Well decided it was time to quit lurking and actually do it up right. My name is Phil and I have been chewing Copenhagen LC for the last 12 or so years. Half a can a day was pretty typical, but If I was out drinking with friends I could easily devour a full can without too much effort.
My 'getting started' story is the same as everyone elses. Was in the woods as a wanna-be badass 13 year old with a bunch of other wanna-be badass 13 year old kids. One of them pulled out a can of Copenhagen, we all tossed in a dip. I felt like I was flying to the moon for about ten minutes, then promptly ejected about 10 gallons of vomit into a near-by stream. I somehow managed to stumble home and made it to the bathroom. I'll never forget looking into the mirror, I was literally green.
Fast forward to high school. I hadn't touched dip much until my senior year. We would all go out and chew our copenhagen for 20 minutes at lunch time and feel like we were baddest dudes on the planet. I finally turned 18 and it was all down hill from there. Went to college, chewed copenhagen. Got married, chewed copenhagen. Bought my first house, copenhagen, second house, copenhagen. First kid, chewed the shit out of some copenhagen in the delivery room. You get the idea.
After my first kid was born I decided it was time to actually try quitting. Started looking up stuff on the web, found KTC, and started reading. This was November 2011. Never signed up or posted, but read literally every HOF speech and most of the intro threads. Threw all my nicotine gum in the trash and went cold turkey. Boy was I in for it.
The first 30 days I was annihilated by fog. Couldn't do anything. Would sit at my computer and stare blankly for hours. Things started getting better in the 50's, and I promptly was bitch slapped with a funk or whatever you wanted to call it. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth I hit 100 days nicotine free. Man did I feel like a bad ass. The one thing in my life that I couldn't control had been controlled. I felt better mentally and physically than I ever had.
Fast forward again, I am about 6 months nicotine free. Second child is born. I have a celebratory cigar with some friends. No big deal. A couple more cigars over the next few weeks not a big deal. Then I have a dip of Copenhagen at a party. You get where this is going. Then I do what I always do. "Ill just buy a can, take one dip, and throw it away" This charade goes on for a few weeks until I finally say fuck it and start chewing full time again.
All of that hard work and pain and misery for fucking nothing. Because I refused to admit to myself that I am a nicotine addict. Well I am going to do it right this time.
I am on day 3 of being quit, and I will do whatever it takes. I am going to head over and try not to go full retard figuring out how to post roll.