I do not know what to say. I came to nicotine later in life (23 yo) and started with cigarettes. I quit cigarettes over ten years ago by using dip, and thought I was pretty fucking smart at the time. Little did I know that dip would nag and haunt me far worse than cigarettes.
I can't remember when I quit dip the last time, but I had been quit for at least a year before December 7, 2012. On that day, my son was born, and my wife was taken to surgery for complications after delivery. She ended up fine, but it was scary as hell. I went and got some dip at a gas station across the street while I waited for her to get out. I've been on it ever since to this last quit date.
For a long time, I loved dip. It gave me all the nicotine satisfaction I needed with virtually no health problems. But, in the last two years, I have acquired:
1. Difficulty breathing (nighttime heartburn);
2. Anxiety/panic attacks; and
3. Gas/stomach issues (probably also heartburn).
This quit I am on now began when I had a bout of stomach pain that really was uncomfortable, i.e., cramps, gas, loss of appetite, etc. I figured I was looking at a long weekend with family anyway (making dipping hard to hide), so I decided to quit. Within 24 hours of quitting everything in my stomach area felt better, and it's been giving me motivation to continue. This fucking fog is really killing me though. I'm a lawyer and concentration is sort of important for pretty much every damn thing I do.
I have been caught by my wife dipping a few times, but I am sure she has no idea what the extent of my problem is. I am working up the courage to tell her. It is going to be hard. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy breathing better. My anxiety also feels better, which is weird since anxiety (low grade) is usually what drives me to nicotine.
I'm not sure how much I'll be on here, but I wanted to post since I found the information on the site so helpful. I have quit nicotine several times before, and I have never felt the fog like I do this time. I can tell it's going to be harder. Perhaps this will be my last quit. I'm getting too old for this nonsense.