It's been twice for me. I'm 21 years old as of November and I've chewed tobacco since I was 12 years old. My father wasn't particularly attentive, so it was easy to steal a pinch or pouch back then. But by the time I was 14, I was buying my own. I can't say what it's like elsewhere, but in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, it's really easy to buy tobacco products as a minor.
I quit once when I was 17. There was a girl who I was really into who said that one of her biggest reservations about dating me was the chew, so I stopped. Gradually. After a month, I was totally off it. And in those days, from 14-17, I chewed about 1.5 cans a day.
But I picked it up again like 3 months later. Don't even know why. I was watching one of my favorite movies and randomly had the urge to chew. It was so intense that I dropped everything I was doing and drove to the gas station. I said it'd only be until the film was over but after that first can, I was hooked all over again.
I'm not gonna say that I'm powerless or that I had no control over my actions. Sentience and self-actualization unfortunately go hand-in-hand with addiction and generally poor behavior. I knew what I was doing and I knew I was completely addicted. Right now, as I'm typing this, I'd kill someone for a bit of nicotine.
But I now know, as a career-oriented, thoughtful and fully functional man, that I cannot do this and expect to be healthy. So after my regular pinch this morning, I made the decision to stop. I dumped the can's contents in the toilet and threw the can itself out my car window on some highway. I feel really good about quitting this time and I think it may finally work out. It's about the ninth time I've tried and hopefully the second SUCCESSFUL attempt. I feel like some support will really help. I can't talk to people around me because showing my face while revealing my feelings is basically Hell. But really, I think that this will help.
Sorry if this was rambling.