The best thing about forums is it makes individuals realize how truly unoriginal they really are. I have sat on this site for a few days and have seemed to have read my story over and over. Started dipping skoal in middle school. Which turned into cope by high school. Growing up my interests were rodeo, baseball, and golf ( the Holy Trinity of smokeless tobacco sports ). I'm sure there were people that I ran with that did not dip, but I could not be % 100 sure on that.
After 23 years of being a slave to the stuff, I put it down and quit cold turkey. It was an eye opening experience on how truly addicted to nicotine I was. The fog and dizziness lasted for 2 months, with hard cravings for another couple of months after the fog lifted.
After the "new" of not dipping wore off, I tackled the issue of my degrading body. Cut out sodas, cut down on fried foods, and started running again. After three years off the nic I was in the best shape of my life and knew for a fact that I would never put that shit in my lip ever again. Then a 3 day fishing trip with way too much alcohol and a can was being passed around the boat. It looked tempting, but I said no. The next day I declined again, but another buddy was chewing Levi Garrett. I rationalized an answer I liked ( which is easy with a six pack already down ) and chewed the Levi.
When we got home, I didn't run to the store to complete my fall off the wagon. Actually the opposite happened. I walked around for a week worried that I had let it back into my life and I would soon be back on the cope. After a month I decided I had dogged it, maybe I could have one and it not draw me back?
Fast forward a year: the annual fishing trip is coming up in a month and I am already thinking about getting a chew of Levi from this dude when we start fishing. After fishing with my friend for a day, I find out he did not bring any Levi this trip, so I'm the guy that drives back to the store and buys the pouch.
That scene played out six years ago( two years longer than I lived without nic in my system) and I have had nicotine in my system from Levi to cope to gum ever since. I have chewed the gum, but I have always known I'm a cold turkey kind of a person. The gum was good for a break without having to deal with withdraws, but I knew it wasn't the end. I put the cope down two weeks ago, put the gum down last Friday, and now going one day at a time. I think I was reluctant to quit again due to the miserably long fog I endured on 2004, but the good lord has been a little nicer to me this time around. The first 3 days were brutal, but I have been able to function ok since Tuesday. I am no longer invincible, but now I am accountable. Thanks for this site guys
