Firebird on October 16, 2020, 12:39:17 PM
I've just reached 3 weeks, and I am really buzzed by that! One thing that has been HUGE for me since day 3 of my quit has been anxiety. It's just about reached stella proportions this week as I have to have an upper endoscopy on Friday due to gastric bleeding.

I've been doing all of the things to take care of anxiety over the procedure and the reason for it as best as I can, but in general this third week has been a beast with increased anxiety, tension, feeling like I'm going to lose the plot and the accumulated effects of insomnia since day 5. Do any veterans have any tips how I might get over this hump, and if it's normal at this time? I'm also having bad brain fog, but after reading a superb post by a member here I'm guessing that's all about the neurotransmitters (and must be where the 'non worry' anxiety that just strikes out of the blue is coming from, too).

Many thanks for reading.

@Firebird (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17097)


I too had very bad anxiety and a non stop crying spell. The best thing you can do for yourself is to tell your doctor what is going on. I am on anti-anxiety meds(Lexapro) and will stay put on them for a while. I like you also had a medical condition that scared the beejeezers out of me, but be certain that everything will turn out for the best as 99% of the stuff you worry about will never happen. As for the post I made earlier I found that on Google and found that Chewie posted an article on it quite some time before, therefore I can't take credit for it. It did indeed help me and still does as I reread it sometimes. Keep On Keeping On, it gets better I promise.

I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful reply - thank you for taking the time. It's so helpful to hear from someone who truly understands how these things can effect you.

I'm a little leary of starting an antidepressant for anxiety as I had a rough time trying one when I entered menopause but I'm not ruling it out completely if I really need it. It's very important to me that I stay the course and I'll use every tool I need to to make that happen.

I'm so very glad that you shared that post as it's something that I can carry with me. I'm also so glad that you are succeeding on your journey, it's truly an inspiring achievement and I take my hat off to you as a fellow quitter who is now treading that path behind you.

Oh and Scotland is awesome, loved visiting Edinburgh and Loch Ness. My neighbor is also from there.

I'm so glad that you've visited Scotland! Awesome that your neighbour is a Scot, too. :D
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 17, 2020, 09:54:44 AM
This is GREAT stuff @Oliver88 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=146) - thanks for putting it out there!

Oliver88… Comma Club Uncertainty
https://www.killthecan.org/oliver88-comma-club-uncertainty/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Oliver88 on October 18, 2020, 11:59:51 AM
I'd never gone back to read my Hof speech when writing my comma. Thank you for putting both together; it does show a change in thought patterns. Not a forced change or even a change I was aware of. But a subtle change that life naturally allowed. It's good to not live a lie.

This is GREAT stuff @Oliver88 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=146) - thanks for putting it out there!

Oliver88… Comma Club Uncertainty
https://www.killthecan.org/oliver88-comma-club-uncertainty/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Sledrider on October 20, 2020, 06:40:46 AM
I don’t know if this is the place to post this but I’m new so the heck with it. 
What do or did y’all do for long road trips? I used to have a lip in the whole way keeping me awake and going. Now i have a trip to Georgia coming up from Chicago and i don’t know how I’m going to keep it moving. Right now I’ve been using flavored tooth picks but it drys my mouth if i use too many. So looking for other suggestions.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 20, 2020, 07:46:12 AM
I don’t know if this is the place to post this but I’m new so the heck with it. 
What do or did y’all do for long road trips? I used to have a lip in the whole way keeping me awake and going. Now i have a trip to Georgia coming up from Chicago and i don’t know how I’m going to keep it moving. Right now I’ve been using flavored tooth picks but it drys my mouth if i use too many. So looking for other suggestions.

@Sledrider (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18563) - there's a GANG of outstanding alternative products that contain NO TOBACCO and NO NICOTINE. These products can be your best friend on a long road trip. They saved my quit many times.

https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on October 21, 2020, 09:35:18 PM
I don’t know if this is the place to post this but I’m new so the heck with it. 
What do or did y’all do for long road trips? I used to have a lip in the whole way keeping me awake and going. Now i have a trip to Georgia coming up from Chicago and i don’t know how I’m going to keep it moving. Right now I’ve been using flavored tooth picks but it drys my mouth if i use too many. So looking for other suggestions.

@Sledrider (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18563) - there's a GANG of outstanding alternative products that contain NO TOBACCO and NO NICOTINE. These products can be your best friend on a long road trip. They saved my quit many times.

https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

For me personally I’d be scared to use the fake stuff fearing that it’d lead me back to snuff or does that not happen really?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: UncleRico on October 21, 2020, 11:26:56 PM
I don’t know if this is the place to post this but I’m new so the heck with it. 
What do or did y’all do for long road trips? I used to have a lip in the whole way keeping me awake and going. Now i have a trip to Georgia coming up from Chicago and i don’t know how I’m going to keep it moving. Right now I’ve been using flavored tooth picks but it drys my mouth if i use too many. So looking for other suggestions.

@Sledrider (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18563) - there's a GANG of outstanding alternative products that contain NO TOBACCO and NO NICOTINE. These products can be your best friend on a long road trip. They saved my quit many times.

https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

For me personally I’d be scared to use the fake stuff fearing that it’d lead me back to snuff or does that not happen really?

If using the fake / non nicotine alternatives help you stay nicotine free then do not be ascared to use it. I have never heard anyone say that using the fake lead them back to snuff.  It has helped many quitters stay nicotine free.  As for myself I used the fake on the golf course for a couple months. I weaned off only because my gums were already in bad shape.
For long trips, I stocked up on gums, toothpicks, hard candies, etc
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on October 22, 2020, 09:14:23 AM
I don’t know if this is the place to post this but I’m new so the heck with it. 
What do or did y’all do for long road trips? I used to have a lip in the whole way keeping me awake and going. Now i have a trip to Georgia coming up from Chicago and i don’t know how I’m going to keep it moving. Right now I’ve been using flavored tooth picks but it drys my mouth if i use too many. So looking for other suggestions.

@Sledrider (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18563) - there's a GANG of outstanding alternative products that contain NO TOBACCO and NO NICOTINE. These products can be your best friend on a long road trip. They saved my quit many times.

https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

For me personally I’d be scared to use the fake stuff fearing that it’d lead me back to snuff or does that not happen really?

If using the fake / non nicotine alternatives help you stay nicotine free then do not be ascared to use it. I have never heard anyone say that using the fake lead them back to snuff.  It has helped many quitters stay nicotine free.  As for myself I used the fake on the golf course for a couple months. I weaned off only because my gums were already in bad shape.
For long trips, I stocked up on gums, toothpicks, hard candies, etc
@WishedIQuitSooner (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18246) that is a common and valid concern many quitters share. The fact of the matter is that none of the fake products are addictive since they don't contain any nicotine. If you choose to use the fake substitutes, there will ultimately come a day where you find you don't want anything in your lip anymore. For me my gums/lips healed to a point where the fake was actually uncomfortable. But everyone on here that has employed fake dip as a tool has phased it out with no issue. But it's a personal decision so do what you feel is best for you and your quit.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on October 22, 2020, 09:29:46 PM
Where y’all from?
Southeast Texas here.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: silty00 on October 22, 2020, 11:05:57 PM
Where y’all from?
Southeast Texas here.

Way up in Northern BC, Canada. I’d love to visit the southern states one day
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Zombo Funk on October 22, 2020, 11:53:50 PM
Blanket Posting at End of Day:

I have noticed a trend over the past few weeks, since I've had a reason to be on the site late into the evenings. What's the deal with all these 'vets' just blanket posting support across every single month at the end of the night? TBH I find it disrespectful, because we tell quitters that they need to WUPP or their promise doesn't mean shit. That's how I feel about this practice. Your support doesn't mean shit to me if your dropping it in at 11:45PM and quite frankly I resent my group being used to bolster your post count.

And if you're going to do it, at least have the decency not to post over a flipped roll.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on October 23, 2020, 06:51:45 AM
Where y’all from?
Southeast Texas here.

Southwest Pennsylvania checking in.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 23, 2020, 08:29:59 AM
Where y’all from?
Southeast Texas here.

Southwest Pennsylvania checking in.

Eastern suburb of Cleveland in the house.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on October 23, 2020, 12:26:12 PM
Blanket Posting at End of Day:

I have noticed a trend over the past few weeks, since I've had a reason to be on the site late into the evenings. What's the deal with all these 'vets' just blanket posting support across every single month at the end of the night? TBH I find it disrespectful, because we tell quitters that they need to WUPP or their promise doesn't mean shit. That's how I feel about this practice. Your support doesn't mean shit to me if your dropping it in at 11:45PM and quite frankly I resent my group being used to bolster your post count.

And if you're going to do it, at least have the decency not to post over a flipped roll.
The vets that post support across multiple groups at the end of the day typically WUPP but come back when family/personal life allows to show support to other groups. While maybe it would be ideal if everyone had time in the mornings, posting support can occur at any time of the day to express solidarity with groups, both old and new.

I doubt the majority of those exhibiting this behavior are doing it bolster a post count. They are taking time out of their day to post in groups outside of their own. While I understand your position, I'd challenge you to be thankful for their presence at any time of the day and maybe share digits with a couple of them. I miss people posting support in my group; we have a handful of loyal supports each day but not to the volume there once was.

You can't control who comes into your group and posts support. If they are posting over an already flipped roll, either reach out to them and ask them to be more aware or maybe re-evaluate if roll is being flipped too "early" in the evening.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on October 27, 2020, 09:08:33 AM
Where y’all from?
Southeast Texas here.

Southwest Pennsylvania checking in.

Eastern suburb of Cleveland in the house.
Western suburb of Cincinnati Ohio, also known as Lawrenceburg IN
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Thefranks5 on October 30, 2020, 07:05:24 PM
Where y’all from?
Southeast Texas here.

Southwest Pennsylvania checking in.

Eastern suburb of Cleveland in the house.
Western suburb of Cincinnati Ohio, also known as Lawrenceburg IN
Almost geographically in the center of Pa. Between Penn State and Lewisburg home of Bucknell Bison.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Sledrider on October 31, 2020, 07:41:34 AM
So here’s a crazy one for y’all. I have an illness of which i was trying to change my health around. Hence the quit. Well after a week and a half my symptoms have gotten worse. Talked with my doctor and he said the nicotine is actually what keeps me level headed. He said he has actually seen nicotine prescribed to help. Usually through the gum or patch. But since i am still on a road trip he said we will talk about on Monday. But I’m at a lost because of quitting two weeks ago now feeling like shit and then being told i should still use. What’s y’all’s opinions here. I’m not looking to fall off but honestly if i get the relief i need i might have to. Crazy thought.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on October 31, 2020, 08:15:49 AM
So here’s a crazy one for y’all. I have an illness of which i was trying to change my health around. Hence the quit. Well after a week and a half my symptoms have gotten worse. Talked with my doctor and he said the nicotine is actually what keeps me level headed. He said he has actually seen nicotine prescribed to help. Usually through the gum or patch. But since i am still on a road trip he said we will talk about on Monday. But I’m at a lost because of quitting two weeks ago now feeling like shit and then being told i should still use. What’s y’all’s opinions here. I’m not looking to fall off but honestly if i get the relief i need i might have to. Crazy thought.

That's a tough one. I'm not a doctor, but I'd suggest that there are very few issues were a nicotine addiction will make things better... ESPECIALLY when you combine nicotine with all the other chemicals in tobacco. Will be interested in what he has to say.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: plasterman on October 31, 2020, 10:42:16 AM
Blanket Posting at End of Day:

I have noticed a trend over the past few weeks, since I've had a reason to be on the site late into the evenings. What's the deal with all these 'vets' just blanket posting support across every single month at the end of the night? TBH I find it disrespectful, because we tell quitters that they need to WUPP or their promise doesn't mean shit. That's how I feel about this practice. Your support doesn't mean shit to me if your dropping it in at 11:45PM and quite frankly I resent my group being used to bolster your post count.

And if you're going to do it, at least have the decency not to post over a flipped roll.
The vets that post support across multiple groups at the end of the day typically WUPP but come back when family/personal life allows to show support to other groups. While maybe it would be ideal if everyone had time in the mornings, posting support can occur at any time of the day to express solidarity with groups, both old and new.

I doubt the majority of those exhibiting this behavior are doing it bolster a post count. They are taking time out of their day to post in groups outside of their own. While I understand your position, I'd challenge you to be thankful for their presence at any time of the day and maybe share digits with a couple of them. I miss people posting support in my group; we have a handful of loyal supports each day but not to the volume there once was.

You can't control who comes into your group and posts support. If they are posting over an already flipped roll, either reach out to them and ask them to be more aware or maybe re-evaluate if roll is being flipped too "early" in the evening.
  My problem is that I'm up and out so early that sometimes the page is not opened yet before I need to go. I just need to be taught how to post a simple message to my November 2020 quit group to be "picked up". How can I do this? Thanks.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on October 31, 2020, 11:53:11 AM
Blanket Posting at End of Day:

I have noticed a trend over the past few weeks, since I've had a reason to be on the site late into the evenings. What's the deal with all these 'vets' just blanket posting support across every single month at the end of the night? TBH I find it disrespectful, because we tell quitters that they need to WUPP or their promise doesn't mean shit. That's how I feel about this practice. Your support doesn't mean shit to me if your dropping it in at 11:45PM and quite frankly I resent my group being used to bolster your post count.

And if you're going to do it, at least have the decency not to post over a flipped roll.
The vets that post support across multiple groups at the end of the day typically WUPP but come back when family/personal life allows to show support to other groups. While maybe it would be ideal if everyone had time in the mornings, posting support can occur at any time of the day to express solidarity with groups, both old and new.

I doubt the majority of those exhibiting this behavior are doing it bolster a post count. They are taking time out of their day to post in groups outside of their own. While I understand your position, I'd challenge you to be thankful for their presence at any time of the day and maybe share digits with a couple of them. I miss people posting support in my group; we have a handful of loyal supports each day but not to the volume there once was.

You can't control who comes into your group and posts support. If they are posting over an already flipped roll, either reach out to them and ask them to be more aware or maybe re-evaluate if roll is being flipped too "early" in the evening.
  My problem is that I'm up and out so early that sometimes the page is not opened yet before I need to go. I just need to be taught how to post a simple message to my November 2020 quit group to be "picked up". How can I do this? Thanks.
@plasterman (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18207) there is a "Reply" button towards the bottom where you can type what you need after which you just hit "post". Try it out and let me know if that is what you were looking for.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Dbrown83 on November 02, 2020, 08:13:10 AM
I'm on day 25 of quitting. This site has made my nerves calm. I quit cold turkey and have been dealing with tons symptoms. The two I hate right now is the mucus and face feeling kinda numb. I just want thank every one and we can all do this. Baccoff has helped a bunch
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 02, 2020, 09:46:02 AM
I'm on day 25 of quitting. This site has made my nerves calm. I quit cold turkey and have been dealing with tons symptoms. The two I hate right now is the mucus and face feeling kinda numb. I just want thank every one and we can all do this. Baccoff has helped a bunch

Congrats on 25 days of freedom! Keep fighting!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 02, 2020, 09:46:16 AM
For those of you on FB, I put up a quitter poll...

https://www.facebook.com/KillTheCan.org/posts/10157227006727504
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on November 02, 2020, 11:51:17 AM
Blanket Posting at End of Day:

I have noticed a trend over the past few weeks, since I've had a reason to be on the site late into the evenings. What's the deal with all these 'vets' just blanket posting support across every single month at the end of the night? TBH I find it disrespectful, because we tell quitters that they need to WUPP or their promise doesn't mean shit. That's how I feel about this practice. Your support doesn't mean shit to me if your dropping it in at 11:45PM and quite frankly I resent my group being used to bolster your post count.

And if you're going to do it, at least have the decency not to post over a flipped roll.
The vets that post support across multiple groups at the end of the day typically WUPP but come back when family/personal life allows to show support to other groups. While maybe it would be ideal if everyone had time in the mornings, posting support can occur at any time of the day to express solidarity with groups, both old and new.

I doubt the majority of those exhibiting this behavior are doing it bolster a post count. They are taking time out of their day to post in groups outside of their own. While I understand your position, I'd challenge you to be thankful for their presence at any time of the day and maybe share digits with a couple of them. I miss people posting support in my group; we have a handful of loyal supports each day but not to the volume there once was.

You can't control who comes into your group and posts support. If they are posting over an already flipped roll, either reach out to them and ask them to be more aware or maybe re-evaluate if roll is being flipped too "early" in the evening.
  My problem is that I'm up and out so early that sometimes the page is not opened yet before I need to go. I just need to be taught how to post a simple message to my November 2020 quit group to be "picked up". How can I do this? Thanks.

You have to send a supporter a IM(Instant Message), for example find 69franks, click on his name, go to send him a message, then ask him to pick you up.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on November 02, 2020, 11:57:52 AM
So here’s a crazy one for y’all. I have an illness of which i was trying to change my health around. Hence the quit. Well after a week and a half my symptoms have gotten worse. Talked with my doctor and he said the nicotine is actually what keeps me level headed. He said he has actually seen nicotine prescribed to help. Usually through the gum or patch. But since i am still on a road trip he said we will talk about on Monday. But I’m at a lost because of quitting two weeks ago now feeling like shit and then being told i should still use. What’s y’all’s opinions here. I’m not looking to fall off but honestly if i get the relief i need i might have to. Crazy thought.

Nicotine is a stimulant, are you ADHD? Anxiety can also make symptoms feel worse, it did in my case anyway.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on November 02, 2020, 01:15:01 PM
So here’s a crazy one for y’all. I have an illness of which i was trying to change my health around. Hence the quit. Well after a week and a half my symptoms have gotten worse. Talked with my doctor and he said the nicotine is actually what keeps me level headed. He said he has actually seen nicotine prescribed to help. Usually through the gum or patch. But since i am still on a road trip he said we will talk about on Monday. But I’m at a lost because of quitting two weeks ago now feeling like shit and then being told i should still use. What’s y’all’s opinions here. I’m not looking to fall off but honestly if i get the relief i need i might have to. Crazy thought.

Nicotine is a stimulant, are you ADHD? Anxiety can also make symptoms feel worse, it did in my case anyway.
I thought doctors swore an oath to do no harm. Keeping someone addicted to nicotine seems contrary to that promise. I would encourage you to seek a second opinion.

1 problem + nicotine = 2 problems
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on November 09, 2020, 02:01:40 PM
Blanket Posting at End of Day:

I have noticed a trend over the past few weeks, since I've had a reason to be on the site late into the evenings. What's the deal with all these 'vets' just blanket posting support across every single month at the end of the night? TBH I find it disrespectful, because we tell quitters that they need to WUPP or their promise doesn't mean shit. That's how I feel about this practice. Your support doesn't mean shit to me if your dropping it in at 11:45PM and quite frankly I resent my group being used to bolster your post count.

And if you're going to do it, at least have the decency not to post over a flipped roll.
The vets that post support across multiple groups at the end of the day typically WUPP but come back when family/personal life allows to show support to other groups. While maybe it would be ideal if everyone had time in the mornings, posting support can occur at any time of the day to express solidarity with groups, both old and new.

I doubt the majority of those exhibiting this behavior are doing it bolster a post count. They are taking time out of their day to post in groups outside of their own. While I understand your position, I'd challenge you to be thankful for their presence at any time of the day and maybe share digits with a couple of them. I miss people posting support in my group; we have a handful of loyal supports each day but not to the volume there once was.

You can't control who comes into your group and posts support. If they are posting over an already flipped roll, either reach out to them and ask them to be more aware or maybe re-evaluate if roll is being flipped too "early" in the evening.
  My problem is that I'm up and out so early that sometimes the page is not opened yet before I need to go. I just need to be taught how to post a simple message to my November 2020 quit group to be "picked up". How can I do this? Thanks.

You have to send a supporter a IM(Instant Message), for example find 69franks, click on his name, go to send him a message, then ask him to pick you up.

Or,

Learn how to flip roll yourself and then post your promise.  It's not that difficult.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 12, 2020, 10:22:40 AM
YIKES

Signs of Lung Damage Reported By One-Third of E-Cigarette Users

https://www.killthecan.org/signs-of-lung-damage-reported-by-one-third-of-e-cigarette-users/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on November 12, 2020, 12:15:59 PM
YIKES

Signs of Lung Damage Reported By One-Third of E-Cigarette Users

https://www.killthecan.org/signs-of-lung-damage-reported-by-one-third-of-e-cigarette-users/
Seems like a "safe" alternative to me.

Sarcasm
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: AwakenedOne on November 12, 2020, 02:31:17 PM
YIKES

Signs of Lung Damage Reported By One-Third of E-Cigarette Users

https://www.killthecan.org/signs-of-lung-damage-reported-by-one-third-of-e-cigarette-users/
Seems like a "safe" alternative to me.

Sarcasm
VaPe LyFe
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: famous205 on November 13, 2020, 08:48:58 PM
Hey all,

I'm building a website to track my quit data so it's constantly updating and can get a real time view where I'm at in my quit. I decided to take this project on because it's a good learning opportunity and it has helped me keep my mind off of dipping.

I was going to do just my Feb 2021 HOF group, but more seemed interested, so I'm opening it up to anyone :)

If you are interested, send me your quit date, how many cans you were using per day, and the price of the tobacco you dipped. I'm still working on the code locally, so the website isn't up just yet (Just started this project 3 days ago).
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 15, 2020, 07:44:29 AM
Hey all,

I'm building a website to track my quit data so it's constantly updating and can get a real time view where I'm at in my quit. I decided to take this project on because it's a good learning opportunity and it has helped me keep my mind off of dipping.

I was going to do just my Feb 2021 HOF group, but more seemed interested, so I'm opening it up to anyone :)

If you are interested, send me your quit date, how many cans you were using per day, and the price of the tobacco you dipped. I'm still working on the code locally, so the website isn't up just yet (Just started this project 3 days ago).

Chewie - 7/24/2006 - 1 can per day, $5

FYI - there is a similar tracker here: https://www.killthecan.org/calculators/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 15, 2020, 09:13:55 AM
Starting to get some submissions!

Dip Free Hunting Season 2020 – Share Your Hunt!

https://www.killthecan.org/dip-free-hunting-season-2020-share-your-hunt/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: famous205 on November 15, 2020, 08:30:41 PM
Hey all,

I'm building a website to track my quit data so it's constantly updating and can get a real time view where I'm at in my quit. I decided to take this project on because it's a good learning opportunity and it has helped me keep my mind off of dipping.

I was going to do just my Feb 2021 HOF group, but more seemed interested, so I'm opening it up to anyone :)

If you are interested, send me your quit date, how many cans you were using per day, and the price of the tobacco you dipped. I'm still working on the code locally, so the website isn't up just yet (Just started this project 3 days ago).

Chewie - 7/24/2006 - 1 can per day, $5

FYI - there is a similar tracker here: https://www.killthecan.org/calculators/ (https://www.killthecan.org/calculators/)

Thanks for that, Chewie. My goal is to build a 1 stop shop for our quit data. Each piece of data will constantly be updating on the page for a real time look :) I was going to post a screenshot of how it looks so far, but can't figure out how to upload a screenshot.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: famous205 on November 16, 2020, 12:54:03 AM
Hey all,

I'm building a website to track my quit data so it's constantly updating and can get a real time view where I'm at in my quit. I decided to take this project on because it's a good learning opportunity and it has helped me keep my mind off of dipping.

I was going to do just my Feb 2021 HOF group, but more seemed interested, so I'm opening it up to anyone :)

If you are interested, send me your quit date, how many cans you were using per day, and the price of the tobacco you dipped. I'm still working on the code locally, so the website isn't up just yet (Just started this project 3 days ago).

Chewie - 7/24/2006 - 1 can per day, $5

FYI - there is a similar tracker here: https://www.killthecan.org/calculators/ (https://www.killthecan.org/calculators/)

Thanks for that, Chewie. My goal is to build a 1 stop shop for our quit data. Each piece of data will constantly be updating on the page for a real time look :) I was going to post a screenshot of how it looks so far, but can't figure out how to upload a screenshot.

Here is a link to a screenshot of what I have so far, @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1). https://imgur.com/a/jeikgLZ (https://imgur.com/a/jeikgLZ)
 The numbers update every second. If you or anyone else has any feedback on how I can continue to improve the look or more quit data I can gather, the better!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on November 16, 2020, 07:53:13 AM
Did yardwork all weekend without poison in my lip.

#Smallvictory
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 16, 2020, 10:22:14 AM
Did yardwork all weekend without poison in my lip.

#Smallvictory

Hell yes! That's huge! Every hurdle you get over makes things easier moving forward.

Congrats!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: WishedIQuitSooner on November 16, 2020, 04:24:07 PM
Did yardwork all weekend without poison in my lip.

#Smallvictory


Stick with it brother!!!!! It gets easier. If I can quit anybody can quit!!!!! ;D ;D
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: stillbrewing on November 16, 2020, 06:20:12 PM
Did yardwork all weekend without poison in my lip.

#Smallvictory


Stick with it brother!!!!! It gets easier. If I can quit anybody can quit!!!!! ;D ;D
There's gonna be a lot of firsts brother some tougher than others...Hang in there.  Every one is a win!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 19, 2020, 08:39:09 AM
KTC Turns 14 TOMORROW (Friday)! Hope see you all on the SITE WIDE roll call!

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 20, 2020, 11:10:56 AM
Happy 14th birthday KTC!!!

Please stop by and post roll on the SITE WIDE ROLL CALL to help us celebrate.

Here’s to you quitters!   

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on November 20, 2020, 08:15:45 PM
Happy 14th birthday KTC!!!

Please stop by and post roll on the SITE WIDE ROLL CALL to help us celebrate.

Here’s to you quitters!   

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0

Umm..someone forgot to stop by,,,AHEM @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 20, 2020, 09:23:06 PM
Happy 14th birthday KTC!!!

Please stop by and post roll on the SITE WIDE ROLL CALL to help us celebrate.

Here’s to you quitters!   

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0

Umm..someone forgot to stop by,,,AHEM @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) 

I was on I swear! Bumped maybe?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 20, 2020, 09:36:40 PM
Happy 14th birthday KTC!!!

Please stop by and post roll on the SITE WIDE ROLL CALL to help us celebrate.

Here’s to you quitters!   

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0

Umm..someone forgot to stop by,,,AHEM @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) 

I was on I swear! Bumped maybe?

I'm on! @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on November 20, 2020, 09:57:47 PM
Happy 14th birthday KTC!!!

Please stop by and post roll on the SITE WIDE ROLL CALL to help us celebrate.

Here’s to you quitters!   

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0

Umm..someone forgot to stop by,,,AHEM @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) 

I was on I swear! Bumped maybe?

I'm on! @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130)

I had to give you shit about it  ;D
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 20, 2020, 11:50:21 PM
Happy 14th birthday KTC!!!

Please stop by and post roll on the SITE WIDE ROLL CALL to help us celebrate.

Here’s to you quitters!   

https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16822.0

Umm..someone forgot to stop by,,,AHEM @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) 

I was on I swear! Bumped maybe?

I'm on! @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130)

I had to give you shit about it  ;D

I'd expect nothing less my brother...
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 21, 2020, 09:06:38 AM
This was pretty special... thanks to everyone who stopped by the site wide roll yesterday!

Killing The Can (and Big Tobacco) For 14 Years!


https://www.killthecan.org/killing-the-can-and-big-tobacco-for-14-years/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 22, 2020, 09:08:56 AM
We all know it… walk into the convenience store, the gas station, your local pharmacy or Walmart and there it is… the Wall of Nicotine.

https://www.killthecan.org/the-wall-of-nicotine/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: lazytrader on November 25, 2020, 07:14:41 PM
I don't get in here often enough but I wanted put pass a thought on to everyone.  I was talking with G or one of the guys in here years ago and we were talking about how we got started chewing.. I wanted to share my story and see if anyone had a similar one. My family was big into football growing up and we lived in Houston,.. I played YMCA football since I was just a tiny kid. That said my old man watched the Oilers.. Remember Earl Cunningham the running back number 22?  He had these skoal commercials and they would come on tv all the time.. I worshiped that guy as a kid..That's how I found out about it and did it..
Anyone else remember the time or the thing that got them to look into the stuff?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on November 25, 2020, 09:37:18 PM
I don't get in here often enough but I wanted put pass a thought on to everyone.  I was talking with G or one of the guys in here years ago and we were talking about how we got started chewing.. I wanted to share my story and see if anyone had a similar one. My family was big into football growing up and we lived in Houston,.. I played YMCA football since I was just a tiny kid. That said my old man watched the Oilers.. Remember Earl Cunningham the running back number 22?  He had these skoal commercials and they would come on tv all the time.. I worshiped that guy as a kid..That's how I found out about it and did it..
Anyone else remember the time or the thing that got them to look into the stuff?
Earl Cunningham or Earl Campbell?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: lazytrader on November 25, 2020, 09:48:07 PM
I don't get in here often enough but I wanted put pass a thought on to everyone.  I was talking with G or one of the guys in here years ago and we were talking about how we got started chewing.. I wanted to share my story and see if anyone had a similar one. My family was big into football growing up and we lived in Houston,.. I played YMCA football since I was just a tiny kid. That said my old man watched the Oilers.. Remember Earl Cunningham the running back number 22?  He had these skoal commercials and they would come on tv all the time.. I worshiped that guy as a kid..That's how I found out about it and did it..
Anyone else remember the time or the thing that got them to look into the stuff?
Earl Cunningham or Earl Campbell?
Cambell.. yes sir I had someone come to my door and I typed it fast.. Yes and I wrote a book report on him in the 4th grade,, from tyler texas.. he built his mom a amazing house on the back side of the dump she lived in because she didn't want to move..
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 26, 2020, 09:18:48 AM
More Than Ever… Lots To Be Thankful For

https://www.killthecan.org/more-than-ever-lots-to-be-thankful-for/ via @killthecanorg

HAPPY THANKSGIVING QUITTERS!!!
Title: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Dbrown83 on November 26, 2020, 05:13:10 PM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: lazytrader on November 26, 2020, 09:50:59 PM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 27, 2020, 09:18:53 AM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) -

@lazytrader (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907) is right... keeping track of what is getting you is helpful.

That said, mine was OFF THE CHARTS for quite a while after I quit... regardless of what I ate or drank. The good news is for me, and for quite a few others if memory serves me correctly, it essentially went away a few months after I quit. I'm to the point now where I don't get it much at all any more and don't medicate any more either (and this is coming from a guy who had GERD really bad, had my throat scoped, was on regular meds, etc.

Keep quitting... you'll be amazed at the positive changes in your body / life.

Chewie
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Dbrown83 on November 27, 2020, 09:34:06 AM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) -

@lazytrader (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907) is right... keeping track of what is getting you is helpful.

That said, mine was OFF THE CHARTS for quite a while after I quit... regardless of what I ate or drank. The good news is for me, and for quite a few others if memory serves me correctly, it essentially went away a few months after I quit. I'm to the point now where I don't get it much at all any more and don't medicate any more either (and this is coming from a guy who had GERD really bad, had my throat scoped, was on regular meds, etc.

Keep quitting... you'll be amazed at the positive changes in your body / life.

Chewie
Thanks for the info.. I've had it bad twice now in a week and both times was a big dinner.. I'm going to keep track of what has caused it. Pretty sure it was chips and dips or the mountain dew. Both I need to stay away from right now and would probably help with the sore throat..
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on November 28, 2020, 03:29:06 PM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) -

@lazytrader (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907) is right... keeping track of what is getting you is helpful.

That said, mine was OFF THE CHARTS for quite a while after I quit... regardless of what I ate or drank. The good news is for me, and for quite a few others if memory serves me correctly, it essentially went away a few months after I quit. I'm to the point now where I don't get it much at all any more and don't medicate any more either (and this is coming from a guy who had GERD really bad, had my throat scoped, was on regular meds, etc.

Keep quitting... you'll be amazed at the positive changes in your body / life.

Chewie
Thanks for the info.. I've had it bad twice now in a week and both times was a big dinner.. I'm going to keep track of what has caused it. Pretty sure it was chips and dips or the mountain dew. Both I need to stay away from right now and would probably help with the sore throat..
When I was dipping I had heartburn nearly every day. When I quit it remained bad for awhile but eventually subsided all together. Now I only get it when I eat processed tomato products like spaghetti or pizza sauce.

Persevere. Chances are it will get better with time.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Thefranks5 on November 28, 2020, 06:50:22 PM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) -

@lazytrader (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907) is right... keeping track of what is getting you is helpful.

That said, mine was OFF THE CHARTS for quite a while after I quit... regardless of what I ate or drank. The good news is for me, and for quite a few others if memory serves me correctly, it essentially went away a few months after I quit. I'm to the point now where I don't get it much at all any more and don't medicate any more either (and this is coming from a guy who had GERD really bad, had my throat scoped, was on regular meds, etc.

Keep quitting... you'll be amazed at the positive changes in your body / life.

Chewie
Thanks for the info.. I've had it bad twice now in a week and both times was a big dinner.. I'm going to keep track of what has caused it. Pretty sure it was chips and dips or the mountain dew. Both I need to stay away from right now and would probably help with the sore throat..
When I was dipping I had heartburn nearly every day. When I quit it remained bad for awhile but eventually subsided all together. Now I only get it when I eat processed tomato products like spaghetti or pizza sauce.

Persevere. Chances are it will get better with time.
@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) Research and learn about silent reflux. That is what I was diagnosed with at around 100 days. I still fight some to this day at 269 days. Some can be controlled very well with diet but some need meds. I so far am just using diet after weaning off ppis. I wish you well my friend and hope you get it under control as I know how miserable life can be with it.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on November 29, 2020, 08:32:13 AM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) -

@lazytrader (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907) is right... keeping track of what is getting you is helpful.

That said, mine was OFF THE CHARTS for quite a while after I quit... regardless of what I ate or drank. The good news is for me, and for quite a few others if memory serves me correctly, it essentially went away a few months after I quit. I'm to the point now where I don't get it much at all any more and don't medicate any more either (and this is coming from a guy who had GERD really bad, had my throat scoped, was on regular meds, etc.

Keep quitting... you'll be amazed at the positive changes in your body / life.

Chewie
Thanks for the info.. I've had it bad twice now in a week and both times was a big dinner.. I'm going to keep track of what has caused it. Pretty sure it was chips and dips or the mountain dew. Both I need to stay away from right now and would probably help with the sore throat..
When I was dipping I had heartburn nearly every day. When I quit it remained bad for awhile but eventually subsided all together. Now I only get it when I eat processed tomato products like spaghetti or pizza sauce.

Persevere. Chances are it will get better with time.
@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) Research and learn about silent reflux. That is what I was diagnosed with at around 100 days. I still fight some to this day at 269 days. Some can be controlled very well with diet but some need meds. I so far am just using diet after weaning off ppis. I wish you well my friend and hope you get it under control as I know how miserable life can be with it.

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) here's a couple of articles from the site that you may find helpful:

Heartburn When Quitting Dip
https://www.killthecan.org/heartburn-when-quitting-dip/

Does Smokeless Tobacco Really Affect Acid Reflux?
https://www.killthecan.org/does-smokeless-tobacco-really-affect-acid-reflux/ 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Dbrown83 on November 29, 2020, 09:48:22 AM
I'm on day 49 and my acid reflux has really been bad for a week now. I figure this is normal but just asking.. Just like my sore throat but it's getting better cause it comes and goes. Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters!!!!
you need to find out what is causing it and nip it in the bud..immediately when you feel it you should think of what you ate and really nail it down..No soda, chips etc.. I had it terrible and finally I started to write down everything I ate and drank and boom there it was.. You need to do the same... you can chase it with tums, zantac etc but you'll take those for life until you find the real source.. good luck with it

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) -

@lazytrader (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907) is right... keeping track of what is getting you is helpful.

That said, mine was OFF THE CHARTS for quite a while after I quit... regardless of what I ate or drank. The good news is for me, and for quite a few others if memory serves me correctly, it essentially went away a few months after I quit. I'm to the point now where I don't get it much at all any more and don't medicate any more either (and this is coming from a guy who had GERD really bad, had my throat scoped, was on regular meds, etc.

Keep quitting... you'll be amazed at the positive changes in your body / life.

Chewie
Thanks for the info.. I've had it bad twice now in a week and both times was a big dinner.. I'm going to keep track of what has caused it. Pretty sure it was chips and dips or the mountain dew. Both I need to stay away from right now and would probably help with the sore throat..
When I was dipping I had heartburn nearly every day. When I quit it remained bad for awhile but eventually subsided all together. Now I only get it when I eat processed tomato products like spaghetti or pizza sauce.

Persevere. Chances are it will get better with time.
@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) Research and learn about silent reflux. That is what I was diagnosed with at around 100 days. I still fight some to this day at 269 days. Some can be controlled very well with diet but some need meds. I so far am just using diet after weaning off ppis. I wish you well my friend and hope you get it under control as I know how miserable life can be with it.

@Dbrown83 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18679) here's a couple of articles from the site that you may find helpful:

Heartburn When Quitting Dip
https://www.killthecan.org/heartburn-when-quitting-dip/

Does Smokeless Tobacco Really Affect Acid Reflux?
https://www.killthecan.org/does-smokeless-tobacco-really-affect-acid-reflux/
Thank you everyone for all your answers, time and everything else. I've cut out mountain dew, bunch of junk, and some other foods. I have been feeling alright these last couple days watching what I eat. ODAAT and learning everyday. God bless you all
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 07, 2020, 12:06:00 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 07, 2020, 12:08:06 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 07, 2020, 12:16:02 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
For me it was @Natro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=185) and @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) just a few short weeks into my quit. It really provided some flesh and bones to the accountability aspect of the site very early on.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: copequits on December 07, 2020, 12:17:42 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
For me it was @Natro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=185) and @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) just a few short weeks into my quit. It really provided some flesh and bones to the accountability aspect of the site very early on.
My first was Chris2Alaska in February 2019, and I’ve met a few other quitters since then.  It really strengthens your quit!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Natro on December 07, 2020, 12:23:35 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
For me it was @Natro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=185) and @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) just a few short weeks into my quit. It really provided some flesh and bones to the accountability aspect of the site very early on.
My first was Chris2Alaska in February 2019, and I’ve met a few other quitters since then.  It really strengthens your quit!
My first was @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) three days into my quit in October 2014. I have met many since then.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Nomore1959 on December 07, 2020, 03:22:40 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
For me it was @Natro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=185) and @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) just a few short weeks into my quit. It really provided some flesh and bones to the accountability aspect of the site very early on.
My first was Chris2Alaska in February 2019, and I’ve met a few other quitters since then.  It really strengthens your quit!
My first was @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) three days into my quit in October 2014. I have met many since then.
Small world.  MN_Ben was the first quitter I met in person.  Then Harvestgirl, then a whole bunch at the Midwest meetup.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 07, 2020, 03:59:45 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
For me it was @Natro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=185) and @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) just a few short weeks into my quit. It really provided some flesh and bones to the accountability aspect of the site very early on.
My first was Chris2Alaska in February 2019, and I’ve met a few other quitters since then.  It really strengthens your quit!
My first was @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) three days into my quit in October 2014. I have met many since then.
Small world.  MN_Ben was the first quitter I met in person.  Then Harvestgirl, then a whole bunch at the Midwest meetup.

THIS... all of this ^ ^ ^

Gives me quit wood...

I cannot WAIT until we get to do quitter meets again!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 07, 2020, 09:00:53 PM
Question of the Day:

Who Was The FIRST Fellow Quitter You Met In Person?

For me it was Whodey and Highway48 WAY back in the day in January 2007(!) - damn I'm old...

https://www.killthecan.org/whodey-chewie-highway48-the-first-ktc-meet/
For me it was @Natro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=185) and @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) just a few short weeks into my quit. It really provided some flesh and bones to the accountability aspect of the site very early on.
My first was Chris2Alaska in February 2019, and I’ve met a few other quitters since then.  It really strengthens your quit!
My first was @MN_Ben (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1215) three days into my quit in October 2014. I have met many since then.
Small world.  MN_Ben was the first quitter I met in person.  Then Harvestgirl, then a whole bunch at the Midwest meetup.

THIS... all of this ^ ^ ^

Gives me quit wood...

I cannot WAIT until we get to do quitter meets again!
The first person I met that quit with KTC was pumpkinboy,  but I met him long before he or I quit, like 20 years before. Once I quit, @ReWire (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=403) was the first quitter I met, some scary stuff for a 40 some day quitter to meet some internet stranger in the back parking lot at a McDonald's.
 'rem'
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 08, 2020, 08:20:11 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 08, 2020, 08:21:18 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 08, 2020, 09:25:48 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: jbuck0506 on December 08, 2020, 09:31:52 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Saw Def Leppard front row at Red, White and Boom at Sandstone Ampitheatre in KCMO.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 08, 2020, 10:22:44 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Saw Def Leppard front row at Red, White and Boom at Sandstone Ampitheatre in KCMO.

@MNxEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) - Pentatonix is AMAZING!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: copequits on December 08, 2020, 10:47:44 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Saw Def Leppard front row at Red, White and Boom at Sandstone Ampitheatre in KCMO.

@MNxEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) - Pentatonix is AMAZING!
Poison was the first as painful as that is to admit
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on December 08, 2020, 01:31:50 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Steve Miller Band, Star Lake Amphitheatre.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 08, 2020, 04:12:13 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Saw Def Leppard front row at Red, White and Boom at Sandstone Ampitheatre in KCMO.

@MNxEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) - Pentatonix is AMAZING!
Poison was the first as painful as that is to admit

Judas Priest-  Selland Arena, Fresno, CA 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Nomore1959 on December 08, 2020, 07:04:18 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Saw Def Leppard front row at Red, White and Boom at Sandstone Ampitheatre in KCMO.

@MNxEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) - Pentatonix is AMAZING!
Poison was the first as painful as that is to admit

Judas Priest-  Selland Arena, Fresno, CA
Yes, featuring Wakeman.  ‘75 at the Checkerdome.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 09, 2020, 07:57:21 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 09, 2020, 07:57:46 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?

I was primarily a KODIAK Wintergreen guy with stops along the way with SKOAL Cherry and Mint. *shudder*
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on December 09, 2020, 08:25:51 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?

Skoal straight
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 09, 2020, 08:51:37 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?

Skoal straight
Skoal Xtra Pouches (Mint, Wintergreen, Crisp Blend) were the go-to. For a while, Skoal Berry was a popular choice. If I had the cash, wanted a "treat" (fucking addict speak) and didn't have to ninja dip, Cope Straight Long Cut was the poison of choice.

 'puking' NAFAR 'puking'
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: jbuck0506 on December 09, 2020, 02:50:05 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?

Skoal straight
Skoal Xtra Pouches (Mint, Wintergreen, Crisp Blend) were the go-to. For a while, Skoal Berry was a popular choice. If I had the cash, wanted a "treat" (fucking addict speak) and didn't have to ninja dip, Cope Straight Long Cut was the poison of choice.

 'puking' NAFAR 'puking'
Grizzly Mint...but when i needed to ninja dip I would throw in Skoal Snus Blue (no clue what flavor that was)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 09, 2020, 03:08:57 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?

Skoal straight
Skoal Xtra Pouches (Mint, Wintergreen, Crisp Blend) were the go-to. For a while, Skoal Berry was a popular choice. If I had the cash, wanted a "treat" (fucking addict speak) and didn't have to ninja dip, Cope Straight Long Cut was the poison of choice.

 'puking' NAFAR 'puking'
Grizzly Mint...but when i needed to ninja dip I would throw in Skoal Snus Blue (no clue what flavor that was)
Grizzly wintergreen pouches, before that, kodiak wintergreen
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 09, 2020, 03:10:21 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

First in person concert?

Pretty sure it was Anne Murray at the Front Row Theater with my Mom... though I'm not sure I'm going to allow that to count.

I'll go with Poison / David Lee Roth at Blossom Music Center.
Pentatonix Christmas concert years ago. My favorite was Maroon 5 on their Red Pill Blues tour.
Saw Def Leppard front row at Red, White and Boom at Sandstone Ampitheatre in KCMO.

@MNxEngineer (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=21) - Pentatonix is AMAZING!
Poison was the first as painful as that is to admit

Judas Priest-  Selland Arena, Fresno, CA
Yes, featuring Wakeman.  ‘75 at the Checkerdome.
Sorry, missed this yesterday:
ZZTop at The Blossom Music center as well @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) , 1986. Peter Gabriel the following summer same venue. Literally hundreds more after that and still have most of my ticket stubs(why, I no longer have any idea)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Rocksta on December 09, 2020, 10:00:34 PM
Can someone delete me please? Nothing personal but I know this place will do more harm than good for my quit and joining was my mistake. Thanks
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on December 09, 2020, 10:10:04 PM
Can someone delete me please? Nothing personal but I know this place will do more harm than good for my quit and joining was my mistake. Thanks

We don’t delete accounts, but yours Will Just Drift off into the abyss if not used.

Thanks for stopping by. I wish you well on your quit.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 09, 2020, 10:51:09 PM
Can someone delete me please? Nothing personal but I know this place will do more harm than good for my quit and joining was my mistake. Thanks

We don’t delete accounts, but yours Will Just Drift off into the abyss if not used.

Thanks for stopping by. I wish you well on your quit.

This sounds like a planned cave, or at least someone dodging accountability if I've ever seen it...
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 09, 2020, 10:53:42 PM
Sorry, missed this yesterday:
ZZTop at The Blossom Music center as well @chewie (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1) , 1986. Peter Gabriel the following summer same venue. Literally hundreds more after that and still have most of my ticket stubs(why, I no longer have any idea)

Blossom is a TREMENDOUS venue @69franx (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=26). I've got a TON of great memories there... Buffet, Van Halen (front row), Steve Miller and on and on.

There was a similar venue in Indy when I went to school in Bloomington called Deer Creek (later renamed, to what I don't remember). LOVE those outdoor amphitheaters.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Dbrown83 on December 10, 2020, 07:09:18 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

Brand of choice when you were still a user?

Skoal straight
Skoal Xtra Pouches (Mint, Wintergreen, Crisp Blend) were the go-to. For a while, Skoal Berry was a popular choice. If I had the cash, wanted a "treat" (fucking addict speak) and didn't have to ninja dip, Cope Straight Long Cut was the poison of choice.

 'puking' NAFAR 'puking'
Grizzly Mint...but when i needed to ninja dip I would throw in Skoal Snus Blue (no clue what flavor that was)
Grizzly wintergreen pouches, before that, kodiak wintergreen
Skoal straight or mint if there was no straight. Cope straight if I was in the mood
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 10, 2020, 08:13:14 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 10, 2020, 08:15:41 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Married 22 years - together since '94 for a total of 26 years.

Dipped from '90 to '06 for a total of 16 years #dumbass
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 10, 2020, 09:30:52 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Married 22 years - together since '94 for a total of 26 years.

Dipped from '90 to '06 for a total of 16 years #dumbass
Married for 7 years - been together for almost 10 years total.

My relationship with tobacco started sophomore year in college and went on for the next 6 years.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 10, 2020, 10:01:17 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Married 22 years - together since '94 for a total of 26 years.

Dipped from '90 to '06 for a total of 16 years #dumbass
Married for 7 years - been together for almost 10 years total.

My relationship with tobacco started sophomore year in college and went on for the next 6 years.
Been with Anne for 10.5 years but met her 32 years ago and dated for 2 years then.
Chewed on and off from 1983-2017 so 34 years, but really only heavy usage from 2008-2017
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on December 10, 2020, 10:22:01 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Been married 21 years now together for nearly 30, she was my HS prom date.

My relationship with tobacco was off & on (mostly on) for about the same time.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 10, 2020, 10:40:17 AM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Been married 21 years now together for nearly 30, she was my HS prom date.

My relationship with tobacco was off & on (mostly on) for about the same time.

@Hill_Monkey (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=18543) congrats! Married my HS sweetheart (prom date) as well!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 10, 2020, 02:26:25 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Married to my beautiful wife for 3+ years!  Tobacco was 10 years on/off again.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: walterwhite on December 10, 2020, 03:59:51 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Married to my beautiful wife for 3+ years!  Tobacco was 10 years on/off again.
Will be married 21 years this Jan...Meet in Feb 95...total 26...crazy!

I used (smoke/dip)...from 92 until 2016...about 25 years...

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on December 10, 2020, 07:20:07 PM
Good morning quitters!!!

Question of the Day:

What is the length of your longest relationship? How long was your relationship with tobacco?

Longest relationship is my current one.  10 years married, 12 years together.

Dipped for 31 years, started right after my shortest relationship of 9 months.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 11, 2020, 09:53:04 AM
Question of the Day:

If you're a drinker, has your consumption gone up or down during the pandemic? Care to take a guess at a % increase / decrease?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 11, 2020, 11:22:45 AM
Question of the Day:

If you're a drinker, has your consumption gone up or down during the pandemic? Care to take a guess at a % increase / decrease?

For me, I'm WAY up... I'd say 25 - 50% which really isn't a good thing.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 11, 2020, 12:03:42 PM
Question of the Day:

If you're a drinker, has your consumption gone up or down during the pandemic? Care to take a guess at a % increase / decrease?

For me, I'm WAY up... I'd say 25 - 50% which really isn't a good thing.

Fortunately my drinking has stayed the same...however, my weight gain has gone up...Dammit Doritos
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 11, 2020, 12:21:47 PM
Question of the Day:

If you're a drinker, has your consumption gone up or down during the pandemic? Care to take a guess at a % increase / decrease?

For me, I'm WAY up... I'd say 25 - 50% which really isn't a good thing.

Fortunately my drinking has stayed the same...however, my weight gain has gone up...Dammit Doritos
Up a little, maybe 25%. Actively working to practice moderation. Weight hasn't changed too much. Would like to maybe lose ~10 pounds.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on December 11, 2020, 12:34:15 PM
Question of the Day:

If you're a drinker, has your consumption gone up or down during the pandemic? Care to take a guess at a % increase / decrease?

Increased by maybe 25%, cutting back is something I'm gonna work on next.

My wife's as well, she's in healthcare. Covid pretty much broke her.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 11, 2020, 02:23:57 PM
Question of the Day:

If you're a drinker, has your consumption gone up or down during the pandemic? Care to take a guess at a % increase / decrease?

For me, I'm WAY up... I'd say 25 - 50% which really isn't a good thing.

Fortunately my drinking has stayed the same...however, my weight gain has gone up...Dammit Doritos
Up a little, maybe 25%. Actively working to practice moderation. Weight hasn't changed too much. Would like to maybe lose ~10 pounds.
When I drink, probably up by 25% due mainly to switching from beer to scotch. I have been drinking less often though
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 14, 2020, 07:37:43 AM
Question of the Day:

Have you been PERSONALLY affected by COVID?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 14, 2020, 10:50:15 AM
Question of the Day:

Have you been PERSONALLY affected by COVID?
My immediate family, no. My sister and brother-in-law down in FL both got it as well as my sister-in-law here in MN.

Still able to work from home so blessed there. Daycare remains open (and unaffected to date) as well so that is fortunate.

ODAAT
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 14, 2020, 10:55:14 AM
Question of the Day:

Have you been PERSONALLY affected by COVID?

Fortunately, both my wife and I remain gainfully employed.  However,  COVID has impacted us in a few ways (some positive, some negative, some neutral).

Go out less, stay home more (homebodies anyway, so...)

See family less.

Online shop more.

More walks and bike rides.

Way more screen time than is healthy (we teach, and zoom all effing day)

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: famous205 on December 15, 2020, 12:37:21 AM
Question of the Day:

Have you been PERSONALLY affected by COVID?

I have had the luxury of working from home since the pandemic hit and have loved seeing my family more. I'm grateful that we have been in good health and I still have my job.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 16, 2020, 07:55:57 AM
Question of the Day:

Is there particular CONSPIRACY THEORY that you think is most likely true?

More discussion here (if you dare ;) ): https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=269.0
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 16, 2020, 07:57:17 AM
Question of the Day:

Is there particular CONSPIRACY THEORY that you think is most likely true?

More discussion here (if you dare ;) ): https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=269.0

This is a rabbit hole that I personally love to go down. There's a bunch of them that I think have validity...

For the purposes of this discussion I'll just say I don't think there's a chance in hell that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 16, 2020, 09:18:59 AM
Question of the Day:

Is there particular CONSPIRACY THEORY that you think is most likely true?

More discussion here (if you dare ;) ): https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=269.0

This is a rabbit hole that I personally love to go down. There's a bunch of them that I think have validity...

For the purposes of this discussion I'll just say I don't think there's a chance in hell that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
^Absolutely.

I love to read about conspiracy theories but don't believe most of them. The one I do think is true relates to the moon landing (or lack thereof).
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 16, 2020, 01:29:37 PM
Question of the Day:

Is there particular CONSPIRACY THEORY that you think is most likely true?

More discussion here (if you dare ;) ): https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=269.0

This is a rabbit hole that I personally love to go down. There's a bunch of them that I think have validity...

For the purposes of this discussion I'll just say I don't think there's a chance in hell that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
^Absolutely.

I love to read about conspiracy theories but don't believe most of them. The one I do think is true relates to the moon landing (or lack thereof).
I think that one is too big, with too many moving pieces to keep it a secret for 50+ years. Also, my father is a design engineer at Goodyear for those same 50+ years who has worked on tire substitutes for a new lunar lander. Cannot imagine a corporation that big would put a senior engineer on a project built on a fallacy.

For one I put some faith in, I agree whole heartedly with Chewie on Epstein
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 16, 2020, 01:34:58 PM
Question of the Day:

Is there particular CONSPIRACY THEORY that you think is most likely true?

More discussion here (if you dare ;) ): https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=269.0

This is a rabbit hole that I personally love to go down. There's a bunch of them that I think have validity...

For the purposes of this discussion I'll just say I don't think there's a chance in hell that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
^Absolutely.

I love to read about conspiracy theories but don't believe most of them. The one I do think is true relates to the moon landing (or lack thereof).
I think that one is too big, with too many moving pieces to keep it a secret for 50+ years. Also, my father is a design engineer at Goodyear for those same 50+ years who has worked on tire substitutes for a new lunar lander. Cannot imagine a corporation that big would put a senior engineer on a project built on a fallacy.

For one I put some faith in, I agree whole heartedly with Chewie on Epstein
You make an interesting point. But with all the advancements in science and technology, just curious why we haven't been back there lately. Seems like its a lot of work to get people onto the ISS. If it is that much work in 2020, to get to the moon back in the late 60's and early 70's seems improbable. And that is just my reasoning. There are so many inconsistencies when you dig into this one it's hard not to scratch your head.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 16, 2020, 03:22:59 PM
Question of the Day:

Is there particular CONSPIRACY THEORY that you think is most likely true?

More discussion here (if you dare ;) ): https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=269.0

This is a rabbit hole that I personally love to go down. There's a bunch of them that I think have validity...

For the purposes of this discussion I'll just say I don't think there's a chance in hell that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.
^Absolutely.

I love to read about conspiracy theories but don't believe most of them. The one I do think is true relates to the moon landing (or lack thereof).
I think that one is too big, with too many moving pieces to keep it a secret for 50+ years. Also, my father is a design engineer at Goodyear for those same 50+ years who has worked on tire substitutes for a new lunar lander. Cannot imagine a corporation that big would put a senior engineer on a project built on a fallacy.

For one I put some faith in, I agree whole heartedly with Chewie on Epstein
You make an interesting point. But with all the advancements in science and technology, just curious why we haven't been back there lately. Seems like its a lot of work to get people onto the ISS. If it is that much work in 2020, to get to the moon back in the late 60's and early 70's seems improbable. And that is just my reasoning. There are so many inconsistencies when you dig into this one it's hard not to scratch your head.
Rumor has it that we (NASA) has lost track of the millions of pieces of paper and data files that worked out all the necessary math to make it happen back then. And we no longer use the tech that was around back then.. I know that doesn't help my stance, I just find it interesting.  We stopped working on the lunar program because there was nothing to see or do up there? Why try again now then?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 17, 2020, 08:53:16 AM
Question of the Day:

If you're a fake dip user, where do you buy it? Do you order online or do you have a favorite brick and mortar location?

Looking to build out a list on the main site as well: https://www.killthecan.org/where-do-you-buy-your-fake-dip/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 17, 2020, 08:54:30 AM
Question of the Day:

If you're a fake dip user, where do you buy it? Do you order online or do you have a favorite brick and mortar location?

Looking to build out a list on the main site as well: https://www.killthecan.org/where-do-you-buy-your-fake-dip/

I'm an online guy primarily. Links to most of them can be found here: https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

When I do buy in store it'll typically be WalMart (SMC has national distribution) or Giant Eagle (grocery store)
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 17, 2020, 09:59:05 AM
Question of the Day:

If you're a fake dip user, where do you buy it? Do you order online or do you have a favorite brick and mortar location?

Looking to build out a list on the main site as well: https://www.killthecan.org/where-do-you-buy-your-fake-dip/

I'm an online guy primarily. Links to most of them can be found here: https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

When I do buy in store it'll typically be WalMart (SMC has national distribution) or Giant Eagle (grocery store)
I could never find Baccoff around me in a brick and mortar location. I always had to order it from Amazon or dipstop.com.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 17, 2020, 10:25:32 PM
Question of the Day:

If you're a fake dip user, where do you buy it? Do you order online or do you have a favorite brick and mortar location?

Looking to build out a list on the main site as well: https://www.killthecan.org/where-do-you-buy-your-fake-dip/

I'm an online guy primarily. Links to most of them can be found here: https://www.killthecan.org/your-quit/smokeless-alternatives/

When I do buy in store it'll typically be WalMart (SMC has national distribution) or Giant Eagle (grocery store)
I could never find Baccoff around me in a brick and mortar location. I always had to order it from Amazon or dipstop.com.
I always got my Jake's Mint pouches direct from their website
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 18, 2020, 07:56:44 AM
Question of the Day:

If given the chance... will you take the COVID-19 vaccine?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 18, 2020, 08:46:24 AM
Question of the Day:

If given the chance... will you take the COVID-19 vaccine?
No, most likely not the first go around.  Too new.  Need more time with the study.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: NukeEngineer on December 18, 2020, 08:49:23 AM
Question of the Day:

If given the chance... will you take the COVID-19 vaccine?

I will likely wait at least a year or two.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on December 18, 2020, 10:01:18 AM
Question of the Day:

If given the chance... will you take the COVID-19 vaccine?

Not for a "virus" with a 99% survival rate.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 18, 2020, 10:14:35 AM
Question of the Day:

If given the chance... will you take the COVID-19 vaccine?

Not for a "virus" with a 99% survival rate.
In regard to the mRNA vaccines currently being rolled out? Hell no.

Once a more traditional style one is rolled out (Astra/Oxford) and has been vetted, I may consider at a future time.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: CDA-rj on December 18, 2020, 11:06:13 AM
Question of the Day:

If given the chance... will you take the COVID-19 vaccine?

Not for a "virus" with a 99% survival rate.
In regard to the mRNA vaccines currently being rolled out? Hell no.
Once a more traditional style one is rolled out (Astra/Oxford) and has been vetted, I may consider at a future time.
Fuck yeah I'm getting it!  Survivability rate is high yes, but there are still the people out there with long term lung damage who were endurance athletes.  I don't want to deal with that shit when I'm pedaling from Durango to Moab  our out on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and pedaling up 16k vertical feet a day.

The reality though is I won't be getting it for some time because I'm only 46 and in the top 10% health bracket for my age.  So I'll be waiting for all the high risk folks to get the vaccine first.

Best defense to this virus is being physically fit with a strong immune system but still I'd get the vaccine at my first opportunity.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 19, 2020, 07:40:56 AM
Question of the Day:

What's your favorite Christmas / holiday album?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 19, 2020, 07:43:25 AM
Question of the Day:

What's your favorite Christmas / holiday album?

Couple of random choices for me...

1) Bonanza: Christmas on the Ponderosa https://amzn.to/3mx9y3N
2) The Christmas Album by Neil Diamond https://amzn.to/3mCVlSW
 
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 19, 2020, 08:43:01 AM
Question of the Day:

What's your favorite Christmas / holiday album?

Nat King Cole
Bing Crosby
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: FLLipOut on December 21, 2020, 11:28:42 AM
Question of the Day:

What's your favorite Christmas / holiday album?

Nat King Cole
Bing Crosby
^^ hard to beat that answer.  NKC's The Christmas Song and Bing's White Christmas are probably the best Christmas songs ever recorded.  IMHO, of course.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Hill_Monkey on December 22, 2020, 07:25:05 AM
Question of the Day:

What's your favorite Christmas / holiday album?

Die Hard soundtrack
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 22, 2020, 12:52:21 PM
Question of the Day:

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? Are all of your gifts wrapped?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 22, 2020, 01:05:46 PM
Question of the Day:

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? Are all of your gifts wrapped?
Shopped. Wrapped. Delivered.

Not much procrastination around this household.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 22, 2020, 06:30:27 PM
Question of the Day:

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? Are all of your gifts wrapped?
Shopped. Wrapped. Delivered.

Not much procrastination around this household.
^^^What he said!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chris2alaska on December 22, 2020, 07:50:17 PM
Question of the Day:

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? Are all of your gifts wrapped?
Shopped. Wrapped. Delivered.

Not much procrastination around this household.
^^^What he said!

Done and Done
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 23, 2020, 08:32:58 AM
Question of the Day:

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? Are all of your gifts wrapped?
Shopped. Wrapped. Delivered.

Not much procrastination around this household.
^^^What he said!

Done and Done

wow... you guys are good...

Haven't wrapped a damn thing. Think I've got 'most' of my shopping done.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 23, 2020, 09:32:36 AM
Quit BRILLIANCE from the one and only @QuittinTime (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1859)

"There comes a time in this quit-business when one has been at it so long that it turns into a matter of pride."

The Pride of Just One Dip

https://www.killthecan.org/the-pride-of-just-one/
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: FLLipOut on December 23, 2020, 08:49:51 PM
Question of the Day:

Do you have all of your holiday shopping done? Are all of your gifts wrapped?
Shopped. Wrapped. Delivered.

Not much procrastination around this household.
^^^What he said!

Done and Done

wow... you guys are good...

Haven't wrapped a damn thing. Think I've got 'most' of my shopping done.
Weird year and we decided to go low key and buy a few gifts for the house.  So I am not really sure if I am done yet...
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 25, 2020, 01:01:52 PM
MERRY CHRISTMAS QUITTERS!!!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 27, 2020, 11:31:35 AM
Question of the Day:

Did you have a 'socially distanced' Christmas celebration?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 27, 2020, 02:48:20 PM
Question of the Day:

Did you have a 'socially distanced' Christmas celebration?

Pretty much...some family we didn't see at all, the usual family members we saw briefly.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 28, 2020, 08:30:01 AM
Question of the Day:

Did you have a 'socially distanced' Christmas celebration?

Pretty much...some family we didn't see at all, the usual family members we saw briefly.
We just did the immediate family, the 4 of us at home
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 28, 2020, 09:08:57 AM
Question of the Day:

Did you have a 'socially distanced' Christmas celebration?

Pretty much...some family we didn't see at all, the usual family members we saw briefly.
We just did the immediate family, the 4 of us at home

Spent some time opening gifts in the garage with my in-laws. Had a garage dinner with my folks / brother's family.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: 69franx on December 28, 2020, 10:44:19 AM
Question of the Day:

Did you have a 'socially distanced' Christmas celebration?

Pretty much...some family we didn't see at all, the usual family members we saw briefly.
We just did the immediate family, the 4 of us at home

Spent some time opening gifts in the garage with my in-laws. Had a garage dinner with my folks / brother's family.
Our small gathering was due to the extended family being under the spell of covid concerns. We were up for anything and everything
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 29, 2020, 08:40:51 AM
Question of the Day:

What sort of New Year's Eve plans do you have this year? Same / different than years past?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: JeffH4257 on December 29, 2020, 10:36:17 AM
Question of the Day:

What sort of New Year's Eve plans do you have this year? Same / different than years past?

Low key with just my wife and me.  Grill some steaks, smoke some lobster tail.  And try and flush the $#@! Hole that was 2020.. yet celebrate staying quit!

Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 29, 2020, 11:24:41 AM
Question of the Day:

What sort of New Year's Eve plans do you have this year? Same / different than years past?

Low key with just my wife and me.  Grill some steaks, smoke some lobster tail.  And try and flush the $#@! Hole that was 2020.. yet celebrate staying quit!
No plans here. Get the kiddos in bed by 8pm and then pop some champagne and find something not horrible to watch on HBO max with the goal to make it awake til midnight.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 30, 2020, 02:09:10 PM
Question of the Day:

Are you a podcast listener? What's your FAVORITE?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 30, 2020, 02:12:50 PM
Question of the Day:

Are you a podcast listener? What's your FAVORITE?
Never been able to get into the podcast scene. The only one I ever listened to was on a road trip last year called Dr. Death. Intriguing to say the least.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: jbuck0506 on December 30, 2020, 02:29:52 PM
Question of the Day:

Are you a podcast listener? What's your FAVORITE?
Bertcast with Bert Kreischer
Time Suck with Dan Cummings
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: Thefranks5 on December 30, 2020, 05:29:53 PM
Question of the Day:

Are you a podcast listener? What's your FAVORITE?
Bertcast with Bert Kreischer
Time Suck with Dan Cummings
Unashamed with Phil, Al and Jase Robertson
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: famous205 on December 31, 2020, 01:07:17 AM
Question of the Day:

Are you a podcast listener? What's your FAVORITE?
Bertcast with Bert Kreischer
Time Suck with Dan Cummings
Unashamed with Phil, Al and Jase Robertson
If you are into Cyber Security, I highly recommend DarkNet Diaries.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: chewie on December 31, 2020, 09:36:22 AM
Take a look at the calendar at the bottom of the page...

WOULD YOU LOOK AT ALL THOSE MILESTONES!!!

Congrats quitters!
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: nick-Otine Free on December 31, 2020, 11:15:19 AM
Take a look at the calendar at the bottom of the page...

WOULD YOU LOOK AT ALL THOSE MILESTONES!!!

Congrats quitters!
so do we post in our same roll call area everyday or a different area?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: nick-Otine Free on December 31, 2020, 11:17:51 AM
Question of the Day:

Are you a podcast listener? What's your FAVORITE?
Bertcast with Bert Kreischer
Time Suck with Dan Cummings
Unashamed with Phil, Al and Jase Robertson
If you are into Cyber Security, I highly recommend DarkNet Diaries.
really like joe rogan experience
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 31, 2020, 11:36:22 AM
Take a look at the calendar at the bottom of the page...

WOULD YOU LOOK AT ALL THOSE MILESTONES!!!

Congrats quitters!
so do we post in our same roll call area everyday or a different area?
@nick-Otine Free (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=19005) your month is based on your quit date. At a bare minimum, you are to post in your group each day. You are also welcome to post support in as many other groups as you wish.
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: nick-Otine Free on December 31, 2020, 02:34:37 PM
is it better to buy stuff for fixation, ? or just quit straight out? mean like fake chew such as Smokey mountain or bacoff or candy like gum , peppermints, etc. maybe stick candy in a tin?
Title: Re: General Discussion - 2020
Post by: MN_Engineer on December 31, 2020, 03:47:35 PM
is it better to buy stuff for fixation, ? or just quit straight out? mean like fake chew such as Smokey mountain or bacoff or candy like gum , peppermints, etc. maybe stick candy in a tin?
That part is personal preference. KTC has no issue with members using fake substitutes as long as they contain ZERO nicotine. Lots of folks use Smokey Mountain, Baccoff, Teaza, Jake's and others.

Candies and seeds are completely fine as well. Find what works for you and use it as a tool to help you through the initial stage of your quit.