46 years old.
30 years of Cope and Cope long cut.
Can a day = nearly $50K in today's money.
4 weeks of Cope freedom and counting.
5 kids and a wife.
I didn't quit over the dollars, though it sure makes me look stupid. I could quit often (dozen times?) for a week or so, live through the worst of the withdrawal and then start back up. I know I'm a nicotine addict but I loved the brotherhood with my best buddy, Copenhagen so much more.
Like while on a double date with my first wife and finding out that my wife's best friend was married to a fellow addict...we were like magnets and instant buds (friends self-divide themselves into camps after divorce and heck, I got him and my ex's old friend...the POWER of the brotherhood!) I look back and MOST of my best friends are/were fellow addicts...we shared the bond! My social life was doomed to follow where my addiction took me. The anticipation of putting a dip in; the joy of having a bud to do it with, was harder to give up than the nicotine. Every decision of every day had that side caveat...would this be a dip environment or not? I fly a lot and upgrade to the front most times...always working to get the last window seat in first so I could discretely manage my spitter.
Chantix has been a blessing and the nostalgic pangs lessen each week. For the foreseeable future, No going to sporting events, guy trips to NCAA wrestling trips, ski trips, well, pretty much any trips with the old crowd.
BUT there is upside here!
-No more long lonely walks with the dog at night, telling the wife she didn't need to join me...STOOOPID
-No more putting a big pinch in a plastic baggie and sticking it in my running shorts and stopping a couple of miles from home to enjoy my habit
-No more wishing my best friend and loving wife would JUST GO TO BED so I could just enjoy a lonely dip in front of the TV
-No more getting excited whenever Sheri had to go anywhere 'cause I CAN DIP!
-No more so stupid excuses why I needed to run the errand without any of the kids (like anyone believed it) so I could enjoy time with Brother Cope.
-I eventually got so good I could dip practically anywhere. anytime. Didn't matter if I was running a multi-billion dollar tech business, I enjoyed the brotherhood EVERYWHERE. Old saying that you need to remember that you aren't better looking or funnier when you get further up the ladder...people just pretend you are...well now they won't have to pretend that having a dipping boss is no big deal.
jim