Hey my name is Taylor and im here to quit chewing. I've used nictoine since i was 17 and im now 22 almost 23. That's 5 years of my life I've hid my addiction from family, friends and most importantly women. 5 year's i have wasted money just to put that filth in my mouth. 5 year's of letting nicotine control me and not allowing me to live the life i want to live. My decision to quit was speratic, but i am ready to put up a fight. I want to accomplish some tough and near impossible goals in my life, and while praying to God, i realized that i needed to prove to myself i can conquor the impossible by first quitting nicotine. Im unsure what i want to pursue but one thing is forsure and that is i must quit to give myself the best shot at success. Im 24 hours in now. I trully think im gonna get fired at my job cus im a loose cannon and am having a very, very hard time controlling my anger. I was hungry around the clock but i work out everyday so i can deal with a little weight gain. One thing that i strongly desire is a timeline. When will i know my addiction is over? I know it may never cease but after how many days can i safely say i actually have this conquered? 30 days? 50? 100? Thanks for the support team, if you guys help me out with this ill return the favor once I've had a few months under my belt. -TS
Hey Taylor!
It sounds like there's some stuff you have to make peace with. I'll lay it out as honestly as I can. Don't let it discourage you.
1.) When will you know your addiction will be over?: Your addiction will be over when your life is over. Unfortunately, once an addict, always an addict. This is something you will have to be vigilant about the rest of your life. I could resume my nicotine addiction when I'm 70 years old if I am not vigilant.
2.) When can you say you have this conquered?: For this, I'd have to know what your definition of conquered is. I consider conquering this to be a work in progress, and here, we conquer this thing one day at a time. I have conquered nicotine for 216 days. I am working on conquering it for the 217th day today. It is impossible to give you a set-in-stone timetable for something like that, because like anything that is conquered, there can be an "uprising" if you aren't careful. The truth is, there is no finish line here, only milestones.
You know what idea immediately follows "I've got this beat"? "I can have just one." You can NEVER have just one. Not a celebratory cigar, not a smoke from a buddy, not an "occasional dip." Nothing.
HOOOOOOOOWEVER...
1.) You can and will get to a point where you no longer think about or crave dip constantly. Days, weeks, and months sometimes pass without a thought about the act of dipping. This is where you have to be VERY careful and not complacent. That is part of why we post roll here (and you should too!), to remind ourselves we are not cured. The simple act of choosing not to use nicotine for the day and announcing that to others on this site is more powerful than you can imagine. Accountability wins out.
2.) Craves become easier to dismiss, less frequent, and less intense with time. You will not always feel how you feel right now. You won't even feel as shitty as you do now next week. Right now you're in the thick of withdrawal, and you have to push through this in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
3.) It is entirely possible to enjoy everything you used to do with a dip in without dip.
4.) Also, you don't need a few months under your belt. You can help out today! Simply posting roll lets others know that they are not alone, and is very comforting.
I hope that at least answers a few things. I wish I could have told you "Oh yeah man, on day 150 you're cured" but you deserve honesty, and you need to know what you're fighting in order to fight it effectively.
January 16 quit group! This is your group, man! Go post roll!Quit with you today,
Invader
