KillTheCan.org Accountability Forum
Community => Introductions => Topic started by: Greg5280 on March 21, 2010, 08:44:00 PM
-
I never started a intro page. To be honest I was struggling in the fog so badly when I got here it was all I could do to find the roll call each day and get my name on it. I have posted all over the site since then and I hope it has helped at least one person in their quit.
With that thought in mind and since I feel very strongly that I owe a huge debt to help others I am going to post my thoughts in here also. I will post my thoughts on my quit, maybe some funny shit now and then. I have recently started reading the intro pages of other guys with days above me and it has been helpful to me.
Again, I hope it helps at least one person stay quit.
We shall see..
-
I never started a intro page. To be honest I was struggling in the fog so badly when I got here it was all I could do to find the roll call each day and get my name on it. I have posted all over the site since then and I hope it has helped at least one person in their quit.
With that thought in mind and since I feel very strongly that I owe a huge debt to help others I am going to post my thoughts in here also. I will post my thoughts on my quit, maybe some funny shit now and then. I have recently started reading the intro pages of other guys with days above me and it has been helpful to me.
Again, I hope it helps at least one person stay quit.
We shall see..
I have seen you helping others, don't think I haven't noticed.
You have helped me stay quit.
-
I'm only on day 16, but your thought on "getting my mind right" was the single biggest thing that has helped me.
-
Toys Today
My daughter had a couple of young kids over the other day babysitting them, first time I have had young kids in my house in years which is nowhere close to kid proof by the way. I leave knives, tools, matches, all kinds of stuff just laying around.
The boy (2) was all over the house, chasing my Rottie, screaming, playing in my closet. You name it. The final straw was when he went upstairs and got his head stuck in the banister posts. Now that is funny !! I thought to myself "hey at least now I know where he is" and I should leave him there until his mom shows back up. "
Aside from the shreaking he was doing as he tried to pull his head back out which may have caused him to pass out, he was in no real danger so it was some really funny stuff. I finally get his head unwedged with a couple of my bad ass tools and down stairs we went.
I decided I would sit with them all and play in hopes of keeping the volume level down and I was already in a decent mood with the events of the evening so far. We plugged in Finding Nemo ( Which is also some very funny shit ) and I drag out the bag of toys in hopes of keeping my great mood going.
I have to say I was very disapointed !! My toys were so much cooler and I will give you some examples.
1. His toy cars vs. my Tonka toys. First of all my Tonka toys rocked ! The were made of steel and made in America (probably from some cool shit like melted down planes, retired aircraft carriers, or unused ordinance) and they were painted with paint that did not scratch off when one hits the table leg. ( Probably lead paint which is bad ass too. ) Anyway, his cars were made of plastic and made in China. That alone makes my toys better but that is not all. I could actually move dirt around and build shit with my stuff. I pushed his car across the floor one time and the wheel falls off. Cheap China shit !! I used to ride on my Tonka trucks ! His shit can't survive in the harsh environmnet of my kitchen floor. I used to throw mine off the roof, ride them down the hills, my parents even backed over them. If I had cars like his when I was young my parents would have gone broke trying to replace them all the time. There is NO WAY his cheap ass cars would have survived any of the stuff I used to do, let alone the matches and Lysol flamethrower of death like my Tonka trucks did.
2. His GI Joes vs. My GI Joes - Ok this one was again very easy. He had very small lame ass GI Joes ! They are like 3" tall now. WTF ? And they had no cool ass gear ? What happened to the bad ass GI Joes ? The big dudes with the kung fu grip, eagle eyes!! Bad ass dudes with Bad ass stuff. The ones that would pimp slap Ken and take Barbie ! Big ass helicopters, ATV's, Guns of all sorts, Grenades, Bazookas, war shit. My GI Joes had a buzz cut and scars which makes them very cool. They should have had some bad ass tattoo also but they were still cool. And you could go to the store and buy a whole new set of "Special Ops" gear for whatever bad ass mission you wanted to send him on. Plus if need be you could pick up one of the GI Joes I had and use it to crack your friend across the head for talking shit, or you could throw it like a ninja star. So it was not only a toy it was also a weapon which puts my GI Joes to a whole new level of bad assery versus his. If any of you have ever taken a GI Joe to the head you know it is a formidable weapon. I am sure some of you are wondering about the doll thing. Well I was 7 at the time and they were cool shit.
3. His building blocks vs. Mine - Again this one was very easy. He had lame ass lego blocks to build with and although you can build some fun stuff with them they are far less fucntional than the blocks I had. I think, looking back all my building blocks were trash from construction sites, sanded down and the nails pulled out of them. You know the ones I mean. Pieces of two by fours, dowel rods, two by fours with the arches cut into them.... those building blocks. ( By the way great idea by the guy who did it. Gather some scraps from the build site, sand em a bit, slap some lead paint on them and sell them..) Although I could not actually build shit with windows in it or fancy stuff you can't use his to prop up a wobbly table or crack your kid in the ass with a lego block. Not to mention my blocks made you actually use your imagination. And again if need be my blocks could be wielded as weapons. There was more than one lump handed out in my neighborhood. So my blocks rock !!
Anyway I am sure all of my toys were cooler than his but he did not have any other stuff for me to break. I still say all my stuff is cooler than what he had. If he comes back over maybe I will show him how to use the Lysol flamethrower of death...
-
Day 142
Today was actually more like spring. Had it not snowed yesterday I would have gone golfing but it was way to sloppy outside. I managed to pass the time today by cleaning out the garage and cleaning the inside of my truck. I will admit I have had more cravings recently, this is the first spring and summer I have spent nic, dip free. I actually had to get me a dip of fake today which kinda pisses me off. I have not used any fake for 30+ days but when I got to cleaning the truck I was having some crazy ass craves. :blink: The bitch still lurks !!
I am still pissed at myself for starting this stupid shit in the first place, but I am fighting like hell to keep it outta my body. Today was still a good day, another one nic free. Tomorrow.... first plane trip since I quit.
I will pre-post day 143 verbally here and I will post my actual 143 when I get to CA.
-
Day 142
Today was actually more like spring. Had it not snowed yesterday I would have gone golfing but it was way to sloppy outside. I managed to pass the time today by cleaning out the garage and cleaning the inside of my truck. I will admit I have had more cravings recently, this is the first spring and summer I have spent nic, dip free. I actually had to get me a dip of fake today which kinda pisses me off. I have not used any fake for 30+ days but when I got to cleaning the truck I was having some crazy ass craves. :blink: The bitch still lurks !!
I am still pissed at myself for starting this stupid shit in the first place, but I am fighting like hell to keep it outta my body. Today was still a good day, another one nic free. Tomorrow.... first plane trip since I quit.
I will pre-post day 143 verbally here and I will post my actual 143 when I get to CA.
Yeah, my long term plan is to always keep an unopened backup can of fake stuff on hand. Like you said, she is always lurking out there.
-
I never started a intro page. To be honest I was struggling in the fog so badly when I got here it was all I could do to find the roll call each day and get my name on it. I have posted all over the site since then and I hope it has helped at least one person in their quit.Â
With that thought in mind and since I feel very strongly that I owe a huge debt to help others I am going to post my thoughts in here also. I will post my thoughts on my quit, maybe some funny shit now and then. I have recently started reading the intro pages of other guys with days above me and it has been helpful to me.Â
Again, I hope it helps at least one person stay quit.
We shall see..
I have seen you helping others, don't think I haven't noticed.
You have helped me stay quit.
Thanks for stopping by. And you have helped afew yourself. Thanks for all the support. !!
-
I'm only on day 16, but your thought on "getting my mind right" was the single biggest thing that has helped me.
Getting my head on straight was the hardest part for me. The physical stuff did not seem to bother me all that much. I am still battling with the mental part. :angry:
It is better, but some days are still a struggle.
-
Day 142
Today was actually more like spring. Had it not snowed yesterday I would have gone golfing but it was way to sloppy outside. I managed to pass the time today by cleaning out the garage and cleaning the inside of my truck. I will admit I have had more cravings recently, this is the first spring and summer I have spent nic, dip free. I actually had to get me a dip of fake today which kinda pisses me off. I have not used any fake for 30+ days but when I got to cleaning the truck I was having some crazy ass craves. :blink: The bitch still lurks !!
I am still pissed at myself for starting this stupid shit in the first place, but I am fighting like hell to keep it outta my body. Today was still a good day, another one nic free. Tomorrow.... first plane trip since I quit.Â
I will pre-post day 143 verbally here and I will post my actual 143 when I get to CA.
Yeah, my long term plan is to always keep an unopened backup can of fake stuff on hand. Like you said, she is always lurking out there.
I am glad I kept the cans of fake that I had. I thought I was done with the shit. Good thing I was not driving around town looking for some fake, that would have put me too damn close to the real stuff... have not had craves like that in awhile.
Still pisses me off.. !!
-
Day 143
Well today was my first plane travel in my adult life that did not involve a big fatty. My anxiety was crazy last night and this morning. I think I slept for maybe a couple of hours last night. I literally have never been in a plane without a dip, and I was not sure how the whole thing was going to go. I do not like confined spaces and I do not like not being in control of the vehicle I am traveling in. It was not as bad as I made it out to be in my mind. I had a brief 10-15 minutes at the beginning of the flight but after that I turned on my Ipod, cranked some Metallica and everything went well. The plane managed to get to where it was going without me having a dip in. Another chance for me to slap the NIC bitch !! Another victory for me in my newfound quit.
Thanks to this site and all you bad ass quitters !! 143 and counting......
-
The plane managed to get to where it was going without me having a dip in.
:lol: It's amazing me all the things in the world that keep going around even though I'm not dippin'. Damn world's not even phased?! WTF?!
Nice work disarming another trigger, bro.
-
The plane managed to get to where it was going without me having a dip in.
:lol: It's amazing me all the things in the world that keep going around even though I'm not dippin'. Damn world's not even phased?! WTF?!
Nice work disarming another trigger, bro.
I say it all the time when I talk to people but this has been good for me!! All the new triggers I am facing has made me step back and realize I still need to watch out every day. I would not say I was getting too relaxed but I had not had many craves and was cruising right along. The bitch waits for you to relax and comes nibbling on your ear.
I am QUIT !! I will remain QUIT... just will pay closer attention to what I am doing.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose. :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
Nice work Greg!!! I no longer have to hide by the window in the back of the plane to dip anymore myself and I don't use the barf bag for a spitter anymore either!!! Its also nice not having to sit by a trash can in the gate area either!!! :D I find myself swimming or walking/running nowdays on the road instead of dipping and drinking beer in front of TV all eve. Life is better without dip!!!
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
Nice work Greg!!! I no longer have to hide by the window in the back of the plane to dip anymore myself and I don't use the barf bag for a spitter anymore either!!! Its also nice not having to sit by a trash can in the gate area either!!! :D I find myself swimming or walking/running nowdays on the road instead of dipping and drinking beer in front of TV all eve. Life is better without dip!!!
I would have to agree with that my friend. It still pisses me off when I look back at the wasted time etc associated with my addiction.
I have always been able to spot a dipper,even the ninja dippers were not safe, but my dip spotting prowess has reached new levels since I quit. I never spent enough time watching other people in the airports before, probably just too worried about finding a seat next to the trash can or where to buy my next 5.00 bottle of whatever to dump out before the flight, but DAMN there are a ton of people that dip. Everywhere I looked I saw people with a fatty in their lip. I handed out all of my KTC business cards, hopefully the young soldiers I was talking to in Dallas yesterday will show here and post with us, that would make the entire trip worth every second of it.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose. :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
Nice work Greg!!! I no longer have to hide by the window in the back of the plane to dip anymore myself and I don't use the barf bag for a spitter anymore either!!! Its also nice not having to sit by a trash can in the gate area either!!! :D I find myself swimming or walking/running nowdays on the road instead of dipping and drinking beer in front of TV all eve. Life is better without dip!!!
I would have to agree with that my friend. It still pisses me off when I look back at the wasted time etc associated with my addiction.
I have always been able to spot a dipper,even the ninja dippers were not safe, but my dip spotting prowess has reached new levels since I quit. I never spent enough time watching other people in the airports before, probably just too worried about finding a seat next to the trash can or where to buy my next 5.00 bottle of whatever to dump out before the flight, but DAMN there are a ton of people that dip. Everywhere I looked I saw people with a fatty in their lip. I handed out all of my KTC business cards, hopefully the young soldiers I was talking to in Dallas yesterday will show here and post with us, that would make the entire trip worth every second of it.
Next time your in Dallas let a brother know. Just sayin.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
Nice work Greg!!! I no longer have to hide by the window in the back of the plane to dip anymore myself and I don't use the barf bag for a spitter anymore either!!! Its also nice not having to sit by a trash can in the gate area either!!! :D I find myself swimming or walking/running nowdays on the road instead of dipping and drinking beer in front of TV all eve. Life is better without dip!!!
I would have to agree with that my friend. It still pisses me off when I look back at the wasted time etc associated with my addiction.
I have always been able to spot a dipper,even the ninja dippers were not safe, but my dip spotting prowess has reached new levels since I quit. I never spent enough time watching other people in the airports before, probably just too worried about finding a seat next to the trash can or where to buy my next 5.00 bottle of whatever to dump out before the flight, but DAMN there are a ton of people that dip. Everywhere I looked I saw people with a fatty in their lip. I handed out all of my KTC business cards, hopefully the young soldiers I was talking to in Dallas yesterday will show here and post with us, that would make the entire trip worth every second of it.
Next time your in Dallas let a brother know. Just sayin.
You can count on it. I was going to post this trip to see if anyone wanted to get together while I was out but it was a two shop trip and it was very abbreviated as it was. I will get things lined back out then when I go out I will have more time.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose. :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
See that brings up jacket shopping. When you were looking for a new jacket you had too make sure it had a pocket on the inside so you could hide your spitter in there. I have a military jacket that has two big pockets on the inside. Could fit a standard 20oz bottle in there with no problem wore that damn thing all over the place when I traveled. Even when it was warm outside.. like you say, thought I was hiding, nothing could have been farther from the truth..
Again.. STUPID SHIT !! I should kick my own ass....
-
Day 151
Well today was pretty good. One of the better days I have had in the past week. Traveling to the shops was a little harder than I expected and I have been in a funk since I got back. Yesterday the sun was out, beautiful day. My craves were insane and my anxiety was pretty wild. I have been looking forward to spring and summer but I had not thought about a whole new set of triggers but I am learning them as they show up and fighting them one by one.
I came home from work today and instead of sitting out back in my chair with a fatty in I came in, changed clothes and went for a walk with my daughter. It still amazes me how much time I have to spend with my wife and daughter now. This shit still sucks some days, but the good days certainly outweigh the bad ones now and I am still finding the extra bonues that come from quitting.
Stay quit...
-
Day 147
I have always been able to spot a dipper,even the ninja dippers were not safe, but my dip spotting prowess has reached new levels since I quit. I never spent enough time watching other people in the airports before, probably just too worried about finding a seat next to the trash can or where to buy my next 5.00 bottle of whatever to dump out before the flight, but DAMN there are a ton of people that dip. Everywhere I looked I saw people with a fatty in their lip. I handed out all of my KTC business cards, hopefully the young soldiers I was talking to in Dallas yesterday will show here and post with us, that would make the entire trip worth every second of it.
Ain't that the truth.
I traveled dip free this weekend for the first time since I was 15. (Well, at least tobacco dip free). I saw three people run their tins through the x-ray belt. One dude's Kodiak Bear even winked at me on the belt.
I stayed strong, but fucking shit that sucked to see.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose. :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
I was always a Dunkin Donuts coffee (w/ travel lid) or McDonalds soda (large straw) guy on a plane.
LOL at myself thinking that a flight attendant was stupid enough to think my coffee was still warm 3+ hours into the flight.
On a flight to St. Louis from Houston about 2 years ago, we hit some severe turbulence about an hour and a half into the flight (2.5 hours is about the total flight). Pilot came on the PA and had the flight attendants pick up all drinks and trash. Knowing the seatbelt sign would be on the rest of the flight, I had about 1 minute to clean out into my Dunkin Donuts spitoon. No dice. Ended up spilling about a quarter of the spitoon on my shirt, and shit-dipped myself (shirt and crotch) while trying to clean out my dip.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
I was always a Dunkin Donuts coffee (w/ travel lid) or McDonalds soda (large straw) guy on a plane.
LOL at myself thinking that a flight attendant was stupid enough to think my coffee was still warm 3+ hours into the flight.
On a flight to St. Louis from Houston about 2 years ago, we hit some severe turbulence about an hour and a half into the flight (2.5 hours is about the total flight). Pilot came on the PA and had the flight attendants pick up all drinks and trash. Knowing the seatbelt sign would be on the rest of the flight, I had about 1 minute to clean out into my Dunkin Donuts spitoon. No dice. Ended up spilling about a quarter of the spitoon on my shirt, and shit-dipped myself (shirt and crotch) while trying to clean out my dip.
Greg,
This may sound weird, but I actually had a pretty bad crave in Walgreens (WTF?). It must have been the lighting or something, but at some point I just realized that it would've been real inconvenient just like everytime I ever had a dip in while running errands. And THEN I realized how much more enjoyable life was without dip. Just sunshine and not scowling at old ladies.
Seeing you going through this shit ahead of me and coming out stronger makes me stronger and paves the way for my future successes, keep up the good quitting.
And to the plane dudes, I was that a-hole that just spit in my old water bottle and asked if they really wanted my rancid spitter while shaking it to and fro. To the people sitting next to me; I prefer your dirty looks and disapproving noises to any conversation you were going to provide. Haha, maybe next time I fly I'll make a new friend.
Stay Quit,
RickD
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
I was always a Dunkin Donuts coffee (w/ travel lid) or McDonalds soda (large straw) guy on a plane.
LOL at myself thinking that a flight attendant was stupid enough to think my coffee was still warm 3+ hours into the flight.
On a flight to St. Louis from Houston about 2 years ago, we hit some severe turbulence about an hour and a half into the flight (2.5 hours is about the total flight). Pilot came on the PA and had the flight attendants pick up all drinks and trash. Knowing the seatbelt sign would be on the rest of the flight, I had about 1 minute to clean out into my Dunkin Donuts spitoon. No dice. Ended up spilling about a quarter of the spitoon on my shirt, and shit-dipped myself (shirt and crotch) while trying to clean out my dip.
Greg,
This may sound weird, but I actually had a pretty bad crave in Walgreens (WTF?). It must have been the lighting or something, but at some point I just realized that it would've been real inconvenient just like everytime I ever had a dip in while running errands. And THEN I realized how much more enjoyable life was without dip. Just sunshine and not scowling at old ladies.
Seeing you going through this shit ahead of me and coming out stronger makes me stronger and paves the way for my future successes, keep up the good quitting.
And to the plane dudes, I was that a-hole that just spit in my old water bottle and asked if they really wanted my rancid spitter while shaking it to and fro. To the people sitting next to me; I prefer your dirty looks and disapproving noises to any conversation you were going to provide. Haha, maybe next time I fly I'll make a new friend.
Stay Quit,
RickD
I still have my hardest times when I am on the road. Working alone, on the road, it was just me and my trusty can aaalllll day long. Way too beat that bitch back.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
I was always a Dunkin Donuts coffee (w/ travel lid) or McDonalds soda (large straw) guy on a plane.
LOL at myself thinking that a flight attendant was stupid enough to think my coffee was still warm 3+ hours into the flight.
On a flight to St. Louis from Houston about 2 years ago, we hit some severe turbulence about an hour and a half into the flight (2.5 hours is about the total flight). Pilot came on the PA and had the flight attendants pick up all drinks and trash. Knowing the seatbelt sign would be on the rest of the flight, I had about 1 minute to clean out into my Dunkin Donuts spitoon. No dice. Ended up spilling about a quarter of the spitoon on my shirt, and shit-dipped myself (shirt and crotch) while trying to clean out my dip.
should have switched to the puke bag :o
-
Day 147
I have always been able to spot a dipper,even the ninja dippers were not safe, but my dip spotting prowess has reached new levels since I quit. I never spent enough time watching other people in the airports before, probably just too worried about finding a seat next to the trash can or where to buy my next 5.00 bottle of whatever to dump out before the flight, but DAMN there are a ton of people that dip. Everywhere I looked I saw people with a fatty in their lip. I handed out all of my KTC business cards, hopefully the young soldiers I was talking to in Dallas yesterday will show here and post with us, that would make the entire trip worth every second of it.
Ain't that the truth.
I traveled dip free this weekend for the first time since I was 15. (Well, at least tobacco dip free). I saw three people run their tins through the x-ray belt. One dude's Kodiak Bear even winked at me on the belt.
I stayed strong, but fucking shit that sucked to see.
Yeah it still bothers me to see other peoples cans and watch them fill their lip. It is getting better tho. It does not bother me like it used to. I would imagine it will keep getting better as I go. At least thats what the vets tell me.
-
Day 147
Man this week has sucked. This is my first time back out traveling since my quit and it has brought up many old triggers for me. This week has cranked my anxiety back up to mid 50 levels and I have been in a funk for the last two days. Probably due to lack of sleep. Although this week has been rough, it has also been good for my quit. I added tools to my toolbox this week !!Â
Being in the shops again, the sounds the smells, plus all the techs dipping put my craves on high this week. I fought through and only had two dips of fake all week but damn... :blink:
As I mentinoned at the beginning of the trip this was my first time in a plane without dip. Strange that the planes fly, the luggage gets to where it needs to be sometimes, everyone gets through their day.. all without me having a dip. And... the puke bag got to stay in my seat pocket and possibly be used for its intended purpose.  :huh:
All the time alone in hotel rooms used to be prime dipping time. This trip I actually found the pool in the hotel I have stayed at numerous times. I swam laps and sat in the hot tub for a bit each night. Actually more relaxing that laying in the bed with a fatty in watching old HBO movies. Who would have thought ? :wacko:
I am dragging some serious ass. I have not slept enough this past week, feels kinda like a mini fog. Anyway I get back on a plane today at 1400 and will be at my home and in my own bed tonight.... best thing about it is I am STILL QUIT !!
B)
LOL... reminded me of those traveling days. Sitting in your seat all hunched over with your spitter. Thinking the person next to you doesnt see or smell you.
How bout ordering that diet coke so you can blend it in more , hoping it goes unoticed until you have to hand it back to the flight attendant and she looks at you like your a troll . :unsure:
I was always a Dunkin Donuts coffee (w/ travel lid) or McDonalds soda (large straw) guy on a plane.
LOL at myself thinking that a flight attendant was stupid enough to think my coffee was still warm 3+ hours into the flight.
On a flight to St. Louis from Houston about 2 years ago, we hit some severe turbulence about an hour and a half into the flight (2.5 hours is about the total flight). Pilot came on the PA and had the flight attendants pick up all drinks and trash. Knowing the seatbelt sign would be on the rest of the flight, I had about 1 minute to clean out into my Dunkin Donuts spitoon. No dice. Ended up spilling about a quarter of the spitoon on my shirt, and shit-dipped myself (shirt and crotch) while trying to clean out my dip.
Greg,
This may sound weird, but I actually had a pretty bad crave in Walgreens (WTF?). It must have been the lighting or something, but at some point I just realized that it would've been real inconvenient just like everytime I ever had a dip in while running errands. And THEN I realized how much more enjoyable life was without dip. Just sunshine and not scowling at old ladies.
Seeing you going through this shit ahead of me and coming out stronger makes me stronger and paves the way for my future successes, keep up the good quitting.
And to the plane dudes, I was that a-hole that just spit in my old water bottle and asked if they really wanted my rancid spitter while shaking it to and fro. To the people sitting next to me; I prefer your dirty looks and disapproving noises to any conversation you were going to provide. Haha, maybe next time I fly I'll make a new friend.
Stay Quit,
RickD
Rick,
Believe it or not you can actually talk to the people sitting beside you. I have NEVER talked to anyone on the plane. Would just stuff in my fatty and put on my headphones and spit away.
This trip I actually talked to afew people. Had to put the headphones on for a bit but not the entire trip. Plus... I sat with a group of soldiers in Dallas and talked to them about quitting dipping. Hopefully they will show up on here.. that would rock !!
-
Day 152
Today was another decent day, winding down my funk I have been in. Started out a little rough but got better in a hurry. I got to work and was just finishing posting my roll for the morning when my phone went off. It was one of my brothers from Feb. He was having a bad morning, craving hard and pissy. I texted with him back and forth for the next 30-45 minutes, each of us bitching about our quit, the new triggers, mood swings etc. We both decided it was just another funk and we had the tools to get through. If you are a newer quitter I want you to take notice what day I am posting about. There are funks and bmps in the road along the way. Keep fighting them as you have been already. You have the tools make sure you use them.
So I sit here this evening feeling like a bad ass about my quit and the fact I helped a brother remain quit today. My struggle seemed to fade as I helped my brother stay quit. I gave my number out early and often when I got on this site, glad I did. You never know when one of your actions will help someone. I gave my number to a complete stranger 100 or so days ago and today him having that number kept him quit. Get involved in your group, give your number out and be accountable. Help others.. it feels pretty fucking great !!
Day 152 coming to an end. Started out a little rough.. but feels pretty damn good right now.
-
Day 152
Today was another decent day, winding down my funk I have been in. Started out a little rough but got better in a hurry. I got to work and was just finishing posting my roll for the morning when my phone went off. It was one of my brothers from Feb. He was having a bad morning, craving hard and pissy. I texted with him back and forth for the next 30-45 minutes, each of us bitching about our quit, the new triggers, mood swings etc. We both decided it was just another funk and we had the tools to get through. If you are a newer quitter I want you to take notice what day I am posting about. There are funks and bmps in the road along the way. Keep fighting them as you have been already. You have the tools make sure you use them.
So I sit here this evening feeling like a bad ass about my quit and the fact I helped a brother remain quit today. My struggle seemed to fade as I helped my brother stay quit. I gave my number out early and often when I got on this site, glad I did. You never know when one of your actions will help someone. I gave my number to a complete stranger 100 or so days ago and today him having that number kept him quit. Get involved in your group, give your number out and be accountable. Help others.. it feels pretty fucking great !!
Day 152 coming to an end. Started out a little rough.. but feels pretty damn good right now.
Well, If you've been in a funk, you wouldn't know it from the help you're dealing out for us newbies. We appreciate it. I know all of y'all who have come before us and paved the way know how much your posts help us. It may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. It helps tremendously.
And I think you are right. I've exchanged numbers with a few guys, but I'm not sure everyone has, I think it makes a huge difference. I've texted a guy when he was off the map for a minute. All was well, and I don't think he would have caved anyway, but hearing from a bro checking on me would matter. It would remind me I'm not in this alone. I know when we've tried to track people who haven't been posting roll, it is the ones who no one reports texting or calling that stay missing.
-
Day 152
  Today was another decent day, winding down my funk I have been in. Started out a little rough but got better in a hurry. I got to work and was just finishing posting my roll for the morning when my phone went off. It was one of my brothers from Feb. He was having a bad morning, craving hard and pissy. I texted with him back and forth for the next 30-45 minutes, each of us bitching about our quit, the new triggers, mood swings etc. We both decided it was just another funk and we had the tools to get through. If you are a newer quitter I want you to take notice what day I am posting about. There are funks and bmps in the road along the way. Keep fighting them as you have been already. You have the tools make sure you use them.Â
  So I sit here this evening feeling like a bad ass about my quit and the fact I helped a brother remain quit today. My struggle seemed to fade as I helped my brother stay quit. I gave my number out early and often when I got on this site, glad I did. You never know when one of your actions will help someone. I gave my number to a complete stranger 100 or so days ago and today him having that number kept him quit. Get involved in your group, give your number out and be accountable. Help others.. it feels pretty fucking great !!
   Day 152 coming to an end. Started out a little rough.. but feels pretty damn good right now.
Well, If you've been in a funk, you wouldn't know it from the help you're dealing out for us newbies. We appreciate it. I know all of y'all who have come before us and paved the way know how much your posts help us. It may go without saying, but I'll say it anyway. It helps tremendously.
And I think you are right. I've exchanged numbers with a few guys, but I'm not sure everyone has, I think it makes a huge difference. I've texted a guy when he was off the map for a minute. All was well, and I don't think he would have caved anyway, but hearing from a bro checking on me would matter. It would remind me I'm not in this alone. I know when we've tried to track people who haven't been posting roll, it is the ones who no one reports texting or calling that stay missing.
Teamgreen,
Glad this page is helping you. I read the pages of the guys that are ahead of me and it does help. For me knowing what was coming has been a tremendous resource for me. Keep checking in... and I will keep posting.
Stay Quit.
-
Day 153
Something new happened to me. Today I wake up and was in a great mood, probably the best mood I have been in since I quit. I walked into work laughing, smiling, talking to everyone. Pretty good shit, I felt like the old me minus the dip. My confidence level was back to where it used to be, my anxiety was gone, I felt good again. Well that got to last all of about 5 minutes. My boss calls me over to his office and proceeds to rip my ass, I have always been a guy that likes to argue so hey... here we go.
We sat in his office and went at it for about 15 minutes at which time I had grown tired of the whole thing. I stood up and walked back to my desk. Now prior to today this would have been a huge trigger for me, a time to put in a dip of fake and really churn for an hour or so. For some reason today was different. As I sat at my desk I refused to let that shit bother my mood, I shook the whole thing off never wanting a dip of the real shit or the fake shit. I made it through the rest of the day in a good mood, also feeling pretty fucking good about the fact that I really did not need any kind of dip to shake that shit off and that is the first time in my adult like I can say that !!
Quitting rocks ! I feel better than I have in years. I do not need that shit to control my mood or anything else.... and it feels GREAT !!!
Newbies keep fighting your fight. You see it posted all over the place that it does get better, I believed it all along because those before me said it was true. Today I got a taste of what "better" feels like.
-
Your relationship with your boss seems terribly unhealthy, Greg. Next time you march in there, just start blowing him...the outcome will be better.
But yeah: You kick ass. And you're kicking ass because you are quit. Your worst craves will never trump the cumulative pride that comes with smashing tobacco every day, right? Yes. You know it. Word.
-
Day 153
Something new happened to me. Today I wake up and was in a great mood, probably the best mood I have been in since I quit. I walked into work laughing, smiling, talking to everyone. Pretty good shit, I felt like the old me minus the dip. My confidence level was back to where it used to be, my anxiety was gone, I felt good again. Well that got to last all of about 5 minutes. My boss calls me over to his office and proceeds to rip my ass, I have always been a guy that likes to argue so hey... here we go.
We sat in his office and went at it for about 15 minutes at which time I had grown tired of the whole thing. I stood up and walked back to my desk. Now prior to today this would have been a huge trigger for me, a time to put in a dip of fake and really churn for an hour or so. For some reason today was different. As I sat at my desk I refused to let that shit bother my mood, I shook the whole thing off never wanting a dip of the real shit or the fake shit. I made it through the rest of the day in a good mood, also feeling pretty fucking good about the fact that I really did not need any kind of dip to shake that shit off and that is the first time in my adult like I can say that !!
Quitting rocks ! I feel better than I have in years. I do not need that shit to control my mood or anything else.... and it feels GREAT !!!
Newbies keep fighting your fight. You see it posted all over the place that it does get better, I believed it all along because those before me said it was true. Today I got a taste of what "better" feels like.
'clap'
Pretty soon this will be the norm. Enjoy, you earned it.
-
Your relationship with your boss seems terribly unhealthy, Greg. Next time you march in there, just start blowing him...the outcome will be better.
But yeah: You kick ass. And you're kicking ass because you are quit. Your worst craves will never trump the cumulative pride that comes with smashing tobacco every day, right? Yes. You know it. Word.
I think I will pass on the blow job part. I kinda like the arguing part anyway.
And you are right. I have yet to have a crave that felt bad enough for me to toss away how good it feels to be quit !!
Thanks for stoppin by.
-
Day 153
 Something new happened to me. Today I wake up and was in a great mood, probably the best mood I have been in since I quit. I walked into work laughing, smiling, talking to everyone. Pretty good shit, I felt like the old me minus the dip. My confidence level was back to where it used to be, my anxiety was gone, I felt good again. Well that got to last all of about 5 minutes. My boss calls me over to his office and proceeds to rip my ass, I have always been a guy that likes to argue so hey... here we go.Â
  We sat in his office and went at it for about 15 minutes at which time I had grown tired of the whole thing. I stood up and walked back to my desk. Now prior to today this would have been a huge trigger for me, a time to put in a dip of fake and really churn for an hour or so. For some reason today was different. As I sat at my desk I refused to let that shit bother my mood, I shook the whole thing off never wanting a dip of the real shit or the fake shit. I made it through the rest of the day in a good mood, also feeling pretty fucking good about the fact that I really did not need any kind of dip to shake that shit off and that is the first time in my adult like I can say that !!Â
  Quitting rocks ! I feel better than I have in years. I do not need that shit to control my mood or anything else.... and it feels GREAT !!!
  Newbies keep fighting your fight. You see it posted all over the place that it does get better, I believed it all along because those before me said it was true. Today I got a taste of what "better" feels like.
'clap'
Pretty soon this will be the norm. Enjoy, you earned it.
As you all kept telling me it is getting better as I go. Some days were tough and it seemed like it would suck forever but it certainly is getting better !!
Thanks for all the support !!
-
Day 153
  Something new happened to me. Today I wake up and was in a great mood, probably the best mood I have been in since I quit. I walked into work laughing, smiling, talking to everyone. Pretty good shit, I felt like the old me minus the dip. My confidence level was back to where it used to be, my anxiety was gone, I felt good again.  Well that got to last all of about 5 minutes. My boss calls me over to his office and proceeds to rip my ass, I have always been a guy that likes to argue so hey... here we go.Â
  We sat in his office and went at it for about 15 minutes at which time I had grown tired of the whole thing. I stood up and walked back to my desk. Now prior to today this would have been a huge trigger for me, a time to put in a dip of fake and really churn for an hour or so. For some reason today was different. As I sat at my desk I refused to let that shit bother my mood, I shook the whole thing off never wanting a dip of the real shit or the fake shit.  I made it through the rest of the day in a good mood, also feeling pretty fucking good about the fact that I really did not need any kind of dip to shake that shit off and that is the first time in my adult like I can say that !!Â
  Quitting rocks ! I feel better than I have in years. I do not need that shit to control my mood or anything else.... and it feels GREAT !!!
  Newbies keep fighting your fight. You see it posted all over the place that it does get better, I believed it all along because those before me said it was true. Today I got a taste of what "better" feels like.
'clap'
Pretty soon this will be the norm. Enjoy, you earned it.
As you all kept telling me it is getting better as I go. Some days were tough and it seemed like it would suck forever but it certainly is getting better !!
Thanks for all the support !!
Keep up the great work Greg and keep paying it forward!!! You're really helping the newbies!!!
-
Day 158
I am feeling like the old me more each day. My sense of humor is returning, my sleep has gotten better, I am starting to enjoy work again. Anyone reading my previous posts knows I fought the mental part of this addiction much worse than I did the physical part. My anxiety was nuts for the first 130 or so days. Don’t get me wrong I did have some good days mixed in there but never felt quite “right.” I would go to bed worrying if I had quit too late, already damaged me beyond repair. It was also the first thoughts I would wake with. I have told many people I have been to the doctor more in the past 120 days than I was in the past 15 years.
As I sit and think about it now I am not really sure what “right” is. Everything I have ever done was with a NIC soaked mind, so I guess I am learning what “right” is as I go along. I just know that I have had some very good days recently. I am not going to bed worrying the whole time; I am not waking up like that either. I work out 3-4 times a week, I walk every night with my daughter, I spend time talking to my wife in the evening. I make a point to call my mother every night.
I used to read posts from guys with less days that were saying how good they felt, how good they were doing, and I thought maybe I was just not going to hit the good days. For the newbies reading this, I cannot tell you when you will start to feel right again. For me it has been 150+ days. You may get there sooner, or possibly later as each of us are very different. The point of this post is you will get there at whatever time is right for you. I love the way I feel now and the person I am becoming. I just wish I had figured this out a long time ago. Do not doubt at some point you will feel better. I will happen !!
STAY STRONG !! STAY QUIT !!
-
Day 158
I am feeling like the old me more each day. My sense of humor is returning, my sleep has gotten better, I am starting to enjoy work again. Anyone reading my previous posts knows I fought the mental part of this addiction much worse than I did the physical part. My anxiety was nuts for the first 130 or so days. Don’t get me wrong I did have some good days mixed in there but never felt quite “right.” I would go to bed worrying if I had quit too late, already damaged me beyond repair. It was also the first thoughts I would wake with. I have told many people I have been to the doctor more in the past 120 days than I was in the past 15 years.
As I sit and think about it now I am not really sure what “right” is. Everything I have ever done was with a NIC soaked mind, so I guess I am learning what “right” is as I go along. I just know that I have had some very good days recently. I am not going to bed worrying the whole time; I am not waking up like that either. I work out 3-4 times a week, I walk every night with my daughter, I spend time talking to my wife in the evening. I make a point to call my mother every night.
I used to read posts from guys with less days that were saying how good they felt, how good they were doing, and I thought maybe I was just not going to hit the good days. For the newbies reading this, I cannot tell you when you will start to feel right again. For me it has been 150+ days. You may get there sooner, or possibly later as each of us are very different. The point of this post is you will get there at whatever time is right for you. I love the way I feel now and the person I am becoming. I just wish I had figured this out a long time ago. Do not doubt at some point you will feel better. I will happen !!
STAY STRONG !! STAY QUIT !!
You give me hope as I still do not feel 100% myself yet. I do feel the confidence coming back though.
Outstanding post Greg, very powerful insight!
-
Day 158
 I am feeling like the old me more each day. My sense of humor is returning, my sleep has gotten better, I am starting to enjoy work again. Anyone reading my previous posts knows I fought the mental part of this addiction much worse than I did the physical part. My anxiety was nuts for the first 130 or so days. DonÂ’t get me wrong I did have some good days mixed in there but never felt quite “right.” I would go to bed worrying if I had quit too late, already damaged me beyond repair. It was also the first thoughts I would wake with. I have told many people I have been to the doctor more in the past 120 days than I was in the past 15 years.Â
  As I sit and think about it now I am not really sure what “right” is. Everything I have ever done was with a NIC soaked mind, so I guess I am learning what “right” is as I go along. I just know that I have had some very good days recently. I am not going to bed worrying the whole time; I am not waking up like that either. I work out 3-4 times a week, I walk every night with my daughter, I spend time talking to my wife in the evening. I make a point to call my mother every night.Â
  I used to read posts from guys with less days that were saying how good they felt, how good they were doing, and I thought maybe I was just not going to hit the good days. For the newbies reading this, I cannot tell you when you will start to feel right again. For me it has been 150+ days. You may get there sooner, or possibly later as each of us are very different. The point of this post is you will get there at whatever time is right for you. I love the way I feel now and the person I am becoming. I just wish I had figured this out a long time ago. Do not doubt at some point you will feel better. I will happen !!Â
STAY STRONG !! STAY QUIT !!
You give me hope as I still do not feel 100% myself yet. I do feel the confidence coming back though.
Outstanding post Greg, very powerful insight!
cool finding out how your mind and body function without a steady stream of poison coursing thru it. Thats awesome
sm
-
Day 158
 I am feeling like the old me more each day. My sense of humor is returning, my sleep has gotten better, I am starting to enjoy work again. Anyone reading my previous posts knows I fought the mental part of this addiction much worse than I did the physical part. My anxiety was nuts for the first 130 or so days. DonÂ’t get me wrong I did have some good days mixed in there but never felt quite “right.” I would go to bed worrying if I had quit too late, already damaged me beyond repair. It was also the first thoughts I would wake with. I have told many people I have been to the doctor more in the past 120 days than I was in the past 15 years.Â
  As I sit and think about it now I am not really sure what “right” is. Everything I have ever done was with a NIC soaked mind, so I guess I am learning what “right” is as I go along. I just know that I have had some very good days recently. I am not going to bed worrying the whole time; I am not waking up like that either. I work out 3-4 times a week, I walk every night with my daughter, I spend time talking to my wife in the evening. I make a point to call my mother every night.Â
  I used to read posts from guys with less days that were saying how good they felt, how good they were doing, and I thought maybe I was just not going to hit the good days. For the newbies reading this, I cannot tell you when you will start to feel right again. For me it has been 150+ days. You may get there sooner, or possibly later as each of us are very different. The point of this post is you will get there at whatever time is right for you. I love the way I feel now and the person I am becoming. I just wish I had figured this out a long time ago. Do not doubt at some point you will feel better. I will happen !!Â
STAY STRONG !! STAY QUIT !!
You give me hope as I still do not feel 100% myself yet. I do feel the confidence coming back though.
Outstanding post Greg, very powerful insight!
Glad it is helping. That is exactly why I started this page. I kept wondering if it was going to get better and it has. Not letting my guard down, but it has been a good run of days.
-
Hey Greg, keep on trucking man. You're a bonafide quit beast.
-
Hey Greg, keep on trucking man. You're a bonafide quit beast.
"A bonafied quitting beast"
I like that !! If some of my ramblings help another quitter or make someone start quitting then this page is well worth it.
B)
-
Day 162
Man what a day. Beautiful morning, mid 60's light breeze. I was in a great mood again, something that has been happening more and more. Going to be great day!! Got up early and went in to work so I could get done before my 1030 Tee time. Sitting at my desk working away, snuck onto the site as I typically do on the weekend. Posted my promise and read some of the posts from the newbies. Man I do remember the first weeks and how scared I was, how bad I felt, and how pissed I was and still am that I ever started this shit in the first place.
Golfed with my usual group of guys, they are pretty cool. One of them still dips but knows I have quit so he tries to hide when he is packing his lip. I told him it was cool he did not need to hide from me, I am quit... I dont need that shit. If only I could get him to see what I see, feel what I feel, he would stop that shit in a second. I tell him he is a puss and that real men quit, I tell him about the site and hope he shows up one day.
Got back home and wathced the Masters for awile, then drove to where my wife and daughter were. I actually chose to go spend the evening with them at a dance competition. Before I quit the only way I would have been at a dance cometition was if you dragged me kicking and sreaming. I think they were both more than surprised to see me sitting there. My daughter rocked the place and got two big ass trophies. They both had huge smiles on their faces all night long.
Now I am sitting in the hotel room with both of them asleep and thinking to myself what a glorious day this has been. I am so glad I am quit, it has more benefits than I could have imagined. For the newbies, keep fighting it is worth it !! I am still pissed at myself for ever starting this shit in the first place, even more pissed that it took me this long to stop. I am proud of myself for the 162 days I have put together. I will wake up tomorrow and do the same thing !!
I am a bonefied quit beast !!
-
Helping others
It still amazes me how many people on this site are willing to drop what they are doing and will help you with whatever problem you may be having. While this is a nicotine cessation site it goes far beyond that. This site is the way things should be. You see a brother/sister struggling and you immediately rush to help them. Imagine what it would be like if the world was like this place.
I know for certain I am going out of my way now to help people when I see they need it. For me that is a new experience. I would have to admit I was somewhat of a dick prior to my quit. I spent my days worrying just about myself, never spent much time looking to see if anyone around me needed help. How sad; I wasted thousands of chances to make a difference in someone elseÂ’s day/life. This quit has forced me to look differently at myself and to be honest I did not like what I saw. I am changing that daily.
Newbies, the reason for this post is for you to understand how this place works. In the beginning of my quit I was not comfortable giving my number out over the internet, I simply posted my number and logged off the site. I really believe I did not want others to be able to get in touch with me, I wanted an out if I needed one. Ask yourself, if you could do this on your own why are you here? You are here to get the support this place offers so make sure you are using the site the way it is meant to be used. Let people get to know you and reach out if you need help.
Get numbers and give yours out freely, get to know people on here and plan to meet some face to face. It has power you cannot imagine. I have had the unique opportunity to talk to numerous people from this site. I now have friends all over the country and I plan to meet as many as I can. My phone now has 40+ numbers in it and I have given mine out more than a two dollar hooker. The point is I am now willing to help others, and I WANT to help others.
I have had the privilege of helping three different quitters through rough times and helping them keep their quits ! Each time I got off the phone I felt like such a bad ass it is hard to explain. Helping others has a power you cannot believe and will make your quit that much stronger.
-
Nicotine and dipping facts
For those of you that might still be reminiscing about how "good" it was to dip or how "fun" it was take a look at a few facts I pulled off some different web sites today. The good news is we are all quit so this does not apply to us any longer. Newbies, if you have not quit yet maybe this will kick you in the ass and get you motivated to quit.
Nicotine was first isolated from the tobacco plant in 1828 by German chemists Posselt Reimann, who considered it a poison
It functions as an antiherbivore chemical with particular specificity to insects; therefore nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past
There are growing concerns that long-term nicotine use may actually be eating away and destroying the brain.
Recent studies suggest that it is irrelevant if nicotine is administrated by cigarettes, chewing gum, or oral tobacco products. The effects on the body are the same.
Nicotine is a super toxin. Drop for drop it is deadlier than diamondback rattlesnake venom, more lethal than strychnine and three times deadlier than arsenic
A natural insecticide, it has no business inside the human mouth, bloodstream or brain.
According to the American Heart Association, the "nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break."
Chemical dependency upon nicotine is every bit as real, deep and permanent as alcoholism, crystal meth, or heroin addiction.
As with other drugs of addiction, an external chemical has taken the smokeless tobacco user's brain dopamine reward pathways hostage, quickly burying almost all memory of what life without nicotine was like.
Dipping 8 to 10 times a day can bring as much nicotine into the body as smoking 30-40 cigarettes
Chewing tobacco contains 28 carcinogens, including tobacco-specific nitrosamines. Other cancer-causing substances include formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, crotonaldeyde, hydrazine, arsenic, nickel, cadmium, benzopyrene and polonium (which gives off radiation).
Dependency researchers tell us that nicotine may be the most perfectly designed drug of addiction. It not only causes the release of dopamine but shuts off flow of the chemical assigned to clean-up dopamine once released (MAO B, also known as the killjoy enzyme). This allows adjoining brain cells to remain under the influence of dopamine longer.
Encountering a trigger cannot trigger relapse unless you take a dip. But take heart. Most triggers are reconditioned and extinguished by a single encounter during which the subconscious mind fails to receive the expected result - nicotine.
None of this shit sounds very good to me except the last part about kicking Nicotines ass and re-wiring my brain. Good thing I am QUIT !!
-
Nicotine and dipping facts
For those of you that might still be reminiscing about how "good" it was to dip or how "fun" it was take a look at a few facts I pulled off some different web sites today. The good news is we are all quit so this does not apply to us any longer. Newbies, if you have not quit yet maybe this will kick you in the ass and get you motivated to quit.
Nicotine was first isolated from the tobacco plant in 1828 by German chemists Posselt Reimann, who considered it a poison
It functions as an antiherbivore chemical with particular specificity to insects; therefore nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past
There are growing concerns that long-term nicotine use may actually be eating away and destroying the brain.
Recent studies suggest that it is irrelevant if nicotine is administrated by cigarettes, chewing gum, or oral tobacco products. The effects on the body are the same.
Nicotine is a super toxin. Drop for drop it is deadlier than diamondback rattlesnake venom, more lethal than strychnine and three times deadlier than arsenic
A natural insecticide, it has no business inside the human mouth, bloodstream or brain.
According to the American Heart Association, the "nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break."
Chemical dependency upon nicotine is every bit as real, deep and permanent as alcoholism, crystal meth, or heroin addiction.
As with other drugs of addiction, an external chemical has taken the smokeless tobacco user's brain dopamine reward pathways hostage, quickly burying almost all memory of what life without nicotine was like.
Dipping 8 to 10 times a day can bring as much nicotine into the body as smoking 30-40 cigarettes
Chewing tobacco contains 28 carcinogens, including tobacco-specific nitrosamines. Other cancer-causing substances include formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, crotonaldeyde, hydrazine, arsenic, nickel, cadmium, benzopyrene and polonium (which gives off radiation).
Dependency researchers tell us that nicotine may be the most perfectly designed drug of addiction. It not only causes the release of dopamine but shuts off flow of the chemical assigned to clean-up dopamine once released (MAO B, also known as the killjoy enzyme). This allows adjoining brain cells to remain under the influence of dopamine longer.
Encountering a trigger cannot trigger relapse unless you take a dip. But take heart. Most triggers are reconditioned and extinguished by a single encounter during which the subconscious mind fails to receive the expected result - nicotine.
None of this shit sounds very good to me except the last part about kicking Nicotines ass and re-wiring my brain. Good thing I am QUIT !!
Very interesting stuff, Greg. The last part about breaking the reward system rings true to me. I definitely feel that once I beat a particular trigger once, it is much easier after that. Thanks for collecting all that.
-
On the subject of chemical control of dopamine, I agree completely. This may sound strange, but to you I'm sure it doesn't. I am much happier since I quit. It took a while but its true. Not the kinda instant happy that goes away fast, but the deep seated joy of living. I've enjoyed this Spring greatly, Work is interesting and enjoyable, I am happy to be with my family after work and on the weekends.
Because of this, other people around me are happier. Letting someone in in traffic, positive reinforcement of a coworker's work, etc.
It has been interesting and I'm glad I broke through the initial fog and waited.
Thanks for your commitment Greg.
-
I am happier on most days. I still have days that suck ass, but for the most part I am happier. I am nicer to people, I let people out in traffic, I spend more time with my wife and daughter so whatever is causing that then I am all for it.
Now I just need to figure out a way to get rid of the "off" days. Guess that comes with more time.
-
Day 160
Another good day in the books and one more day away from the NIC bitch. I took the day off with the plan of golfing in the morning, going to get some wings and beer and watch the Masters in the afternoon. The weather did not allow any golfing today, cold, windy. I did get to watch the Masters however. But what I really did was spend a ton of time on the site today reading and I have to say I am not happy, so this post is for the newbies.
Newbies; I lived on this site for the first 100 days or more of my quit. I logged in at work, read, posted, read some more. I learned what makes this place work, and what is expected of me to be a member of this community. Not sure how I got any work done really with the amount of time I spent here, but I did manage to keep my job. This site was the one thing I could rely on each day. My moods were all over the place, I slept like shit off and on, my appetite was all over the place, but this place was constant there was going to be something said that I needed to hear to push me to the next day, so I read, read, read, posted my own two cents, basically leaned on my brothers and this site to keep me going and I could always be found in the live chat at night. I have been spending less time during the day on here, which is probably good for me keeping my job, but I still post my promise every morning, and I am still active on here at night.
I have to say I do not believe you are reading enough on this site. You log in post your promise and “hope” you can quit. That my dear newbie is not going to get it done. You need to read what is expected on this site. You cannot post your promise and then dip; that is not how this works. Our word to each other is what keeps us quit, at least for me it has been the ONLY thing that has, the first 160 days clean in the past 23+ years of my life. I see way too many people taking roll call for granted and it is pissing me off. Posting roll is the cornerstone of this site, stop shitting on it !!
Quitting is hard, the hardest thing I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. Yes I still have “ off “ days that I did not have when I was dipping all the time, but my life is much better now than before. All I ask of you is to read what is expected from you and live up to that. If you cannot keep your promise when you post roll then you are not ready to quit.
I hope all of you reading this have made your decision and are ready to quit and post your promise. If so we will welcome you and help you any way we can. Post your promise and dipÂ… well that is another story.
-
Day 168
The last couple of days were strange. If it was a funk then it was different than any of the funks I have had before. It was more like a blah, fukit, kinda feeling. I think it was just another lame ass attempt by the NIC bitch to wiggle her way back into my life. Kind of hard to explain, I was not really craving but the thought of dipping was on my mind more than it had been in recent memory, and my mood was a little down. I had even watched some of the smokers today at work and did not feel the disgust I typically do. I posted roll in my group only to find many of them talking about the same sorts of things so maybe it was a funk, whatever it was I kicked that shit to the curb.
Today has been much better. I am feeling like I have been. I have to laugh now when shit like the last couple of days happens. No way I am sticking that shit in my face again, at some point I am hoping the NIC bitch figures that out and leaves me alone. But if she decides she needs to come fuck with me every month or so.. so be it. I guess I earned that.
However NIC bitch when you do come to see me the answer is going to be the same as the last time you visitedÂ…..
Fuck off ! I donÂ’t do that shit anymoreÂ….
-
Day 168
The last couple of days were strange. If it was a funk then it was different than any of the funks I have had before. It was more like a blah, fukit, kinda feeling. I think it was just another lame ass attempt by the NIC bitch to wiggle her way back into my life. Kind of hard to explain, I was not really craving but the thought of dipping was on my mind more than it had been in recent memory, and my mood was a little down. I had even watched some of the smokers today at work and did not feel the disgust I typically do. I posted roll in my group only to find many of them talking about the same sorts of things so maybe it was a funk, whatever it was I kicked that shit to the curb.
Today has been much better. I am feeling like I have been. I have to laugh now when shit like the last couple of days happens. No way I am sticking that shit in my face again, at some point I am hoping the NIC bitch figures that out and leaves me alone. But if she decides she needs to come fuck with me every month or so.. so be it. I guess I earned that.
However NIC bitch when you do come to see me the answer is going to be the same as the last time you visitedÂ…..
Fuck off ! I donÂ’t do that shit anymoreÂ….
Gives me wood!
'clap' 'clap' 'clap'
-
Day 168
The last couple of days were strange. If it was a funk then it was different than any of the funks I have had before. It was more like a blah, fukit, kinda feeling. I think it was just another lame ass attempt by the NIC bitch to wiggle her way back into my life. Kind of hard to explain, I was not really craving but the thought of dipping was on my mind more than it had been in recent memory, and my mood was a little down. I had even watched some of the smokers today at work and did not feel the disgust I typically do. I posted roll in my group only to find many of them talking about the same sorts of things so maybe it was a funk, whatever it was I kicked that shit to the curb.Â
Today has been much better. I am feeling like I have been. I have to laugh now when shit like the last couple of days happens. No way I am sticking that shit in my face again, at some point I am hoping the NIC bitch figures that out and leaves me alone. But if she decides she needs to come fuck with me every month or so.. so be it. I guess I earned that.Â
However NIC bitch when you do come to see me the answer is going to be the same as the last time you visitedÂ…..
Fuck off ! I don’t do that shit anymore….
Gives me wood!
'clap' 'clap' 'clap'
you inspire me man! i start day 1 tomorrow! thank you for the inspiration!
-
Day 168
The last couple of days were strange. If it was a funk then it was different than any of the funks I have had before. It was more like a blah, fukit, kinda feeling. I think it was just another lame ass attempt by the NIC bitch to wiggle her way back into my life. Kind of hard to explain, I was not really craving but the thought of dipping was on my mind more than it had been in recent memory, and my mood was a little down. I had even watched some of the smokers today at work and did not feel the disgust I typically do. I posted roll in my group only to find many of them talking about the same sorts of things so maybe it was a funk, whatever it was I kicked that shit to the curb.Â
Today has been much better. I am feeling like I have been. I have to laugh now when shit like the last couple of days happens. No way I am sticking that shit in my face again, at some point I am hoping the NIC bitch figures that out and leaves me alone. But if she decides she needs to come fuck with me every month or so.. so be it. I guess I earned that.Â
However NIC bitch when you do come to see me the answer is going to be the same as the last time you visitedÂ…..
Fuck off ! I don’t do that shit anymore….
Gives me wood!
'clap' 'clap' 'clap'
Thanks Ready ! You have inspired my quit. Some day I will be a quit stud like you !!
One day at a time !!
-
Day 168
The last couple of days were strange. If it was a funk then it was different than any of the funks I have had before. It was more like a blah, fukit, kinda feeling.  I think it was just another lame ass attempt by the NIC bitch to wiggle her way back into my life.  Kind of hard to explain, I was not really craving but the thought of dipping was on my mind more than it had been in recent memory, and my mood was a little down. I had even watched some of the smokers today at work and did not feel the disgust I typically do.  I posted roll in my group only to find many of them talking about the same sorts of things so maybe it was a funk, whatever it was I kicked that shit to the curb.Â
Today has been much better. I am feeling like I have been. I have to laugh now when shit like the last couple of days happens. No way I am sticking that shit in my face again, at some point I am hoping the NIC bitch figures that out and leaves me alone. But if she decides she needs to come fuck with me every month or so.. so be it. I guess I earned that.Â
However NIC bitch when you do come to see me the answer is going to be the same as the last time you visitedÂ…..
Fuck off ! I don’t do that shit anymore….
Gives me wood!
'clap' 'clap' 'clap'
you inspire me man! i start day 1 tomorrow! thank you for the inspiration!
Mustang,
I hope you mean what you posted. I post my quit hoping it does help others. The vets here have helped me achieve something I have not been able to do on my own, and I feel a huge obligation to help others.
Quitting is hard work, I will help you in whatever way I can. Be serious about your quit, if you are you will get all the support you need. All I ask is do not come into this with a weak ass resolve, post your promise and keep your word. It really is that simple... not easy, but simple.
-
Day 160
Another good day in the books and one more day away from the NIC bitch. I took the day off with the plan of golfing in the morning, going to get some wings and beer and watch the Masters in the afternoon. The weather did not allow any golfing today, cold, windy. I did get to watch the Masters however. But what I really did was spend a ton of time on the site today reading and I have to say I am not happy, so this post is for the newbies.
Newbies; I lived on this site for the first 100 days or more of my quit. I logged in at work, read, posted, read some more. I learned what makes this place work, and what is expected of me to be a member of this community. Not sure how I got any work done really with the amount of time I spent here, but I did manage to keep my job. This site was the one thing I could rely on each day. My moods were all over the place, I slept like shit off and on, my appetite was all over the place, but this place was constant there was going to be something said that I needed to hear to push me to the next day, so I read, read, read, posted my own two cents, basically leaned on my brothers and this site to keep me going and I could always be found in the live chat at night. I have been spending less time during the day on here, which is probably good for me keeping my job, but I still post my promise every morning, and I am still active on here at night.
I have to say I do not believe you are reading enough on this site. You log in post your promise and “hope” you can quit. That my dear newbie is not going to get it done. You need to read what is expected on this site. You cannot post your promise and then dip; that is not how this works. Our word to each other is what keeps us quit, at least for me it has been the ONLY thing that has, the first 160 days clean in the past 23+ years of my life. I see way too many people taking roll call for granted and it is pissing me off. Posting roll is the cornerstone of this site, stop shitting on it !!
Quitting is hard, the hardest thing I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. Yes I still have “ off “ days that I did not have when I was dipping all the time, but my life is much better now than before. All I ask of you is to read what is expected from you and live up to that. If you cannot keep your promise when you post roll then you are not ready to quit.
I hope all of you reading this have made your decision and are ready to quit and post your promise. If so we will welcome you and help you any way we can. Post your promise and dipÂ… well that is another story.
Great Post - I know as a newbie (9 days) reading everything on this site has helped me immensley.
-
Day 160
Another good day in the books and one more day away from the NIC bitch. I took the day off with the plan of golfing in the morning, going to get some wings and beer and watch the Masters in the afternoon. The weather did not allow any golfing today, cold, windy. I did get to watch the Masters however. But what I really did was spend a ton of time on the site today reading and I have to say I am not happy, so this post is for the newbies.
Newbies; I lived on this site for the first 100 days or more of my quit. I logged in at work, read, posted, read some more. I learned what makes this place work, and what is expected of me to be a member of this community. Not sure how I got any work done really with the amount of time I spent here, but I did manage to keep my job. This site was the one thing I could rely on each day. My moods were all over the place, I slept like shit off and on, my appetite was all over the place, but this place was constant there was going to be something said that I needed to hear to push me to the next day, so I read, read, read, posted my own two cents, basically leaned on my brothers and this site to keep me going and I could always be found in the live chat at night. I have been spending less time during the day on here, which is probably good for me keeping my job, but I still post my promise every morning, and I am still active on here at night.
I have to say I do not believe you are reading enough on this site. You log in post your promise and “hope” you can quit. That my dear newbie is not going to get it done. You need to read what is expected on this site. You cannot post your promise and then dip; that is not how this works. Our word to each other is what keeps us quit, at least for me it has been the ONLY thing that has, the first 160 days clean in the past 23+ years of my life. I see way too many people taking roll call for granted and it is pissing me off. Posting roll is the cornerstone of this site, stop shitting on it !!
Quitting is hard, the hardest thing I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. Yes I still have “ off “ days that I did not have when I was dipping all the time, but my life is much better now than before. All I ask of you is to read what is expected from you and live up to that. If you cannot keep your promise when you post roll then you are not ready to quit.Â
I hope all of you reading this have made your decision and are ready to quit and post your promise. If so we will welcome you and help you any way we can. Post your promise and dip… well that is another story.
Great Post - I know as a newbie (9 days) reading everything on this site has helped me immensley.
BMartin,
Thanks for stopping by. I hope my ramblings help others. Know this is hard work, but it can be done. Wake up each day and post your promise, keep your word and you will be quit.
I will help you however I can, PM me if you need to. You got this.....
-
Day 168
The last couple of days were strange. If it was a funk then it was different than any of the funks I have had before. It was more like a blah, fukit, kinda feeling.  I think it was just another lame ass attempt by the NIC bitch to wiggle her way back into my life.  Kind of hard to explain, I was not really craving but the thought of dipping was on my mind more than it had been in recent memory, and my mood was a little down. I had even watched some of the smokers today at work and did not feel the disgust I typically do.  I posted roll in my group only to find many of them talking about the same sorts of things so maybe it was a funk, whatever it was I kicked that shit to the curb.Â
Today has been much better. I am feeling like I have been. I have to laugh now when shit like the last couple of days happens. No way I am sticking that shit in my face again, at some point I am hoping the NIC bitch figures that out and leaves me alone. But if she decides she needs to come fuck with me every month or so.. so be it. I guess I earned that.Â
However NIC bitch when you do come to see me the answer is going to be the same as the last time you visitedÂ…..
Fuck off ! I don’t do that shit anymore….
Gives me wood!
'clap' 'clap' 'clap'
you inspire me man! i start day 1 tomorrow! thank you for the inspiration!
Mustang,
I hope you mean what you posted. I post my quit hoping it does help others. The vets here have helped me achieve something I have not been able to do on my own, and I feel a huge obligation to help others.
Quitting is hard work, I will help you in whatever way I can. Be serious about your quit, if you are you will get all the support you need. All I ask is do not come into this with a weak ass resolve, post your promise and keep your word. It really is that simple... not easy, but simple.
i mean what i post and i will keep posting and posting roll and i will keep my word! I just threw out all my empty cans and spitters and had a half can of grizz mint and flushed it down the toilet! it's on. I'm gettin quit my man!!!
-
Day 171
The last few days have been good ones. Typical of how my quit has been, come off a funk and have some of the best days of quitting. I am a little on the pissed off side of things right now though and I will explain why.
To be honest with everyone I have avoided C stores like the plague, and if I did have to go into one I would not let my eyes stray to the tobacco layout behind the counter. I was not sure how I would handle seeing rows of my chosen poison, so I chose to stay away. Something for you newbs to think about and add to your plan.
Well I was feeling pretty damn good yesterday morning. Had a great day and evening on Saturday and was feeling bulletproof. So I headed too my old stomping ground to see my favorite girl, that I had not seen since I quit. I walked in and grabbed my OJ and proceeded to check out. There it was, right in front of me.. rows and rows of tobacco. Funny thing is I did not get a bad ass craving, I really felt more disgusted by it.
Sadly I have never spent much time looking at all the choices there were these days. I knew my particular brand and was not that concerned about the rest. Looking at the display started pissing me off. ( Now remember when I started this shit there were two choices Skoal fine cut and Copenhagen unless you wanted to chew or snort.) It was almost mind numbing the choices and flavors Grape, Apple, Cherry, Long Cut, Pouches, Snus, I got dizzy trying to see all the different choices. Why so many ?? Simple, to addict as many people as possible.
These fuckers are making and selling the perfect addictive drug and are marketing it to every sector of society, especially kids. If you think I am full of shit who would dip apple flavored pouches ?? To think I supported the tobacco industry for as long as I did nauseates me.
So I get up this morning still pissed about what I had seen at the store yesterday. I get on the site and see a story posted about Nicotine candy, Nicotine toothpicks, Nicotine breath strips.. WTF ?? This has gotten to new lows!! For those of you that may have missed it I will add it to this post but for FUCK sake what will they think of next. The only way to get them hooked any younger would be adding Nicotine to baby formulaÂ… Wow.
For those of you that are just starting your quit and are thinking you miss how good it was read the story below. The people at BIG TOBACCO are death dealers and will stop at nothing to have a new generation of ‘addicts” to line their pockets with cash. If you are reading this and have not chosen to stop yet, dump your shit and get to quitting. Stop giving your money to these fucks….. I am so glad I am QUIT. Seeing shit like this just makes my resolve that much stronger.
Nicotine Candy
(Health.com) -- A new generation of smokeless, flavored tobacco products that look like breath mints or breath-freshening strips may be life-threatening for children who mistake them for candy, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Nicotine is a poison, and now we're seeing smokeless tobacco products that look like Tic Tacs or MM's, which parents can leave on the counter and children can be attracted to," says Greg N. Connolly, D.M.D., the director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Connolly led a research team that found that smokeless tobacco products are the second most common cause of nicotine poisoning in children, after cigarettes. The researchers reviewed data from 61 poison control centers and identified 13,705 cases of tobacco ingestion between 2006 and 2008, the vast majority of which were in infants. Smokeless tobacco was involved in 1,768 of the cases.
The new products -- currently being test-marketed in three cities -- include Camel Orbs, which resemble breath mints; Camel Sticks, which are about the size of a toothpick and dissolve in the mouth; and Camel Strips, which are similar to breath-freshening strips. Small, teabag-like "snus" -- pouches filled with tobacco that are placed between the upper lip and gum -- are also a potential hazard, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.
These products are not smoking cessation aids; rather, they are marketed as a nicotine alternative in places where smoking isn't allowed.
Although children in the study were most often poisoned from eating cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in general, the researchers single out the new, dissolvable products -- especially Camel Orbs -- as a "major concern." Orbs are available in cinnamon and mint flavors and could easily be mistaken for candy, the researchers say."The candy form can only mean trouble, particularly for children and infants," says Connolly. "And snus are attractive, flavorful, and easily ingested by an infant or child."
R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard says that the packaging of Camel Orbs and the other dissolvable products is "100 percent child-resistant in accordance with Consumer Product Safety Commission standards" and bears a label that says "Keep Out of Reach of Children." Adults, he adds, should ensure that "children do not have access to any tobacco products -- including dissolvable tobacco products."
Still, the researchers say, the pellets could find their way into children's mouths. Nicotine poisoning can cause nausea or vomiting, and severe cases can result in convulsions, respiratory failure, and even death. Just under 0.5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight is the minimum lethal dose for children, according to Connolly.
A chemical analysis conducted by Connolly and his colleagues found that Camel Orbs contain an average of 0.83 milligrams of nicotine in each pellet. Some of the nicotine is "un-ionized," which allows for more rapid absorption and may be more toxic than other forms of the drug, they write.
"A small pellet with a rapid release of nicotine and a young child with a low body weight can be a very serious problem," Connolly says. "We have to look at high-risk groups who may ingest these thinking that they are candy and be very cautious about dispensing them and not leaving them around."
Regulators, he adds, "must ask tough questions about who is at risk from these products, and who we are trying to help with them."
To focus on the poison risk of Camel Orbs and dissolvable nicotine products is "remarkably selective," Howard says. He points out that Connolly and his colleagues make no mention of nicotine gums and lozenges used in smoking cessation, which are also available in a range of flavors and resemble candy and gum.
In a commentary accompanying the study, officials from the Center for Tobacco Products at the Food and Drug Administration write that dissolvable tobacco products "pose unique concerns for public health authorities." Dr. Marisa Cruz, M.D., and Dr. Lawrence Deyton, M.D., write that the FDA has requested research on the products from tobacco companies and will hold a series of public meetings to help develop a regulatory policy.
The FDA has broad authority to regulate tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law last June. Later that fall, the agency banned the sale of candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes.
"I would feel safer if the FDA...looked at the packaging [of these products] as well as their safety," says Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, M.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Health.com: How to buy the right air cleaner
While accidental infant poisonings are certainly cause for concern, purposeful ingestion of smokeless tobacco products by kids and teens may be a larger problem, Winickoff points out. As the study notes, the use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents increased 6 percent per year from 2002 to 2006."An adolescent thinks this is harmless because it looks harmless, but they're exposing their brain to nicotine, and there's a chance that they would be primed to develop a nicotine addiction," says Winickoff, who was not involved in the study. "If teens ended up using smokeless product because they are attracted to candy flavors and they end up getting addicted to nicotine, the public health benefit of smokeless tobacco is neutralized."
One of the study authors, Terry F. Pechacek, Ph.D., the associate director for science at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health in Atlanta said that more than half of people who use smokeless tobacco are underage.
Products such as Camel Orbs, he says, "look like candy, are more easily concealed, and can be used at school or in front of parents. That raises even greater concerns."
-
Day 171
The last few days have been good ones. Typical of how my quit has been, come off a funk and have some of the best days of quitting. I am a little on the pissed off side of things right now though and I will explain why.
To be honest with everyone I have avoided C stores like the plague, and if I did have to go into one I would not let my eyes stray to the tobacco layout behind the counter. I was not sure how I would handle seeing rows of my chosen poison, so I chose to stay away. Something for you newbs to think about and add to your plan.
Well I was feeling pretty damn good yesterday morning. Had a great day and evening on Saturday and was feeling bulletproof. So I headed too my old stomping ground to see my favorite girl, that I had not seen since I quit. I walked in and grabbed my OJ and proceeded to check out. There it was, right in front of me.. rows and rows of tobacco. Funny thing is I did not get a bad ass craving, I really felt more disgusted by it.
Sadly I have never spent much time looking at all the choices there were these days. I knew my particular brand and was not that concerned about the rest. Looking at the display started pissing me off. ( Now remember when I started this shit there were two choices Skoal fine cut and Copenhagen unless you wanted to chew or snort.) It was almost mind numbing the choices and flavors Grape, Apple, Cherry, Long Cut, Pouches, Snus, I got dizzy trying to see all the different choices. Why so many ?? Simple, to addict as many people as possible.
These fuckers are making and selling the perfect addictive drug and are marketing it to every sector of society, especially kids. If you think I am full of shit who would dip apple flavored pouches ?? To think I supported the tobacco industry for as long as I did nauseates me.
So I get up this morning still pissed about what I had seen at the store yesterday. I get on the site and see a story posted about Nicotine candy, Nicotine toothpicks, Nicotine breath strips.. WTF ?? This has gotten to new lows!! For those of you that may have missed it I will add it to this post but for FUCK sake what will they think of next. The only way to get them hooked any younger would be adding Nicotine to baby formulaÂ… Wow.
For those of you that are just starting your quit and are thinking you miss how good it was read the story below. The people at BIG TOBACCO are death dealers and will stop at nothing to have a new generation of ‘addicts” to line their pockets with cash. If you are reading this and have not chosen to stop yet, dump your shit and get to quitting. Stop giving your money to these fucks….. I am so glad I am QUIT. Seeing shit like this just makes my resolve that much stronger.
Nicotine Candy
(Health.com) -- A new generation of smokeless, flavored tobacco products that look like breath mints or breath-freshening strips may be life-threatening for children who mistake them for candy, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Nicotine is a poison, and now we're seeing smokeless tobacco products that look like Tic Tacs or MM's, which parents can leave on the counter and children can be attracted to," says Greg N. Connolly, D.M.D., the director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Connolly led a research team that found that smokeless tobacco products are the second most common cause of nicotine poisoning in children, after cigarettes. The researchers reviewed data from 61 poison control centers and identified 13,705 cases of tobacco ingestion between 2006 and 2008, the vast majority of which were in infants. Smokeless tobacco was involved in 1,768 of the cases.
The new products -- currently being test-marketed in three cities -- include Camel Orbs, which resemble breath mints; Camel Sticks, which are about the size of a toothpick and dissolve in the mouth; and Camel Strips, which are similar to breath-freshening strips. Small, teabag-like "snus" -- pouches filled with tobacco that are placed between the upper lip and gum -- are also a potential hazard, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.
These products are not smoking cessation aids; rather, they are marketed as a nicotine alternative in places where smoking isn't allowed.
Although children in the study were most often poisoned from eating cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in general, the researchers single out the new, dissolvable products -- especially Camel Orbs -- as a "major concern." Orbs are available in cinnamon and mint flavors and could easily be mistaken for candy, the researchers say."The candy form can only mean trouble, particularly for children and infants," says Connolly. "And snus are attractive, flavorful, and easily ingested by an infant or child."
R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard says that the packaging of Camel Orbs and the other dissolvable products is "100 percent child-resistant in accordance with Consumer Product Safety Commission standards" and bears a label that says "Keep Out of Reach of Children." Adults, he adds, should ensure that "children do not have access to any tobacco products -- including dissolvable tobacco products."
Still, the researchers say, the pellets could find their way into children's mouths. Nicotine poisoning can cause nausea or vomiting, and severe cases can result in convulsions, respiratory failure, and even death. Just under 0.5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight is the minimum lethal dose for children, according to Connolly.
A chemical analysis conducted by Connolly and his colleagues found that Camel Orbs contain an average of 0.83 milligrams of nicotine in each pellet. Some of the nicotine is "un-ionized," which allows for more rapid absorption and may be more toxic than other forms of the drug, they write.
"A small pellet with a rapid release of nicotine and a young child with a low body weight can be a very serious problem," Connolly says. "We have to look at high-risk groups who may ingest these thinking that they are candy and be very cautious about dispensing them and not leaving them around."
Regulators, he adds, "must ask tough questions about who is at risk from these products, and who we are trying to help with them."
To focus on the poison risk of Camel Orbs and dissolvable nicotine products is "remarkably selective," Howard says. He points out that Connolly and his colleagues make no mention of nicotine gums and lozenges used in smoking cessation, which are also available in a range of flavors and resemble candy and gum.
In a commentary accompanying the study, officials from the Center for Tobacco Products at the Food and Drug Administration write that dissolvable tobacco products "pose unique concerns for public health authorities." Dr. Marisa Cruz, M.D., and Dr. Lawrence Deyton, M.D., write that the FDA has requested research on the products from tobacco companies and will hold a series of public meetings to help develop a regulatory policy.
The FDA has broad authority to regulate tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law last June. Later that fall, the agency banned the sale of candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes.
"I would feel safer if the FDA...looked at the packaging [of these products] as well as their safety," says Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, M.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Health.com: How to buy the right air cleaner
While accidental infant poisonings are certainly cause for concern, purposeful ingestion of smokeless tobacco products by kids and teens may be a larger problem, Winickoff points out. As the study notes, the use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents increased 6 percent per year from 2002 to 2006."An adolescent thinks this is harmless because it looks harmless, but they're exposing their brain to nicotine, and there's a chance that they would be primed to develop a nicotine addiction," says Winickoff, who was not involved in the study. "If teens ended up using smokeless product because they are attracted to candy flavors and they end up getting addicted to nicotine, the public health benefit of smokeless tobacco is neutralized."
One of the study authors, Terry F. Pechacek, Ph.D., the associate director for science at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health in Atlanta said that more than half of people who use smokeless tobacco are underage.
Products such as Camel Orbs, he says, "look like candy, are more easily concealed, and can be used at school or in front of parents. That raises even greater concerns."
Greg, that is some scary shit!!! New lows big tobacco will stoop down to to make up for steadily declining cigarette sales. FUCKERS!!!! Like you all I had was Cope, Skoal, and you forgot that Happy Days Work crap. 'bang head'
-
Day 171
The last few days have been good ones. Typical of how my quit has been, come off a funk and have some of the best days of quitting. I am a little on the pissed off side of things right now though and I will explain why.
To be honest with everyone I have avoided C stores like the plague, and if I did have to go into one I would not let my eyes stray to the tobacco layout behind the counter. I was not sure how I would handle seeing rows of my chosen poison, so I chose to stay away. Something for you newbs to think about and add to your plan.Â
Well I was feeling pretty damn good yesterday morning. Had a great day and evening on Saturday and was feeling bulletproof. So I headed too my old stomping ground to see my favorite girl, that I had not seen since I quit. I walked in and grabbed my OJ and proceeded to check out. There it was, right in front of me.. rows and rows of tobacco. Funny thing is I did not get a bad ass craving, I really felt more disgusted by it.Â
Sadly I have never spent much time looking at all the choices there were these days. I knew my particular brand and was not that concerned about the rest. Looking at the display started pissing me off. ( Now remember when I started this shit there were two choices Skoal fine cut and Copenhagen unless you wanted to chew or snort.) It was almost mind numbing the choices and flavors Grape, Apple, Cherry, Long Cut, Pouches, Snus, I got dizzy trying to see all the different choices. Why so many ?? Simple, to addict as many people as possible.Â
These fuckers are making and selling the perfect addictive drug and are marketing it to every sector of society, especially kids. If you think I am full of shit who would dip apple flavored pouches ?? To think I supported the tobacco industry for as long as I did nauseates me.Â
So I get up this morning still pissed about what I had seen at the store yesterday. I get on the site and see a story posted about Nicotine candy, Nicotine toothpicks, Nicotine breath strips.. WTF ?? This has gotten to new lows!! For those of you that may have missed it I will add it to this post but for FUCK sake what will they think of next. The only way to get them hooked any younger would be adding Nicotine to baby formulaÂ…Â Wow.Â
For those of you that are just starting your quit and are thinking you miss how good it was read the story below. The people at BIG TOBACCO are death dealers and will stop at nothing to have a new generation of ‘addicts” to line their pockets with cash. If you are reading this and have not chosen to stop yet, dump your shit and get to quitting. Stop giving your money to these fucksÂ….. I am so glad I am QUIT. Seeing shit like this just makes my resolve that much stronger.Â
Nicotine Candy
(Health.com) -- A new generation of smokeless, flavored tobacco products that look like breath mints or breath-freshening strips may be life-threatening for children who mistake them for candy, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Nicotine is a poison, and now we're seeing smokeless tobacco products that look like Tic Tacs or MM's, which parents can leave on the counter and children can be attracted to," says Greg N. Connolly, D.M.D., the director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Connolly led a research team that found that smokeless tobacco products are the second most common cause of nicotine poisoning in children, after cigarettes. The researchers reviewed data from 61 poison control centers and identified 13,705 cases of tobacco ingestion between 2006 and 2008, the vast majority of which were in infants. Smokeless tobacco was involved in 1,768 of the cases.
The new products -- currently being test-marketed in three cities -- include Camel Orbs, which resemble breath mints; Camel Sticks, which are about the size of a toothpick and dissolve in the mouth; and Camel Strips, which are similar to breath-freshening strips. Small, teabag-like "snus" -- pouches filled with tobacco that are placed between the upper lip and gum -- are also a potential hazard, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.
These products are not smoking cessation aids; rather, they are marketed as a nicotine alternative in places where smoking isn't allowed.
Although children in the study were most often poisoned from eating cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in general, the researchers single out the new, dissolvable products -- especially Camel Orbs -- as a "major concern." Orbs are available in cinnamon and mint flavors and could easily be mistaken for candy, the researchers say."The candy form can only mean trouble, particularly for children and infants," says Connolly. "And snus are attractive, flavorful, and easily ingested by an infant or child."
R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard says that the packaging of Camel Orbs and the other dissolvable products is "100 percent child-resistant in accordance with Consumer Product Safety Commission standards" and bears a label that says "Keep Out of Reach of Children." Adults, he adds, should ensure that "children do not have access to any tobacco products -- including dissolvable tobacco products."
Still, the researchers say, the pellets could find their way into children's mouths. Nicotine poisoning can cause nausea or vomiting, and severe cases can result in convulsions, respiratory failure, and even death. Just under 0.5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight is the minimum lethal dose for children, according to Connolly.
A chemical analysis conducted by Connolly and his colleagues found that Camel Orbs contain an average of 0.83 milligrams of nicotine in each pellet. Some of the nicotine is "un-ionized," which allows for more rapid absorption and may be more toxic than other forms of the drug, they write.
"A small pellet with a rapid release of nicotine and a young child with a low body weight can be a very serious problem," Connolly says. "We have to look at high-risk groups who may ingest these thinking that they are candy and be very cautious about dispensing them and not leaving them around."
Regulators, he adds, "must ask tough questions about who is at risk from these products, and who we are trying to help with them."
To focus on the poison risk of Camel Orbs and dissolvable nicotine products is "remarkably selective," Howard says. He points out that Connolly and his colleagues make no mention of nicotine gums and lozenges used in smoking cessation, which are also available in a range of flavors and resemble candy and gum.
In a commentary accompanying the study, officials from the Center for Tobacco Products at the Food and Drug Administration write that dissolvable tobacco products "pose unique concerns for public health authorities." Dr. Marisa Cruz, M.D., and Dr. Lawrence Deyton, M.D., write that the FDA has requested research on the products from tobacco companies and will hold a series of public meetings to help develop a regulatory policy.
The FDA has broad authority to regulate tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law last June. Later that fall, the agency banned the sale of candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes.
"I would feel safer if the FDA...looked at the packaging [of these products] as well as their safety," says Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, M.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Health.com: How to buy the right air cleaner
While accidental infant poisonings are certainly cause for concern, purposeful ingestion of smokeless tobacco products by kids and teens may be a larger problem, Winickoff points out. As the study notes, the use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents increased 6 percent per year from 2002 to 2006."An adolescent thinks this is harmless because it looks harmless, but they're exposing their brain to nicotine, and there's a chance that they would be primed to develop a nicotine addiction," says Winickoff, who was not involved in the study. "If teens ended up using smokeless product because they are attracted to candy flavors and they end up getting addicted to nicotine, the public health benefit of smokeless tobacco is neutralized."
One of the study authors, Terry F. Pechacek, Ph.D., the associate director for science at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health in Atlanta said that more than half of people who use smokeless tobacco are underage.
Products such as Camel Orbs, he says, "look like candy, are more easily concealed, and can be used at school or in front of parents. That raises even greater concerns."
Greg, that is some scary shit!!! New lows big tobacco will stoop down to to make up for steadily declining cigarette sales. FUCKERS!!!! Like you all I had was Cope, Skoal, and you forgot that Happy Days Work crap. 'bang head'
Dammit I did forget happy days... oh well. And you are right, Candy Nicotine is some scary shit.. !! It should be illegal !!
-
Day 178
Well just got back from a 3 day golf trip. GREAT time, the weather was good two of the three days. But it was a GREAT trip even playing in the wind and rain one day.
Sadly I almost backed out of this trip. It was the first time during my quit I was going to be surrounded by numerous guys dipping, smoking, and drinking and to be honest I was not sure how comfortable I was going to be. I was not really worried about caving, just was not sure about my comfort level with that much alcohol and NIC in the same place. I was nervous about the trip for a couple of days leading up to leaving and my anxiety was cranked up a notch on the trip down.
Now I am sitting here after the trip is over and feel like I should kick my own ass. To think I would even consider NOT going on this trip pisses me off. What a great time, and a great bunch of guys. (And I won enough between poker and golf to pay for my trip. ) I had a couple of light craves on the course and when we were playing cards but nothing bad.
I watched my friends stuffing their lips or lighting up a cigar and just thought to myself how sad it was that I used to be the same way. One of the guys even got a bit too much NIC and was feeling like shit for about 5 holes. I told him it was the NIC from the cigar and that he should just stop smoking them all together since he only smokes them from time to time.
I took my HOF coin out of the plastic cover it came in and used it as a ball marker on this trip. My original thought for doing this was every time I lined up a putt I would see the coin and no matter how bad the craves got I would have that reminder. The craves never got that bad but I got an unexpected bonus, a bunch of the guys commented on it, and a couple of guys asked me about the site. Hopefully they will show up. It does make a wicked ball marker!!
I got through this trip with just a couple of light craves, easily laughed off. Spent the rest of the time kicking the NIC bitch in the ass and spending time with friends and doing something I really enjoy. And to think I actually thought about skipping it so I would not "possibly" have a problem. I still cannot believe how my mind works sometimes. I am FIRMLY committed to my quit, just need days like these to re-affirm that from time to time.....
Newbies, get out of the house, enjoy your family and your friends. Life really is BETTER without stuffing that crap in your face.
-
Day 178
Well just got back from a 3 day golf trip. GREAT time, the weather was good two of the three days. But it was a GREAT trip even playing in the wind and rain one day.
Sadly I almost backed out of this trip. It was the first time during my quit I was going to be surrounded by numerous guys dipping, smoking, and drinking and to be honest I was not sure how comfortable I was going to be. I was not really worried about caving, just was not sure about my comfort level with that much alcohol and NIC in the same place. I was nervous about the trip for a couple of days leading up to leaving and my anxiety was cranked up a notch on the trip down.
Now I am sitting here after the trip is over and feel like I should kick my own ass. To think I would even consider NOT going on this trip pisses me off. What a great time, and a great bunch of guys. (And I won enough between poker and golf to pay for my trip. ) I had a couple of light craves on the course and when we were playing cards but nothing bad.
I watched my friends stuffing their lips or lighting up a cigar and just thought to myself how sad it was that I used to be the same way. One of the guys even got a bit too much NIC and was feeling like shit for about 5 holes. I told him it was the NIC from the cigar and that he should just stop smoking them all together since he only smokes them from time to time.
I took my HOF coin out of the plastic cover it came in and used it as a ball marker on this trip. My original thought for doing this was every time I lined up a putt I would see the coin and no matter how bad the craves got I would have that reminder. The craves never got that bad but I got an unexpected bonus, a bunch of the guys commented on it, and a couple of guys asked me about the site. Hopefully they will show up. It does make a wicked ball marker!!
I got through this trip with just a couple of light craves, easily laughed off. Spent the rest of the time kicking the NIC bitch in the ass and spending time with friends and doing something I really enjoy. And to think I actually thought about skipping it so I would not "possibly" have a problem. I still cannot believe how my mind works sometimes. I am FIRMLY committed to my quit, just need days like these to re-affirm that from time to time.....
Newbies, get out of the house, enjoy your family and your friends. Life really is BETTER without stuffing that crap in your face.
Life is great when you're quit. Don't let it pass you by.
Well done.
-
Day 178
  Well just got back from a 3 day golf trip. GREAT time, the weather was good two of the three days. But it was a GREAT trip even playing in the wind and rain one day.
   Sadly I almost backed out of this trip. It was the first time during my quit I was going to be surrounded by numerous guys dipping, smoking, and drinking and to be honest I was not sure how comfortable I was going to be. I was not really worried about caving, just was not sure about my comfort level with that much alcohol and NIC in the same place. I was nervous about the trip for a couple of days leading up to leaving and my anxiety was cranked up a notch on the trip down.
   Now I am sitting here after the trip is over and feel like I should kick my own ass. To think I would even consider NOT going on this trip pisses me off. What a great time, and a great bunch of guys. (And I won enough between poker and golf to pay for my trip. ) I had a couple of light craves on the course and when we were playing cards but nothing bad.
   I watched my friends stuffing their lips or lighting up a cigar and just thought to myself how sad it was that I used to be the same way. One of the guys even got a bit too much NIC and was feeling like shit for about 5 holes. I told him it was the NIC from the cigar and that he should just stop smoking them all together since he only smokes them from time to time.Â
   I took my HOF coin out of the plastic cover it came in and used it as a ball marker on this trip. My original thought for doing this was every time I lined up a putt I would see the coin and no matter how bad the craves got I would have that reminder. The craves never got that bad but I got an unexpected bonus, a bunch of the guys commented on it, and a couple of guys asked me about the site. Hopefully they will show up. It does make a wicked ball marker!!Â
   I got through this trip with just a couple of light craves, easily laughed off. Spent the rest of the time kicking the NIC bitch in the ass and spending time with friends and doing something I really enjoy. And to think I actually thought about skipping it so I would not "possibly" have a problem. I still cannot believe how my mind works sometimes. I am FIRMLY committed to my quit, just need days like these to re-affirm that from time to time.....
   Newbies, get out of the house, enjoy your family and your friends. Life really is BETTER without stuffing that crap in your face.
Life is great when you're quit. Don't let it pass you by.
Well done.
Epic
'clap'
-
Day 181
Today was wierd for me. Kind of a mini funk I guess. Woke up for the first time in a long time in a shitty mood. No reason for it really just woke up pissed off. Got to work and that certainly did not help my mood any. My boss is on my last fucking nerve anyway and today he got all over it.
I have not had a real crave in a long time. It is funny when I get a crave now it is really more for a fakie than the real stuff, but today for some reason the bitch started whispering to me. At first it caught me off gaurd, like some voice from the past, sounded farmilar but strange at the same time. "Come on, you can have one you deserve it. " " One will not hurt you, you deserve it." My jaws started hurting, my mouth was watering, holy shit a white knuckle full blown crave. WTF ?
I remembered I had not posted this morning. I was so busy I did not post so I jumped on the site quick and posted my promise. I then got up and walked around the building for a bit, still craving, got my coffee straw and chewed the shit out of it, tore up a half bag of seeds, and some gum. Crave started to pass. Felt like day 5 again. Wow, I have not had a crave like that in a long time, pissed me off when it was over. Not really sure if it was the stress, the anger, whatever but something set it off.
I felt like a dumb ass when it was over, allowing outside influences to get me off balance. But I felt like a BAD ASS when I kicked the crave in the ass and got on with my day.
Keep your gaurd up at all times... the shit can sneak up on you.
-
Post has been edited by a moderator.
-
Day 183
Well I am not sure exactly what the cause was, full moon, planet alignment, reverse polarity whatever but 183 has been MISERABLE. I woke up and it flet like day 4 all over again. My anxiety was insane all day long and the craves came in waves. I was eating seeds, dipping fake, chewing straws and gum like there was no tomorrow. INTENSE !!
I have not had a day like this one in a LONG time. I had almost forgotten how wierd the shit can get. I simply dropped my expectations for the day and focused on getting past this shit and back to the good days. The NIC bitch has been whispering to me some this week, today she threw out all the stops !!
No matter how hard you try the answer is still the same... FUCK YOU !!! I do not do that shit anymore....
Hopefully 184 will be better.....
-
Day 183
Well I am not sure exactly what the cause was, full moon, planet alignment, reverse polarity whatever but 183 has been MISERABLE. I woke up and it flet like day 4 all over again. My anxiety was insane all day long and the craves came in waves. I was eating seeds, dipping fake, chewing straws and gum like there was no tomorrow. INTENSE !!
I have not had a day like this one in a LONG time. I had almost forgotten how wierd the shit can get. I simply dropped my expectations for the day and focused on getting past this shit and back to the good days. The NIC bitch has been whispering to me some this week, today she threw out all the stops !!
No matter how hard you try the answer is still the same... FUCK YOU !!! I do not do that shit anymore....
Hopefully 184 will be better.....
G5280- couple things.
First, I can't speak for anybody else, but I hit a nice patch of funk around 200. It can and does come back. The time between funks gets larger and larger but you'll still hit patches that suck. You need to stay prepared for them, I think this is where alot of people fail. They have become secure in there quit and then hit some rough times and POW a day 1.
Second, I notice that if I hang out with guys smoking cigars in a smoke filled room for any period of time, it leads to some rough craves shortly thereafter. Even second hand smoke can re-ignite the nicotine receptors in your brain. When this happens they are all going to scream for nic until they quiest down and " go back to sleep". I would be suspicious of your poker game. If you got enough smoke you could be dealing with some of the after effects.
The law of addiction is that once you re-introduce the substance you are addicted to. YOu instantly re-boot the cravings for it. As an example I left a smoke filled bar on St Patty's day because I knew that sitting there for an hour was going to lead to a rough few days after the fact for me. Not quite a day 1-3 but intense craves.
Stay on your toes.
sm
-
Day 183
  Well I am not sure exactly what the cause was, full moon, planet alignment, reverse polarity whatever but 183 has been MISERABLE. I woke up and it flet like day 4 all over again. My anxiety was insane all day long and the craves came in waves. I was eating seeds, dipping fake, chewing straws and gum like there was no tomorrow. INTENSE !!
   I have not had a day like this one in a LONG time. I had almost forgotten how wierd the shit can get. I simply dropped my expectations for the day and focused on getting past this shit and back to the good days. The NIC bitch has been whispering to me some this week, today she threw out all the stops !!
   No matter how hard you try the answer is still the same... FUCK YOU !!! I do not do that shit anymore....
Hopefully 184 will be better.....
G5280- couple things.
First, I can't speak for anybody else, but I hit a nice patch of funk around 200. It can and does come back. The time between funks gets larger and larger but you'll still hit patches that suck. You need to stay prepared for them, I think this is where alot of people fail. They have become secure in there quit and then hit some rough times and POW a day 1.
Second, I notice that if I hang out with guys smoking cigars in a smoke filled room for any period of time, it leads to some rough craves shortly thereafter. Even second hand smoke can re-ignite the nicotine receptors in your brain. When this happens they are all going to scream for nic until they quiest down and " go back to sleep". I would be suspicious of your poker game. If you got enough smoke you could be dealing with some of the after effects.
The law of addiction is that once you re-introduce the substance you are addicted to. YOu instantly re-boot the cravings for it. As an example I left a smoke filled bar on St Patty's day because I knew that sitting there for an hour was going to lead to a rough few days after the fact for me. Not quite a day 1-3 but intense craves.
Stay on your toes.
sm
SM,
You know I never even thought about that but it does make sense. I watched how much I drank etc, but I never really thought about all those guys smoking and if it would bother me at all. Interesting; and it would explain the "off" week I had. Another lesson learned.
Good thing about living where I do is you cannot smoke in public places so I do not have to avoid going out with people, but I certainly will be watching being in a room full of smokers in the future.
I won't say this past week has been good for me, or that I enjoyed it, because I certainly have not. But weeks like this do make you re-focus !!
-
Day 186
As has been the case during my entire quit I can bank on the fact that after a funk no matter how bad or how long I am going to have some great days after. Well this funk has been no different. I did have a terrible week last week and after reading SM's post it makes sense to me why I had trouble.
The good part is I have my tools in place and can work my way through the wierd stuff. I am not sure if the funks will ever totally go away and as I have said before if I have to fight off funks forever... well I guess I earned that. Could be much worse.
What I do know is living through a funk sucks ass, sometimes sucks major ass, but the days that follow make it clear to me that being free of the demon is worth fighting for. I read the other day a statement something like this.
On the days when you are struggling you are "working" on your quit. On the days when everything is going well you are "living" your quit. Well I "worked" the shit out of my quit last week and so far this week I am enjoying "living" my quit.
" The only time Success comes before Work is in the Dictionary."
Newbies: There will be days you have to fight your ass off to stay quit. There is no magic number that makes it all better. Keep your tools close and use them. The days you "live" your quit certainly make up for the days you have to "work" your quit.
-
Day 193
The past week has probably been the best week of my quit so far ! My mood has been great and to be honest I have rarely thought about dip, and when I did it was more of a passing thought. It has been a very nice change from the previous days of my quit. I feel like I did as I was heading to the HOF, I fought through a bad ass funk and now its easy street to the second floor.
The first Fucknut hit the second floor today ! I hate that our group has gotten so small but I guess it just goes to show the power of this addiction. Even 193 days into my quit she still whispers in my ear sometimes. I still wish I had never started dipping the shit in the first place, but I guess I cannot undo that. I also wish I had started quitting a long time ago.
Newbies, I know the first parts of your quit are going to suck ass, mine sure did. Enjoy the good days when you get them and realize the deeper into your quit you get the more good days you have. I certainly do not know it all, but I do know at 193 I enjoy more good days than I did at 160. Do not give in when the shit gets wierd, fight through it and lets see how good it can really get.
-
Day 193
The past week has probably been the best week of my quit so far ! My mood has been great and to be honest I have rarely thought about dip, and when I did it was more of a passing thought. It has been a very nice change from the previous days of my quit. I feel like I did as I was heading to the HOF, I fought through a bad ass funk and now its easy street to the second floor.
The first Fucknut hit the second floor today ! I hate that our group has gotten so small but I guess it just goes to show the power of this addiction. Even 193 days into my quit she still whispers in my ear sometimes. I still wish I had never started dipping the shit in the first place, but I guess I cannot undo that. I also wish I had started quitting a long time ago.
Newbies, I know the first parts of your quit are going to suck ass, mine sure did. Enjoy the good days when you get them and realize the deeper into your quit you get the more good days you have. I certainly do not know it all, but I do know at 193 I enjoy more good days than I did at 160. Do not give in when the shit gets wierd, fight through it and lets see how good it can really get.
hey man - just wanted to let you know that I've had a bit of a funk going on this morning and was looking for some quit inspiration on the site. spent the morning reading through your whole journal and it's really helped strengthen my resolve. your tales of battles fought and won and reaping the benefits of clean living were just what i needed today. thanks, brother. -KD
-
Day 193
  The past week has probably been the best week of my quit so far ! My mood has been great and to be honest I have rarely thought about dip, and when I did it was more of a passing thought. It has been a very nice change from the previous days of my quit. I feel like I did as I was heading to the HOF, I fought through a bad ass funk and now its easy street to the second floor.
   The first Fucknut hit the second floor today ! I hate that our group has gotten so small but I guess it just goes to show the power of this addiction. Even 193 days into my quit she still whispers in my ear sometimes. I still wish I had never started dipping the shit in the first place, but I guess I cannot undo that. I also wish I had started quitting a long time ago.Â
   Newbies, I know the first parts of your quit are going to suck ass, mine sure did. Enjoy the good days when you get them and realize the deeper into your quit you get the more good days you have. I certainly do not know it all, but I do know at 193 I enjoy more good days than I did at 160. Do not give in when the shit gets wierd, fight through it and lets see how good it can really get.
hey man - just wanted to let you know that I've had a bit of a funk going on this morning and was looking for some quit inspiration on the site. spent the morning reading through your whole journal and it's really helped strengthen my resolve. your tales of battles fought and won and reaping the benefits of clean living were just what i needed today. thanks, brother. -KD
Great to hear ! That was the whole intent of my intro page so hearing that it actually helps is very nice to hear. Keep fighting it, it really does get better.
-
Day 194
Good day today. Was sitting at work when my wife sent me this in an e-mail. Pretty good stuff. I have read most of this stuff before but it takes on a whole new meaning since I quit. Here's to the good days !!
'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today,
life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'
'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'
'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a life.'
'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'
'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back...'
'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'
'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'
'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back....'
'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn..'
'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'
Newbies, there are many added benefits to quitting. You will feel better but you will also become a better person. I look back at the person I used to be 194 days ago and wonder how and why my family put up with my shit. I am so glad I am done with dipping. I just wish I had quit sooner.
-
Would I dip again ?
I have seen this question posted in different areas off and on and it gets me to thinking. Would I ever dip again knowing what I know now?
I have played different scenarios in my head during my quit, and thought would any of these would be permissible to allow me to dip again? It is funny to me that I actually spent all this time thinking about this stuff, maybe I need another hobby. Below are some of the things that have passed through my mind on the subject.
1. The terminal illness – This is the one that has to be the easiest to answer right? If I get a terminal illness and was going to die anyway well why not add dipping back to the equation, I mean I am dying anyway so why not?
2. Some terrible tragedy – pick one. Life gives you many to choose from. For me the one that kept playing in my head was something to do with losing my family thus rendering my desire to remain quit or alive a null point. So pack one?
3. The end of the world - If I knew the end of the world was at hand would I run to the store and get a can. This one for me was some nuclear attack from N. Korea or something like that. I knew I had time before the end so why not run to the store and grab a can. Who would it hurt? It would all be over in an hour anyway.
There are others but I think you get the point, so letÂ’s get to the answer. Would I dip again knowing what I know now for any of the reasons listed above, or for any other reason?
Well my answer to that question today is different than it was at the beginning of my quit, three months ago, even a month ago. I used to think if any of the above happened I would most certainly run to the store and buy a can. What possible difference could it make? I have fought long and hard and if the end was coming why not face it with a fatty? Today I will tell you there is no fucking way I would ever put a dip back in my face. Even if I knew I would die in an hour and could have one I would not do it.
I have learned far too much about tobacco/nicotine and the fuckers that produce/ sell it. How they researched their product and chemically enhanced it to make me/you more dependent on it. How they target our children and hope to hook them too. I have developed a seething hatred for everything their miserable fucking company/product represents.
They have poisoned my family members, me, you, and are looking for more lifelong addicts so they can add to their bottom line. They do not give a shit what their product does to your body or your family. They sell poison on a daily basis to millions and are thinking of creative ways to expand their client base.
Would I ever dip againÂ… FUCK NO !! I will set my money on fire before I give one more cent to those death dealers.
Newbies: Get over the illusion that you miss this shit, you do not. You did not like it, it was not fun, it did not help anything. You were addicted to a chemically enhanced super drug. Quit romanticizing it and look at it with open eyes. Develop a hate for it, the people that make and sell it, and it will make it much easier for you to remain quit.
-
Would I dip again ?
I have seen this question posted in different areas off and on and it gets me to thinking. Would I ever dip again knowing what I know now?
I have played different scenarios in my head during my quit, and thought would any of these would be permissible to allow me to dip again? It is funny to me that I actually spent all this time thinking about this stuff, maybe I need another hobby. Below are some of the things that have passed through my mind on the subject.
1. The terminal illness – This is the one that has to be the easiest to answer right? If I get a terminal illness and was going to die anyway well why not add dipping back to the equation, I mean I am dying anyway so why not?
2. Some terrible tragedy – pick one. Life gives you many to choose from. For me the one that kept playing in my head was something to do with losing my family thus rendering my desire to remain quit or alive a null point. So pack one?
3. The end of the world - If I knew the end of the world was at hand would I run to the store and get a can. This one for me was some nuclear attack from N. Korea or something like that. I knew I had time before the end so why not run to the store and grab a can. Who would it hurt? It would all be over in an hour anyway.
There are others but I think you get the point, so letÂ’s get to the answer. Would I dip again knowing what I know now for any of the reasons listed above, or for any other reason?
Well my answer to that question today is different than it was at the beginning of my quit, three months ago, even a month ago. I used to think if any of the above happened I would most certainly run to the store and buy a can. What possible difference could it make? I have fought long and hard and if the end was coming why not face it with a fatty? Today I will tell you there is no fucking way I would ever put a dip back in my face. Even if I knew I would die in an hour and could have one I would not do it.
I have learned far too much about tobacco/nicotine and the fuckers that produce/ sell it. How they researched their product and chemically enhanced it to make me/you more dependent on it. How they target our children and hope to hook them too. I have developed a seething hatred for everything their miserable fucking company/product represents.
They have poisoned my family members, me, you, and are looking for more lifelong addicts so they can add to their bottom line. They do not give a shit what their product does to your body or your family. They sell poison on a daily basis to millions and are thinking of creative ways to expand their client base.
Would I ever dip againÂ… FUCK NO !! I will set my money on fire before I give one more cent to those death dealers.
Newbies: Get over the illusion that you miss this shit, you do not. You did not like it, it was not fun, it did not help anything. You were addicted to a chemically enhanced super drug. Quit romanticizing it and look at it with open eyes. Develop a hate for it, the people that make and sell it, and it will make it much easier for you to remain quit.
Well said...well said.
-
Would I dip again ?
I have seen this question posted in different areas off and on and it gets me to thinking. Would I ever dip again knowing what I know now?
I have played different scenarios in my head during my quit, and thought would any of these would be permissible to allow me to dip again? It is funny to me that I actually spent all this time thinking about this stuff, maybe I need another hobby. Below are some of the things that have passed through my mind on the subject.
1. The terminal illness – This is the one that has to be the easiest to answer right? If I get a terminal illness and was going to die anyway well why not add dipping back to the equation, I mean I am dying anyway so why not?
2. Some terrible tragedy – pick one. Life gives you many to choose from. For me the one that kept playing in my head was something to do with losing my family thus rendering my desire to remain quit or alive a null point. So pack one?
3. The end of the world - If I knew the end of the world was at hand would I run to the store and get a can. This one for me was some nuclear attack from N. Korea or something like that. I knew I had time before the end so why not run to the store and grab a can. Who would it hurt? It would all be over in an hour anyway.
There are others but I think you get the point, so letÂ’s get to the answer. Would I dip again knowing what I know now for any of the reasons listed above, or for any other reason?
Well my answer to that question today is different than it was at the beginning of my quit, three months ago, even a month ago. I used to think if any of the above happened I would most certainly run to the store and buy a can. What possible difference could it make? I have fought long and hard and if the end was coming why not face it with a fatty? Today I will tell you there is no fucking way I would ever put a dip back in my face. Even if I knew I would die in an hour and could have one I would not do it.
I have learned far too much about tobacco/nicotine and the fuckers that produce/ sell it. How they researched their product and chemically enhanced it to make me/you more dependent on it. How they target our children and hope to hook them too. I have developed a seething hatred for everything their miserable fucking company/product represents.
They have poisoned my family members, me, you, and are looking for more lifelong addicts so they can add to their bottom line. They do not give a shit what their product does to your body or your family. They sell poison on a daily basis to millions and are thinking of creative ways to expand their client base.
Would I ever dip againÂ… FUCK NO !! I will set my money on fire before I give one more cent to those death dealers.
Newbies: Get over the illusion that you miss this shit, you do not. You did not like it, it was not fun, it did not help anything. You were addicted to a chemically enhanced super drug. Quit romanticizing it and look at it with open eyes. Develop a hate for it, the people that make and sell it, and it will make it much easier for you to remain quit.
awesome...just fuckin' awesome...
-
Day 200
The SECOND floor !! 200 days with no tobacco or Nicotine ! Hard for me to believe! There have been days that seemed to fly by, and there are days that have dragged ass every miserable fucking second; but through all of it I have remained quit ! I posted my promise daily and kept my word. This is by far the longest time I have not dipped since I was 15 and it is really amazing.
This place, a bunch of screen names and people I will probably never see, have helped me stay quit and I am at a loss for words to try and explain it. I am really enjoying all of the phone calls, texts, PMÂ’s and well wishes from everyone on the boards today. This site and all of you crazy ass quitters ROCK, I feel excellent ! Best decision I have ever made !!
I thought today I would spend some time looking back on what I have learned to this point in my quit.
1. Quitting is hard work – You have to wake up every day and fight to stay quit. It does get easier as time passes, but it is still something I have to focus on each day. Maybe that goes away in time but for now I will wake up each morning, post roll, and keep my promise. Has worked for me for 200 days now and I see no reason to change it.
2. There is no acceptable reason to start dipping again - In the beginning of my quit I tried to think of good reasons to start dipping again. As I got more time in my quit and spent more time on the site I realized what I was trying to do. I am an addict, always will be, and I was trying to convince myself I needed my drug back. No matter what is going on Nicotine is not going to make it better!
3. Helping others helps me – I have learned that what really helped me so far has been reaching out and helping others. Keeping my mind busy was huge for me. The more time your mind is idle the more time you have to worry about getting your fix or some strange illness you have come down with. I fought some bad ass anxiety early on and being active helped me with that. Besides its pretty cool to know I am helping others gain freedom from a terrible addiction.
4. Quitting forces you to look at who you were – This one for me has been hard to deal with. Unfortunately I was not the nicest person to my friends and family over the past years. As I got deeper into my addiction I withdrew from my family, friends, co-worker. I just wanted to dip. I would make up excuses not to go places with my wife and daughter so I could sit at home alone and dip. Very ashamed of that. But looking at it with open eyes ensures I will NOT be making the same mistakes again.
5. Quitting makes you a better person - I feel like I am a better person now. I go out of my way to be nice to people when I travel. I actually speak to them and they speak back. I laugh and joke with people at the store and go out of my way to try to improve their day. I realized I was taking all the good things in my life for granted and not truly appreciating them. Again not something I will be doing again. I spend time with my family, walk with my daughter each night, call my mother on the way home, and try to help as many newbies as I can.
My life is certainly better today that it was 200 days ago. I just wish I had figured out how to quit a long time ago.
Newbies: I still have a long way to go, but it certainly is better today than it was on day 20. Wake up each day, post your promise and keep your word. It really IS that simple.
Thanks to everyone on this site vets, newbies, and even those who have not decided to quit yet!! You have helped me change my life and for that I am eternally grateful !!
-
Congratulations on the two hundo. Nice job
-
Congratulations on the two hundo. Nice job
Thanks !! Look forward to seeing you hit 200 as well !!
-
'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'
I swear to God, the first time I read this, I thought the word "pains" was "penis." Equally wise proverb either way, I suppose. :lol:
Greg, really good stuff the past few days...BIG congrats on the 2nd floor!!!
-
'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'
I swear to God, the first time I read this, I thought the word "pains" was "penis." Equally wise proverb either way, I suppose. :lol:
Greg, really good stuff the past few days...BIG congrats on the 2nd floor!!!
Thanks for stoppin by. The last few days have been very good ones. The way I have felt recently is worth all the fighting I had to do to get here !!
I have no illusions that I am all better now, I just know what to do when the funks, craves hit. I will be around watchin you get to 200 also !!
-
Day 200
The SECOND floor !! 200 days with no tobacco or Nicotine ! Hard for me to believe! There have been days that seemed to fly by, and there are days that have dragged ass every miserable fucking second; but through all of it I have remained quit ! I posted my promise daily and kept my word. This is by far the longest time I have not dipped since I was 15 and it is really amazing.
This place, a bunch of screen names and people I will probably never see, have helped me stay quit and I am at a loss for words to try and explain it. I am really enjoying all of the phone calls, texts, PMÂ’s and well wishes from everyone on the boards today. This site and all of you crazy ass quitters ROCK, I feel excellent ! Best decision I have ever made !!
I thought today I would spend some time looking back on what I have learned to this point in my quit.
1. Quitting is hard work – You have to wake up every day and fight to stay quit. It does get easier as time passes, but it is still something I have to focus on each day. Maybe that goes away in time but for now I will wake up each morning, post roll, and keep my promise. Has worked for me for 200 days now and I see no reason to change it.
2. There is no acceptable reason to start dipping again - In the beginning of my quit I tried to think of good reasons to start dipping again. As I got more time in my quit and spent more time on the site I realized what I was trying to do. I am an addict, always will be, and I was trying to convince myself I needed my drug back. No matter what is going on Nicotine is not going to make it better!
3. Helping others helps me – I have learned that what really helped me so far has been reaching out and helping others. Keeping my mind busy was huge for me. The more time your mind is idle the more time you have to worry about getting your fix or some strange illness you have come down with. I fought some bad ass anxiety early on and being active helped me with that. Besides its pretty cool to know I am helping others gain freedom from a terrible addiction.
4. Quitting forces you to look at who you were – This one for me has been hard to deal with. Unfortunately I was not the nicest person to my friends and family over the past years. As I got deeper into my addiction I withdrew from my family, friends, co-worker. I just wanted to dip. I would make up excuses not to go places with my wife and daughter so I could sit at home alone and dip. Very ashamed of that. But looking at it with open eyes ensures I will NOT be making the same mistakes again.
5. Quitting makes you a better person - I feel like I am a better person now. I go out of my way to be nice to people when I travel. I actually speak to them and they speak back. I laugh and joke with people at the store and go out of my way to try to improve their day. I realized I was taking all the good things in my life for granted and not truly appreciating them. Again not something I will be doing again. I spend time with my family, walk with my daughter each night, call my mother on the way home, and try to help as many newbies as I can.
My life is certainly better today that it was 200 days ago. I just wish I had figured out how to quit a long time ago.
Newbies: I still have a long way to go, but it certainly is better today than it was on day 20. Wake up each day, post your promise and keep your word. It really IS that simple.
Thanks to everyone on this site vets, newbies, and even those who have not decided to quit yet!! You have helped me change my life and for that I am eternally grateful !!
Dude, you're my Yoda.
-
Day 200
  The SECOND floor !! 200 days with no tobacco or Nicotine ! Hard for me to believe! There have been days that seemed to fly by, and there are days that have dragged ass every miserable fucking second; but through all of it I have remained quit ! I posted my promise daily and kept my word. This is by far the longest time I have not dipped since I was 15 and it is really amazing.Â
   This place, a bunch of screen names and people I will probably never see, have helped me stay quit and I am at a loss for words to try and explain it. I am really enjoying all of the phone calls, texts, PM’s and well wishes from everyone on the boards today. This site and all of you crazy ass quitters ROCK, I feel excellent ! Best decision I have ever made !!
I thought today I would spend some time looking back on what I have learned to this point in my quit.
1. Quitting is hard work – You have to wake up every day and fight to stay quit. It does get easier as time passes, but it is still something I have to focus on each day. Maybe that goes away in time but for now I will wake up each morning, post roll, and keep my promise. Has worked for me for 200 days now and I see no reason to change it.
2. There is no acceptable reason to start dipping again - In the beginning of my quit I tried to think of good reasons to start dipping again. As I got more time in my quit and spent more time on the site I realized what I was trying to do. I am an addict, always will be, and I was trying to convince myself I needed my drug back. No matter what is going on Nicotine is not going to make it better!
3. Helping others helps me – I have learned that what really helped me so far has been reaching out and helping others. Keeping my mind busy was huge for me. The more time your mind is idle the more time you have to worry about getting your fix or some strange illness you have come down with. I fought some bad ass anxiety early on and being active helped me with that. Besides its pretty cool to know I am helping others gain freedom from a terrible addiction.
4. Quitting forces you to look at who you were – This one for me has been hard to deal with. Unfortunately I was not the nicest person to my friends and family over the past years. As I got deeper into my addiction I withdrew from my family, friends, co-worker. I just wanted to dip. I would make up excuses not to go places with my wife and daughter so I could sit at home alone and dip. Very ashamed of that. But looking at it with open eyes ensures I will NOT be making the same mistakes again.
5. Quitting makes you a better person - I feel like I am a better person now. I go out of my way to be nice to people when I travel. I actually speak to them and they speak back. I laugh and joke with people at the store and go out of my way to try to improve their day. I realized I was taking all the good things in my life for granted and not truly appreciating them. Again not something I will be doing again. I spend time with my family, walk with my daughter each night, call my mother on the way home, and try to help as many newbies as I can.Â
My life is certainly better today that it was 200 days ago. I just wish I had figured out how to quit a long time ago.Â
Newbies: I still have a long way to go, but it certainly is better today than it was on day 20. Wake up each day, post your promise and keep your word. It really IS that simple.Â
Thanks to everyone on this site vets, newbies, and even those who have not decided to quit yet!! You have helped me change my life and for that I am eternally grateful !!
Dude, you're my Yoda.
I am glad my posts helped you ! It has been important to me to read the stories of the guys in front of me so I knew what was coming.
I see you are pretty active, that helps occupy the mind. Keep doing whatever you have to do to keep clean for the day.
-
Day 210
210 days NIC free ! Summer is right around the corner, I am spending tons of time outsideÂ… Life is good. My quit is rocking along, my mood has been great, and there have been plenty of newbies around to talk to and guide along.
I woke up early again this morning, which happens often these days. Instead of jumping right up I layed in bed for a bit just thinking of some of the things I have missed or what has changed since I quit. Kind of cracked me up so I thought todayÂ’s update should be about that.
1. I always used to have a dip in after dinner. Most of the time around 2100 ( 9PM for you civilians ) I would nod off for a little nap. About 30-45 minutes into the nap I would wake up to the feeling of spit and dip running down my throat. Typically I would cough, gag, eyes watering, almost puke, shoot back up to a sitting position to catch my breath and get back to watching TV. Never even thought about spitting out the dip.?! Funny thing is since I quit dipping I do not need the before bed nap. I really miss all that choking and gagging.?!?
2. All of my jeans and dress pants had the “ring” in the pocket and most of them had the stain on the lower cuff. You know what I mean… I have replaced most of my clothes and it is amazing I have not had to worry about where to wipe my post dip fingers. I also have not had dip grains in all my pockets for quite some time. I miss both of those ?!?!
3. I had my truck detailed at day 100. The guy doing the detailing asked me about all the dip grains under the seat, actually all over the truck. It is amazing the places that shit actually got to. I had all the spilled spit stains taken out of the carpet and amazingly I have not had to worry about spitters rolling around, dumping, stinking up my truck. I really miss having to stop at the gas station and get some paper towels to clean all the spit up from the floor on the way to work.
4. I have not done the pat down in quite some time. Well I still do the pat down but I do not have to pat my left ass cheek anymore ensuring my can is there. It is nice not spazzing out in the morning when you wake up to find your can only has a few grains left and you do not have a backup. I really do miss that urgent rush to the store for the replacement can.
Those were the four things that popped into my mind this morning. I look back on the way I used to be and truly wonder how I had any friends at all. I was a disgusting person 210 days ago. I see people now with spit bottles in their hands half full of spit and just shake my head. Why did it take me so long to figure it outÂ… ??
One thing in closing: I can no longer spit for shit. I used to be able to spit with amazing accuracy. I am sure most of you can relate to all the “target” spitting that used to go on. Hitting the hole of an open coke can while driving down the road, hitting the open end of a bottle while walking, the casual long range spit into the trash can you were walking past, the early morning close quarters spit into the toilet ( you know what I am talking about. ) and so on. Well today as I was standing in the rest room getting rid of the 3rd bottle of water from the morning I tried to spit in the big ass urinal and missed. I missed the whole fucking thing and almost spit on my shoe. I laughed my ass off for about 5 minutes…. I guess it is a small price to pay for being quit.
STAY QUIT !!!
-
June 3-5
I will be in Buffalo New York on the dates above. Anyone that lives in the area that would like to meet for a beer and some food let me know.
-
Day 217
On the road again. Saw this sign today and stopped to write it down. Pretty much sums up one of the core values of this site and the reason I have been able to stay quit.
Accountability
We have all done or said things that gnaw at our souls.
Some people refuse to accept their shortcomings, opting instead to blame others and deny responsibility. Others however learn that inner peace can come only from owning up to your previous faults and mistakes - to themselves first of all and to those they may have wronged secondarily.
It is a lot easier to breathe easy if you can remove the heavy weights off your chest.
STAY QUIT
-
I do spend some time each day looking back on the old me. As sad/disgusting as it is sometimes to look at how I was back then it helps me to remain quit and above all helps me to realize what a fuckhead I was.
One of the things I did awhile back was to figure out in pounds and dollars what my addication cost me and my family. When you look at it like this it really is sickening. Here is Greg's affair with tobacco broken down.
1.3 ounces per can X 365 days a year = 474.5 ounces of tobacco per year
474.5 ounces per year / 16 ounces per pound = 29.66 pounds per year
29.66 Pounds per year X 25 years of dipping = 741.41 pounds of tobacco :blink:
or
365 Cans per year X $2.75 avg per can ( the shit was cheap when I started )
$1,003.75 Per year X 25 years = $25,093.75 'bang head'
I have seen it said different ways here. I cannot lift a ton all at once but I can lift two pounds 1,000 times, A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. One day at a time. The point I am trying to make is this... We all consumed mass quantities of this shit in our lifetimes. We did not do it all at once. We did it slowly, one day at a time.
Your quit needs to be this same process. Anything worth doing takes time and effort and your quit is no different. Take it slowly newbies, one day at a time. When you were dipping you did not see how quickly you could get to 700 pounds consumed. You never even thought about it. You got up each day and repeated a process. Post roll and quit the same way !!!!!
Some day you will look back and wonder how you ever stacked up that many days quit... and more importantly you will wonder how the hell you were ever the ' old you'.
Carry on.....
-
I do spend some time each day looking back on the old me. As sad/disgusting as it is sometimes to look at how I was back then it helps me to remain quit and above all helps me to realize what a fuckhead I was.
One of the things I did awhile back was to figure out in pounds and dollars what my addication cost me and my family. When you look at it like this it really is sickening. Here is Greg's affair with tobacco broken down.
1.3 ounces per can X 365 days a year = 474.5 ounces of tobacco per year
474.5 ounces per year / 16 ounces per pound = 29.66 pounds per year
29.66 Pounds per year X 25 years of dipping = 741.41 pounds of tobacco :blink:
or
365 Cans per year X $2.75 avg per can ( the shit was cheap when I started )
$1,003.75 Per year X 25 years = $25,093.75 'bang head'
I have seen it said different ways here. I cannot lift a ton all at once but I can lift two pounds 1,000 times, A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. One day at a time. The point I am trying to make is this... We all consumed mass quantities of this shit in our lifetimes. We did not do it all at once. We did it slowly, one day at a time.
Your quit needs to be this same process. Anything worth doing takes time and effort and your quit is no different. Take it slowly newbies, one day at a time. When you were dipping you did not see how quickly you could get to 700 pounds consumed. You never even thought about it. You got up each day and repeated a process. Post roll and quit the same way !!!!!
Some day you will look back and wonder how you ever stacked up that many days quit... and more importantly you will wonder how the hell you were ever the ' old you'.
Carry on.....
Outstanding post Gregory
'clap'
-
Day 231
Commitment
Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”
When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.”
Accountability
Some favorite expressions of small children: “It’s not my fault. . . They made me do it. . . I forgot.” Some favorite expressions of adults: “It’s not my job. . . No one told me. . . It couldn’t be helped.” True freedom begins and ends with personal accountability."
"There is only one real failure in life that is possible, and that is, not to be true to the best one knows."
"To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity."
"It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities."
"When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of men we are."
Brotherhood
To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”
Above all things let us never forget that mankind constitutes one great brotherhood; all born to encounter suffering and sorrow, and therefore bound to sympathize with each other”
The spirit of brotherhood recognizes of necessity both the need of self-help and also the need of helping others in the only way which everyone ultimately does great good, that is, of helping them to help themselves.”
Success
If you care at all,you'll get some results.If you care enough, you'll get incredible results.
The most practical, beautiful, workable philosophy in the world won't work - if you won't.
Choice, not circumstances, determines your success."
Success comes before work only in the dictionary."
Attitude
"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect It's successful outcome."
Everyone has his burden. What counts is how you carry it."
"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."
-
Day 232
An interesting article I read.
The Power of Addiction
By Kiki Bakker
As a therapist of people in distress, I have been frequently exposed to the harsh reality of addicts (substance abusers), their circumstances and their families. Their pain and suffering has deeply troubled me. The overwhelming anguish and helplessness of good and well-intended parents, spouses and children has as a result, become clearly evident to me.
Why has this wave of addiction to substances increased as greatly as it has, only to impact our world with fearsome long term consequences when it not only costs a fortune and serves only to wreck the lives of the addict and its closest loved ones? How does this shocking epidemic breed and always expand when in fact, it should reduce by its very negative reality? We are all aware of the hazards of drug addiction, are we not? Everything about addiction is unconstructive for those of us who are not addicts. The recorded 'benefits' for the addict do not impress us and do not make any sense to the non-addicted population. Yet, for the addict, addiction's apparent advantage is to launch one of the most powerful and destructive bonds that replace and defy all logic.
Addiction grows like a virus within the addict while it marches imposingly into our cities and coerces our children, stealing their lives and damaging their families. The addict's meaningful lifestyle, social interactions and career are usually diminished with addiction. The addict's values, morals and ethics disappear from its world. Unfamiliar mental states, altered perceptions, alien personas and new chemically linked relationships develop for the addict in lieu of all else, ensuring the set up of a 'safe' crowd for a constant supply of the addictive chemical. Hence, the addictive persona arrives uninvited. This persona, by its sheer intensity to control all else, rules the addict's natural personality, IQ and EQ.
It is addiction that has enabled the growth of wealthy businesses for the plant growers and the dealers. Factories that either manufacture the addictive substances or transform them for supply to the street are thriving.... whilst fallen users are reducing in health and dying from interrupted health or unsuspecting over dosage. Others are purposefully ending their lives in final despair at their captivating addiction. Their ray of light was removed by their addiction and they chose not to fight back or live in the dark any longer.
Addiction is beyond cruel. It is an evil that should never have grown to these proportions for we all knew better! Have we done enough to recognize that addiction is the planet's most relentless and ruthless oppressor? Drugs and the ensuing addiction they offer to the user, it would seem are unstoppable!
Rehabilitation fails in far too many instances. Factors such as age, a willingness to internalise the rehabilitation program, the type of recovery program, openness, honesty, the level of denial, emotional triggers, guilt factors, self esteem, changing social circles and the degree of difficulty to just let go of addiction, each play a crucial role in the addict's recovery. The change back to a transparent, coherent quality lifestyle is often too hard for the addict. The addict lets go of life and chooses instead the path of death.
Addiction provides relief, trading drugs for reality! It voids the addict's mind of these realities and the left-over sweet memories. The addict will fall into the gutter of addiction and will succumb to wasting its own precious life, knowing deep inside that it has failed and cannot again face society or the precious family that it harmed. The silent death wish is quietly provoked.
Research is continuous in its exploration to uncover what creates the addictive personality and why some use and others don't. Why is it that a very small percentage of addicts are able to stop and others cannot? It is wiser to assume as a result of this knowledge, that prevention is better than the cure because far too many addicts stumble after rehabilitation.
Be sure to understand that those addicts who actually do make a successful recovery, can only be admired for their strength and determination. They are entitled to the accolades, for few of us really understand what it took to cast the curse aside.
The power of addiction cannot be argued or denied. Addiction's power is like an unsuspecting phantom that shadows the addict for life, tormenting it and hoping always to break it down further. It is not satisfied with the addict alive. It is satisfied only when the addict is dead! Understand the greatness of its power in the mind and soul of the addict, for when you do, you will have gained a true perspective of the power of addiction!
-
Be sure to understand that those addicts who actually do make a successful recovery, can only be admired for their strength and determination. They are entitled to the accolades, for few of us really understand what it took to cast the curse aside.
-
Be sure to understand that those addicts who actually do make a successful recovery, can only be admired for their strength and determination. They are entitled to the accolades, for few of us really understand what it took to cast the curse aside.
That's the same quote that struck me as I read the article, Greg. Bad-ass stuff.
-
Be sure to understand that those addicts who actually do make a successful recovery, can only be admired for their strength and determination. They are entitled to the accolades, for few of us really understand what it took to cast the curse aside.
That's the same quote that struck me as I read the article, Greg. Bad-ass stuff.
I agree. The article was chilling. I am going to add the quote to my signature line.
-
I borrowed this post from FHY16. Wanted to put it here as a reminder to myself...
Great post !!
This is my note to self.
In case your thinking about walking away from this site. Maybe your quit for 1, 2, 3, 4 hundred days, maybe even 1000. Good for you, congrats, now don't fuck it up. There are stories upon stories of guys who thought they could walk away and make it on there own. Then they show up posting a day 1. You will not break your word. Make sure you post early, EVERY DAY, and you will not fail this quit.
You daughter hasn't been born yet. Make sure her dad never dips. Ever. Not one moment she draws a breath should you be trying to kill yourself. Cause you may succeed. Then what? Who's going to watch over her? Huh? NO ONE HOLDS THAT RESPONSIBILITY BUT YOU. Got that?
What about Jack? As I write this, he think you are the balls. He would spend every waking moment with you if he could. He tries to wear your clothes, say the things you say, he even walks behind you as you cut the grass with his plastic lawnmower. You think he won't dip if you do? Huh? Lead by example. Be everything you want him to be. Don't be a pussy and say, "Don't make the same mistakes as me. This shit is bad for you." Man up. Strive to be as awesome as he thinks you are. You're not going to be perfect, fucknut, but your best is pretty damn good. And at the very least he will learn that a man never excels, or wins, if he backs down or fails to give his best effort.
So, if you think you've got this beat, that's just fucking pisser. Don't walk away from this site that gave you the kick in the ass you needed. Be that veteran who made the difference for you in your first day, week, month of your quit. Be that guy who says the things I haven't even heard yet, or gives the lessons I haven't learned, that makes the difference is someone else's life. Congrats on saving your own life. Now help someone else, because you couldn't have done it alone.
Regards,
You
-
Day 247
Well yesterday was one of the best days I can remember for quite some time. Went golfing early, came home and took my wife out to dinner, then a movie. Woke up this morning in a GREAT mood. Logged onto the site to post my daily promise and here is what I wake up to. This is like a bad dream...
It has come to our attention that you are currently utilizing more than one member name in your quest to quit. One of the premises upon which this site has been established is both support and accountability. Multiple user names make it easy to violate the trust that is both a sacred and vital part of a successful quit. We will be disabling any subsequent member names after your initial sign-up date in the next 24 hours.
Seems you signed up originally as "witnessinwv" and then later as Greg5280
I wanted to post this in the event I do get banned for it. I want to assure anyone who I have helped that I never signed on under another name. I have given my word and kept it. I joined this site in November of 2009 not before. I also wanted all of you to know what is going on so you do not think I just quit posting, or got hit by a bus. I have no clue how all the IP address shit works so I cannot put up a decent arguement. I understand the rule and the need for it and I believe there is zero tolerance if they match so it does not look good.
I hope this all gets worked out, I am talking to the Admins but again I know squat about IP addresses or how mine would match one used three years ago so I have no knowledge base from which to make an argument. I am off to spend the day with my family. Hope I will be able to log in tomorrow....
Stay Quit
Greg
-
Day 247
Well yesterday was one of the best days I can remember for quite some time. Went golfing early, came home and took my wife out to dinner, then a movie. Woke up this morning in a GREAT mood. Logged onto the site to post my daily promise and here is what I wake up to. This is like a bad dream...
It has come to our attention that you are currently utilizing more than one member name in your quest to quit. One of the premises upon which this site has been established is both support and accountability. Multiple user names make it easy to violate the trust that is both a sacred and vital part of a successful quit. We will be disabling any subsequent member names after your initial sign-up date in the next 24 hours.
Seems you signed up originally as "witnessinwv" and then later as Greg5280
I wanted to post this in the event I do get banned for it. I want to assure anyone who I have helped that I never signed on under another name. I have given my word and kept it. I joined this site in November of 2009 not before. I also wanted all of you to know what is going on so you do not think I just quit posting, or got hit by a bus. I have no clue how all the IP address shit works so I cannot put up a decent arguement. I understand the rule and the need for it and I believe there is zero tolerance if they match so it does not look good.
I hope this all gets worked out, I am talking to the Admins but again I know squat about IP addresses or how mine would match one used three years ago so I have no knowledge base from which to make an argument. I am off to spend the day with my family. Hope I will be able to log in tomorrow....
Stay Quit
Greg
All taken care of... Whew !
I knew I spent a ton of time here but this small peak at being without it made me realize I do still need to be here EVERY DAY !!
Day TWO- FIDDY !!!
-
Day 247
  Well yesterday was one of the best days I can remember for quite some time. Went golfing early, came home and took my wife out to dinner, then a movie. Woke up this morning in a GREAT mood. Logged onto the site to post my daily promise and here is what I wake up to. This is like a bad dream...
It has come to our attention that you are currently utilizing more than one member name in your quest to quit. One of the premises upon which this site has been established is both support and accountability. Multiple user names make it easy to violate the trust that is both a sacred and vital part of a successful quit. We will be disabling any subsequent member names after your initial sign-up date in the next 24 hours.
Seems you signed up originally as "witnessinwv" and then later as Greg5280
I wanted to post this in the event I do get banned for it. I want to assure anyone who I have helped that I never signed on under another name. I have given my word and kept it. I joined this site in November of 2009 not before. I also wanted all of you to know what is going on so you do not think I just quit posting, or got hit by a bus. I have no clue how all the IP address shit works so I cannot put up a decent arguement. I understand the rule and the need for it and I believe there is zero tolerance if they match so it does not look good.
I hope this all gets worked out, I am talking to the Admins but again I know squat about IP addresses or how mine would match one used three years ago so I have no knowledge base from which to make an argument. I am off to spend the day with my family. Hope I will be able to log in tomorrow....
Stay Quit
Greg
All taken care of... Whew !
I knew I spent a ton of time here but this small peak at being without it made me realize I do still need to be here EVERY DAY !!
Day TWO- FIDDY !!!
FUCK YAR!
-
I found this story the other day and it immediately made me think of the site and the different styles of quitting. Many of us here are the dogs, we love to post, love to help the newbs, love the freedom, no matter what we are doing everything is enjoyable to us. Not that our quit is easier, or our craves less, just that our mind is right. Then there are the cats. The ones that want to fight everything on the site, everyone on the site, just fight the quit in general.
For those of you who have watched me post for any length of time have heard me say repeatedly “ get your mind right and this becomes much easier.” For the newbs reading this that may be the first time you have heard it, but it is true. Quitting is as much mental as it is physical. For me the mental battle has been the toughest.
This site is magic and will help you quit, but you have to get your mind in the right place. Which will you be, the Dog or the Cat ??
The Dog's Diary
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
The Cat's Diary
Day 983 of My Captivity
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...
-
I found this story the other day and it immediately made me think of the site and the different styles of quitting. Many of us here are the dogs, we love to post, love to help the newbs, love the freedom, no matter what we are doing everything is enjoyable to us. Not that our quit is easier, or our craves less, just that our mind is right. Then there are the cats. The ones that want to fight everything on the site, everyone on the site, just fight the quit in general.
For those of you who have watched me post for any length of time have heard me say repeatedly “ get your mind right and this becomes much easier.” For the newbs reading this that may be the first time you have heard it, but it is true. Quitting is as much mental as it is physical. For me the mental battle has been the toughest.
This site is magic and will help you quit, but you have to get your mind in the right place. Which will you be, the Dog or the Cat ??
The Dog's Diary
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
The Cat's Diary
Day 983 of My Captivity
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...
Now thats good stuff!!
Thanks made my day!!!!!
-
A prayer for the dip addict
If you don't mind I would like to say a prayer for any addicted chewer who reads this. Lord I pray you can give us the power to overcome this addiction. While we read this, please fill our entire body with your strength and cast out all the nicotine and cravings. Please take away any urge we may have and right now, replace it with courage and wisdom. In this instant we beg for your mercy and thank you for the opportunity you have given us by leading us to this website. Please watch over everyone here and with your love see to it that we are all set free from our chains. We believe anything is possible through your hand, so I pray that as I read this you will break my addiction and have me feeling overwhelmed with your power and love. Thanks and praise, Amen
-
Lock and Load
By: Bob Seger
Well I wish I had a nickel for every time I fell and blamed somebody else
IÂ’d give a ton of money to the ones IÂ’ve hurt and Id still be sitting pretty well
IÂ’ve spent years losing touch of whatÂ’s right and whatÂ’s real, caught up in these missions of my own.
And youÂ’re telling me you think IÂ’ve done so damn well while were sitting here a thousand miles from home.
ThereÂ’s a hole in your wisdom, a hole in your sky and two holes in your head where the lights supposed to get by.
So many times IÂ’ve seen chances disappear I hesitate and watch them slip away
Like the time I fail to spend with the ones I love and its gone as sure as yesterday
All these users and fakers, big time takers manipulating everyone they see
I get caught up in their schemes and their useless dreams and the only one I have to blame is me.
I get turned `round and twisted, pulled left and right I can see where IÂ’m going, but I canÂ’t see the light
I can sit here, in the back half of my life and wonder when the other shoe will fall
Or I can stand up, point myself home and see if IÂ’ve learned anything at all
Mediocrity is easy, the good things take time the great need commitment, right down the line
Time to lock and load, Come in from the cold, Pay these debts I owe, And start again.
IÂ’ve been down this road, IÂ’ve seen things get old, time to get control, and start it all again
Time to lock and load, time to get control, time to search the soul, and start again
-
A prayer for the dip addict
If you don't mind I would like to say a prayer for any addicted chewer who reads this. Lord I pray you can give us the power to overcome this addiction. While we read this, please fill our entire body with your strength and cast out all the nicotine and cravings. Please take away any urge we may have and right now, replace it with courage and wisdom. In this instant we beg for your mercy and thank you for the opportunity you have given us by leading us to this website. Please watch over everyone here and with your love see to it that we are all set free from our chains. We believe anything is possible through your hand, so I pray that as I read this you will break my addiction and have me feeling overwhelmed with your power and love. Thanks and praise, Amen
Amen Brother!
-
Day 267
What is nicotine addiction?
By: Joel Spitzer
Nicotine is the tobacco plant's natural protection from being eaten by insects. It is a
super toxin that, drop for drop, is more lethal than strychnine or diamondback
Rattlesnake venom, and is three times deadlier than arsenic. Yet, amazingly, by
chance, this natural insecticide's chemical signature is so similar to the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine that once inside the brain it fits a host of chemical
locks permitting it direct and indirect control over the flow of more than 200
neurochemicals. Within ten seconds of that first-ever ingested dose, possibly, dizzy, coughing, and six shades of green, nicotine arrived at the brain's reward pathways where it generated an unearned flood of dopamine, resulting in an immediate yet possibly
unrecognized "aaah" reward sensation. Sensing it would cause most first-time
users to soon return to steal more. Nicotine also activated the body's fight or
flight pathways releasing adrenaline, and select serotonin pathways impacting
mood and impulsivity.
The Brain Defenses - Create Dependency
A toxic poison having been introduced into the body, the brain's defenses fought back, but in doing so they had no choice but to also turn down the mind's sensitivity to acetylcholine, the body's conductor of an entire orchestra of neurochemicals. Research suggests that aside from desensitizing receptors, that in some regions the brain it also diminished the number of receptors available to receive nicotine, in others it diminished available transporters but in most affected regions it grew or activated millions and millions of extra acetylcholine receptors (a process known as "up regulation"), almost as if trying to protect itself by more widely disbursing the arriving pesticide. There was only one problem. All the physical changes engineered a new tailored neuro-chemical sense of normal built entirely upon the presence of nicotine. Now, any attempt to stop using it would come with a risk of intermittent temporary hurtful anxieties and powerful mood shifts. A true chemical addiction was born. Returning home to the "real you" now had a price. Gradually the calmness and comfort associated with being the "real you," of going weeks and months without once wanting for nicotine, faded into distant or even forgotten memory. The brain's protective adjustments insured that any attempt to stop would leave you temporarily desensitized. Your dopamine reward system would briefly offer-up few rewards, the mind's fight or flight pathways might see nicotine's absence as danger and sound emotional anxiety alarms throughout the body, and mood circuitry might briefly leave you feeling depressed.
The Recovery Process
Successful nicotine dependency recovery is in maintaining the motivations, dreams
and patience needed to allow: (1) the physical mind time to re-sensitize brain
receptors, down-regulate receptor counts and re-adjust to functioning normally
again; (2) the subconscious mind time to encounter and re-condition (extinguish)
the bulks of our nicotine feeding cues, cues capable of trigging brief anxiety
episodes in an attempt to gain compliance; and (3) the conscious mind time to
either allow years of defensive dependency rationalizations to fade into distant
memory, or the intelligent quitter time to more rapidly destroy their impact through
honest reflection. Addiction brain chatter finally at end, natural neuro-chemical flow restored (with up to 17.5 fewer heart beats per minute), the ex-user will find themselves enjoying a deep and rich sense of inner quiet, calm, and tranquility once this temporary
journey of re-adjustment is substantially complete. The body's nicotine reserves decline by roughly half every two hours. It's not only the basic chemical half-life clock which determines mandatory nicotine feeding times, when quitting it's also the clock that determines how long it takes before the brain begins bathing in nicotine-free blood-serum, the moment "real" healing begins. It can take up to 72 hours for the blood-serum to become nicotine-free and 90% of nicotine's metabolites to be eliminated from the body via our urine. It's then that the anxieties associated with re-adjustment normally peak in intensity and begin to gradually decline. But just one powerful "hit" of nicotine and within seconds up to 50% of our brain's a4b2-type acetylcholine receptors will become occupied by nicotine. Although we may walk away from that first puff, dip or chew 100% convinced that we've gotten away with it, our brain recorded the entire dopamine experience in high definition memory and will soon be begging for more. Once free there can never be just “one”.
In your mind, see and treat nicotine as if the survival rate for its use is zero. Nicotine has been described as the perfect drug of addiction. It is little wonder that addicts struggle to free themselves from such a strong foe. Once clean the only way nicotine can enter the body again is through the addict’s conscious decision to use again. There is no demon or monster dwelling within us that forces us to use nicotine. Once consumed there will always be the memories of the “aaah” moment but they will fade with time as the mind and body recovers. Our most effective weapon against nicotine is and always has been our vastly superior intelligence, but only if put to work.
-
I will be in Oklahoma City August 2nd to August 6th. If anyone Will be around on those days and would like to meet PM me so we can set something up.
-
I will be in Oklahoma City August 2nd to August 6th. If anyone Will be around on those days and would like to meet PM me so we can set something up.
I can meet for lunch on your way through.
-
One of the major keys to success in life is perseverance. Perseverance is the steady discipline of getting back up when you have fallen and continuing on, in spite of difficulties or setbacks. We cannot control all of the results in our lives; but we can control whether or not we accept failure, or choose to be successful. That is a decision we must make alone.
-
Day 276
Many of you know I travel often for my job. Today was one of those days. Travel used to be a huge trigger for me. Not anymore. I wish I could say travel is easier now, but for those of you who do it often you know that is not true.
I knew quitting had many advantages. I feel better, my energy level is way up, I am as horny as a 19 year old again, and I must be one bad ass looking dude. ( Must have been all the pushups. ) Let me explain...
As part of my trips to our locations I do a shop inspection which includes a detailed inspection of our tire program so I need to have tread depth gauges, pressure gauges etc. to do these inspections. Well I have been carrying the same pressure gauge in my suitcase for years and nobody says a word. Today I try to get through security and they pull me off to the side.
TSA Dude: Is this your bag ?
Me: Yes it is
TSA Dude: Do you mind if I look inside.
Me: Sure go ahead.
TSA Dude rummages through my shit and finds my bag of tools ( mind you none of this shit is sharp in any way shape or form.)
TSA Dude: Hey you cannot have this in your bag ( Holding up my pressure gauge.)
Me: Really, I have traveled with it for years.
TSA Dude: Nope can't have it could be used as a weapon.
Me: :blink:
TSA Dude: I am going to have to take this from you.
Me: :blink:
TSA Dude: Hey ! Do you have someone you could give this to, or do you want to take it to your car.
Me: You seriously think I could use that as a weapon ?
TSA Dude: Yes you could club someone with it.
Me: :blink:
So I left my pressure guage at the check station. You would think at this point I would be furious but I instead had this overwhelming sense of badassery. To think TSA dude thinks I am bad ass enough to overtake an entire plane of people with just a tire pressure gauge.
Acutally I was fucking furious... but hey I am quit and the fucking plane did not crash.. so all in all it was a good day.
-
Day 276
Many of you know I travel often for my job. Today was one of those days. Travel used to be a huge trigger for me. Not anymore. I wish I could say travel is easier now, but for those of you who do it often you know that is not true.Â
I knew quitting had many advantages. I feel better, my energy level is way up, I am as horny as a 19 year old again, and I must be one bad ass looking dude. ( Must have been all the pushups. ) Let me explain...
As part of my trips to our locations I do a shop inspection which includes a detailed inspection of our tire program so I need to have tread depth gauges, pressure gauges etc. to do these inspections. Well I have been carrying the same pressure gauge in my suitcase for years and nobody says a word. Today I try to get through security and they pull me off to the side.Â
TSA Dude:Â Is this your bag ?
Me: Yes it is
TSA Dude: Do you mind if I look inside.
Me: Sure go ahead.
TSA Dude rummages through my shit and finds my bag of tools ( mind you none of this shit is sharp in any way shape or form.)
TSA Dude:Â Hey you cannot have this in your bag ( Holding up my pressure gauge.)
Me: Really, I have traveled with it for years.
TSA Dude:Â Nope can't have it could be used as a weapon.
Me:Â :blink:
TSA Dude:Â I am going to have to take this from you.
Me:Â :blink:
TSA Dude:Â Hey ! Do you have someone you could give this to, or do you want to take it to your car.
Me: You seriously think I could use that as a weapon ?
TSA Dude:Â Yes you could club someone with it.
Me:Â :blink:
So I left my pressure guage at the check station. You would think at this point I would be furious but I instead had this overwhelming sense of badassery. To think TSA dude thinks I am bad ass enough to overtake an entire plane of people with just a tire pressure gauge.Â
Acutally I was fucking furious... but hey I am quit and the fucking plane did not crash.. so all in all it was a good day.
We must be part of the same gang. My weapon of choice is a tape measure. Several have been taken from me.
Some agents look at it suspiciously, a few even pull out all 25' to inspect the whole thing. I think that I may start carrying a 250' one too just for the entertainment value.
-
Day 276
Many of you know I travel often for my job. Today was one of those days. Travel used to be a huge trigger for me. Not anymore. I wish I could say travel is easier now, but for those of you who do it often you know that is not true.Â
I knew quitting had many advantages. I feel better, my energy level is way up, I am as horny as a 19 year old again, and I must be one bad ass looking dude. ( Must have been all the pushups. ) Let me explain...
As part of my trips to our locations I do a shop inspection which includes a detailed inspection of our tire program so I need to have tread depth gauges, pressure gauges etc. to do these inspections. Well I have been carrying the same pressure gauge in my suitcase for years and nobody says a word. Today I try to get through security and they pull me off to the side.Â
TSA Dude:Â Is this your bag ?
Me: Yes it is
TSA Dude: Do you mind if I look inside.
Me: Sure go ahead.
TSA Dude rummages through my shit and finds my bag of tools ( mind you none of this shit is sharp in any way shape or form.)
TSA Dude:Â Hey you cannot have this in your bag ( Holding up my pressure gauge.)
Me: Really, I have traveled with it for years.
TSA Dude:Â Nope can't have it could be used as a weapon.
Me:Â :blink:
TSA Dude:Â I am going to have to take this from you.
Me:Â :blink:
TSA Dude:Â Hey ! Do you have someone you could give this to, or do you want to take it to your car.
Me: You seriously think I could use that as a weapon ?
TSA Dude:Â Yes you could club someone with it.
Me:Â :blink:
So I left my pressure guage at the check station. You would think at this point I would be furious but I instead had this overwhelming sense of badassery. To think TSA dude thinks I am bad ass enough to overtake an entire plane of people with just a tire pressure gauge.Â
Acutally I was fucking furious... but hey I am quit and the fucking plane did not crash.. so all in all it was a good day.
We must be part of the same gang. My weapon of choice is a tape measure. Several have been taken from me.
Some agents look at it suspiciously, a few even pull out all 25' to inspect the whole thing. I think that I may start carrying a 250' one too just for the entertainment value.
They wont even let me on the plane any more, since I quit they think I am a weapon.
-
People really become quite remarkable when they start thinking that they CAN do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success.
-
What are you prepared to do ?
I was sitting in chat the other night when a younger quitter came into the room and announced this would be his last night on the site. He was shutting off his cell phone, turning off his internet and basically cutting off all unnecessary expenses. His reason for doing this was to assist a friend who was fighting cancer. While this is a very noble cause and certainly to be commended I as well as others in the room cautioned against him leaving. We offered up options, such as going to a friendÂ’s house to post, go to the library, use your home phone and call a brother. All of these were met with a reason they would not work or could not be done.
I certainly hope he keeps his young quit going, but I have my doubts. Sadly we are all addicts; addicted to the perfect addictive drug. As one quitter I was talking to told me, “ man nicotine/ tobacco is dangerous stuff. We were messing with something we should not have been.” It took me awhile to be able to admit I was an addict but it is true none the less. I am, you are, we all are. For many of us this site/ community has been the one thing that has worked to keep us quit. Coming here and posting our promise, finding other addicts, listening to their stories, talking to them in chat, on the phone, developing friendships and understanding the phases you will go through all make this place the one place we can turn to and remain quit. Leaving here is never a good idea no matter what you think.
In my short time here I have seen many people cave. Some were brand new quitters that were just simply not ready, I hope they make it back. Some were very young quitters that did not use the tools provided and fell back into old habits. Others were long term quitters who allowed the lies and mind games we all tell ourselves to win. And some were Very long term quitters who thought they had the addiction beaten and wandered away from the site. Never kid yourself, nicotine is some bad ass shit..
As I was logging off for the night the quote from the Untouchables came to my mind. “ What are you prepared to do?” I thought about it and decided this was an excellent question. What are you prepared to do to keep your quit… ?
I thought about it for awhile and for me the answer to that question is very simple. I will do whatever I have to do. If I have to text a brother because I cannot get internet, I will do that. If I have to call a brother because I cannot text them, I will do that. If I have to go to a friendÂ’s house and pay them to use their internet, I will do that. If I have to walk to the library to use a computer, I will do that. If I have to post roll every day for the rest of my life, I will do that. Whatever it takesÂ….
Knowing what I know now about nicotine, tobacco, and addiction; there is no way I would go back to using. Not only does it scare the shit out of me, but I also have developed a growing hatred for the fucks that make it, market it, and sell it.
None for me; not today, not tomorrow.
So what are you prepared to do ??
-
Beautiful.
Not willing to make a phone call? Not willing to text a quit brother? Not willing to post from the library, your friend's house?
Not prepared to accept the power of this addiction - even its existence. Not ready to quit for yourself. Not able to truly live.
I am prepared to fight the illogical fight, to reflect on external factors; to know my addiction's lies and to always follow my true internal voice.
-
Fuck yes, Greg. Looking good, brother.
-
Welcome Newbies
Understanding your enemy.
**Portions taken from an article on Whyquit.com**
As teenagers, what most of us thought would be a brief rebellious experiment was quickly transformed into a powerful lifelong chemical addiction as daily multiple nicotine feedings quickly became mandatory. New studies confirm that for some of us it only took coughing and hacking our way through a few nicotine laden cigarettes, or a few pinches of tobacco before the shackles of slavery began to take control. Five, ten, fifteen nicotine fixes a day became the norm, our way of life- when will enough be enough became the question. "Tomorrow, tomorrow I will quit” or "I love tobacco, it helps me think" “ “It helps me remain calm”, and many other lies we told ourselves daily. Welcome to the realities of true chemical dependency. A world built upon lies; Lies sold to you by big tobacco and lies you told yourself.
Psychologists calls our lies denial. Denial is an unconscious defense mechanism - just below the surface - we use for resolving the emotional conflict and anxieties that naturally arise from living in a permanent state of self-destructive chemical bondage. Three primary areas of denial relied upon by nicotine addicts are dependency denial, cost denial and recovery denial. In each, truth is sacrificed in exchange for peace of mind while remaining hostage in an artificial world of "nicotine normal," or to justify relapse. I know I told my self hundreds of times I could quit whenever I wanted to, I just did not want to quit. Tobacco kept me calm, helped me concentrate, gave me energy.. what horseshit. I know you all used this one too “ I will quit when Skoal reaches XXX per can I will quit.” All forms of denial to help you cope with your addiction.
Most nicotine addicts are completely insulated by a thick blanket of unconscious denial rationalizations, minimizations, fault projections, escapes, intellectualizations and delusions that hide the pain of captivity or create the illusion that lifes problems are somehow being solved by using. The average addict musters the confidence to challenge their addiction about once every three years, at which time roughly 1 in 20 will succeed in breaking free for an entire year. These horrible recovery statistics evenutally result in half of us dying by our own hand, with male users losing an average of 13 years of life expectancy and females losing 14 years. Our senseless self-destruction is undeniable visible evidence of denial's depth, and the power of this addiction. The addiction insulated us from the extreme price being paid with each and every puff or pinch - a little more of life itself taken, all to line the pockets of big tobacco.
Sadly for far too many the three years between recovery attempts will be too long. According to the World Health Organization the next three years will cost 15 million of our brother and sister addicts their lives. If you are here reading this you are at a crossroads. You want to quit but are not sure you can. This is where you need to be. It will be tough, you will have to endure some pain but it can be done. As a former can to can and a half a day user I can attest to the fact that this site and the methods here do work. You have a choice to make today, another try in three years may be too late.
Make no mistakes, this is a battle for your lives. What will your decision be ?
-
Nicely done greg!!!! Thx for writing this!
-
Great Post - It is a fight forever. I met a guy this weekend, smoker who actually quit for 7 years. Can you believe that? Just one and he was back addicted. There can never be just 1
-
Nicely done greg!!!! Thx for writing this!
Kent,
Thanks for that. I hope it helps someone !!
-
Great Post - It is a fight forever. I met a guy this weekend, smoker who actually quit for 7 years. Can you believe that? Just one and he was back addicted. There can never be just 1
Bmartin,
As I learn more about what I was doing it scares the shit outta me. As one quitter I talked to said " We were messing with something we should not have been"
What a frightening thing. To think something can have that kind of control over you... scary shit.
I am done !!!
STAY QUIT
-
I heard this song on my way home tonight. I have heard it a hundred times but I never really listened to the lyrics. I thought it fit well to the bitch we fight every day. We thought we loved it, we thought we needed it and it was all a bunch of lies. The last verse gave me chills this time. Funny what you hear and see when you are looking at things differently.
Thank you to all the bad ass quitters that help me fight this shit every day !! Thank you KTC...
My Mistress
I stand on the brink of your mind
Living inside a nightmare from which
I just cannot awaken
Stand on the edge of your life
Just give me another moment
From which I will never awaken
Stand on the brink of my own demise
Fallen again for another
Mistress of burden
To idolize
Hoping that one of them will decide
To let me in
My Mistress
To stand on the edge of the knife
Cutting through the nightmare from which
I just cannot awaken
Stand on the edge of the night
Living inside a moment
From which I will never awaken
Stand on the brink of my own demise
Fallen again for another
Mistress of burden
To idolize
Hoping that one of them will decide
To let me in
Look at what you've done to me
You've become my enemy
Poisoning the world for me
Take away my everything
Weakened as I am
Never awaken
Stand on the brink of my own demise
Fallen again for another
Mistress of burden
To idolize
Hoping that one of them will decide
To let me in
My Mistress
Decide to let me in
My Mistress
Decide to let me in
-
Not sure if anyone has ever posted this song but it it fitting for all of us as well;
Master of Puppets, Metallica:
End of passion play, crumbling away
I'm your source of self-destruction
Veins that pump with fear, sucking dark is clear
Leading on your deaths construction
Taste me you will see
More is all you need
Dedicated to
How I'm killing you
Come crawling faster
Obey your Master
Your life burns faster
Obey your Master
Master
Master of Puppets I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
Needlework the way, never you betray
Life of death becoming clearer
Pain monopoly, ritual misery
Chop your breakfast on a mirror
Taste me you will see
More is all you need
Dedicated to
How I'm killing you
Come crawling faster
Obey your Master
Your life burns faster
Obey your Master
Master
Master of Puppets I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
Master, Master, where's the dreams that I've been after?
Master, Master, you promised only lies
Laughter, Laughter, all I hear or see is laughter
Laughter, Laughter, laughing at my cries
Hell is worth all that, natural habitat
Just a rhyme without a reason
Neverending maze, drift on numbered days
now your life is out of season
I will occupy
I will help you die
I will run through you
Now I rule you too
Come crawling faster
Obey your Master
Your life burns faster
Obey your Master
Master
Master of Puppets I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
-
Yeah I am a big Metallica fan just happened to hear the other one on the way home Wednesday and I guess listened to the words for the first time.
STAY QUIT
-
I'm pretty sure that is about heroin. But works for us as well.
-
I'm pretty sure that is about heroin. But works for us as well.
I thought it was coke ("Chop your b-fast on a mirror"), but I agree...relevant to any addict either way. This is one of a few CD's that I would listen to while driving to hockey games...hearing this song in particular always made me reflect on my nic addiction.
-
I am hitting the trail again. I will be in OKC August 30 to September 3. If you are around and want to meet up PM me.
-
Day 300
300 Days Nicotine free !! The third floor !! I would have never believed it was possible. I started this quit by accident and expected it to go like most other attempts. I would give it a “good try” this time though; I mean a “really good try.” And it started; I really rocked along pretty good for the first 14 days or so. Very few problems, I thought this quitting shit was pretty easy. Then I woke up one day and saw some strange sores in my mouth, immediately knew they were cancer and the anxiety express was off and running. On day 15 I was a basket case. I could not sleep, anxiety was out of control, depressed, convinced I was dying and stumbled onto this website and found this crazy band of quitters.
I read a couple of things on the home page and then found the “what to expect” article. I read it a few times and suddenly some of what I was going through made sense. Hey maybe I was not dying after all. I spent the rest of the day reading everything I could without joining. You see all those people on the site were serious quitters and I, well I was just a guy trying to save some sanity, I could not quit. I finally joined and my quit education began.
For me the hardest part of all of this was to admit that I was actually an addict. I mean addicts are those people you see downtown begging for change for their next fix right? That cannot be me, I have a good job, an education, a family. I canÂ’t be an addict I told myself. I tried to justify my addiction with the same bullshit excuses everyone else did and it was this site that finally got me to look at this as an addiction and something I really needed to get out of my life.
It is difficult for me to believe now that I ever dipped. I see people doing it all the time and it disgusts me. The fat lips, the dip particles in their teeth, the nasty ass spit bottles, trying to talk with a mouth full of spit. Wow what a dipshit I was. I let that shit steal time from my children, my wife, my family, and my friends? Yes I am an addict and it is still very sad but I now know that I am stronger than this addiction, and I gain more strength each day.
I owe this site and the people here more than you know. Without the accountability and education here I am certain I would have gone back to the can. Every person here in some way or another has helped get me to 300 and for that I thank you. 300 is a bad ass number but I have no illusions that I am cured. I have figured out this is a daily battle and the people I see here that are successful post roll daily still so I plan to do the same.
I also plan to continue helping whoever listens to my ramblings.
Still hard to imagine but here I sit at 300. Newbies if you are reading this I am here to tell you the fight is WORTH it. I feel better today than I have in a long time. You CAN quit this shit, You CAN live your life without tobacco, You CAN become a better person
and you CAN be around for your family. You just have to join this site, believe in the methods used here, get your mind right and free yourself from the deadly toxin you have been stuffing in your face. Life dip free is paradise !!
Thanks again to everyone !!! I will see you at roll call tomorrowÂ… and thatÂ’s a promise !!
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Imagine three jumbo jets filled to capacity crashing in the United States every single day, 365 days a year, killing everyone on board. Horrific to think about, but this example represents the number of precious lives lost to tobacco day in and day out in the United States alone. No other product on the market today would be allowed to have this mortality rate and still be sold. Tobacco use still tops the list as the most preventable cause of death in the United States today, accounting for 438,000+ deaths annually.
Estimates from the Centers for Disease Control tell us that 20.8% of the U.S. adult population, or 45.3 million people, currently use tobacco. Why given numbers of deaths as dramatic as these would anyone allow this toxic substance into their bodies? The simple answer to that is addiction! Nicotine is highly addictive; sometimes referred to as the perfect drug of addiction. Many of us were hooked the first time we used. If you think you are not addicted think again.
Statistics show that only small percentages (approximately 5-7%) of people who try to quit nicotine without support are still tobacco free a year later. However, those with a quit program in place that includes education about nicotine addiction and a solid support group, do much better.
Good news is you have found the place to finally cast aside the chains of addiction and gain control of your life. Question is will you use the tools offered here? Will you fight and beat this addiction? Or will you allow big tobacco and Nicotine to rob you of the most important thing you ownÂ… your life.
Choice is yoursÂ…..
-
I am going to be driving through Kansas City Oct 8th time frame. I know there are plenty of quitters in the KC area and I want to plan a meet. We can do breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever works best for the majority. Let me know !!
-
Awesome page, Greg. Thanks for all the killer info. Makes staying quit much easier.
Bruce
-
Awesome page, Greg. Thanks for all the killer info. Makes staying quit much easier.
Bruce
Glad it helps ! That is why I started it.
-
For anyone wanting a good reason to quit think about this one.
The products sold by Big Tobacco kill someone every 6.5 seconds.
Good enough for me !!
Stay Quit
Greg
-
I spend time learning about the tobacco industry and their tactics as I find doing so helps me stay focused and stay quit. If the message below does not help you get pissed off at the people who produce, market and sell tobacco I am not sure anything will.
Lies and decpetion
For years, the tobacco industry has known of the health consequences of
tobacco and its addictive component, nicotine. In 1954, tobacco researchers commented,
“It’s fortunate for us that tobacco is a habit consumers can’t break.”
In 1964,an internal British American Tobacco document discussed the issue of nicotine and
addiction, “There seems no doubt that the ‘kick’ of tobacco is due to the concentration
of nicotine in the bloodstream which it achieves, and this is a product
of the quantity of nicotine in the tobacco and the speed of transfer of that nicotine
into the bloodstream.”
In 1969, a Philip Morris researcher bluntly stated, “We have, then, as our first premise, that the primary motivation for tobacco use is to obtain the pharmacological effect of nicotine.” Philip Morris researchers
also concluded: “The cigarette should be conceived not as a product but as a package. The
product is nicotine. The cigarette is but one of many package layers. There
is the carton, which contains the pack, which contains the cigarette, which
contains the smoke. The smoker must strip off all these package layers to get
to that which he seeks Â… Think of a cigarette pack as a storage container for
a dayÂ’s supply of nicotine Â… Think of a cigarette as a dispenser for a dose
unit of nicotine … Think of a puff of smoke as the vehicle of nicotine …”
For Big Tobacco, failure to win the debate over regulating nicotine in tobacco
threatened its existence as an industry. In a 1972 internal memorandum the director
of research for R.J. Reynolds wrote, “If, as proposed above, nicotine is the sine qua non of tobacco use, and if we meekly accept the allegations of our critics and move toward reduction or
elimination of nicotine from our products, then we shall eventually liquidate
our business. If we intend to remain in business and our business is
the manufacture and sale of dosage forms of nicotine, then at some point
we must make a stand.”
For Big Tobacco researchers, the evidence of the addictiveness of nicotine kept
piling up. In a 1983 internal Brown Williamson memorandum, the message was
clear “Nicotine is the addicting agent in tobacco.”
On April 14, 1994, the CEOs of the seven leading tobacco companies testified
under oath in a hearing held by the U.S. Congress House of Representatives
Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health and the
Environment. Despite extensive internal research on the issue of nicotine and addiction,
Big TobaccoÂ’s executives testified that they believed that nicotine was not
addictive. Below is the transcript of the relevant exchange on that issue:
Rep. Ron Wyden (D-OR): Thank you, Mr. Chairman Â… Let me begin my questioning
on the matter of whether or not nicotine is addictive. Let me ask you first,
and IÂ’d like to just go down the row, whether each of you believes that nicotine is
not addictive. I heard virtually all of you touch on it. Just yes or no. Do you believe
nicotine is not addictive?
Mr. Campbell (President and CEO, Philip Morris, USA): I believe nicotine is not
addictive, yes.
Rep. Wyden: Mr. Johnston?
Mr. Johnston (Chairman and CEO, RJR Tobacco Co.): Congressman, cigarettes
and nicotine clearly do not meet the classic definitions of addiction. There is no
intoxication.
Rep. Wyden: We’ll take that as a no and, again, time is short. If you can just — I
think each of you believe nicotine is not addictive. We just would like to have this
for the record.
Mr. Taddeo (President, US Tobacco Co.): I donÂ’t believe that nicotine or our products
are addictive.
Mr. Horrigan (Chairman and CEO, Liggett Group): I believe nicotine is not
addictive.
Mr. Tisch (Chairman and CEO, Lorillard Tobacco Co.): I believe that nicotine is
not addictive.
Mr. Sandefur (Chairman and CEO, Brown Williamson Tobacco Corp.): I
believe that nicotine is not addictive.
Mr. Donald Johnston (President and CEO, American Tobacco Co.): And I, too,
believe that nicotine is not addictive.
As pressure in the U.S. has increased to curb its marketing to children, Big
Tobacco has focused more of its advertising in developing nations. A World Health
Organization (WHO)-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study
found that 11 percent of children in Latin America and the Caribbean were offered
tobacco by company representatives in 1999 and 2000. In Russia, nearly 17
percent said they were given free tobacco products. In Jordan, it was a whopping 25 percent!
These efforts are found all over the world. According to Vera da Costa e Silva,
director of the WHOÂ’s tobacco program, Big Tobacco is making a big move to hook
children outside of the United States:
“This is the right time for the tobacco industry to seduce children overseas.
They are looking to increase the number of users in developing countries
and elsewhere abroad because in the United States they are losing their market shares.
Tobacco kills an estimated four million people around the globe each year.
Because of growing international sales, experts believe that by the year 2020, one in
three adult deaths in the world will be caused by smoking and other tobacco use.
And these experts believe that by the year 2030, over ten million deaths worldwide
will be caused each year by tobacco use. Tobacco is expected to be the leading cause
of death worldwide in less than thirty years; 70 percent of these deaths will occur in
developing countries.
Other global practices by Big Tobacco have come under fire:
• 520,000 children work on tobacco farms in Brazil, and a third of them
are under the age of 14 years old.
• Children in southern Brazil are removed from classes before the end of
the school year to help with the harvest the tobacco crop.
• The average monthly income for a tobacco-growing family in Brazil is
334 Reals, the equivalent of $137.
Understand that to Big tobacco you are nothing more than “a percentage of market share” the pain and suffering of you and your lost family members means nothing to these death dealers. They have knowingly marketed and produced a product that when used as directed will result in early death for the people who use it. If you ever think you miss this shit, read some of the tactics they have used over the years and it should help keep you quit. As I have said before, I will set my money on fire before I ever give these people one cent of it.
NEVER AGAIN
-
New foggy quitters,
I have a suggestion for all of you and I have found it to be helpful more than once during my quit. Starting today get a journal and keep track of your quit each day. How you feel, the struggles you are having, the night sweats, loss of appetite etc. Write it all down in vivid detail. When you want to rage get the journal out and write it all down. Even the days when you are so foggy you cannot get a clear thought need to be written in the journal. Hold nothing back. Why you say ?
Here is why; believe it or not there will be a day in the not too distant future, when you will be far removed from the NIC bitches recovery effects. A day when the pain of quitting has faded, you feel great. A day when the fear of physical damages done have subsided. A day when the reasons you quit are not so clear anymore. A day when the whisper of " I have this beaten, I deserve just one" starts playing in your head. "I have this thing licked, I do not need to post anymore" will be your next thought. " I no longer need the site or my brothers" and you wander away and eventually find yourself back in the arms of the bitch.
When those days arrive, and they will, go get your journal out and in your own words read about the misery you endured to get to where you are. Remember every miserable second of it, then get your asses lined back out, get in here and post your promise and stay quit. Always remember you are an addict and you are NEVER cured.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
The Real You
**Portions taken from an article on Why Quit.com**
Try to remember if you can, what it was like being you? Not the chemically dependant you, the REAL you. What was it like to function every morning without nicotine? To finish a meal, travel, talk on the phone, have a disagreement, start a project or take a break without putting nicotine into your body? What was it like before nicotine took control? What was it like residing inside a mind that did not crave for nicotine? Can you remember? For most of us our addiction has controlled us so long we cannot remember the “real” us. I know I cannot.
One of the most terrifying aspects of drug addiction is just how quickly nearly all remaining memory of life without the external chemical are buried by high definition dopamine induced memories generated by using it. It's a common thread among all drug addicts. And make no mistakes, you are an addict, admitting that is the first step to recovery.
We became slaves to the world of "nicotine normal," and by doing so we were each provided a new identity. The nicotine dependant, addict. The junkie worrying about the next fix. The captive brain dopamine pathways did their designed job and did it well. They left us convinced that our next nicotine fix was central to survival, as important as drinking water or eating food. How many of you passed up food to buy a can? How many times did you skip time with family to feed your addiction ? Dig through the trash to find a few grains to hold you over until you got to the store?
Why do we fear quitting? Such thinking can unconsciously tease and play upon old nicotine use memories, making us feel as though we've left something of tremendous value behind. If allowed, it can tease and inflame false fears, fears born of nicotine urge and replenishment memories, strong vivid memories whose purpose were to convince us that nicotine is vital to survival, memories that should never have been present in the first place, memories only made possible because a poison substance entered the brain and was able to disrupt your normal thought processes.
When you think about "quitting" I hope you stop and realize when the real "quitting" took place. You quit being you the first moment nicotine entered your bloodstream. Quitting nicotine is about recognizing and embracing the truth but be prepared; learning that for years we fooled ourselves and lived a lie can invoke a host of emotions including depression, apathy, confusion and anger. Start your journey with baby steps, patience, honesty and you too will soon be entirely comfortable again engaging all aspects of life without nicotine. Contrary to deeply held beliefs that were pounded into your brain by an endless cycle of urges and rewards, and lies pumped into you by Big Tobacco, you are leaving absolutely nothing of value behind.
Is there really anything to fear? Why be afraid of returning to a calm and quiet place where you no longer crave a chemical that today and every day for as long as you can remember you cannot seem to get off your mind, a chemical that is a mandatory part of every day's plan? Is freedom of thought and action a good thing or bad? If good, then why fear life without a chemical that is controlling you? A chemical that is killing you.
How wonderful would it be to again live inside an undisturbed, non-poisoned mind where addiction chatter gradually becomes infrequent, then rare? Again, I ask you, "What was it like being you?"
Quit today and start finding out...
-
Day 364
I Have to get this written down. I have not really posted much in here lately about my quit since I have been cruising along nicely. If I said dipping never crossed my mind I would be lying; but it has very infrequent and has been more of a passing thought than any of the craves or thoughts I had early on. Last night was kinda odd and a good example of the bitch trying to sneak her way back in. Here goes:
Last night I was out running around with my daughter. We go into the grocery store to do a bit of shopping. It was around 7:30 PM so not a ton of people at the store. As we are walking out the smell of a cigar hit me. I looked around and did not see anyone ? Hmm, thatÂ’s odd I thought and it did not bother me just struck me as strange. I was never a smoker, always hated the smell.
Well we go to another store and shopped a bit more, as we were standing in line I am staring at the dip behind the counter, not really craving just looking more than I had in recent memory. My daughter even asked what I was staring at so hard. Not much I said, paid for our stuff and off we go again. As we walked out BAM the smell of a cigar again, I am looking around like WTF ?? This time my mouth started watering , my jaws hurt a bit, and my tongue started tingling. Wow….. a full on crave this late in the game ? The little voice in my head started talking “ hey go get one of those cans you have been looking at. “ “ One won’t hurt.” “ It’s been almost a year you deserve one. “
I am standing by my truck just shaking my head and chuckling a bit. My daughter asks whatÂ’s up. I told her I was craving like a big dog and started laughing. She wanted to know what I was going to do. I told her I was going home and getting on the site, I had posted my promise and there was no way I was dipping today. So we head home and I do some posting, and a bit of reading. Told my wife what had happened when she got home and how odd that was. Two times I smelled a cigar and not a fucking soul anywhere around and then a full on crave.
Anyway off to bed I go. Never was really all that concerned about caving, was not even close to that but it was a full fledge crave for sure. Well guess what happens while I am sleeping ?? You got it a dip/smoking dream. Well this was unlike the other dip/smoke dreams I have had because in this one every other person in the dream was dipping and smoking and I was not. Everyone offering me dips, smokes and I just kept saying no. I was actually handing out KTC business cards to all the NIC fiends trying to get them to join the site?!?! Crazy ass dream, but kinda cool too ! Only one in the dream that was quit !!
Not sure what all that means but I wanted to write it down since it had been awhile since I craved really. It was subtle at first but then I guess when that did not work the bitch tried to go full out on me. Guess it still is going to come from time to time. Well I slapped her ass back to where she belonged, kept on quitting ( Even in my dream ) and will hit my year tomorrow.
My promise in the morning keeps me quit; Yesterday, today, tomorrow. See you at roll call in the morning.
-
Congrats on a year...thanks for all you do to help around here.
-
Congrats on a year...thanks for all you do to help around here.
Thanks for stopping by. Just trying to help pay back what was given to me.
Without this site and the men that showed me the way I would still be piling that shit into my piehole.
Thanks to everyone here.... you keep me quit daily !!
-
Saw this today. Made me think...
Life
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.
5. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
6. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
7. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
8. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
9. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
10. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no
for an answer.
11. Today is special. Enjoy it. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
12. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
13. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will
this matter?'
14. What other people think of you is none of your business.
15. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
16. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
17. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
18. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
19. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
20. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
21. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else, we'd
grab ours back.
22. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
23. Make a difference.
24. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
-
Saw this today. Made me think...
Life
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.
5. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
6. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
7. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
8. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
9. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
10. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no
for an answer.
11. Today is special. Enjoy it. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
12. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
13. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will
this matter?'
14. What other people think of you is none of your business.
15. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
16. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
17. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
18. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
19. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
20. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
21. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else, we'd
grab ours back.
22. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
23. Make a difference.
24. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
I think I identify with 21 the most.
-
Cause of Death
Here is a little something I found today. It is a study of all deaths in the United States in 2006. I will let you draw your own conclusions.
2006 Deaths
AIDS - 12,113
Asthma - 3,613
Auto Accidents - 45,316
Bike Accidents - 714
Breast Cancer - 41,210
Diabetes - 72,449
Drowning - 3,579
Influenza - 849
Falls - 20,823
Fires Burns - 3,109
Gun Accidents - 642
Hepatitis - 7,250
Illegal/Legal Drugs - 24,400
Leukemia - 21,944
Lightening - 57
Liver Disease - 27,555
Meningitis - 634
Murder - 18,573
Poisoning - 27,531
Prostate Cancer - 28,372
Shark Attacks - 1
Skin Cancer - 8,441
Snake Bites - 5
Suicide - 33,300
Syphilis - 36
Tuberculosis - 652
Ulcers - 3,323
TOTAL OF ALL OF THE ABOVE - 397,479
TOBACCO TOTAL ANNUAL U.S DEATHS - 443,000
Still think that tobacco does not kill early ? Make no mistake, tobacco shortens lives !!
Death by Tobacco
Suicide? Murder? Accident? Stupidity?
If you are already quit, hopefully this will give you reasons to remain that way. If you are a guest and looking for a reason to quit..... what better motivation could you have than LIFE ?!
-
Sobering.
-
Nicotine Junkie
Are you a nicotine junkie? The one attribute that shows the addictive nature of nicotine is not how hard or how easy it is to quit. The frightening true property that shows the power of this addiction is that no matter how long a person is off nicotine, one puff or one dip and the once dormant reward pathways are again awake and the addict reborn. Sadly for many this “one” throws them back into the bonds of slavery and keeps them there again for years, sometimes for life. The average addict musters the confidence to challenge their addiction about once every three years, at which time roughly 1 in 20 will succeed in breaking free for an entire year.
Don't ever try to prove to yourself that you were not addicted. You were addicted to nicotine all of the years you used it and you are addicted to it today too. The difference is as an ex-nicotine user the addiction becomes asymptomatic. The pain of quitting fades, the reward “ahs” diminish, and the body and mind move on. To keep it that way and to always stay in control of your quit, remember to NEVER re-introduce nicotine into your body in any shape or form.
There is no “one” !!
-
Newbies,
If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.
Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.
Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert. The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985. “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.” After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
-
The tobacco industry spends more than $12.4 billion per year - over $34.1 million a day - marketing its deadly products in the U.S. alone, much of this reaching kids.
34.1 Million dollars PER DAY !!!!! WTF ??
-
Did You Know? Every day, more than 3,500 kids in the U.S. try tobacco for the first time.....
-
I am going to be in the Morton/Peoria Illinois area plenty over the next few weeks. We are opening a shop there. I will be there tomorrow evening through Wednesday. I will be there the entire week of Jan 3-7.
If anyone wants to meet up for lunch or dinner let me know....
-
I am on my way to Cincinnati today. I should get there around 6PM. If anyone wants to meet up for a beer let me know.
I will be in the car all day and no access to the internet after this post but I will check the site when I get to the Hotel.
-
Day 420
Back in Oklahoma. As usual I did no Christmas shopping prior to arriving back home so I had to head out this morning to do all of my shopping. I was prepared for a LONG day of dodging old ladies and screaming kids. To my surprise the day was un-eventful, with the exception of trying to fully understand how in the hell womens clothing is sized. Is it really necessary to have 3 fucking identifiers for the same piece of clothing ??
Mrs. Greg likes to wear Levi's. Not any Levi mind you, I was given very specific instructions on the make, model, size, etc. so here is what I was looking for. Levi's 518's, Size 9, Medium. Seems fairly simple right ? Ended up not being as simple as you might think.
I get to the jean aisle and begin my search. First of all I am not certain how many different styles of Levi's there actually are but 518's are obviously rare, I searched row after row looking for the elusive 518 model. Well finally as I am about to track down one of the sloths that work at the store I finally locate them. With hope renewed I start to scan the stacks of 518's to find the size 9's. Got em, now onto the Medium part. Well to my surprise Medium does not mean just Medium. There is Medium short, Medium Long, Medium Low rise, Medium relaxed fit, Medium boot cut. Really ?
Ok so now I am totally lost. How the hell can you have Medium short and Medium long? Where the hell are the just Medium jeans ? What kind of evil shit is this? I just want to buy my wife a pair of jeans for the love of god !! So I sort through my options and finally decide to settle on the 518, Size 9, Medium Low rise. If that is not right then I will just take my beatings and call it even. I should just give her handfulls of cash.
One item off the list!! Next item.... Bras. God help me.
-
Greg,
Shopping sux...especially last minute. Woman's jeans are some of the most difficult items to buy. Way to wait unit the last minute.
'na na'
Congrats on 420, you're an example for all of us newbies. Keep it up. You strengthen my quit!
Buckeye64
-
Newbies,
If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.
Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.
Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert. The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985. “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.” After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
Jones-ing for a dip right now and started reading through some of the literature. This is fucking dead-on. Read this and you will stay quit.
-
Newbies,
  If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.Â
  Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.Â
  Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert. The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985. “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.” After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
Jones-ing for a dip right now and started reading through some of the literature. This is fucking dead-on. Read this and you will stay quit.
Yep. The tobacco companies could give a shit less about you, your family, friends or anyone else for that matter. You are money to them, that is all. They happily ignore the fact that their products kill its users. They just look for young healthy kids to start another cycle.
NEVER AGAIN for any reason !!
-
Thanks for posting!!! This let's a new quitter know at least two things:
1) what they're up against; and,
2) how high the stakes are.
All of US Tobacco has conspired to make you cave. But here's the good news...you're not alone. We got your back. Join us, post roll, and stay quit.
Of course, you can always keep dipping. But you ought to pick out a nice grave site and prepare your loved ones for months of torture...if you last that long. Don't think you're the only one who you hurt with your decision to dip snuff.
Remember, NOBODY has ever said, "thank goodness I caved just now." Fight cravings with everything you've got...one second at a time. Read the Kern family story. Reach out for help on this site. You can do it.
-
Dude your journey is inspiring and the facts that you have dug out are great tools to remind us why we quit. I appreciate you sharing your story and all of the information. What truly amazes me is the tobacco companies going after children and making all of these damn flavors and everything else to make it appealing. It is out right disgusting to have companies be able to get away with this.
-
Remember how disgusted you feel right now at the tactics used by big tobacco. Let that grow into a nice warm hatred for them and their products.
They could give a shit less that their products kill someone every 6 seconds. You and everyone else are just numbers, percentages of market share..
Fuck them and their products !!
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON
-
Stole this post from Skoal Monster. Putting it here also so I can find it if needed.
The Caffeine / Nicotine Interaction
If you feel jittery, extra anxious or are having trouble sleeping after a few days, take a look at your caffeine consumption levels. As shown by the below study, nicotine doubles the rate at which the body depletes caffeine and some caffeine users may find that they cannot tolerate caffeine consumption at pre-quitting levels. If you are feeling extra anxious or jittery you may want to experiment with reducing the quantity or strength of caffeinated drinks or products. If you are not having these difficulties it probably is not important to alter anything now.
As previously discussed there is also a nicotine/alcohol interaction. Nicotine is an alkaloid and alcohol an acid generating event within the body. When chewers drink alcohol it causes them to lose nicotine at an accelerated pace thus resulting in heavier chewing while drinking. Although the situation is similar to caffeine there is one huge difference. Alcohol makes you lose nicotine, thus being responsible for making dippers chew more when drinking.
Nicotine on the other hand interferes with the body's ability to absorb and utilize caffeine, often resulting in a person using more caffeine in order to maintain their minimum needed level. When they quit chewing and continue to consume the exact same amount of caffeine they could find themselves actually overdosing on caffeine.
So look closely at caffeine if symptoms persist longer than a few days. You donÂ’t need to get rid of it all together but just keep it in doses that will not cause unwanted effects. Your general state will likely be calmer and youÂ’ll experience a feeling of overall well-being that you should be able to maintain for the rest of your life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The impact of caffeine use on tobacco cessation and withdrawal.
Addictive Behavior 1997 Jan-Feb;22(1): pages 55-68
Swanson JA, Lee JW, Hopp JW, Berk LS.
“Continuous caffeine consumption with chewing cessation has been associated with more than doubled caffeine plasma levels. Such concentrations may be sufficient to produce caffeine toxicity symptoms in chewing abstinence conditions. To test whether caffeine abstinence influences tobacco cessation, 162 caffeine-using nicotine users were enlisted from American Lung Association cessation programs. Volunteers were randomly assigned by clinic to caffeine-use and caffeine-abstinence conditions and measured for 3 weeks post-chewing cessation, at 6 months and one year. Results showed a significant linear increase in caffeine sputum levels across 3 weeks post cessation for those who quit chewing and continued using caffeine. Three weeks after cessation, concentrations reached 203% of baseline for the caffeine user.”
-
Great inf on the caf / nic interaction. Thanks.
-
Day 460
It has been awhile since I posted to my page. I have been extremely busy for one thing but the other was I spent what little time I had each day going into the groups and helping newbs. I had an interesting encounter this week so I thought I would share it.
My work recently decided to have two different insurance offerings. One of the offerings had noticeably lower premiums. The catch was you have to join a wellness program. I had been part of the pilot program so it was no big shocker to me. The new “surprise” was to remain on the wellness program next year you have to be tobacco free. So Jan 1, 2012 at my work should be an interesting place. Does anyone know where I can get some body armor ?
I am a quit sumanabitch so no sweat. In fact with all these new quitters perhaps I could offer up some of my newly acquired quit knowledge. So I am sitting in the meeting wanting it to end quickly so I can go talk to the HR people and the “Nicotine Cessation Counselor.” I am stoked! A serious chance to get involved in helping people I work with join our community of quit and give Big tobacco a big “Fuck You” !!
So the meeting ends and I am almost jumping over chairs and knocking people over to get up and offer my services. I get up to the front of the group and wait for the people to clear away. I begin to tell the HR people and the NIC counselor about our quitting method, of my journey and the site and how we help new quitters daily. The HR people are clearly impressed but the NIC woman, herinafter called the bitch, was looking at me like I just slapped her kid.
Far be it from me to shy away from confrontation so I had to ask the bitch why she had that stupid look on her face. She began to lecture me on how “lucky” I was that this method worked for me. I am the exception not the norm the bitch says. Her babbling continues and wanders into the realm of NRT and this being the only true way to quit.
Being in the workplace I refrained from actually asking her if she was really that fucking stupid, or wrapping my hands around her shoulders and shaking the shit out of her. My response was more professional and along the lines of “ So you are telling me the best way to quit Nicotine is to use more Nicotine?” “That is like saying the best way to quit drinking Vodka is to switch to Rum. And there is no "Luck" to my method only results. Well bitch just kinda blinks for a minute and says her way has been proven again and again and she quotes some studies, blah, blah, blah. Well I am way past bored with the whole thing by now but the interaction must have been pretty heated because the HR people were standing there eyes wide and jaws open. I told her I know a place where thousands of bad ass quitters reside and would be more than happy to share their experiences and tell her how wrong she really was.
I asked her if she had ever been a nicotine addict. She tells me she has never used tobacco. Well how the fuck can you tell me my method does not work when you never used? I am really getting pissed at her now. I then proceeded to tell her I was a user for more than 20 years and that my experience with the drug and the cessation of it far outdid any schooling or class she ever went to.
I then turned to the HR people and again offered my services if they wanted them. I laid a challenge to bitch and the HR people. I told them I would put my method against theirs and we could compare results each month. If my method had better results her fee would be put into a pool to have a 1 year party for all active quitters. I did offer the people who work for me the chance to quit our way if they want to. I assured them our way would hurt less and work better.
I doubt the company will let me take her fee, even though she is obviously lacking in quit knowledge. I also cannot imagine what a whole building full of fogged up, funky, half ass raging NRT using office people will be like but I plan to lock my office door each morning, carry a bit stick, and screen people before I let them in.
It still amazes me that the whole medical community lacks the knowledge of how to help people quit. It is not an easy process; it is going to hurt, as addicts we have to pay some dues to gain our freedom. Trying to ease that burden with a patch, gum, stips, or suppositories will not work. Like I told bitch before I walked out. “ The only way to quit is to throw your NIC supply in the toilet, flush it, find a group of bad ass quitters and get the shit done.
-
Day 460
It has been awhile since I posted to my page. I have been extremely busy for one thing but the other was I spent what little time I had each day going into the groups and helping newbs. I had an interesting encounter this week so I thought I would share it.
My work recently decided to have two different insurance offerings. One of the offerings had noticeably lower premiums. The catch was you have to join a wellness program. I had been part of the pilot program so it was no big shocker to me. The new “surprise” was to remain on the wellness program next year you have to be tobacco free. So Jan 1, 2012 at my work should be an interesting place. Does anyone know where I can get some body armor ?
I am a quit sumanabitch so no sweat. In fact with all these new quitters perhaps I could offer up some of my newly acquired quit knowledge. So I am sitting in the meeting wanting it to end quickly so I can go talk to the HR people and the “Nicotine Cessation Counselor.” I am stoked! A serious chance to get involved in helping people I work with join our community of quit and give Big tobacco a big “Fuck You” !!
So the meeting ends and I am almost jumping over chairs and knocking people over to get up and offer my services. I get up to the front of the group and wait for the people to clear away. I begin to tell the HR people and the NIC counselor about our quitting method, of my journey and the site and how we help new quitters daily. The HR people are clearly impressed but the NIC woman, herinafter called the bitch, was looking at me like I just slapped her kid.
Far be it from me to shy away from confrontation so I had to ask the bitch why she had that stupid look on her face. She began to lecture me on how “lucky” I was that this method worked for me. I am the exception not the norm the bitch says. Her babbling continues and wanders into the realm of NRT and this being the only true way to quit.
Being in the workplace I refrained from actually asking her if she was really that fucking stupid, or wrapping my hands around her shoulders and shaking the shit out of her. My response was more professional and along the lines of “ So you are telling me the best way to quit Nicotine is to use more Nicotine?” “That is like saying the best way to quit drinking Vodka is to switch to Rum. And there is no "Luck" to my method only results. Well bitch just kinda blinks for a minute and says her way has been proven again and again and she quotes some studies, blah, blah, blah. Well I am way past bored with the whole thing by now but the interaction must have been pretty heated because the HR people were standing there eyes wide and jaws open. I told her I know a place where thousands of bad ass quitters reside and would be more than happy to share their experiences and tell her how wrong she really was.
I asked her if she had ever been a nicotine addict. She tells me she has never used tobacco. Well how the fuck can you tell me my method does not work when you never used? I am really getting pissed at her now. I then proceeded to tell her I was a user for more than 20 years and that my experience with the drug and the cessation of it far outdid any schooling or class she ever went to.
I then turned to the HR people and again offered my services if they wanted them. I laid a challenge to bitch and the HR people. I told them I would put my method against theirs and we could compare results each month. If my method had better results her fee would be put into a pool to have a 1 year party for all active quitters. I did offer the people who work for me the chance to quit our way if they want to. I assured them our way would hurt less and work better.
I doubt the company will let me take her fee, even though she is obviously lacking in quit knowledge. I also cannot imagine what a whole building full of fogged up, funky, half ass raging NRT using office people will be like but I plan to lock my office door each morning, carry a bit stick, and screen people before I let them in.
It still amazes me that the whole medical community lacks the knowledge of how to help people quit. It is not an easy process; it is going to hurt, as addicts we have to pay some dues to gain our freedom. Trying to ease that burden with a patch, gum, stips, or suppositories will not work. Like I told bitch before I walked out. “ The only way to quit is to throw your NIC supply in the toilet, flush it, find a group of bad ass quitters and get the shit done.
That's good shit Greg! If you a bat-boy I can lend you my sevices!
-
Day 460
It still amazes me that the whole medical community lacks the knowledge of how to help people quit. It is not an easy process; it is going to hurt, as addicts we have to pay some dues to gain our freedom. Trying to ease that burden with a patch, gum, stips, or suppositories will not work. Like I told bitch before I walked out. “ The only way to quit is to throw your NIC supply in the toilet, flush it, find a group of bad ass quitters and get the shit done.
Gregg, thats great shit right there, but I dont think the medical community lacks in any way, shape, or form the knowledge of how to help people quit. They also have in their possession the knowledge that most users do not truly want to quit, they want to feel better about their use. And they also know that the makers of NRT products will pay them a monstrous kickback for prescribing their products.
We know its bullshit, they know its bullshit. but in this case, bullshit does talk. and pays. and keeps people hooked.
Also, a fucking addiction counselor who has never been an addict? Could you imagine an AA meeting with the moderator never having touched a drink? these people must think nic makes us all into retards. 'bang head'
-
Day 460
It still amazes me that the whole medical community lacks the knowledge of how to help people quit. It is not an easy process; it is going to hurt, as addicts we have to pay some dues to gain our freedom. Trying to ease that burden with a patch, gum, stips, or suppositories will not work. Like I told bitch before I walked out. “ The only way to quit is to throw your NIC supply in the toilet, flush it, find a group of bad ass quitters and get the shit done.
Gregg, thats great shit right there, but I dont think the medical community lacks in any way, shape, or form the knowledge of how to help people quit. They also have in their possession the knowledge that most users do not truly want to quit, they want to feel better about their use. And they also know that the makers of NRT products will pay them a monstrous kickback for prescribing their products.
We know its bullshit, they know its bullshit. but in this case, bullshit does talk. and pays. and keeps people hooked.
Also, a fucking addiction counselor who has never been an addict? Could you imagine an AA meeting with the moderator never having touched a drink? these people must think nic makes us all into retards. 'bang head'
I was thinking the same thing. She is merely preaching from whatever book she studied or instructor she listened to. I am still waiting to hear from my HR department... doubt they will take me up on my offer.
-
Nicotine is Highly Addictive
The nicotine in tobacco moves into the bloodstream and up to the users brain within 7 to 10 seconds. Once there, nicotine triggers a number of chemical reactions that create temporary feelings of pleasure for the user, but these sensations are short-lived, subsiding within minutes. As the nicotine level drops in the blood, users feel edgy and agitated -- the start of nicotine withdrawal. So, in order to relieve the discomforts, addicts feed there addictions...and then again..and again. And so it goes -- the vicious cycle of nicotine addiction. One cigarette, one dip, one chew is never enough, a fact that every addict knows all too well.
In order to quit successfully for the long term, it helps to understand the nature of nicotine addiction and what it takes to break free of it. In fact, users are often surprised to learn that they are addicted to a substance in the first place. Many of us believed that smoking, dipping, chewing was just a bad habit; something we could stop easily when we decided it was time. Sound Familiar ?
Let's take a look at how nicotine affects brain chemistry and begin the educational process that will help us battle this addiction to the ground, once and for all.
Nicotine and Adrenaline
When a person receives nicotine, the nicotine is rapidly absorbed into the blood and starts affecting the brain within 10 seconds. Nicotine is a natural herbicide, your body knows it should not be there and the result is the release of adrenaline, the "fight or flight" hormone. Physically, adrenaline increases a person's heart rate, blood pressure and restricts blood flow to the heart muscle. When this occurs, the user experiences rapid, shallow breathing and the feeling of a racing heartbeat. Adrenaline also instructs the body to dump excess glucose into the bloodstream.
Nicotine and Insulin
Nicotine also inhibits the release of insulin from the pancreas, a hormone that is responsible for removing excess sugar from a person's blood. This leaves the user in a slightly hyperglycemic condition, meaning he/she has more sugar in their blood than is normal. High blood sugar acts as an appetite suppressant, which may be why users think their habits reduce hunger.
Nicotine and Dopamine
Nicotine activates the same reward pathways in the brain that other drugs of abuse such as cocaine or amphetamines do, although to a lesser degree. Research has shown that nicotine increases the level of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and well-being. The acute effects of nicotine wear off within minutes, so people must continue dosing themselves frequently throughout the day to maintain the pleasurable effects of nicotine and to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Recovery from nicotine addiction is a process of gradual release over time.
It doesn't happen overnight, but with perseverance, freedom from nicotine addiction is doable, and will pay you back with benefits that go well beyond what you can probably imagine. Don't offer up another day of your precious life to tobacco - stop today.
-
** Thanks SM. Putting this here so I can find it. **
Administration of a drug to an addict will cause
re-establishment of chemical dependence
upon the addictive substance."
"After a year or so I was so confident that the battle was over that I left my support system behind...it was only a matter of months before I figured I could get away with "just one". (What a horrible joke that thought is!) Of course my addicition was renewed at full strength, nearly immediately."
"Sometime after that I remember thinking I had overcome my addiction and that I could have ' just a puff' and no harm would come of it. I kept smoking for 7 years after that. I was crushed that I failed but I know now that ' one smoke' is the road to defeat."
"So why did I throw away a 6 month + quit, and with it - my life and all the education and support I was freely given here at Freedom? - well for the sake of one puff! For the illusion of controlled smoking - for the belief that one won't hurt - for the relief of well I can always try again later......."
"I never took a puff for 13 years.
I remember that day in 1999 like it was yesterday. I was in Toronto on business having a drink with a good friend at a hotel bar. My friend smokes and after a couple of adult beverages I did something very stupid. I grabbed one of my friends cigarettes and lit it up. Two days later I was back home in Chicago hooked again after 13 years."
"Tried twice to quit, made it both times to 21/2 months then got the fatal idea that i could smoke just one, well that ist puff hooked for the next 10 years."
"Wow....does this thread ever hit home for me. It was a night back in October of 1997 when I was out drinking after a viewing for a firefighter who died in the line of duty. It was a very emotional evening and I had not injested any nicotine for 30 months. Even though I debated with myself for over an hour about having a cigarette, I finally bummed one to satisfy my mental urge. The next day I was up to my old habit of 2 packs a day. I wasn't aware of this site back then. I am here now every day. I read the threads and thank God I'm still nicotine free. I have a new way of looking at my addiction now. I know that relapse is a choice. Larry 1 Month 3 Weeks 6 Days. Cigarettes not smoked: 2623. Money saved: $489.34. "
-
Just found this little nugget on SM's page. Very strong message !! Wow...
This guyÂ’s walking down a street, when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he canÂ’t get out.
A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, Hey you! Can you help me out? The doctor writes him a prescription, throws it down the hole, and moves on.
Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up, Father, IÂ’m down in this hole! Can you help me out? The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole, and moves on.
Then a friend walks by. Hey Joe, itÂ’s me, can you help me out? And the friend jumps in the hole! Our guy says Are you stupid? Now weÂ’re both down here! And the friend says, Yeah, but IÂ’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.
-from The West Wing, "Noel"
-
Saw this in another quitters intro today. Seems like a good plan to me !!
"Stay on the site, post roll and you will be fine. "
This simple process has worked for me for 533 days in a row. I will get up tomorrow and repeat.
Keep it simple newbs.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Uuhmmm YES!
-
Just found this little nugget on SM's page. Very strong message !! Wow...
This guyÂ’s walking down a street, when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he canÂ’t get out.
A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, Hey you! Can you help me out? The doctor writes him a prescription, throws it down the hole, and moves on.
Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up, Father, IÂ’m down in this hole! Can you help me out? The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole, and moves on.
Then a friend walks by. Hey Joe, itÂ’s me, can you help me out? And the friend jumps in the hole! Our guy says Are you stupid? Now weÂ’re both down here! And the friend says, Yeah, but IÂ’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.
-from The West Wing, "Noel"
Good stuff right there!
-
Just found this little nugget on SM's page. Very strong message !! Wow...
This guyÂ’s walking down a street, when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he canÂ’t get out.
A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, Hey you! Can you help me out? The doctor writes him a prescription, throws it down the hole, and moves on.
Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up, Father, IÂ’m down in this hole! Can you help me out? The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole, and moves on.
Then a friend walks by. Hey Joe, itÂ’s me, can you help me out? And the friend jumps in the hole! Our guy says Are you stupid? Now weÂ’re both down here! And the friend says, Yeah, but IÂ’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.
-from The West Wing, "Noel"
Good stuff right there!
Yes it is.. and it sums up this site extremely well.
-
Day 543
I am sitting around yesterday watching some TV with the wife. A Nicorette commercial comes on which as you can imagine gets much attention and mockery at my house. Usually I have some smart ass comment to make and go on about my day. Yesterday was different. The commercial I am talking about is the commercial with the two guys that are supposed to be cops. I am sure everyone has seen it.
A couple of things about this commercial bothered me, actually to the point that I was ranting and stomping around the house. Full on Chugg rage ! I was cussing and speaking foreign languages. My wife has figured out over the years to just let me go for a bit and then find out what the problem is.
As I calmed down a bit she finally posed the question. Why in the world does that bother you so much? She knows and understands how I feel about "Quitting" with Nicorette but I typically do not let it get to me so much so she was stunned at my reaction.
Well, The first thing that bothers me is now the drug no longer even has to be taken via a disgusting, painful, sometimes sickening route to get you hooked. It now comes in a convenient little pocket purse, looks like tic-tacs and I am sure tastes minty fucking fresh. Although the pain of choking a few cigs or puking up your first chew did not stop many of us I am sure there are kids who never started using for fear of these affects. So now just put it in a nice tasty candy shell and let everyone carry it around and use it whenever they fucking please...
The second part that pissed me off, probably not as badly as the candy fucking nicotine did, was the tag line at the end. " It makes quitting suck less." Well what exactly are you fucking quitting when you are sucking on nicotine candy ? Tobacco is merely the delivery system for nicotine. The tobacco companies know it !! Without nicotine in it their vile product would not sell for shit and they would all be doing something other than killing every customer that uses their products.
So now that smoking or dipping has become less socially acceptable lets put our fucking little drug into a nice candy shape. We can put it in a convenient to carry little pez dispenser, and start helping everyone get off the nasty tobacco plant by using our pleasant little candy. After all it " Makes quitting suck less."
FUCK ....... 'bang head'
-
Day 543
  I am sitting around yesterday watching some TV with the wife. A Nicorette commercial comes on which as you can imagine gets much attention and mockery at my house. Usually I have some smart ass comment to make and go on about my day. Yesterday was different. The commercial I am talking about is the commercial with the two guys that are supposed to be cops. I am sure everyone has seen it.Â
Â
  A couple of things about this commercial bothered me, actually to the point that I was ranting and stomping around the house. Full on Chugg rage ! I was cussing and speaking foreign languages. My wife has figured out over the years to just let me go for a bit and then find out what the problem is.Â
  As I calmed down a bit she finally posed the question. Why in the world does that bother you so much? She knows and understands how I feel about "Quitting" with Nicorette but I typically do not let it get to me so much so she was stunned at my reaction.
  Well, The first thing that bothers me is now the drug no longer even has to be taken via a disgusting, painful, sometimes sickening route to get you hooked. It now comes in a convenient little pocket purse, looks like tic-tacs and I am sure tastes minty fucking fresh. Although the pain of choking a few cigs or puking up your first chew did not stop many of us I am sure there are kids who never started using for fear of these affects. So now just put it in a nice tasty candy shell and let everyone carry it around and use it whenever they fucking please...
  The second part that pissed me off, probably not as badly as the candy fucking nicotine did, was the tag line at the end. " It makes quitting suck less." Well what exactly are you fucking quitting when you are sucking on nicotine candy ? Tobacco is merely the delivery system for nicotine. The tobacco companies know it !! Without nicotine in it their vile product would not sell for shit and they would all be doing something other than killing every customer that uses their products.
  So now that smoking or dipping has become less socially acceptable lets put our fucking little drug into a nice candy shape. We can put it in a convenient to carry little pez dispenser, and start helping everyone get off the nasty tobacco plant by using our pleasant little candy. After all it " Makes quitting suck less."Â
FUCK ....... 'bang head'
Tobacco companies disgust me too. They are pure evil. What angers me is that the tobacco companies are now taking there death products to the international markets. For the most part, Americans are beginning to wise up, more and more americans are saying no to tobacco and indoor smoking is banned in more and more states. Tobacco is slowly losing the battle in the US. So now, as all true predators do, they move on to the next easiest target. It's like, "Well boys, the gig is up, we can't fool the americans any longer". "Better take our B.S. over to some other countries that aren't as well informed". Pisses me off!
The big prize lies in developing nations.....and the big three have been planning for this for over two decades. China alone has more smokers than the US has people........
-
Day 543
  I am sitting around yesterday watching some TV with the wife. A Nicorette commercial comes on which as you can imagine gets much attention and mockery at my house. Usually I have some smart ass comment to make and go on about my day.  Yesterday was different. The commercial I am talking about is the commercial with the two guys that are supposed to be cops.  I am sure everyone has seen it.Â
Â
  A couple of things about this commercial bothered me, actually to the point that I was ranting and stomping around the house. Full on Chugg rage ! I was cussing and speaking foreign languages. My wife has figured out over the years to just let me go for a bit and then find out what the problem is.Â
  As I calmed down a bit she finally posed the question. Why in the world does that bother you so much? She knows and understands how I feel about "Quitting" with Nicorette but I typically do not let it get to me so much so she was stunned at my reaction.
  Well, The first thing that bothers me is now the drug no longer even has to be taken via a disgusting, painful, sometimes sickening route to get you hooked. It now comes in a convenient little pocket purse, looks like tic-tacs and I am sure tastes minty fucking fresh. Although the pain of choking a few cigs or puking up your first chew did not stop many of us I am sure there are kids who never started using for fear of these affects. So now just put it in a nice tasty candy shell and let everyone carry it around and use it whenever they fucking please...
   The second part that pissed me off, probably not as badly as the candy fucking nicotine did, was the tag line at the end. " It makes quitting suck less." Well what exactly are you fucking quitting when you are sucking on nicotine candy ? Tobacco is merely the delivery system for nicotine. The tobacco companies know it !! Without nicotine in it their vile product would not sell for shit and they would all be doing something other than killing every customer that uses their products.
   So now that smoking or dipping has become less socially acceptable lets put our fucking little drug into a nice candy shape. We can put it in a convenient to carry little pez dispenser, and start helping everyone get off the nasty tobacco plant by using our pleasant little candy.  After all it " Makes quitting suck less."Â
FUCK ....... 'bang head'
Tobacco companies disgust me too. They are pure evil. What angers me is that the tobacco companies are now taking there death products to the international markets. For the most part, Americans are beginning to wise up, more and more americans are saying no to tobacco and indoor smoking is banned in more and more states. Tobacco is slowly losing the battle in the US. So now, as all true predators do, they move on to the next easiest target. It's like, "Well boys, the gig is up, we can't fool the americans any longer". "Better take our B.S. over to some other countries that aren't as well informed". Pisses me off!
The big prize lies in developing nations.....and the big three have been planning for this for over two decades. China alone has more smokers than the US has people........
I have read about that too. Targeting children in the developing countries, hooking 4 year olds on cigs. Fucking disgusting.
It just amazes me the most addictive drug known to mankind is as readily available as the corner fuel station. WTF ?? And as I said yesterday when you can no longer sell your drug by the delivery method you have been using you just come up with another delivery method.
And lets not kid ourselves, when they came up with the little candy nicotine they were targeting the kids that might have avoided being drug through this shit by other means.
Still makes me sick....
-
Day 562
I have debated for a couple of days whether I should even post this. But you can never know which post may help another quitter so I decided to go ahead and get it written down. So as not to alarm anyone eary this morning this is NOT a cave post.
The past couple of months of my life have been eventful to say the least. I am stupid busy at my job, stress level extremely high, my son and I have started a photograply business, a lot going on. At home same thing, daughter graduating, family coming over, extremely busy, more stress than usual and to top it off my daughter decided she needed to wreck her car which I am still trying to unwreck, and which also cost me the money I had saved to go the the Summit. Way more exciting and stressful than ol Greg is used to.
I was back in Oklahoma a couple of weeks ago, the state I grew up in and also where I started my addiction. Had a few different things planned for the week so even vacation was going to be busy. Had a photo shoot for my wife's charity event, another shoot with my son at a local club for Cinco De Mayo, some urban exploration, visiting friends, busy-busy. I have been back to Oklahoma many times since my quit began with no real problems to speak of as far as craves go, but this time would be different. I have been posting roll every day. Certainly not the first thing I did every day, but I make sure I post daily which as you will see shortly is the reason I am still posting here clean today.
The morning of the 5th my anxiety was up when I woke up, not quite as bad as the first few weeks of my quit but way above anything I had experienced recently and certainly not normal. I got calmed down, shook it off and began the day. Was out running around with my son and the little voice in my head started talking to me, "Doesn't that Skoal look good, you deserve one." Very faint at first, and not the first time I have had this internal discussion so I did not think much of it. I turned my thoughts elsewhere and it went away. This repeated itself a number of times as the day went on. Each time the thought got a little stronger and harder to get rid of, anxiety came and went too. WTF, wierd ass day.
My son and I arrived at the club and got our equipment set up for the nights events. As the photographers for the club we get free drinks so I got a beer and got ready for the evening. Decent party, lots of people, music was good, pretty women, good times !! 10:06PM ( I remember because I had just looked at my watch ) a crave hits me like I have not had in a very long time. Not sure what triggered it but holy shit!! My jaws started hurting, mouth watering, hands sweating, shaking,.. the real deal.
I have long stopped carrying fake with me in my briefcase or camera bag. Have not needed any so why carry it. No gum, no seeds, nothing. My inner voice is laughing its ass off..."got you where I want you", "come one dude you see a can over there just go get a dip". "Who cares". "Grab the smokes off the table and get one", nobody will see you. "Go up to the VIP area and act like you are taking pictures", who would know. I felt like I was posessed. This is not me I quit that shit.. What the fuck is going on ??!! I was dizzy, felt like I was going to puke, could not catch my breath, all the while my inner voice taunting me to get some NIC.
I had to get some air! I started making my way to the door. On my way out a guy I grew up with sees me and starts heading out with me and yes he has a big fat lip of shit. Wow, I thought when it rains it fucking pours. I get outside and get some air in my lungs and try to focus, what next? I need to talk to someone !! Should I call my wife,mom, son, who? This is where the magic happens quitters.
I had to talk to someone !! I reached in my pocket for my phone and as I pulled my hand out of my pocket my HOF coin came out dropped on the ground. I watched it hit the ground and land at my feet. I reached down and picked it up, I held the coin in my hand a minute and looked at it as I scrolled through the list of names in my phone trying to decide which one I was going to call. I kept seeing names of quitters; Murf, NOLAQ, Mule, Ready, Emily, Luke, Denney and the list went on and on. Some quitters I see here daily and others I have not seen in a long time. All these names, who should I call? As I searched the names looking for the one to call the crave started to go away, my mind started to clear, and I started calming back down. I scrolled through the numbers a couple more times and realized I no longer needed to call any of them. I had posted my promise and that was all I needed. I would not let all of these people down!! I went back inside, finished the night off and here I sit.
I have been in a funk since that night until this morning. I woke up today and my mood was back to normal, anxiety gone, the old me. Maybe that is why I felt the need to post this today. I have been trying to figure out what caused the crave and I have not figured it out. Maybe it was stress from work, Pissed about not going to the summit, worried about my daughter graduating, maybe it was the lights bouncing off the disco ball who knows. All I know is it came out of nowhere and hit me pretty hard.
I guess the reason for this post is to let you all know to keep your guard up at all times. Do not get relaxed and take your quit for granted. You see some people stop posting, others only post from time to time, both of which are a mistake in my opinion. 500 days seems like a long time but even at 500+ days I still have a long way to go to get even with the number of days I stuffed poision into my face. The 5th opened my eyes, I have been far too relaxed !!
This site works when used as directed. I will be posting daily for a long time. It is the reason I made it as far as I have, and it is the reason I am able to sit here today writing this NIC FREE !!
Thank you all for being quit and keeping me quit !!
Never Again !!
Greg
-
Day 562
I have debated for a couple of days whether I should even post this. But you can never know which post may help another quitter so I decided to go ahead and get it written down. So as not to alarm anyone eary this morning this is NOT a cave post.
The past couple of months of my life have been eventful to say the least. I am stupid busy at my job, stress level extremely high, my son and I have started a photograply business, a lot going on. At home same thing, daughter graduating, family coming over, extremely busy, more stress than usual and to top it off my daughter decided she needed to wreck her car which I am still trying to unwreck, and which also cost me the money I had saved to go the the Summit. Way more exciting and stressful than ol Greg is used to.
I was back in Oklahoma a couple of weeks ago, the state I grew up in and also where I started my addiction. Had a few different things planned for the week so even vacation was going to be busy. Had a photo shoot for my wife's charity event, another shoot with my son at a local club for Cinco De Mayo, some urban exploration, visiting friends, busy-busy. I have been back to Oklahoma many times since my quit began with no real problems to speak of as far as craves go, but this time would be different. I have been posting roll every day. Certainly not the first thing I did every day, but I make sure I post daily which as you will see shortly is the reason I am still posting here clean today.
The morning of the 5th my anxiety was up when I woke up, not quite as bad as the first few weeks of my quit but way above anything I had experienced recently and certainly not normal. I got calmed down, shook it off and began the day. Was out running around with my son and the little voice in my head started talking to me, "Doesn't that Skoal look good, you deserve one." Very faint at first, and not the first time I have had this internal discussion so I did not think much of it. I turned my thoughts elsewhere and it went away. This repeated itself a number of times as the day went on. Each time the thought got a little stronger and harder to get rid of, anxiety came and went too. WTF, wierd ass day.
My son and I arrived at the club and got our equipment set up for the nights events. As the photographers for the club we get free drinks so I got a beer and got ready for the evening. Decent party, lots of people, music was good, pretty women, good times !! 10:06PM ( I remember because I had just looked at my watch ) a crave hits me like I have not had in a very long time. Not sure what triggered it but holy shit!! My jaws started hurting, mouth watering, hands sweating, shaking,.. the real deal.
I have long stopped carrying fake with me in my briefcase or camera bag. Have not needed any so why carry it. No gum, no seeds, nothing. My inner voice is laughing its ass off..."got you where I want you", "come one dude you see a can over there just go get a dip". "Who cares". "Grab the smokes off the table and get one", nobody will see you. "Go up to the VIP area and act like you are taking pictures", who would know. I felt like I was posessed. This is not me I quit that shit.. What the fuck is going on ??!! I was dizzy, felt like I was going to puke, could not catch my breath, all the while my inner voice taunting me to get some NIC.
I had to get some air! I started making my way to the door. On my way out a guy I grew up with sees me and starts heading out with me and yes he has a big fat lip of shit. Wow, I thought when it rains it fucking pours. I get outside and get some air in my lungs and try to focus, what next? I need to talk to someone !! Should I call my wife,mom, son, who? This is where the magic happens quitters.
I had to talk to someone !! I reached in my pocket for my phone and as I pulled my hand out of my pocket my HOF coin came out dropped on the ground. I watched it hit the ground and land at my feet. I reached down and picked it up, I held the coin in my hand a minute and looked at it as I scrolled through the list of names in my phone trying to decide which one I was going to call. I kept seeing names of quitters; Murf, NOLAQ, Mule, Ready, Emily, Luke, Denney and the list went on and on. Some quitters I see here daily and others I have not seen in a long time. All these names, who should I call? As I searched the names looking for the one to call the crave started to go away, my mind started to clear, and I started calming back down. I scrolled through the numbers a couple more times and realized I no longer needed to call any of them. I had posted my promise and that was all I needed. I would not let all of these people down!! I went back inside, finished the night off and here I sit.
I have been in a funk since that night until this morning. I woke up today and my mood was back to normal, anxiety gone, the old me. Maybe that is why I felt the need to post this today. I have been trying to figure out what caused the crave and I have not figured it out. Maybe it was stress from work, Pissed about not going to the summit, worried about my daughter graduating, maybe it was the lights bouncing off the disco ball who knows. All I know is it came out of nowhere and hit me pretty hard.
I guess the reason for this post is to let you all know to keep your guard up at all times. Do not get relaxed and take your quit for granted. You see some people stop posting, others only post from time to time, both of which are a mistake in my opinion. 500 days seems like a long time but even at 500+ days I still have a long way to go to get even with the number of days I stuffed poision into my face. The 5th opened my eyes, I have been far too relaxed !!
This site works when used as directed. I will be posting daily for a long time. It is the reason I made it as far as I have, and it is the reason I am able to sit here today writing this NIC FREE !!
Thank you all for being quit and keeping me quit !!
Never Again !!
Greg
Thanks Greg...that was awesome. I have been dealing with the death of my father-in-law, I guy who was really my hero, and I kind of went thrrough the same thing the morning of his funeral. I then wne tscrolling through my phone. logged on to the site...realized that not only had I promised, but that Skoal Monster and others knew where I was, and that I was in the same state he is in AND he was pissed because it was snowing. It never crossed my mind again!
I love this place and every serious quitter here!
-
Great post Greg! Every time I read one of these by people with time under their belt, it strengthens my resolve to stay vigilant.
Proud to be quit with you,
30
-
Found these today. If this will not make your hatred for these fucks intensify I am not sure what will. They have no concern for you other than how much money they can suck out of you before you die a slow and painful death...
FUCK YOU BIG TOBACCO !! I will set my money on fire before you see one more cent of it....
Real Quotes From Tobacco Companies
What tobacco companies say about you! In their own words:
“We don’t smoke that s_ _ _. We just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the poor, the black and stupid.”
[R.J. Reynolds executive’s reply when asked why he didn’t smoke according to Dave Goerlitz, lead Winston model for seven years for R.J. Reynolds.] Giovanni, J, “Come to Cancer Country; USA; Focus,” The Times of London, August 2, 1992.
"They got lips? We want them."
This was the answer given to Terrence Sullivan, sales representative for R.J. Reynolds, when he asked the company which young people they were targeting – junior high kids or even younger? R.J. Reynolds, 1990“
The base of our business is the high school student.”
Lorillard, Memo from executive TL Achey to former Lorillard President Curtis Judge re Newport brand, August 30, 1978, Bates No. TINY0003062.
“Younger adult smokers are the only source of replacement smokers...If younger adults turn away from smoking, the industry must decline”.
R.J. Reynolds, February 29, 1984
"Long after adolescent preoccupation with self-image has subsided, the cigarette will even preempt food in times of scarcity on the smoker's priority list."
November 26, 1969 presentation to the PM Board of Directors, "Smoker Psychology Research." Bates No. 1000273741.
“Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens…The smoking patterns of teenagers are particularly important to Philip Morris.”
Philip Morris, Special Report, “Young Smokers: Prevalence, Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends,” March 31, 1981, Bates No. 1000390803.
"The fragile, developing self-image of the young person needs all the support and enhancement it can get. Smoking may appear to enhance that self-image."
1973 RJR draft paper, "Some Thoughts About New Brands of Cigarettes For the Youth Market." Bates No 502987357 -7368.
“Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I’m saying.”
Freedman, A, “Juiced up: How a tobacco giant doctors snuff brands to boost their ‘kick,’” Wall Street Journal, October 26, 1994 [quoting former UST sales representative].
-
Day 600
Hell Yeah !!!
-
Saw this today.
I like them !!
Tobacco Warnings (http://http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43478041/ns/health-cancer/t/bad-teeth-corpse-new-cigarette-labels-revealed/?GT1=43001)
-
Day 600
Hell Yeah !!!
Congrats brother. And thanks for all the support you throw around here.
-
Day 600
Hell Yeah !!!
Congrats brother. And thanks for all the support you throw around here.
Wow. Awesome job. Congratulations.
-
Day 600
Hell Yeah !!!
Congrats brother. And thanks for all the support you throw around here.
Wow. Awesome job. Congratulations.
Damn nice Greg. Great example of what we all can achieve!
-
Good Afternoon quitters.
For those that may not know I recently accepted a position at a new company. It is a promotion and will get me closer to my family, so it is a VERY GOOD thing. I will be living in the Forth Worth area so I expect to get to meet up with many Texas quitters. I will not officially arrive in Fort Worth until the first of August I would guess.
For those of you that I have given my number to that was my old company cell number and is no longer working. I have a new cell so if you want my number again please PM me and I will gladly pass it along as I always have.
I will continue to post daily even if I have to have someone post for me. I no longer have my laptop either ( company kept it ) and I will not get my new one until the 11th of this month. For the time being I am waiting for my wife to give me a few minutes a day on her computer.
It is a stessful but exciting time and I am currently "de-cluttering" my house. Which means I am throwing away 7 years of accumulated shit.
Just wanted everyone to know where I am right now since my time on the site will be limited for the next couple of weeks anyway.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Congratulations on the new job Greg! Good luck with that and the move!
Proud to be quit with you,
30
-
Good Afternoon quitters.
For those that may not know I recently accepted a position at a new company. It is a promotion and will get me closer to my family, so it is a VERY GOOD thing. I will be living in the Forth Worth area so I expect to get to meet up with many Texas quitters. I will not officially arrive in Fort Worth until the first of August I would guess.
For those of you that I have given my number to that was my old company cell number and is no longer working. I have a new cell so if you want my number again please PM me and I will gladly pass it along as I always have.
I will continue to post daily even if I have to have someone post for me. I no longer have my laptop either ( company kept it ) and I will not get my new one until the 11th of this month. For the time being I am waiting for my wife to give me a few minutes a day on her computer.
It is a stessful but exciting time and I am currently "de-cluttering" my house. Which means I am throwing away 7 years of accumulated shit.
Just wanted everyone to know where I am right now since my time on the site will be limited for the next couple of weeks anyway.
STAY QUIT
Greg
:)
-
Good Afternoon quitters.
For those that may not know I recently accepted a position at a new company. It is a promotion and will get me closer to my family, so it is a VERY GOOD thing. I will be living in the Forth Worth area so I expect to get to meet up with many Texas quitters. I will not officially arrive in Fort Worth until the first of August I would guess.
For those of you that I have given my number to that was my old company cell number and is no longer working. I have a new cell so if you want my number again please PM me and I will gladly pass it along as I always have.
I will continue to post daily even if I have to have someone post for me. I no longer have my laptop either ( company kept it ) and I will not get my new one until the 11th of this month. For the time being I am waiting for my wife to give me a few minutes a day on her computer.
It is a stessful but exciting time and I am currently "de-cluttering" my house. Which means I am throwing away 7 years of accumulated shit.
Just wanted everyone to know where I am right now since my time on the site will be limited for the next couple of weeks anyway.
STAY QUIT
Greg
Aww hell. Welcome to Texas!
'ODT'
-
Here is a new batch of quotes from the death dealers at Big Tobacco. Newbs, if you ever doubted that you were targeted at a young age you can remove those questions, you were !! Their product was enhanced to hook and keep you. Their marketing was aimed at you early in life.
When you struggle to remain quit, come to this page and study how big tobacco operates. Notice the language used and decide no matter what you will never give another cent of your money to these people.
They sell a product that kills its consumers. They know it, and the plan for it. " lost through normal attrition" that means replacing customers who died...
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!
Philip Morris (Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson Hedges)
"Smoking a cigarette for the beginner is a symbolic act. . . . 'I am no longer my mother's child, I'm tough, I am an adventurer, I'm not square.' . . . As the force from the psychological symbolism subsides, the pharmacological effect takes over to sustain the habit."
1969 draft report "Why One Smokes" to the PM board of directors prepared by Osdene'department. Document Bates No. 1003287836
"Long after adolescent preoccupation with self-image has subsided, the cigarette will even preempt food in times of scarcity on the smoker's priority list."
November 26, 1969 presentation to the PM Board of Directors, "Smoker Psychology Research."
Bates No. 1000273741
"We are not sure that anything can be done to halt a major exodus if one gets going among the young. This group follows the crowd, and we don't pretend to know what gets them going for one thing or another . . . Certainly Philip Morris should continue efforts for Marlboro in the youth market, but perhaps as
strongly as possible aimed at the white market rather than attempting to encompass blacks as well."
July 1974 Roper Organization report for Philip Morris, "A Study of Smoking Habits Among Young
Smokers." Bates No. 2024921279
"Marlboro's phenomenal growth rate in the past has been attributable in large part to our high market penetration among young smokers ... 15 to 19 years old . . . my own data, which includes younger
teenagers, shows even higher Marlboro market penetration among 15-17-year-olds."
May 21, 1975 report " The Decline in the Rate of Growth of Marlboro Red" from PM researcher
Myron E. Johnston to Robert B. Seligman. Bates No. 2022849875-9880
"It is important to know as much as possible about teenage smoking patterns and attitudes. Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while in their teens. . . . The smoking patterns of teen-agers are particularly important to Philip
Morris. . . the share index is highest in the youngest group for all Marlboro and Virginia Slims packings. At least a part of the success of Marlboro Red during its most rapid growth period was because it became the brand of choice among teenagers who then stuck with it as they grew older. " March 31, 1981 market research report on young smokers titled "Young Smokers Prevalence,
Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends," written by Philip Morris researcher
Myron E. Johnston and approved by Carolyn Levy and Harry Daniel. Bates No. 1000390803
"We will no longer be able to rely on a rapidly increasing pool of teenagers from which to replace smokers through lost normal attrition. . . Because of our high share of the market among the youngest smokers Philip Morris will suffer more than the other companies from the decline in the number of teenage smokers."
March 31, 1981 market research report on young smokers titled "Young Smokers Prevalence, Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends," written by Philip Morris researcher
Myron E. Johnston and approved by Carolyn Levy and Harry Daniel. Bates No. 1000390803
"I have just received data on the graduating class of 1982 and the results are much more encouraging and corroborate the Roper data [a survey that tracked track smoking trends] . . . These data show that
smoking prevalence among these 18-year-old high school seniors has increased from 1981 to 1982."
February 19, 1983 Philip Morris interoffice memo, "Still More on Trends in Cigarette Smoking
Prevalence." Bates No. 2022849870
“The ability to attract new smokers and develop them into a young adult franchise is key to brand development.”
1999 Philip Morris report, "Five-Year Trends 1988-1992." Bates No. 2044895379-484
-
Day 700
It has been a long time since I put anything on this page. Life has gotten very busy for me with the new job, moving, putting the house on the market, travel etc.
The one thing that remains constant on a daily basis for me is checking in here and posting roll. No matter what else happens I make sure to post my word.
I wanted to post in here my sincere thanks to all of you, vets and newbs alike. This site has given me 700 days free and for that I cannot say thank you enough.
Hopefully my life will slow down soon and I can get back in here more often but for now a daily roll post and an occasional stop into chat keeps me quit.
Thanks again !!
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Very nice, Greg. Thanks for all you do here.
-
Nice work brother.
-
Congrats on 700.
I have read your thread a couple times----your journey has helped me through some rough days. Thanks for sharing it.
-
Here is a new batch of quotes from the death dealers at Big Tobacco. Newbs, if you ever doubted that you were targeted at a young age you can remove those questions, you were !! Their product was enhanced to hook and keep you. Their marketing was aimed at you early in life.
When you struggle to remain quit, come to this page and study how big tobacco operates. Notice the language used and decide no matter what you will never give another cent of your money to these people.
They sell a product that kills its consumers. They know it, and the plan for it. " lost through normal attrition" that means replacing customers who died...
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!
Philip Morris (Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson Hedges)
"Smoking a cigarette for the beginner is a symbolic act. . . . 'I am no longer my mother's child, I'm tough, I am an adventurer, I'm not square.' . . . As the force from the psychological symbolism subsides, the pharmacological effect takes over to sustain the habit."
1969 draft report "Why One Smokes" to the PM board of directors prepared by Osdene'department. Document Bates No. 1003287836
"Long after adolescent preoccupation with self-image has subsided, the cigarette will even preempt food in times of scarcity on the smoker's priority list."
November 26, 1969 presentation to the PM Board of Directors, "Smoker Psychology Research."
Bates No. 1000273741
"We are not sure that anything can be done to halt a major exodus if one gets going among the young. This group follows the crowd, and we don't pretend to know what gets them going for one thing or another . . . Certainly Philip Morris should continue efforts for Marlboro in the youth market, but perhaps as
strongly as possible aimed at the white market rather than attempting to encompass blacks as well."
July 1974 Roper Organization report for Philip Morris, "A Study of Smoking Habits Among Young
Smokers." Bates No. 2024921279
"Marlboro's phenomenal growth rate in the past has been attributable in large part to our high market penetration among young smokers ... 15 to 19 years old . . . my own data, which includes younger
teenagers, shows even higher Marlboro market penetration among 15-17-year-olds."
May 21, 1975 report " The Decline in the Rate of Growth of Marlboro Red" from PM researcher
Myron E. Johnston to Robert B. Seligman. Bates No. 2022849875-9880
"It is important to know as much as possible about teenage smoking patterns and attitudes. Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while in their teens. . . . The smoking patterns of teen-agers are particularly important to Philip
Morris. . . the share index is highest in the youngest group for all Marlboro and Virginia Slims packings. At least a part of the success of Marlboro Red during its most rapid growth period was because it became the brand of choice among teenagers who then stuck with it as they grew older. " March 31, 1981 market research report on young smokers titled "Young Smokers Prevalence,
Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends," written by Philip Morris researcher
Myron E. Johnston and approved by Carolyn Levy and Harry Daniel. Bates No. 1000390803
"We will no longer be able to rely on a rapidly increasing pool of teenagers from which to replace smokers through lost normal attrition. . . Because of our high share of the market among the youngest smokers Philip Morris will suffer more than the other companies from the decline in the number of teenage smokers."
March 31, 1981 market research report on young smokers titled "Young Smokers Prevalence, Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends," written by Philip Morris researcher
Myron E. Johnston and approved by Carolyn Levy and Harry Daniel. Bates No. 1000390803
"I have just received data on the graduating class of 1982 and the results are much more encouraging and corroborate the Roper data [a survey that tracked track smoking trends] . . . These data show that
smoking prevalence among these 18-year-old high school seniors has increased from 1981 to 1982."
February 19, 1983 Philip Morris interoffice memo, "Still More on Trends in Cigarette Smoking
Prevalence." Bates No. 2022849870
“The ability to attract new smokers and develop them into a young adult franchise is key to brand development.”
1999 Philip Morris report, "Five-Year Trends 1988-1992." Bates No. 2044895379-484
Sickens me reading that...
-
Newbies,
  If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.Â
  Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.Â
  Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert.  The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985.  “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.”  After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
Jones-ing for a dip right now and started reading through some of the literature. This is fucking dead-on. Read this and you will stay quit.
Yep. The tobacco companies could give a shit less about you, your family, friends or anyone else for that matter. You are money to them, that is all. They happily ignore the fact that their products kill its users. They just look for young healthy kids to start another cycle.
NEVER AGAIN for any reason !!
Bump.
If that makes you sick, Ag, check out the letters from children.
-
Newbies,
  If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.Â
  Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.Â
  Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert.  The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985.  “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.”  After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
Jones-ing for a dip right now and started reading through some of the literature. This is fucking dead-on. Read this and you will stay quit.
Yep. The tobacco companies could give a shit less about you, your family, friends or anyone else for that matter. You are money to them, that is all. They happily ignore the fact that their products kill its users. They just look for young healthy kids to start another cycle.
NEVER AGAIN for any reason !!
Bump.
If that makes you sick, Ag, check out the letters from children.
Horrible. That's why I was arguing their culpability awhile back. Free will is one thing but this is downright wrong.
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
Rock Hard quit you got there brother. Very nice.
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
Rock Hard quit you got there brother. Very nice.
Thank you all !
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
Rock Hard quit you got there brother. Very nice.
Thank you all !
That's great, Greg. Thanks for continuing to stick around and supporting all of us and sharing your quit wisdom.
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
Rock Hard quit you got there brother. Very nice.
Thank you all !
That's great, Greg. Thanks for continuing to stick around and supporting all of us and sharing your quit wisdom.
Congrats Greg!!! and thanks for all your support when we were just infants of quit!
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
Rock Hard quit you got there brother. Very nice.
Thank you all !
That's great, Greg. Thanks for continuing to stick around and supporting all of us and sharing your quit wisdom.
Congrats Greg!!! and thanks for all your support when we were just infants of quit!
Glad to be able to help out!
-
Day 730
Two years! Freedom ROCKS !!!!
That is awesome brother. Congratulations and thank you.
I quit with you.
:)
Rock Hard quit you got there brother. Very nice.
Thank you all !
That's great, Greg. Thanks for continuing to stick around and supporting all of us and sharing your quit wisdom.
Congrats Greg!!! and thanks for all your support when we were just infants of quit!
Glad to be able to help out!
Congrats!
Your thread was one of many that helped me through some rough times!
-
DAY 780
I woke up this morning and realized I have been at my new job six months and a week. HOLY SHIT ! And... Christmas is next weekend and I have bought exactly not a damn thing....!! Talk about a quick half a year !!
I will be in Oklahoma City Friday evening the 23rd. I will be in town until the evening of the 26th. If anyone would like to meet up for a beer or a few and some food let me know.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
DAY 780
I woke up this morning and realized I have been at my new job six months and a week. HOLY SHIT ! And... Christmas is next weekend and I have bought exactly not a damn thing....!! Talk about a quick half a year !!
I will be in Oklahoma City Friday evening the 23rd. I will be in town until the evening of the 26th. If anyone would like to meet up for a beer or a few and some food let me know.
STAY QUIT
Greg
I will be back in OKC today and will be there until the 2nd if anyone wants to grab a beer or five.
-
Day 792
It has been awhile since I posted anything in here. But my recent bout with complacency is worth putting here for others to see.
My quit has been rocking along nicely. New job keeping me busy; and I found that I had missed posting roll a time or two in the past month. When I realized I had missed a post at the end of the day I played it off as no big deal. "I will get it tomorrow", "my quit is strong." "No worries. " "I never missed two days in a row so its all good." It actually was very easy for me to justify missing a post. Much easier than it should have been.
Newbs I want you to look at what I just said. While I was never in any danger of caving, at least not yet, this is exactly how the bitch works and how problems start. Posting roll daily has been what kept me quit this far, so why am I messing around? To be honest I just let othe things become more imortant; which is a recipe for disaster as an addict. You can remain clean, but you will NEVER be cured. We all know how it works, drift from the site, stop posting roll, new day 1 it is repeated on these boards multiple times.
This site asks for nothing except a daily roll post and for you to keep your word. In return for that you get a world of assistance, a band of brothers willing to do anything to help you when you need it, and more knowledge than you could ever hope to find anywhere. AND IT WORKS!
I have seen a couple of caves recently of guys ahead of me. My suspicion is they got relaxed as well. I have preached to hundreds of new people to NEVER miss a roll call post, to stay active, be involved. Time for me to listen to my own words. Time to kick complacency in the ass! I will not let you wiggle back in bitch!
Greg5280 – 792 – I quit with you today !!
-
DAY 793
Saw this in my e-mail when I woke up. Wanted to get it in here !! Thought provoking...
A message from Nicotine?
I destroy homes I tear families apart. I take your children, and that's just the start. I'm more costly than diamonds, more costly than gold. The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold.
If ever you need me, I'm easily found. I live all around you, in schools and in town. I live with the rich, I live with the poor. I live down the street, and maybe next door.
My power is awesome; try me and see. But if you do, you may never break free. Just try me once and I might let you go, but try me twice, and I'll own your soul.
When I possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie. You do what you have to just to get by. The crimes you'll commit, for my narcotic charms, will be worth the pleasure you'll feel in my arms.
You'll lie to your mother; you'll steal from your dad. When you see their tears, you will feel very sad. But you'll forget your morals and how you were raised. I'll be your conscience, I'll teach you my ways.
I take kids from parents, and parents from kids. I turn people from God, and separate friends. I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride. I'll be with you always, right by your side.
You'll give up everything: your family, your home, your friends and your money, then you'll be all alone but I alone will comfort you. I'll take and take, until you have nothing to give. When I'm finished with you, you'll be lucky to live.
If you try me be warned... this is no game, If given the chance, I'll drive you insane. I'll ravish your body; I'll control your mind. I'll own you completely; your soul will be mine.
The nightmares I'll give you while lying in bed, The voices you'll hear from inside your head. The sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see I want you to know, these are all gifts from me.
But by then it's too late, and you'll know in your heart, That you are mine, and we shall not part. You'll regret that you tried me, they always do. But you came to me, not I to you.
You knew this would happen, Many times you were told. But you challenged my power, and chose to be bold. You could have said no, and just walked away. If you could live that day over, now what would you say? I'll be your master; you will be my slave. I'll even go with you, when you go to your grave.
Now that you have met me , what will you do? Will you try me or not? Its all up to you. I can bring you more misery than words can tell. Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell...
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily!
Damn Straight.
Congrats on the 9th floor.
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
This is awesome. And I needed something awesome today.
'clap'
-
Congrats. And thank you for 900 days of supporting us, too! You were one of the first to welcome me and tell me how to post...that was 584 days of freedom ago.
-
Right on Greg. Congrats brother.
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
:rolleyes:
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.Â
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.Â
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
This is awesome. And I needed something awesome today.
'clap'
JJ,
Glad it helped out.
STAY QUIT
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.Â
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.Â
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily!
Damn Straight.
Congrats on the 9th floor.
Thanks Ready !!
Just trying to be like you...
-
Congrats. And thank you for 900 days of supporting us, too! You were one of the first to welcome me and tell me how to post...that was 584 days of freedom ago.
ROCK ON !! 584 days.. .seems like yesterday
STAY QUIT
-
Right on Greg. Congrats brother.
Thanks Souli...
STAY QUIT
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.Â
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.Â
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
:rolleyes:
B)
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
Humbled in the presence of your quit Greg.
You helped me early and often...you still do.
Congrats brother.
oh, and Go Raiders!
-
Day 900
I was driving back from a great weekend with my son and family yesterday and it hit me that I was at 899 days, a milestone day tomorrw. As I drove for the next two hours I kept trying to remember what it was I had enjoyed about dipping and thinking to myself how much better things are without it. When I see people dipping now it makes me sick. What a fucking disgusting habit. Spit bottles, nasty teeth, shit breath.. WOW.Â
Truth is there is not one single thing that I liked or enjoyed about it, I was merely taking my daily nic fix, how sad. I cannot ever express how much I appreciate this site and the people who showed me the way. I had given up hope of ever getting free from dipping but now I cannot for the life of me imagine what the hell I was thinking.Â
Freedom is a wonderful thing and worth fighting for daily! I am not as active in other groups as I was earlly on, hopefully now that I am getting settled into the job and the new house I can fix that. I still stop in and post roll with the Fucknuts daily....
Thanks again to everyone !! Next milestone day will be the COMMA !!
Humbled in the presence of your quit Greg.
You helped me early and often...you still do.
Congrats brother.
oh, and Go Raiders!
Thanks my friend! The support from bad ass quitters like you keep my quit strong!
RAIDERS Rock!
-
The Skinny On Why Nicotine Curbs Appetite
by Jon Hamilton
June 9,2011
Scientists say they have finally figured out how nicotine helps people keep off extra pounds. It turns out that nicotine activates a pathway in the brain that suppresses appetite, according to a study in the journal Science. The finding comes after decades of research showing that tobacco users tend to be a bit thinner than non-users, and that people who quit using tend to put on weight.
The clue turned up during experiments looking for chemicals to treat depression, Picciotto says. A scientist at Yale named Yann Mineur was giving mice a chemical that's a lot like nicotine, she says. "He was watching these mice and he said, 'You know what, they don't eat as much as the mice that didn't get this medication,' " she says. "And so he decided to follow that up. It was a window into how nicotine might be decreasing appetite."
The scientists knew that nicotine must be triggering a response in certain brain cells. So they started looking at cells in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain known to regulate appetite. And they focused on a type of nerve cell, called POMC cells, known to be involved in eating behavior. Sure enough, nicotine made these POMC cells more active. But the researchers still needed to figure out how nicotine was communicating with these cells. To find out, the team took a closer look at the different types of receptors on the surface of the cells, Picciotto says.
"And we actually thought that maybe the same nicotine receptors that make you want to smoke or dip, that make you rewarded when you smoke or dip, would be the ones that also control appetite," she says. "But we were wrong."
So the team looked at another type of receptor. These receptors don't make you feel good — they're involved in the so-called fight-or-flight response that occurs when animals or people encounter a threat.
It turned out these fight-or-flight receptors responded to nicotine in a way that reduced hunger. That would make sense from an evolutionary perspective, Picciotto says. "The fight-or-flight response is one where you actually want to preserve your energy to do something very important," she says. "So maybe you don't want to be out there eating while you're supposed to be running away from a tiger."
-
BIG TOBACCO
Found some more information today. Amazing how far these people will go to keep you addicted. Make sure you look at the dates on some of the quotes. They have been killing people with full knowledge of their actions for decades.
Without any doubt, the tobacco scientists knew that nicotine
was addictive; that the main reason people smoked and had
a hard time quitting was because of addiction; and that the
impact of nicotine could be boosted by getting it to the brain
more quickly through additions of certain chemicals to the
cigarette. The documents also reveal the tobacco industryÂ’s
strategy of denying to the public that nicotine was addictive.
The most famous instance of denial came when seven chief
executive offi cers of US tobacco companies each swore, in
1994, to a committee of the US Congress that they did not
believe nicotine was addictive.
Sample quotations from the documents on nicotine and
addiction
Think of the cigarette pack as a storage container
for a dayÂ’s supply of nicotine. ... Think of the
cigarette as a dispenser for a dose unit of nicotine.
Philip Morris chemist, 1972
Bates no. 2046787966/7982
Smokers are nicotine addicts.
Senior British American Tobacco scientist, 1961
Bates no. 3010833862/3865
Very few consumers are aware of the effects of
nicotine, i.e., its addictive nature and that nicotine
is a poison.
Brown Williamson, 1978
Bates no. 665043966
[T]he entire matter of addiction is the most potent
weapon a prosecuting attorney can have in a lung
cancer/cigarette case. We canÂ’t defend continued
smoking as “free choice” if the person was
“addicted.”
Tobacco Institute executive, 1980
Bates no. TIMN0097164
-
BIG TOBACCO
Found some more information today. Amazing how far these people will go to keep you addicted. Make sure you look at the dates on some of the quotes. They have been killing people with full knowledge of their actions for decades.Â
Without any doubt, the tobacco scientists knew that nicotine
was addictive; that the main reason people smoked and had
a hard time quitting was because of addiction; and that the
impact of nicotine could be boosted by getting it to the brain
more quickly through additions of certain chemicals to the
cigarette. The documents also reveal the tobacco industryÂ’s
strategy of denying to the public that nicotine was addictive.
The most famous instance of denial came when seven chief
executive offi cers of US tobacco companies each swore, in
1994, to a committee of the US Congress that they did not
believe nicotine was addictive.
Sample quotations from the documents on nicotine and
addiction
Think of the cigarette pack as a storage container
for a dayÂ’s supply of nicotine. ... Think of the
cigarette as a dispenser for a dose unit of nicotine.
Philip Morris chemist, 1972
Bates no. 2046787966/7982
Smokers are nicotine addicts.
Senior British American Tobacco scientist, 1961
Bates no. 3010833862/3865
Very few consumers are aware of the effects of
nicotine, i.e., its addictive nature and that nicotine
is a poison.
Brown Williamson, 1978
Bates no. 665043966
[T]he entire matter of addiction is the most potent
weapon a prosecuting attorney can have in a lung
cancer/cigarette case. We canÂ’t defend continued
smoking as “free choice” if the person was
“addicted.”
Tobacco Institute executive, 1980
Bates no. TIMN0097164
I love the Truth!!!!! Thanks for posting.
So why can't victims of tobacco sue tobacco companies anymore? Hell Mcdonald's knowingly refused to lower the temperature of their coffee and paid 5 mil. To one victim!
The government really didn't want the industry to die. So like a mobster, they make the tobacco companies pay them for protection.
Does anyone know of a victim of tobacco that received compensation from the state. I would assume that does happen but I wonder how much of the money goes to the victims?
If you are stupid enough to chew, not only are you paying terrorist but you pay more taxes. You are getting double dipped by your politicians and your tobacco company.
The Master Tobacco Settlement
The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) is an agreement originally negotiated between the four largest tobacco companies and 46 U.S. States and 6 U.S. Territories reached in 1998.
The negotiations addressed the potential liability of the tobacco industry for an alleged cover-up of tobacco-related health problems and ultimately exempted the companies from tort liability from state governments in exchange for a combination of yearly payments to the states and voluntary restrictions on advertising and marketing of tobacco products.
The agreement was meant to provide state governments with compensation for smoking related medical costs and to help reduce smoking in the United States.
The MSA was originally signed in November, 1998 by the four largest tobacco companies, Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Brown Williamson Tobacco Corp., and Lorillard Tobacco Company.
The agreement was later joined by over 40 other tobacco companies. Every U.S. State and 6 U.S. Territories signed the agreement. Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Mississippi had already reached individual agreements with the tobacco industry.
The $368.5 Billion MSA was the largest civil settlement in United States history.
No more lawsuits but tobacco is still available and killing people. The only way to shut these fuckers down is to abstain and educate. Cut of the blood flow. Teach the children to run away from it.
-
Day 975
This past week I had a chance to sit down and eat dinner and drink a beer or three with some quitters. This is not the first time I have met quitters but it is the first time in over a year and it got me to thinking. I took a new job a year ago which involved a move, selling a house, finding another one and all the other shit that goes along with uprooting your family and your life. Well needless to say my involvment on the site and meeting quitters took a backseat to all that.
I still posted roll daily but that was it. I spent no time getting involved in the new groups or passing along information I had learned. I was in no danger of caving but I did notice as my time here got diminished the thoughts of dip started to increse. It was very strange, just little thoughts, my little voice talking to me, a longer look at the cancer selection behind the lady at the C store, noticing more people dipping at work. Just noticed the thoughts creeped into my mind more than they had been.
The stories of people caving after leaving the site fill pages here. It happens far too often, and there are some recent examples for everyone to see. I am settled again and spending more time on the site and plan to continue. This place has been the only thing that worked for me and I owe more than I can ever hope to repay.
I must never forget I am an addict and the shit I have gone through to get to where I am today. Coming here and promising daily not to use reminds me of that and keeps my head on straight.
Finally, a huge thank you to all the bad ass quitters that sat with me the other night and shared your stories. It still amazes me the bonds that are formed from fighting this shit together. I can walk in and meet another quitter and it is like we have been friends for life. This place really is magic!! Thank you all for keeing me quit !!
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Day 975
  This past week I had a chance to sit down and eat dinner and drink a beer or three with some quitters. This is not the first time I have met quitters but it is the first time in over a year and it got me to thinking. I took a new job a year ago which involved a move, selling a house, finding another one and all the other shit that goes along with uprooting your family and your life. Well needless to say my involvment on the site and meeting quitters took a backseat to all that.Â
   I still posted roll daily but that was it. I spent no time getting involved in the new groups or passing along information I had learned. I was in no danger of caving but I did notice as my time here got diminished the thoughts of dip started to increse. It was very strange, just little thoughts, my little voice talking to me, a longer look at the cancer selection behind the lady at the C store, noticing more people dipping at work. Just noticed the thoughts creeped into my mind more than they had been.Â
   The stories of people caving after leaving the site fill pages here. It happens far too often, and there are some recent examples for everyone to see. I am settled again and spending more time on the site and plan to continue. This place has been the only thing that worked for me and I owe more than I can ever repay.
I will never forget I am an addict and the shit I have gone through to get to where I am today. Coming here and promising daily not to use reminds me of that and keeps my head on straight.Â
   A thank you to all the bad ass quitters that sat with me the other night and shared your stories. It still amazes me the bonds formed from fighting this shit together. I can walk in and meet another quitter and it is like we have been friends for life. This place really is magic!!
STAY QUIT
Greg
First of all, it was a pleasure meetin you brother.
Second, I've been thinkin alot about this lately too. One story strikes too close to home, sitting there staring down the counter behind the Indian dude thinking...man one of these days will I be weak too? I feel strong right now, but it just takes one weak moment. I don't know, I can't know, but I do know as long as I am here I am quit and I'm not messing with that.
It's good to have you back Greg! FU nic bitch..
-
Day 975
   This past week I had a chance to sit down and eat dinner and drink a beer or three with some quitters. This is not the first time I have met quitters but it is the first time in over a year and it got me to thinking. I took a new job a year ago which involved a move, selling a house, finding another one and all the other shit that goes along with uprooting your family and your life. Well needless to say my involvment on the site and meeting quitters took a backseat to all that.Â
   I still posted roll daily but that was it. I spent no time getting involved in the new groups or passing along information I had learned. I was in no danger of caving but I did notice as my time here got diminished the thoughts of dip started to increse. It was very strange, just little thoughts, my little voice talking to me, a longer look at the cancer selection behind the lady at the C store, noticing more people dipping at work. Just noticed the thoughts creeped into my mind more than they had been.Â
   The stories of people caving after leaving the site fill pages here. It happens far too often, and there are some recent examples for everyone to see. I am settled again and spending more time on the site and plan to continue. This place has been the only thing that worked for me and I owe more than I can ever repay.
I will never forget I am an addict and the shit I have gone through to get to where I am today. Coming here and promising daily not to use reminds me of that and keeps my head on straight. Â
    A thank you to all the bad ass quitters that sat with me the other night and shared your stories. It still amazes me the bonds formed from fighting this shit together. I can walk in and meet another quitter and it is like we have been friends for life. This place really is magic!!
STAY QUIT
Greg
First of all, it was a pleasure meetin you brother.
Second, I've been thinkin alot about this lately too. One story strikes too close to home, sitting there staring down the counter behind the Indian dude thinking...man one of these days will I be weak too? I feel strong right now, but it just takes one weak moment. I don't know, I can't know, but I do know as long as I am here I am quit and I'm not messing with that.
It's good to have you back Greg! FU nic bitch..
Stay strong !! If you ever need anything sing out...
-
Day 975
   This past week I had a chance to sit down and eat dinner and drink a beer or three with some quitters. This is not the first time I have met quitters but it is the first time in over a year and it got me to thinking. I took a new job a year ago which involved a move, selling a house, finding another one and all the other shit that goes along with uprooting your family and your life. Well needless to say my involvment on the site and meeting quitters took a backseat to all that.Â
   I still posted roll daily but that was it. I spent no time getting involved in the new groups or passing along information I had learned. I was in no danger of caving but I did notice as my time here got diminished the thoughts of dip started to increse. It was very strange, just little thoughts, my little voice talking to me, a longer look at the cancer selection behind the lady at the C store, noticing more people dipping at work. Just noticed the thoughts creeped into my mind more than they had been.Â
   The stories of people caving after leaving the site fill pages here. It happens far too often, and there are some recent examples for everyone to see. I am settled again and spending more time on the site and plan to continue. This place has been the only thing that worked for me and I owe more than I can ever repay.
I will never forget I am an addict and the shit I have gone through to get to where I am today. Coming here and promising daily not to use reminds me of that and keeps my head on straight. Â
    A thank you to all the bad ass quitters that sat with me the other night and shared your stories. It still amazes me the bonds formed from fighting this shit together. I can walk in and meet another quitter and it is like we have been friends for life. This place really is magic!!
STAY QUIT
Greg
First of all, it was a pleasure meetin you brother.
Second, I've been thinkin alot about this lately too. One story strikes too close to home, sitting there staring down the counter behind the Indian dude thinking...man one of these days will I be weak too? I feel strong right now, but it just takes one weak moment. I don't know, I can't know, but I do know as long as I am here I am quit and I'm not messing with that.
It's good to have you back Greg! FU nic bitch..
I keep waiting for you to make your way out to So Cal. You were one of the most instrumental guys early on in my quit, and even as I close in on two years, I still find myself learning much from your posts.
Keep up the good fight brother. You make a huge difference around here.
Oh yeah. . . THANKS
-
Day 975
   This past week I had a chance to sit down and eat dinner and drink a beer or three with some quitters. This is not the first time I have met quitters but it is the first time in over a year and it got me to thinking. I took a new job a year ago which involved a move, selling a house, finding another one and all the other shit that goes along with uprooting your family and your life. Well needless to say my involvment on the site and meeting quitters took a backseat to all that.Â
   I still posted roll daily but that was it. I spent no time getting involved in the new groups or passing along information I had learned. I was in no danger of caving but I did notice as my time here got diminished the thoughts of dip started to increse. It was very strange, just little thoughts, my little voice talking to me, a longer look at the cancer selection behind the lady at the C store, noticing more people dipping at work. Just noticed the thoughts creeped into my mind more than they had been.Â
   The stories of people caving after leaving the site fill pages here. It happens far too often, and there are some recent examples for everyone to see. I am settled again and spending more time on the site and plan to continue. This place has been the only thing that worked for me and I owe more than I can ever repay.
I will never forget I am an addict and the shit I have gone through to get to where I am today. Coming here and promising daily not to use reminds me of that and keeps my head on straight. Â
    A thank you to all the bad ass quitters that sat with me the other night and shared your stories. It still amazes me the bonds formed from fighting this shit together. I can walk in and meet another quitter and it is like we have been friends for life. This place really is magic!!
STAY QUIT
Greg
First of all, it was a pleasure meetin you brother.
Second, I've been thinkin alot about this lately too. One story strikes too close to home, sitting there staring down the counter behind the Indian dude thinking...man one of these days will I be weak too? I feel strong right now, but it just takes one weak moment. I don't know, I can't know, but I do know as long as I am here I am quit and I'm not messing with that.
It's good to have you back Greg! FU nic bitch..
I keep waiting for you to make your way out to So Cal. You were one of the most instrumental guys early on in my quit, and even as I close in on two years, I still find myself learning much from your posts.
Keep up the good fight brother. You make a huge difference around here.
Oh yeah. . . THANKS
Thank you for the help you have provided me.
-
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
-Tecumseh
-
Hey Greg - Funny story - read some of your earlier shit and it reminded me of this....
Sitting in packed airport yesterday in Turks, no seats to be found except for the one next to me, where I had so bags sitting on it. So I figure let me move my shit so someone could sit down.
I move the bags, I husband and wife come over, he sits down. Pulls out a tin, pops out an empty bottle and starts chewing. I watched his entire move from packing his tin to spitting. Guess what - hah - I thought it was nasty....Its funny how this shit works.
At least, to my left, my wife leaned over and gave me a smooch as she new I had an eagle on on this fucker...
Keeping on Quittin on....
-
Day 140 and counting...and counting...and counting...
Congrats on the Comma Greg! I've read this thread plenty in my young quit, between you and 30year (and the funny guy, SWJ?) you guys got me through countless craves. Thank you for leading the way brother, you're the man!
-
Congratulations Greg,
You're one of the vets that have gone before us, who make it possible for a man like me to believe in myself enough to get real and get quit!
Thank you for helping others, posting roll, making people think, making people laugh. Your part of the backbone of this site.
Men like you, MikeA, Fred, Wade, Tarp make quitting tobacco a reality!
Cheers!!
-
Day 140 and counting...and counting...and counting...
Congrats on the Comma Greg! I've read this thread plenty in my young quit, between you and 30year (and the funny guy, SWJ?) you guys got me through countless craves. Thank you for leading the way brother, you're the man!
Glad I could help. I owe more to this place than I can ever repay so more than happy to help !!
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Congratulations Greg,
You're one of the vets that have gone before us, who make it possible for a man like me to believe in myself enough to get real and get quit!
Thank you for helping others, posting roll, making people think, making people laugh. Your part of the backbone of this site.
Men like you, MikeA, Fred, Wade, Tarp make quitting tobacco a reality!
Cheers!!
Just hoping to pay back enough to make a difference.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
-Tecumseh
Don't mean to hijack your thread, this just got to me this AM. Hit right in the right spot.
Thanks for all you do for all of us.
-
Congrats on the comma...+1, Greg. Keep kickin' ass and leading the way.
-
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
-Tecumseh
Don't mean to hijack your thread, this just got to me this AM. Hit right in the right spot.
Thanks for all you do for all of us.
Hell yea! Great quote from a great Warrior!
-
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
-Tecumseh
Don't mean to hijack your thread, this just got to me this AM. Hit right in the right spot.
Thanks for all you do for all of us.
Stay quit!
-
Congrats on the comma...+1, Greg. Keep kickin' ass and leading the way.
Thank you! I will do just that.
-
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
-Tecumseh
Don't mean to hijack your thread, this just got to me this AM. Hit right in the right spot.
Thanks for all you do for all of us.
Hell yea! Great quote from a great Warrior!
Indeed. I have this hanging in my office.
-
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
-Tecumseh
Don't mean to hijack your thread, this just got to me this AM. Hit right in the right spot.
Thanks for all you do for all of us.
Hell yea! Great quote from a great Warrior!
Indeed. I have this hanging in my office.
Good Stuff. Makes you feel good on a Friday morning..
-
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?Actually who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you.
As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?Actually who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you.
As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Greg this how I see the world now. Over the past 607 days, I've realized what the world has been offering me all this time that I haven't had the nerve to accept. No more.
-
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?Actually who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you.
As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Greg this how I see the world now. Over the past 607 days, I've realized what the world has been offering me all this time that I haven't had the nerve to accept. No more.
Great! Thanks-- I agree with this.
-
Does asking for help make you weak?
Getting help from someone to stop using tobacco/nicotine may sound like a simple thing, just go ask right? But is it really as simple as it sounds? Who do you ask for help? When do you ask for help? Where do you go to find people to help? Will they even know how to help? All very real questions that require some answers before you expose yourself to someone else. There are so many mixed messages when it comes to quitting it makes it very confusing to know where to turn.
Asking for or accepting help is something that is extremely challenging for most of us. It is never easy to admit you cannot do something on your own and it can be extremely hard, almost impossible for those who have a mindset that seeking help makes us less of a person or shows weakness. I had these thoughts when it came to asking someone to help me stop using tobacco/ nicotine and it kept me from quitting for a long time.
To begin with the number of people who successfully quit tobacco/ nicotine without help or a solid support group is about 2 out of 100. Sure we all know “that” person who did it without help but what about the thousand other people who did seek help? You probably never heard about them because getting the help they needed has kept silent, a bond of trust between quitter and mentor. If they fought their asses off every day, screaming, ranting, scared shitless and needed every ounce of support and help they received does that mean they are weak? I say Hell no.
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the planet. Quitting it is not easy, it takes work and is often not a pretty sight. In my opinion the person who had to reach out for help is the stronger of the two. They knew without help they would still be a slave to their addiction and were willing to do whatever it took to rid their self of a terrible demon and take control of their life again; even if it meant admitting they need help. To me that is STRENGTH !!
There is only one way to quit nicotine, and that is to put it down and never touch it again in any way shape or form. Anything else is still using, thus not a true quit. That idea of stopping cold turkey is scary, believe me I know. I ingested nicotine daily for 30 years. Cold turkey CAN be done. This site is where you need to be to become clean, stop lurking and start quitting. This site was founded by ex users and is run by ex users so we know what you are feeling and what your journey will be like.
If you need help ask for it !! That is why we are here. The goal is to free yourself from Nicotine, do what you must to get that done. If it means you have to lean on someone for awhile then do that.
Your freedom IS worth it.
We are waiting
-
Day 1,031
I woke up this morning and was doing my morning reading as usual. I came across a story written by another quitter about a family memeber he recently lost. Earlier in life this man had lost his jaw and most of his facial muscles to cancer from dipping. Living disfigured for the past 30 years he continued his addiction, smoking. This story hit me hard this morning, surprisingly hard! It reminded me of my father and how badly I miss him. How he has not gotten to watch my children grow. Has not gotten to watch me beat the addiction he could not. How his addiction cheated me out of 20+ years of memories with him. I miss you dad!
While my father was never a dipper he smoked all of his life and spent the last years of his life in agaony, fighting for every breath he took, hooked to an oxygen machine. In the end my father was so sick he weighed about 100 lbs and was hooked to every machine known to man, was so weak he could not walk himself to the bathroom, dress himself, but still smoked. He died alone in a hospital bed in pain and fighting to breathe. I still see the look on his face the last time I saw him; fear, confusion, pain...
This story hit me hard and also served to remind me why I am clean and why I choose to remain so every day! Something will get me, but it will not be Nicotine!!. This story also strengthens my resolve to help ANY person who asks me to gain their freedom from this addiction! Make no mistake this IS a fight for your life.
Thank you all who came before me and have shown me the way ! Thank you to all the new quitters that keep me clean! Thank you to the quitters I have not yet met and helped. I promise you all I will NOT use Nicotine today !!
I miss you Dad.
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Day 1,031
I woke up this morning and was doing my morning reading as usual. I came across a story written by another quitter about a family memeber he recently lost. Earlier in life this man had lost his jaw and most of his facial muscles to cancer from dipping. Living disfigured for the past 30 years he continued his addiction, smoking. This story hit me hard this morning, surprisingly hard! It reminded me of my father and how badly I miss him. How he has not gotten to watch my children grow. Has not gotten to watch me beat the addiction he could not. How his addiction cheated me out of 20+ years of memories with him. I miss you dad!
While my father was never a dipper he smoked all of his life and spent the last years of his life in agaony, fighting for every breath he took, hooked to an oxygen machine. In the end my father was so sick he weighed about 100 lbs and was hooked to every machine known to man, was so weak he could not walk himself to the bathroom, dress himself, but still smoked. He died alone in a hospital bed in pain and fighting to breathe. I still see the look on his face the last time I saw him; fear, confusion, pain...
This story hit me hard and also served to remind me why I am clean and why I choose to remain so every day! Something will get me, but it will not be Nicotine!!. This story also strengthens my resolve to help ANY person who asks me to gain their freedom from this addiction! Make no mistake this IS a fight for your life.
Thank you all who came before me and have shown me the way ! Thank you to all the new quitters that keep me clean! Thank you to the quitters I have not yet met and helped. I promise you all I will NOT use Nicotine today !!
I miss you Dad.
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON
STAY QUIT
Greg
Very touching greg. Thanks for sharing.
-
Putting this here for future reference... Thanks SM
(ryano34 @ Nov 4, 2009, 3:47 pm)
Very interesting article I found today.....
Nicotine Warning for Cold Turkey Quitters
Roughly 80-90% of all new quitters attempt to quit cold turkey (abrupt nicotine cessation). If you are one of them then you need to know that many highly respected websites contain advertisements, quitting instructions and articles created by the pharmaceutical industry for the purpose of getting you to purchase nicotine (which they have renamed medicine) and use it (which they have renamed therapy). Their super slick marketing is designed to make you quickly believe that you have very little chance of succeeding unless you rush-out and purchase nicotine weaning products such as the nicotine patch, nicotine gum or nicotine lozenge and immediately put nicotine back into your bloodstream. They do not want you to believe in "you." They do not want you to reach for education, understanding, new skills and support, as honest tools that make dreams come true at rates that make those achieved by their weaning products laughable.
Sadly, very few sites are sharing useful, recent and honest NRT data with quitters. Those with a financial stake must keep secret the fact that a March 2003 NRT study review by paid pharmaceutical industry consultants combined and averaged all seven over-the-counter nicotine patch and gum studies and found that 93% of those who "believed" and "trusted" in the nicotine weaning message failed and relapsed to smoking nicotine within six months ( link to full text of March, 2003 study ). Nor will those receiving donations or profits for allowing nicotine to be marketed at their websites warn you that too many among the 7% who do quit smoking for six months have instead become permanent chemical captives to the very product they purchased to help them break nicotine's grip upon their mind. Nor will they tell you that if you have previously tried and failed while using nicotine weaning products that, according to two nicotine patch recycling studies, your odds of relapse during a second attempt may be as high as 100%.
But most importantly, these sites continue to refuse to caution the 80-90% of new quitters who arrive having quit cold turkey, that if they have remained 100% nicotine free for 72 hours that their blood is now 100% nicotine-clean, 90% of nicotine's metabolites have passed through their urine, and that for them chemical withdrawal has peaked in intensity and is now beginning to gradually subside. Any nicotine use at this point constitutes chemical relapse that will require them to repeat nicotine detox all over again. This is the "Law of Addiction."
But take heart if you are quitting cold turkey. According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts Figures 2003 report, 91.2% of all successful long-term quitters are today quitting entirely on their own without using Zyban, Wellbutrin, hypnosis, acupuncture, magic herbs, and without toying with any gradual nicotine weaning products like the patch, gum, lozenge, spray, or inhaler.
You'd think that government researchers would be heavily engaged in studying "their" method of quitting and "their" secrets. You'd think that they'd be developing websites to service the cessation needs of the 80-90% of all new quitters who they know are today engaged in a cold turkey quitting experience. You'd think that their sites would have warnings to protect cold turkey quitters from pharmaceutical grade nicotine relapse. You'd think that government and major health non-profits would have lots of articles on how to take the mystery and cold out of quitting cold.
Sadly, it simply isn't happening. The pharmaceutical industry is making billions selling nicotine to nicotine addicts, their sphere of influence extends beyond your wildest imagination and they know that the only way to continue to increase market share and profits is by continuing their campaign to destroy the credibility of earth's most productive means of quitting - abrupt nicotine cessation.
John R. Polito, Nicotine Cessation Educator
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
Bro... I just met you in chat today, a pleasure :)
81 days in for me right now... Not a noob, not a vet. I've got advice to offer the new guys, sure, but still have lots to learn and soak up. Hell... I think any quitter worth his/her salt would say that. This is a lifetime endeavor.
Thanks for reinforcing the foundation of my quit. Involvement, accountability, compassion, time tested quit wisdom.... Brotherhood. Proud to quit with you today...
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
Bro... I just met you in chat today, a pleasure :)
81 days in for me right now... Not a noob, not a vet. I've got advice to offer the new guys, sure, but still have lots to learn and soak up. Hell... I think any quitter worth his/her salt would say that. This is a lifetime endeavor.
Thanks for reinforcing the foundation of my quit. Involvement, accountability, compassion, time tested quit wisdom.... Brotherhood. Proud to quit with you today...
AJ,
It was good meeting you last night also. Always good to get into chat and talk to some other quitters. I have been really slammed at work and let that interfere with my time on the site. I am making adjustments for that now and will be more active here.
Time spent on here is more productive and rewarding anyway...
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
Bro... I just met you in chat today, a pleasure :)
81 days in for me right now... Not a noob, not a vet. I've got advice to offer the new guys, sure, but still have lots to learn and soak up. Hell... I think any quitter worth his/her salt would say that. This is a lifetime endeavor.
Thanks for reinforcing the foundation of my quit. Involvement, accountability, compassion, time tested quit wisdom.... Brotherhood. Proud to quit with you today...
AJ,
It was good meeting you last night also. Always good to get into chat and talk to some other quitters. I have been really slammed at work and let that interfere with my time on the site. I am making adjustments for that now and will be more active here.
Time spent on here is more productive and rewarding anyway...
STAY QUIT
Greg
I'm glad you will be making more time for the sight Greg. You are one of the ones that makes a big difference. Wisdom like you have shouldn't be bottled up. To many on this sight, including me could sure use any of that wisdom you don't mind giving up. Quit with you anyday.
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
Bro... I just met you in chat today, a pleasure :)
81 days in for me right now... Not a noob, not a vet. I've got advice to offer the new guys, sure, but still have lots to learn and soak up. Hell... I think any quitter worth his/her salt would say that. This is a lifetime endeavor.
Thanks for reinforcing the foundation of my quit. Involvement, accountability, compassion, time tested quit wisdom.... Brotherhood. Proud to quit with you today...
AJ,
It was good meeting you last night also. Always good to get into chat and talk to some other quitters. I have been really slammed at work and let that interfere with my time on the site. I am making adjustments for that now and will be more active here.
Time spent on here is more productive and rewarding anyway...
STAY QUIT
Greg
I'm glad you will be making more time for the sight Greg. You are one of the ones that makes a big difference. Wisdom like you have shouldn't be bottled up. To many on this sight, including me could sure use any of that wisdom you don't mind giving up. Quit with you anyday.
Srans,
Thanks for that! Good to know my ramblings have helped. I am always willing to share what I know so fire away and I will help how I can.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
Bro... I just met you in chat today, a pleasure :)
81 days in for me right now... Not a noob, not a vet. I've got advice to offer the new guys, sure, but still have lots to learn and soak up. Hell... I think any quitter worth his/her salt would say that. This is a lifetime endeavor.
Thanks for reinforcing the foundation of my quit. Involvement, accountability, compassion, time tested quit wisdom.... Brotherhood. Proud to quit with you today...
AJ,
It was good meeting you last night also. Always good to get into chat and talk to some other quitters. I have been really slammed at work and let that interfere with my time on the site. I am making adjustments for that now and will be more active here.
Time spent on here is more productive and rewarding anyway...
STAY QUIT
Greg
I'm glad you will be making more time for the sight Greg. You are one of the ones that makes a big difference. Wisdom like you have shouldn't be bottled up. To many on this sight, including me could sure use any of that wisdom you don't mind giving up. Quit with you anyday.
Srans,
Thanks for that! Good to know my ramblings have helped. I am always willing to share what I know so fire away and I will help how I can.
STAY QUIT
Greg
Absolutely, go get him. He can be quit, we all know that. I hope you can help him see he can quit too. You've been a great influence on many quitters, hopefully he can be one more!
-
Day 1,345
I went home this past weekend and met up with an old friend of mine, actually my best friend growing up. This was the guy I started dipping with when we were 14 or 15. We would walk from his house to buy a can every day. $.89 a can back then. We did everything together all the way through College and early into our careers. Our kids played together, he might as well have been my brother.Â
We were extremely close until I started my quit, and for the sake of my quit I chose to stay away from him. Not an easy decision at the time, but a necessary one. I visited him a time or two early on in my quit and he was supportive and wished me luck, but I could not stand to be around him while he dipped. I could not believe that he would continue to stuff his face full of poison in front of me and also continue to do something that was so clearly wrong for him. I just decided I would avoid him and we drifted apart and I had not spoken a word to him in three years.
We sat and talked for about 3 hours on Saturday, sadly he packed his lip about 3 different times. I asked him when he was going to quit that shit and his answer was " I can't." " I can't go without it for more than 20 minutes, I start to get shaky and irritable." I told him he was an addict and he shook his head in agreement, but said he didn't know how to start. I told him where we were and that he was welcome, I told him I would walk him through the fire. I hope to see him here before it is too late.Â
I am going to take a new approach with him. Instead of avoiding him as I did early on I am going to see him as often as I can, tell him how great life is free of the bitch, encourage him, give him knowledge. I made the choice early on to avoid him to protect my quit, which I still believe was the right choice. I am now going to reverse that decision to get him to begin his !! We met Saturday by chance and I think it is time for me to reach out and help....
STAY QUIT
Greg
Get 'em brother. Let us know when he starts walking the halls.
In the meantime, you can tell him a total stranger that lives in the middle of nowhere in Maine is ready to support and help, too.
I bet there's about 1,000 other strangers chomping at the bit, too.
Yes. Man, I hope there is going to be a great ending to this story. I am here to help write it if he wants to begin journey of freedom.
Sign this Quitter up!! Whatever we can do. Nothing better than helping a loved one out of the fogg......
J
Push him into the live chat, hell he is bound to run into me and I would be more than welcome to lend a hand/ear/advice....
well done Greg as I know it must not be the most idea situation for you.
Bro... I just met you in chat today, a pleasure :)
81 days in for me right now... Not a noob, not a vet. I've got advice to offer the new guys, sure, but still have lots to learn and soak up. Hell... I think any quitter worth his/her salt would say that. This is a lifetime endeavor.
Thanks for reinforcing the foundation of my quit. Involvement, accountability, compassion, time tested quit wisdom.... Brotherhood. Proud to quit with you today...
AJ,
It was good meeting you last night also. Always good to get into chat and talk to some other quitters. I have been really slammed at work and let that interfere with my time on the site. I am making adjustments for that now and will be more active here.
Time spent on here is more productive and rewarding anyway...
STAY QUIT
Greg
I'm glad you will be making more time for the sight Greg. You are one of the ones that makes a big difference. Wisdom like you have shouldn't be bottled up. To many on this sight, including me could sure use any of that wisdom you don't mind giving up. Quit with you anyday.
Srans,
Thanks for that! Good to know my ramblings have helped. I am always willing to share what I know so fire away and I will help how I can.
STAY QUIT
Greg
Absolutely, go get him. He can be quit, we all know that. I hope you can help him see he can quit too. You've been a great influence on many quitters, hopefully he can be one more!
Awesome shit right there. I agree with you 100%. Your quit was too important in the beginning.. Did the right thing by staying away. Now is the time to flood him with your positive aura.. The more he sees, the more he'll want it. peace
-
Great Stuff MJ. Putting this here for later reference...
This program works, and it works well. It's longevity is even provided for by "after care" forums that, either by design or by accident have become a reality. The program itself is based on peer support and personal discipline. The forums (quit groups, wildcard, etc) create the community and the means of a support structure. You can find a multitude of diversions to help you become involved in the community and cement your resolve.
Then what? I hear many vets talk about things like anxiety and depression. Believe it or not, in my experiences I have found this to be common. Why?
Let me start of by saying that Nicotine does make things easier for you. It increases your ability to think, it helps calm, it brings a mild sense of euphoria. Yes, an addiction. We would not have continued for as long as we had if it had not given us something. When we take it away suddenly, we experience "The Fog" we all know so well. And everything goes haywire for a bit. But we are good with that, because we have our quit group, chat, wildcard forums to help us cope with the misery.
After a period of time, our bodies heal, our minds heal, but once an addict always an addict. You cannot undo it. The problem that many of us experience now is the problem of emptieness. You won the fight, and the glory begins to fade, now what?
Having spent a majority of our lives using a substance that helped us stay calm, think, shit, etc we never learned how to do many of those things as an adult. Anxiety and depression creep in. But this site has an answer for that also, and many of un-aware of it.
We have forums that take some external and personal work. These are great places to begin to deal with the new problems, many of which don't exist other than in our own minds.
Forums like "Exercise Group", "Endurance Enthusiastist Club", "Meditation" will provide you with resources to battle your new "problems". These are only a few, and if you have an interest that you feel would be an asset to others then by all means approach a mod and see if we can get something started.
MJ
-
More good Stuff... I struggled with "what to do" also. This sums it up nicely!!
One of the events that takes place with many people involved in any recovery, including nicotine is that they get to a neutral point. They beat it. Now what? There are many paths to choose from at this point. Some are happy to just say "I Won" and go along with their lives. Some of us stay involved with the community we recovered in and begin to help new people. But for many there is a void created. Going from being in conflict with ourselves in an addiction to being safe from it is great. But just sitting there being safe isn't all it is cracked up to be.
Imagine being given a lot full of trash. It's all yours to do anything you want with. You work dilligently cleaning it up until you find the earth under the mess. Now you no longer have an lot full of trash, you have a barren lot. Neutral. You add some grass, a garden, benches, what ever comes to mind. Improvement. Or, you let trash collect again... Relapse.
We have many other programs or "rooms" as I call them to help not only heal, but improve life while getting away from the nicotine, as well as afterwards.
Getting someone who has been in conflict with themselves for a long time to settle down and make peace with themselves is not an easy task. Regardless of what anyone thinks, you put yourself in conflict with yourself when you put poison into your body.
MJ
-
Oct 30,2009 - The day I decided to take my life back. 4 years and counting. Freedom is Amazing!!
'oh yeah'
-
Oct 30,2009 - The day I decided to take my life back. 4 years and counting. Freedom is Amazing!!
'oh yeah'
'wave' 'clap' 'wave'
-
Oct 30,2009 - The day I decided to take my life back. 4 years and counting. Freedom is Amazing!!
'oh yeah'
'wave' 'clap' 'wave'
'worship' Goo Stuff !!!! 'worship'
-
Oct 30,2009 - The day I decided to take my life back. 4 years and counting. Freedom is Amazing!!
'oh yeah'
'wave' 'clap' 'wave'
'worship' Goo Stuff !!!! 'worship'
Greg,
You were one of the first to post on my intro 370 some days ago! I thank you and salute you on 4 years of Freedom!! Thanks for the support!
J
-
1,701 days clean today and I owe it to this site and the quitters who walk these halls. Today I did not use and I thank you all for that.
The site has been active over the past couple of days to say the least, this too shall pass. Do not let the events of the past couple of days take your eye off the prize!
Remember why you are here. The enemy is Nicotine, the victory is not using.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
:WastedPanel:
-
Good Morning Quitters. Great day to be Free!
Who wants some?
STAY QUIT
Greg5280
-
Would I dip again ?
I have seen this question posted in different areas off and on and it gets me to thinking. Would I ever dip again knowing what I know now?
I have played different scenarios in my head during my quit, and thought would any of these would be permissible to allow me to dip again? It is funny to me that I actually spent all this time thinking about this stuff, maybe I need another hobby. Below are some of the things that have passed through my mind on the subject.
1.The terminal illness – This is the one that has to be the easiest to answer right? If I get a terminal illness and was going to die anyway well why not add dipping back to the equation, I mean I am dying anyway so why not?
2.Some terrible tragedy – pick one. Life gives you many to choose from. For me the one that kept playing in my head was something to do with losing my family thus rendering my desire to remain quit or alive a null point. So pack one?
3.The end of the world - If I knew the end of the world was at hand would I run to the store and get a can. This one for me was some nuclear attack from N. Korea or something like that. I knew I had time before the end so why not run to the store and grab a can. Who would it hurt? It would all be over in an hour anyway.
There are others but I think you get the point, so letÂ’s get to the answer. Would I dip again knowing what I know now for any of the reasons listed above, or for any other reason?
Well my answer to that question today is different than it was at the beginning of my quit, three months ago, even a month ago. I used to think if any of the above happened I would most certainly run to the store and buy a can. What possible difference could it make? I have fought long and hard and if the end was coming why not face it with a fatty? Today I will tell you there is no fucking way I would ever put a dip back in my face. Even if I knew I would die in an hour and could have one I would not do it.
I have learned far too much about tobacco/nicotine and the fuckers that produce/ sell it. How they researched their product and chemically enhanced it to make me/you more dependent on it. How they target our children and hope to hook them too. I have developed a seething hatred for everything their miserable fucking company/product represents.
They have poisoned my family members, me, you, and are looking for more lifelong addicts so they can add to their bottom line. They do not give a shit what their product does to your body or your family. They sell poison on a daily basis to millions and are thinking of creative ways to expand their client base.
Would I ever dip againÂ… FUCK NO !! I will set my money on fire before I give one more cent to those death dealers.
Newbies: Get over the illusion that you miss this shit, you do not. You did not like it, it was not fun, it did not help anything. You were addicted to a chemically enhanced super drug. Quit romanticizing it and look at it with open eyes. Develop a hate for it, the people that make and sell it, and it will make it much easier for you to remain quit.
Always liked this one, Greg.
-
Greg, was it your intro that had the letters written by kids to tobacco companies for free samples and how they responded? I'd like to bump that post, if so, for new folks.
-
Here is a new batch of quotes from the death dealers at Big Tobacco. Newbs, if you ever doubted that you were targeted at a young age you can remove those questions, you were !! Their product was enhanced to hook and keep you. Their marketing was aimed at you early in life.
When you struggle to remain quit, come to this page and study how big tobacco operates. Notice the language used and decide no matter what you will never give another cent of your money to these people.
They sell a product that kills its consumers. They know it, and the plan for it. " lost through normal attrition" that means replacing customers who died...
NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!
Philip Morris (Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson Hedges)
"Smoking a cigarette for the beginner is a symbolic act. . . . 'I am no longer my mother's child, I'm tough, I am an adventurer, I'm not square.' . . . As the force from the psychological symbolism subsides, the pharmacological effect takes over to sustain the habit."
1969 draft report "Why One Smokes" to the PM board of directors prepared by Osdene'department. Document Bates No. 1003287836
"Long after adolescent preoccupation with self-image has subsided, the cigarette will even preempt food in times of scarcity on the smoker's priority list."
November 26, 1969 presentation to the PM Board of Directors, "Smoker Psychology Research."
Bates No. 1000273741
"We are not sure that anything can be done to halt a major exodus if one gets going among the young. This group follows the crowd, and we don't pretend to know what gets them going for one thing or another . . . Certainly Philip Morris should continue efforts for Marlboro in the youth market, but perhaps as
strongly as possible aimed at the white market rather than attempting to encompass blacks as well."
July 1974 Roper Organization report for Philip Morris, "A Study of Smoking Habits Among Young
Smokers." Bates No. 2024921279
"Marlboro's phenomenal growth rate in the past has been attributable in large part to our high market penetration among young smokers ... 15 to 19 years old . . . my own data, which includes younger
teenagers, shows even higher Marlboro market penetration among 15-17-year-olds."
May 21, 1975 report " The Decline in the Rate of Growth of Marlboro Red" from PM researcher
Myron E. Johnston to Robert B. Seligman. Bates No. 2022849875-9880
"It is important to know as much as possible about teenage smoking patterns and attitudes. Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while in their teens. . . . The smoking patterns of teen-agers are particularly important to Philip
Morris. . . the share index is highest in the youngest group for all Marlboro and Virginia Slims packings. At least a part of the success of Marlboro Red during its most rapid growth period was because it became the brand of choice among teenagers who then stuck with it as they grew older. " March 31, 1981 market research report on young smokers titled "Young Smokers Prevalence,
Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends," written by Philip Morris researcher
Myron E. Johnston and approved by Carolyn Levy and Harry Daniel. Bates No. 1000390803
"We will no longer be able to rely on a rapidly increasing pool of teenagers from which to replace smokers through lost normal attrition. . . Because of our high share of the market among the youngest smokers Philip Morris will suffer more than the other companies from the decline in the number of teenage smokers."
March 31, 1981 market research report on young smokers titled "Young Smokers Prevalence, Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends," written by Philip Morris researcher
Myron E. Johnston and approved by Carolyn Levy and Harry Daniel. Bates No. 1000390803
"I have just received data on the graduating class of 1982 and the results are much more encouraging and corroborate the Roper data [a survey that tracked track smoking trends] . . . These data show that
smoking prevalence among these 18-year-old high school seniors has increased from 1981 to 1982."
February 19, 1983 Philip Morris interoffice memo, "Still More on Trends in Cigarette Smoking
Prevalence." Bates No. 2022849870
“The ability to attract new smokers and develop them into a young adult franchise is key to brand development.”
1999 Philip Morris report, "Five-Year Trends 1988-1992." Bates No. 2044895379-484
Something to think about... Never forget you are nothing but a target a replacement for the last customer they killed.
STAY QUIT
Greg
-
Newbies,
If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.
Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.
Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert. The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985. “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.” After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
Here is some sobering reading for anyone who thinks quitting is a bad thing.
-
Newbies,
If you are having trouble staying quit or deciding if you want to quit then read the article below.
Make sure you pay attention to the tactics used by Big Tobacco... For fuck sake sending kids ( 9, 10, 11...years old ) free cans ? Making Cherry flavored tobacco with less Nic so the kids could " get used" to the product.
Hard to believe I gave those fucks as much of my money as I did.. NEVER AGAIN FOR ANY REASON !!!
Tobacco Company Pays $5M In Groundbreaking Case
Settlement is nationÂ’s first involving smokeless product
By THOMAS B. SCHEFFEY
Kelly June Hill, Executrix, et al. v. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco: The Altria Group, successor to tobacco marketer United States Smokeless Tobacco of Greenwich, has settled for $5 million a lawsuit filed by the estate of a North Carolina man who died of tongue cancer.
The worker, Bobby Hill, initially went to an Ashville, N.C., lawyer, who referred his case to BridgeportÂ’s Koskoff, Koskoff Bieder. Partners Antonio Ponvert III and Christopher Bernard launched a state court wrongful death action in Connecticut.
From the beginning, Ponvert said, Hill and his family wanted to draw attention to the danger of “dipping snuff” and to discourage youngsters from starting its addictive use.
“It’s the first time a plaintiff has won a wrongful death chewing tobacco verdict or settlement in the history of the industry,” said Ponvert. Altria, based in Richmond, Va., also owns Philip Morris, and has a corporate policy of not settling any individual consumer cases, he added. Altria Group spokesman Steve Callahan said, “U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is honoring an agreement it made in this case prior to its acquisition by Altria….We have no current intention to settle cases like this in the future.”
Historically, the tobacco industry has fiercely defended itself in the courts. And for decades, it denied that tobacco is addictive or a health risk. More recently, it has maintained that people know the risks of tobacco and they should take personal responsibility if they use it. In the industry, a no-settlement rule is standard.
But Bobby Hill, said Ponvert, “was an almost ideal client. Bobby Hill was 13 years old when he started using. He became addicted to this product when he was a child, long before warning labels were put on [packages] in 1987.” That fact, Ponvert said, “destroyed any personal responsibility-type defense that the industry likes to use.” The defendant retained five defense firms, including New York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher Flohm, and Winston Strawn, with local counsel duties handled by Wiggin and Dana, in New Haven.
Attorney David S. Golub, of StamfordÂ’s Silver, Golub Teitel, has handled other lawsuits against the tobacco industry, and was clearly impressed by the Altria settlement.
“This is unprecedented and amazing. There has never been, to my knowledge, a time when a tobacco company has settled a case. It’s fabulous lawyering, and a wonderful result,” Golub told the Law Tribune. “Every tobacco company fights tooth and nail, because they’re afraid that if they settle one case, they can never again say they won’t settle. This is groundbreaking.”
Smokeless tobacco, or snuff, comes in small cans and is sold under brand names such as Skoal or Copenhagen. It comes in a variety of “cuts,” which describe the lengths of the tobacco strands. The tobacco sits between the user’s cheek and gum. It’s different from chewing tobacco, which is a much longer cut that is literally chewed.
One previous snuff case has gone to trial. An Oklahoma plaintiff, Sean Marsee, contracted mouth cancer in the late 1980s after five years of chewing tobacco use, and USST medical experts testified that tumors caused by “dipping snuff” took 20 years to develop. The suit seeking $147 million resulted in a defense verdict for USST.
“Bobby Hill used for 20 years, so we would have been able to use their experts in the Marsee case against them here,” said Ponvert. The attorney said the needs of Hill’s widow and two children, 11 and 14, made a settlement for $5 million seem like a wiser course than holding out for more at trial – or maybe nothing. The process of reaching the settlement stage was long and rocky, requiring extensive discovery work and research.
In a 2002 deposition, USST Chairman and CEO Louis Bantle was questioned in another case, and he explained why some 12 million documents in USST files were stamped confidential. Under oath, he conceded they didn’t contain formulas or other business secrets. “A couple of years ago,” Bantle said, “a whole lot of lawyers came to company headquarters and they stamped ‘confidential’ on every single document we had in our possession, whether they were or not.” Ponvert said discovery was challenging, “for the opposite reason one would think.” The plaintiffs “got half a million pages of documents, which made searching them quite interesting. We found some stuff that was out of this world.”
Letters From Children
Some of the most significant material, said Ponvert, was in a cache of internal correspondence from young customers, aged 9 to 18, written between1978 and 1985. “We found about 50 letters from children to the company, and children’s letters would say, `I am 9 [or 10, 11, 14 or 15] years old, and have been using your product.” The kids had complaints and suggestions. “One was, ‘Please don’t raise the price on Skoal, because I only get $5 in allowance, and can’t afford the seven cans a week that I need,’” Ponvert recounted. “They’d say, ‘I really like the mint flavor, could you make it in a different cut?’
Those letters would be sent to the United States Smokeless Tobacco headquarters in Greenwich. According to the lawyers, a letter would be back to the child saying: “Thank you for your comments. We’ll consider your suggestions, and here are five free cans of Skoal.” After it became illegal to send tobacco to children in the late 1980s, the company sent young teens complimentary can openers and lids to keep their snuff moist and fresh.
Company correspondence supported a plan to introduce candy-flavored Skoal “Bandits” to hook young customers. “Bandits” are ground tobacco and flavorings placed in a tea bag-like fabric, with less nicotine so the beginner wouldn’t get too sick, Ponvert said.
“They had this very Machiavellian strategy to entice people into the market and keep them as they became more tolerant to the drug,” he said. “It’s well known that the average age for starting to use smokeless tobacco is between 9 and 11 years old. So it’s a product that’s designed for kids, and is being used by and sold to kids.”
Altria Group obtained USST in 2009. On the Altria web site, the company emphasizes its commitment to prevent underage children from purchasing tobacco products. Its charts show the use of smoking tobacco products is declining. However, smokeless tobacco products remain popular, and may be on the rise, the charts indicate.
In some quarters, smokeless tobacco is touted as a less-lethal way to consume tobacco than smoking. But, Ponvert said, young people need to comprehend fully the potentially gruesome results.
“One of our experts described dying by mouth cancer as `death by autopsy,’” Ponvert said. “Literally, over a 10- or 12-month period, your face just falls away. At first, [Hill] lost part of his tongue. Then they took his whole tongue. Then it takes part of your jaw, and your cheeks and your gums. Then the tumor wound its way around his carotid artery and he died.” •
Here is some sobering reading for anyone who thinks quitting is a bad thing.
The letters to/from children. Wow.
-
This guyÂ’s walkinÂ’ down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he canÂ’t get out.
A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, “Hey you! Can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole, and moves on.
Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, “Father, I’m down in this hole; can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on.
Then a friend walks by. “Hey, Joe, it’s me. Can ya help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole.
Our guy says, “Are ya stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.
-
This should be on the must read list
Some heady stuff in there and damn this cat runs like his hair is on fire
-
Saw this today and wanted to add it to my intro page. Scary drug!
Nicotine as a dopamine releasing drug, aka heroin and other opiates:
"Nicotine and opiates are very different drugs, but the endpoint, with respect to the control of dopamine signaling, is almost identical. It demonstrates the seriousness of tobacco addiction, equating its grip on the individual to that of heroin. It reinforces the fact that these addictions are very physiological in nature and that breaking away from the habit is certainly more than just mind over matter."
- Daniel McGehee, University of Chicago Medical Center.
"The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick"
- by Jacqueline Detwiler
The chemical makeup of drugs guarantee that certain drugs are more addictive than others. The hardest ones to kick actually train your brain to crave them. A team of researchers led by professor David Nutt of London's Imperial College recently set out to determine which drugs were most harmful based on their addictive properties. Dutch scientists replicated the London study and devised a "dependency rating" that measured addictive potency of the biggest drugs out there on a precisely calibrated scale of 0-to-3.
1. Heroin - 2.89
2. Crack Cocaine - 2.82
3. Nicotine - 2.82 (tied with Crack for second "most addictive and hardest to kick" drug!!!)
4. Methadone - 2.68
5. Crystal Meth - 2.24
6. Alcohol - 2.13
7. Cocaine - 2.13
8. Amphetamines - 1.95
9. Benzodiazepines - 1.89
10. GHB - 1.71
The first 100 days:
"There is growing evidence that on average, it takes about 90 days for the brain to break free of the immediate effects of the drug and reset itself. Researchers at Yale University call this 90-to-100 day period the 'sleeper effect,' a time during which the brain's proper... functions gradually recover."
- Tony O'Neill, in his article, "The 100-Day Hangover"
"Whatever substance you're detoxing from, there's always an attachment. We're talking about people who are cutting off something that has started to feel as vital to them as the air they breathe. So you inevitably go through this painful period of wrenching yourself away from it, and now you're feeling lousy. It's pretty common for many recovering addicts to ask, 'Is this the reward I get for getting clean?' Most people are led to believe that once they stop using, their life will start to get better, when in reality this next period can really suck. But it gets better."
- Dr. Arnold Washton, author of Willpower is Not Enough: Recovering From Addictions of Every Kind
Not replacing nicotine-addiction with other dopamine-releasing-addictions:
"If you stop using your drug of choice but continue to use alcohol or another drug, you're saying that you don't want to learn new coping skills and that you don't want to change your life. You're saying that you want to continue to rely on drugs or alcohol to escape, relax, and reward yourself. But if you don't learn those new skills, then you won't have changed, and your addiction will catch up with you all over again.
- www.AddictionsAndRecovery.org (http://www.AddictionsAndRecovery.org)
I read another article (can't find it now to post the quotes) that essentially explained that "addicts are addicts." Meaning, after nicotine has left the body, our cravings are not really cravings for nicotine... they're cravings for dopamine. After years of nicotine use we've created extra "gates" in our brain through which the excess amount of dopamine was able to get to the brain. Now that we've stopped using, those "gates" are huuuungry. We get normal-sized shots of dopamine when we eat, have sex, exercise, complete tasks, etc... but we may also find our cravings pop up soon after (like the post-meal crave)... that's because the brain is used to getting bigger drops of dopamine at a time... so the natural ways we produce it aren't equal to the unnatural/drug-induced ways. So it wants more. The brain doesn't know (or care) what source is feeding it the excessive amounts of dopamine it's used to. So, often nicotine quitters will transition to another addiction - usually alcohol - and they're not actually breaking addiction at all, only shifting it to a new dopamine-source. The article advised steering clear of all drugs/alcohol during the first 100 days of nicotine-quitting so that the brain has time to recover and re-learn proper balance.
-
Saw this today and wanted to add it to my intro page. Scary drug!
Nicotine as a dopamine releasing drug, aka heroin and other opiates:
"Nicotine and opiates are very different drugs, but the endpoint, with respect to the control of dopamine signaling, is almost identical. It demonstrates the seriousness of tobacco addiction, equating its grip on the individual to that of heroin. It reinforces the fact that these addictions are very physiological in nature and that breaking away from the habit is certainly more than just mind over matter."
- Daniel McGehee, University of Chicago Medical Center.
"The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick"
- by Jacqueline Detwiler
The chemical makeup of drugs guarantee that certain drugs are more addictive than others. The hardest ones to kick actually train your brain to crave them. A team of researchers led by professor David Nutt of London's Imperial College recently set out to determine which drugs were most harmful based on their addictive properties. Dutch scientists replicated the London study and devised a "dependency rating" that measured addictive potency of the biggest drugs out there on a precisely calibrated scale of 0-to-3.
1. Heroin - 2.89
2. Crack Cocaine - 2.82
3. Nicotine - 2.82 (tied with Crack for second "most addictive and hardest to kick" drug!!!)
4. Methadone - 2.68
5. Crystal Meth - 2.24
6. Alcohol - 2.13
7. Cocaine - 2.13
8. Amphetamines - 1.95
9. Benzodiazepines - 1.89
10. GHB - 1.71
The first 100 days:
"There is growing evidence that on average, it takes about 90 days for the brain to break free of the immediate effects of the drug and reset itself. Researchers at Yale University call this 90-to-100 day period the 'sleeper effect,' a time during which the brain's proper... functions gradually recover."
- Tony O'Neill, in his article, "The 100-Day Hangover"
"Whatever substance you're detoxing from, there's always an attachment. We're talking about people who are cutting off something that has started to feel as vital to them as the air they breathe. So you inevitably go through this painful period of wrenching yourself away from it, and now you're feeling lousy. It's pretty common for many recovering addicts to ask, 'Is this the reward I get for getting clean?' Most people are led to believe that once they stop using, their life will start to get better, when in reality this next period can really suck. But it gets better."
- Dr. Arnold Washton, author of Willpower is Not Enough: Recovering From Addictions of Every Kind
Not replacing nicotine-addiction with other dopamine-releasing-addictions:
"If you stop using your drug of choice but continue to use alcohol or another drug, you're saying that you don't want to learn new coping skills and that you don't want to change your life. You're saying that you want to continue to rely on drugs or alcohol to escape, relax, and reward yourself. But if you don't learn those new skills, then you won't have changed, and your addiction will catch up with you all over again.
- www.AddictionsAndRecovery.org (http://www.AddictionsAndRecovery.org)
I read another article (can't find it now to post the quotes) that essentially explained that "addicts are addicts." Meaning, after nicotine has left the body, our cravings are not really cravings for nicotine... they're cravings for dopamine. After years of nicotine use we've created extra "gates" in our brain through which the excess amount of dopamine was able to get to the brain. Now that we've stopped using, those "gates" are huuuungry. We get normal-sized shots of dopamine when we eat, have sex, exercise, complete tasks, etc... but we may also find our cravings pop up soon after (like the post-meal crave)... that's because the brain is used to getting bigger drops of dopamine at a time... so the natural ways we produce it aren't equal to the unnatural/drug-induced ways. So it wants more. The brain doesn't know (or care) what source is feeding it the excessive amounts of dopamine it's used to. So, often nicotine quitters will transition to another addiction - usually alcohol - and they're not actually breaking addiction at all, only shifting it to a new dopamine-source. The article advised steering clear of all drugs/alcohol during the first 100 days of nicotine-quitting so that the brain has time to recover and re-learn proper balance.
That was an interesting read. I agree..there is a big difference between being dip free and being CLEAN. Thanks for posting that.
-
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
-
1800 PRIMETIME!!
I got an opener for ya 'winker'
-
1800 PRIMETIME!!
I got an opener for ya 'winker'
Nice Greg!
-
1800 PRIMETIME!!
I got an opener for ya 'winker'
Nice Greg!
Those stingy women have still not given up an opener!!
I am still working them though.
'Crazy'
-
Greg, I want to thank you for sharing several posts from your intro in my (aug 14) and the subsequent couple of months. You shared stories and data compiled from various research and articles that you read regarding the lies and bull shit tactics of big tobacco. The information that you shared, lit a fire inside of me that wants to fight back. I want to fight back by helping as many people as possible break free from the chains of slavery nicotine has on them. Thank you for strengthening my quit.
-
Bump. Good info in here, new guys.
-
Bump. Good info in here, new guys.
x2
-
always worth a bump.
Hi Greg!
-
Saw this today and wanted to add it to my intro page. Scary drug!
Nicotine as a dopamine releasing drug, aka heroin and other opiates:
"Nicotine and opiates are very different drugs, but the endpoint, with respect to the control of dopamine signaling, is almost identical. It demonstrates the seriousness of tobacco addiction, equating its grip on the individual to that of heroin. It reinforces the fact that these addictions are very physiological in nature and that breaking away from the habit is certainly more than just mind over matter."
- Daniel McGehee, University of Chicago Medical Center.
"The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick"
- by Jacqueline Detwiler
The chemical makeup of drugs guarantee that certain drugs are more addictive than others. The hardest ones to kick actually train your brain to crave them. A team of researchers led by professor David Nutt of London's Imperial College recently set out to determine which drugs were most harmful based on their addictive properties. Dutch scientists replicated the London study and devised a "dependency rating" that measured addictive potency of the biggest drugs out there on a precisely calibrated scale of 0-to-3.
1. Heroin - 2.89
2. Crack Cocaine - 2.82
3. Nicotine - 2.82 (tied with Crack for second "most addictive and hardest to kick" drug!!!)
4. Methadone - 2.68
5. Crystal Meth - 2.24
6. Alcohol - 2.13
7. Cocaine - 2.13
8. Amphetamines - 1.95
9. Benzodiazepines - 1.89
10. GHB - 1.71
The first 100 days:
"There is growing evidence that on average, it takes about 90 days for the brain to break free of the immediate effects of the drug and reset itself. Researchers at Yale University call this 90-to-100 day period the 'sleeper effect,' a time during which the brain's proper... functions gradually recover."
- Tony O'Neill, in his article, "The 100-Day Hangover"
"Whatever substance you're detoxing from, there's always an attachment. We're talking about people who are cutting off something that has started to feel as vital to them as the air they breathe. So you inevitably go through this painful period of wrenching yourself away from it, and now you're feeling lousy. It's pretty common for many recovering addicts to ask, 'Is this the reward I get for getting clean?' Most people are led to believe that once they stop using, their life will start to get better, when in reality this next period can really suck. But it gets better."
- Dr. Arnold Washton, author of Willpower is Not Enough: Recovering From Addictions of Every Kind
Not replacing nicotine-addiction with other dopamine-releasing-addictions:
"If you stop using your drug of choice but continue to use alcohol or another drug, you're saying that you don't want to learn new coping skills and that you don't want to change your life. You're saying that you want to continue to rely on drugs or alcohol to escape, relax, and reward yourself. But if you don't learn those new skills, then you won't have changed, and your addiction will catch up with you all over again.
- www.AddictionsAndRecovery.org (http://www.AddictionsAndRecovery.org)
Wow..this is some seriously good stuff for Day 2 reading. Thanks Greg!
-
I read another article (can't find it now to post the quotes) that essentially explained that "addicts are addicts." Meaning, after nicotine has left the body, our cravings are not really cravings for nicotine... they're cravings for dopamine. After years of nicotine use we've created extra "gates" in our brain through which the excess amount of dopamine was able to get to the brain. Now that we've stopped using, those "gates" are huuuungry. We get normal-sized shots of dopamine when we eat, have sex, exercise, complete tasks, etc... but we may also find our cravings pop up soon after (like the post-meal crave)... that's because the brain is used to getting bigger drops of dopamine at a time... so the natural ways we produce it aren't equal to the unnatural/drug-induced ways. So it wants more. The brain doesn't know (or care) what source is feeding it the excessive amounts of dopamine it's used to. So, often nicotine quitters will transition to another addiction - usually alcohol - and they're not actually breaking addiction at all, only shifting it to a new dopamine-source. The article advised steering clear of all drugs/alcohol during the first 100 days of nicotine-quitting so that the brain has time to recover and re-learn proper balance.