Why quit? Cancer (over a dozen different kinds), hypertension, heart failure, GI problems, financial concerns, etc. The list of sensible reasons for giving up your tobacco addiction goes on forever. The shit is bad for you. I think that point is well-established.
However I, like many of you, went on stuffing my face with the crap for over 10 years. Apparently, rotting my face off wasn't a good enough reason to quit. So what was? What was the final straw, the impetus for my quit? Well I had an idea, a vague inclination, of what it was 17 days ago. It wasn't until I'd spent a fair amount of time on this site, while struggling and dragging through my first 10 days of quit, that through the help of others I began to see a clear picture of the reason or the "theme" for my quit. Those of you who introduced me to this concept may not even be aware of it. It has a subtle way of coming up in conversation and I've only seen few members discuss it, most of those long time vets.
"Any pussy can dip. Only a man can quit." DennyX wrote that in one of his posts and you'll see it appear in my signature. The saying embodies the concept to which I refer in this post. It's a "grab yourself by the balls, pull on your big-boy pants, quit playing grabass and grow the fuck up" kind of mentality. In short, it says "man up, everybody's got shit to deal with, you're no special butterfly."
I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) this is the reason for many of the vets' quit on this site. Sure, maybe it started out as a desire to be more healthy, but if you're like me, it quickly transforms into something much bigger and more important. It's an overall life-philosophy change. A daily oath between you, your quit brothers, and your family that "today I will man the fuck up and take responsibility for myself and my actions." This new mentality has grown to infect not only my quit, but all areas of my life.
The legacy a man leaves is essentially the sum total of everything he does (or doesn't) do throughout his lifetime. This is what you'll be remembered by. Personally, I don't want my legacy or people's memories of me to include thoughts of me stuffing my face and slobbering everywhere. I don't want it to include turned-over spitters or midnight runs to the corner store because I am the nic bitch's bitch. I want to be remembered as a a man who took responsibility for myself and my actions and had the self-discipline to participate only in things that affect me and those around me for the better. That's the reason for my quit. What's yours?
I'm Yote and I'm addicted to dip, but for the last 17 days straight I've manned the fuck up with my KTC brothers and said no to the nic bitch.
