Glad to be here

[Kdip]

Home for Christmas vacation I discovered that two of my brothers were back in the bitches pocket leaving me the only one of 7 who's no longer a slave.
Ran into a buddy after getting back as I was getting gas at the Cstore, he was packing a can and said he made it four days before succumbing to the vileness.
Then a friend was over last week and had given up the can for vaping.  It dawned on me how remarkable it is to finally be free, and how so very many wish they were but aren't.
I wish I had started the quit years ago.  There's a quote on a KTC brochure that I hand out at corporate health fairs that's profound...
"The best time to quit was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now because tomorrow never comes"
Too true.

I agree Athan.  How many times have we seen a guy post an intro talking about quitting tomorrow and we never see them again...   

We are definately in the minority quitting and STAYING quit!!!

[BrianG]

Home for Christmas vacation I discovered that two of my brothers were back in the bitches pocket leaving me the only one of 7 who's no longer a slave.
Ran into a buddy after getting back as I was getting gas at the Cstore, he was packing a can and said he made it four days before succumbing to the vileness.
Then a friend was over last week and had given up the can for vaping.  It dawned on me how remarkable it is to finally be free, and how so very many wish they were but aren't.
I wish I had started the quit years ago.  There's a quote on a KTC brochure that I hand out at corporate health fairs that's profound...
"The best time to quit was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now because tomorrow never comes"
Too true.

I agree Athan.  How many times have we seen a guy post an intro talking about quitting tomorrow and we never see them again...   

[Athan]

Home for Christmas vacation I discovered that two of my brothers were back in the bitches pocket leaving me the only one of 7 who's no longer a slave.
Ran into a buddy after getting back as I was getting gas at the Cstore, he was packing a can and said he made it four days before succumbing to the vileness.
Then a friend was over last week and had given up the can for vaping.  It dawned on me how remarkable it is to finally be free, and how so very many wish they were but aren't.
I wish I had started the quit years ago.  There's a quote on a KTC brochure that I hand out at corporate health fairs that's profound...
"The best time to quit was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now because tomorrow never comes"
Too true.

[Athan]

From Sean Fiske on 200 days:

Quitting saves, preserves, extends, creates and promotes the most important thing in our lives: life itself. Quitting is the journey towards a new you and a new life. It occurs one day at a time. It is difficult but rewarding. Every day you climb a little mountain of your new Quit life and you get a different perspective. The old anxieties of the old you eventually fall away. It is not easy at all but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's not something you want to put off either. It's something you just have to jump off the deep end to do and never look back. You gotta just do it one day, and then do it again the next day and keep going in that new direction. New things open up in your life. Your mind, body, soul, psyche - starts to heal. And the thing is: you can quit. Anybody can quit, no matter how long they've been dipping and no matter what else is going on in their life. Nicotine doesn't solve any problems. It isn't a solution for anything. The solution is not to feed an addiction. The solution is something else, and it starts with you. Do not wait. Quit today. Right now. I will quit with you.

[worktowin]

What’s in a year?

Well, in 2018, of the estimated 9 million smokeless tobacco users in the United States, just shy of 600 of them decided to quit here on KTC.  I am one of them. 

Around 185 of those who started out remain. I am one of them.

Just shy of 400 who started wouldn’t see it through. That’s about a 70 per cent attrition rate which, unfortunately, isn’t far off concerning addicts and recovery.
So you see, we really are a very special but remarkably small group to have beaten it, today.

In my introduction in my first post here I mention that I made it a year before once but the truth is I don’t really know.  I think I did but I never documented it day by day. I know for sure now because my journey has not just been documented but it has been witnessed by all of those who post with me.  It is incontrovertible proof that I have dropped the chains of addition in the dustbin of history.

And so, I will continue to build that wall of quit, brick by brick, day by day, witness by witness.  And by doing so, I will remain  in that tragically small percentage of those who are free.

Athan, you are the real deal.  You've seen challenges this year, and have stayed resolute in your commitment.  It is an honor to quit with you.

Thank you for being an inspiration.

[Athan]

What’s in a year?

Well, in 2018, of the estimated 9 million smokeless tobacco users in the United States, just shy of 600 of them decided to quit here on KTC.  I am one of them. 

Around 185 of those who started out remain. I am one of them.

Just shy of 400 who started wouldn’t see it through. That’s about a 70 per cent attrition rate which, unfortunately, isn’t far off concerning addicts and recovery.
So you see, we really are a very special but remarkably small group to have beaten it, today.

In my introduction in my first post here I mention that I made it a year before once but the truth is I don’t really know.  I think I did but I never documented it day by day. I know for sure now because my journey has not just been documented but it has been witnessed by all of those who post with me.  It is incontrovertible proof that I have dropped the chains of addiction in the dustbin of history.

And so, I will continue to build that wall of quit, brick by brick, day by day, witness by witness.  And by doing so, I will remain  in that tragically small percentage of those who are free.

[Athan]

Running late for my daughters ortho appointment this morning and sprinted out of the house without my coffee. Got her there on time so I strolled across the street to the CircleK to get some joe.  So I'm in line there and notice the deals and offerings of savings for cans of death that I was slave to not so very long ago.  Today I'm NOT giving the U.S. Tobacco company my hard earned dollars.  I decided on a whim to pick up the tab for the next two folks behind me - they just had their morning coffees, doughnuts, etc.  Total bill - $5.89.  For less than the price of a can of copenhagen I got to spread joy to two strangers, the cashier, and myself. Feel pretty good about that. IQWYT.

[Athan]

A multitude of us jump on this train for fear of cancer.  But nicotine affects the body in a multitude of ways, among which is altering thyroid function.

The thyroid is a gland in your neck and is part of your endocrine system.  It functions to create certain hormones essential to the regulation of bodily functions. An excess or deficiency of these hormones can cause:

•   Anxiety
•   Irritability or moodiness
•   Nervousness, hyperactivity
•   Trouble sleeping
•   Tiredness and fatigue
•   Difficulty concentrating

Sound familiar? I’ve experienced all of these to varying degrees thus far. Got a text from a stranger this morning 244 days into the quit. He wanted to know if I could help him with advice.  All I can offer is related to successful nicotine cessation; WUPP EDD

For all of you starting out in the quit or still experiencing serious issues late in the game, I suggest seeing your physician. Let them know of your nicotine cessation and ask about thyroid monitoring and possible treatment options. 

REMEMBER: nicotine got you here, it is the source of the problem, not the solution.

Knowledge is power.  Ignorance is terribly expensive.

Sources:
Study of the effects of nicotine on the thyroid
Thyroid Overview

[Athan]

Storing it here to preserve it because it's just that cool....

Just Passing Through- Day 40....kinda Biblical. Sure, it didn't rain for 40 days straight, and I didn't have to wonder the desert for 40 years, or fast for 40 days as Jesus did; but in the context of the trials caused by/ during of all those things, it's a cool little milestone.

[Athan]

Someone buried a child yesterday.  I’m not that guy.
Someone else doesn’t know where his wife is, who she’s with, or when she’s coming home. I’m not that guy.
Someone else is unable to set the table this fine Thanksgiving day. I’m not that guy.
Yet another man cannot even provide a house for his family. I’m not that guy.
And then there’s the man who is helplessly addicted to nicotine.  I’m not that guy either.
Thankful?  I tell you the truth, if ever I complain I should be soundly beaten and that which I have been blessed with taken from me and given to someone who appreciates it. I figure 9 out of 10 people in this world would love to have my problems.  I truly am a blessed man and my cup runneth over.
….And I am thankful to the vets who started this site and stuck around to provide a context within which I could cast off the chains of the addiction that bound me.
I am a free man today.  I'm that guy. And for that I am truly thankful.

[Aumegrad]

... I hate excuses.  I hate addict speak. I hate addict behavior. ...

Preach on brother!  We are quit or we are not, we are devoted or we are not.  These type excuses amuse me.  No one is being asked to disregard your normal life to quit, but one must rationalize this as an addiction.  And being so, we must remain cognizant of it and fight it with all we have.  I don’t post my promise because everyone else is doing it or because someone told me to.  I post my promise because I am tired of being a slave, because I am aware of the chains that once bound me and I am as determined as ever to never be bound again.  I post because I am quit and I post because I am on the front lines with my brothers in quit.  Posting roll is not an inconvienece, posting roll is simply now my way of life!

[Athan]

Woke up to these this morning:

“I apologize for the absence as of late I work an hour from home and I'm working 70 hours a week my brain is fried and posting is the last thing on my mind….”

And from another individual…

“Well my uncle died so that’s a little bit more important than posting every single day… “

Two different people, one common thread.  You see it?  Excuses. Preludes to caves.
I hate excuses.  I hate addict speak. I hate addict behavior.
It steals. It lies. It rationalizes. It distorts. It undermines. It deceives.
It destroys lives.

[Athan]

Quote from: Steve624 on November 13, 2018, 08:07:25 AM

    ....Being quit is the same as growing vegetables because when your start you have nothing but a seed of hope that you will one day not need dip, you  continue to pour energy into and help it grow, but if left unattended it will die.

[Athan]

A math joke, to celebrate the occasion of my pi quit!

A great Indian chief was fond of his many squaws and was renowned for his prolific offspring.  One day, one of his fine squaws went into labor.  As was his custom, he attended the birthing teepee with the midsquaw to witness the delivery.  He emerged shortly thereafter, beaming with pride, and commanded that she be constructed a new teepee of deer hide for she had born unto him another boy, a fine young brave.
That very day yet another squaw went into labor.  All day she labored and well into the night.  The great chief emerged, beaming with pride, and commanded that she be constructed a new teepee of elk hide for she had born unto him another boy, a fine young brave.
Yet a third squaw went into labor.  All day, into the night, and on into the next day she labored.
The great chief finally emerged, bathed in sweat and commanded that a huge teepee of hippopotamus hide be constructed for this squaw.  The tribe gasped, ooed and ahhhed, “what great chief, what has she born you?!”
“She gave him twin boys!” proclaimed a young bespectacled brave named Pythagorus (it was an obscure tribe of Greek Indians from Queens, on the upper west side).
“You are correct – how did you know that?” asked the great chief.
“It’s simple” explained Pythagorus “the value of the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.”

[kybo]

A car on the side of the road on the way home. In a bit of a rush to end an endless day but the hood was up so I figured I'd stop and see what was up.  As I walked up the driver side window rolled down and what was once a pretty face peered out from behind bruises and a large black eye.  My countenance changed instantly from inquisitive to shock and simmering anger. "What seems to be the trouble?" I asked her after an awkward pause. "It just stopped" she said.  I got my cables out of the truck and proceeded to jump start the old and rattling Ford Fiesta. I asked her if she knew where the O'Reilly's was and she said that she did. I told her to head there and I would follow her.  I had the guys there check out the alternator and battery.  While we were waiting I asked her out of the blue, "you know you can't stay with him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  "I'm not" she said. "I'm leaving him.  I'm going home. Everything I own is in the car." From what I could see that consisted of a carton of cigarettes and some trash bags presumably full of clothes. I asked her where home was and she said Idaho (all this is taking place in Georgia on the eastern border with South Carolina). The tech comes out from under the hood and tells us it's the battery.  "I don't have any money" she says.  I told her not to worry about it and told the tech to get us one.   I figured it's the least I could do for her father, out there somewhere wishing his little girl was OK. I asked her how she planned on getting to Idaho, that it was more than a single tank of gas.  She said she didn't know.
That's how I left her. I wish I would have offered her a bus ticket instead of the battery. The whole thing left me with a profound sadness and a sense of the surreal. Wanted to help more but I just didn't feel comfortable giving her cash so she could buy cigarettes or meth or who knows what.  It's still hard to believe.

You're a great man Athan, a great man.

I have always raised my children (my own and my employees that I reference to as my kids) that no matter what, the person you are dealing with is someone's child.  And you should treat them how you would want your children treated.  If my son needed help with his car I would hope someone would be there.  If he needed money to buy cancer sticks I hope someone is not there.

Well done my friend, now all we can do is pray she gets home safe, Love you brother.

I know right?  That was going through my head the whole time - What if this was one of my girls?  I pray the one whose paths they cross is decent. Sending the oldest out of state to college next year (Texas A&M).  I'm not looking forward to it.

Make sure your daughter has a new battery and full tank of gas   

You are an awesome man.  I want to be just like you when I grow up.

Love you

Don't beat yourself up.  You did your part to get Fiesta girl away from the immediate danger.  She is somebody else's problem now.  The cities, towns, highways and back roads of this country are still full of good hearted people.  And the road from Georgia to Idaho is heavily populated with dads of daughters that come in all colors, shapes and sizes.  We are a unique club that has an unspoken agreement with other dads (that we will probably never meet) to always try to do our best to help someone else's daughter out of trouble if we can.  So, on behalf of all the other dads with daughters members all over the world I would like to say, "thank you," for getting this young lady on her way.  It wasn't my daughter this time, but if my daughter ever needs assistance when I am not around I hope she has the good fortune to find a dad like you.

Sending them off to college can be tough.  I have one that is a sophomore in college right now.