I’ve struggled over the years with a nicotine addiction. My mom smoked. My dad chewed loose leaf. Most of both sides of my family also used some form of tobacco - some smoked it, chewed it, dipped it, and some even snorted it. I guess there was a greater chance I would than there was I wouldn’t, and when I was sixteen I put a dip of Skoal in my lip and didn’t look back. I graduated to Copenhagen, then at some point I moved to long cut Skoal so I could chew it. In 2000, I got tired of it and instead of taking a dip I threw the can out the window and didn’t touch it again for about 10 years, when at a time of great personal and professional upheaval I picked up a can and remembered the soothing comfort it provided (or I thought it provided) and in no time I had let the addiction back in to my life. Over the next 7 years or so I’ve tried to stop several times, but never made it past a few days. Even when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer I kept dipping right up to the morning of surgery. I went a week without it after the surgery, but the moment I could drive again on my own..... yep, you guessed it. I was buying a “tin”. Ugh.
Fast forward to 69 days ago. May 1st. No particular reason - no sores, no reason to think I might have a problem. I just simply decided again IÂ’d had enough and havenÂ’t touched it since. The brain is a powerful thing - it can make you do all kinds of silly things, but it can make you overcome huge things too if it really wants to. This time I wanted to. The first 3 days sucked hard, but it was manageable with lots of water and exercise. At that point the nicotine was out of my system and the mind games began. I just got up every day and promised myself I wasnÂ’t going to do it today - and I would worry about tomorrow when it got here. (If youÂ’ve overcome a nicotine addiction you know EXACTLY what IÂ’m talking about.) Slowly, with time the daily fog began lifting and it got easier each day. I still have to make that daily promise, but keeping that promise grows easier with each passing day.
I’ve learned some things this time though. The biggest thing is I never really quit in 2000 - I just stopped dipping. I would smoke the occasional cigar - usually about 3 or 4 times a year - keeping the sleeping nicotine addiction going in my brain. I also learned that there is no such thing as “I can handle it now - I know how to do it”. I can never handle it. That’s the thing about addiction - it knows you better than you know yourself, and it knows exactly what to say to hook you when you least expect it. You have to fight it every single day and not get complacent. Had I known that in 2010 I would be quit now for almost 6,400 days instead of 69 days. This time I will remain quit, and I know I will because I have help now and will not be doing it alone, and this brings me to the point of my post here.
If you have read this far and are a new quitter, you are my target audience. This is the best place for you but you have to buy in completely. You can't dick around and post something "when you get time". You have to make this a priority and post roll 1ST THING EVERY FUCKING DAY. It's so very simple to do and there is no fucking excuse for not doing it unless you're in prison or something. Even if you are off somewhere remote you can still have someone post it for you.
Doing this is - simple: if you are a person of integrity and can keep a promise, make that promise every fucking day before you do anything else at all. That's it.
Good luck, and I quit with you today.
