Because I am confident this passage will go down in history mentioned right alongside the great literary works by the likes of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle I am going to take great care in organizing my thoughts such that they are presented in a magical, compelling way. ActuallyÂ….scratch thatÂ…..those guys are a bunch of comi ashats so IÂ’m just gonna wing it.
Most of these words will be directed at youÂ…thatÂ’s right freaking YOU! Yeah, that guy that is reading this who has been dipping poison for the last 5 to 50 years. That guy that either is or has been scared shitless of that sore spot in his mouth that hopefully and thankfullyÂ…always goes away. That guy who has stopped dipping for a bit, has had praise showered upon him by a wife or girlfriend only to start dipping again and who then hides it from her out of shame. That guy who is reading this at work rather than working because he is both fed the eff up with his ADDICTIONÂ…..not habitÂ…..his ADDICTIONÂ….but is also secretly insecure because he is not sure he has the strength to quit for the rest of his lifeÂ…Â….yeah you know who you areÂ…Â…I AM TALKING TO YOU! I damn surely know who you are because I freaking was you about 100 days agoÂ…..and I am still 1 bad decision away from being you again.
The difference between me and you is that I no longer use nicotine. I donÂ’t hide anything. I am neither afraid of the dead weed nor am I blind to its power to re-enter my life. Make no mistake it does have power but I have made the decision to not give it control. I am not worried when I go to the dentist. I donÂ’t plan my day around going to the store. I do not romanticize about how I will be missing out if I donÂ’t have nicotine on a fishing trip or canÂ’t dip while doing yardworkÂ…..and the reason I donÂ’t romanticize about it because I have learned to hate this chemical that I have been trying to kill myself with for the last 25 years.
100 days ago I was you…..all nervous about failure and facing the notion that maybe I couldn’t quit and that I would forever be an addict….but…..one day I summonsed the courage and strength to suck it up and join KTC. I was immediately amazed to be greeted by people who were genuinely excited about my arrival. They flooded me with support and advice. These people truly in their hearts wanted me to quit. They didn’t sugarcoat the expectations because there are no participation trophies given out here…..but they did give me every single tool I needed to quit…..1 day at the time. Did you read that……1 DAY AT THE TIME. I owe these people who have led me in my quit more thanks than I can possibly give but I know that my quit, even if just a little, has helped THEIR resolve to stay quit. I am honored to be one of them and damn proud of myself. My quit has made me a better son, friend, uncle, fiancé and leader at work and it brought back a level of confidence and competitive fire I’ve not had in many years.
In closingÂ…I know you are fed up with dipping, I know you are sick and tired of not being in control of your lifeÂ….and I know as little as you want to admit itÂ…..you are afraid to fail. ButÂ…Â….if you will just make your commitment to quit today, keep your commitment and follow the roadmap that will be laid out before you then I promise with all my heart you can be just like me and all of those before meÂ…..starting right this very minute.
Boovie (Jeff)
Much appreciation to all of my leaders in quit but especially Florida, BMC, David, Phill and Glenn.
