* I AIN'T NO NINJA

[CoachDip]

Since the time that I was 13 years old I was a chewer. It didnÃ,’t matter where I was, I was chewing. Most likely it was Skoal Fine Cut but every now and again I would wrap a wad of Redman in gum and do my best Lenny Dykstra. I never hid it from anyone. I got thrown out of numerous high school class rooms, I even received and Incomplete in college because the professor wouldnÃ,’t allow me in his class with a chew in, and I wouldnÃ,’t attend his class if he was going to try and keep me from chewing. It went to the Dean of Students and the amicable decision that was reached was that I receive an Ã,“IÃ,” and take that class next semester with a different instructor. If any girl ever told me that chewing was gross, it was the last time that we dated. I would always lay that on the table first. I would let them know right from day one that I chewed, and if they had a problem with that then we needed to go our separate ways. As a catcher in college I shared my dip with the umpires that were supposed to enforce a strict, no chewing policy. Chewing was my right and no one had the right to tell me that I couldnÃ,’t do it. If you were going to accept me, then you were going to accept my dip. As a coach I chewed all day every day. At work I would spit in the trash can for about 6 hours then dip during the whole practice. My screen name developed from that schedule. The players always knew that Coach Dip was never unprepared. I never got caught at a game or practice without at least one can on me. I let everyone know that dip would be the death of me because I would never quit. I used to say that I loved the taste and the burn too much. I would tell folks that I wasnÃ,’t addicted, dipping was just apart of me.

When I met my wife she didnÃ,’t say one word about my habit other than to not spill a spitter in her house. She is the real life version of Monica on Friends as far as cleanliness goes. No problem with that. I was the cleanest dipper ever. I never dropped a grain, never spilled a spitter, carried gum and mouth wash everywhere and never got within 3 feet of your face when I had one in. Dip breath is the worst ever. When we decided to get married she asked me to quit before we tied the knot. I was not offended at all because of the way she did it. So, I did. I promised that I would quit. I didnÃ,’t quit though and I didnÃ,’t hide it. I told my wife that she didnÃ,’t understand. I now knew I was addicted. It took 17 years to figure out that I had an addiction. It wasnÃ,’t that I liked dip; it was that I couldnÃ,’t live without it. I would rather drive my wife to tears than quit chewing.

Then by the grace of God I found qs.org. My wife was 6 months pregnant and I kept thinking that I needed to quit so that my boy wouldnÃ,’t want to emulate his father in a negative way. I didnÃ,’t read any of the letters. I still havenÃ,’t. I think because they scare me too much. I got on the chat and Ã,“the dudeÃ,” and Ã,“Sir DipÃ,” taught me how to post. I was chatting with a chew in and they convinced me to flush 3 tins. I did, signed roll and the quit was on. Just like I was no ninja dipper, I have been no ninja quitter. I have told everyone that I know that I QUIT. I have been a faithful member to the April 07 Roll Call. I will continue to quit just as loudly as I used to chew. This whole collection of quitters has been an inspiration but none more than my son. I quit for him and every time I crave, I see his face and remember that I will never dip again. Seeing him for the first time was when the door slammed shut on my quit. I tell whoever reads this, quitting nicotine is extremely hard. But, you can do it with help. Even if you were a ninja dipper, quit out loud. Let everyone know that you quit. Use the brotherhood and resources that this site provides. Thanks to all and STAY QUIT!!!