Hello IÂ’m Hootie and I am an addict

[redyota]

Why is this time different and why should you trust me? I really canÂ’t answer that honestlyÂ…I have great resolveÂ…I have this awesome support group nowÂ…I know the consequences of thinking just 1Â…and to be frankÂ…the temptation just isnÂ’t there. I am the only one I know of around me who dipped nowadays.

Why am I quitting? Good question. I am quitting because its time. It has gotten too expensiveÂ…I am/or was up to a can and a half a dayÂ…and I am just tired of being owned by that bear on that red can.

SoÂ…that leaves just plain ole me. I quit for me!

tough to reconcile your words a couple months ago with today's apparent reality.


to the new quitters, and to the new HoF'ers, let this be a warning. let this strengthen your quit. there is NO such thing as just one. hootie new this and still failed. this is a hell of an addiction. it's a constant battle of wills. be forever vigilant.

WTF did I miss?

See March 2011.......evidently Hootie decided he should resume killing himself, and we all should respect and support his decision.

[Nolaq]

Why is this time different and why should you trust me? I really canÂ’t answer that honestlyÂ…I have great resolveÂ…I have this awesome support group nowÂ…I know the consequences of thinking just 1Â…and to be frankÂ…the temptation just isnÂ’t there. I am the only one I know of around me who dipped nowadays.

Why am I quitting? Good question. I am quitting because its time. It has gotten too expensiveÂ…I am/or was up to a can and a half a dayÂ…and I am just tired of being owned by that bear on that red can.

SoÂ…that leaves just plain ole me. I quit for me!

tough to reconcile your words a couple months ago with today's apparent reality.


to the new quitters, and to the new HoF'ers, let this be a warning. let this strengthen your quit. there is NO such thing as just one. hootie new this and still failed. this is a hell of an addiction. it's a constant battle of wills. be forever vigilant.

WTF did I miss?

[dchogs]

Why is this time different and why should you trust me? I really canÂ’t answer that honestlyÂ…I have great resolveÂ…I have this awesome support group nowÂ…I know the consequences of thinking just 1Â…and to be frankÂ…the temptation just isnÂ’t there. I am the only one I know of around me who dipped nowadays.

Why am I quitting? Good question. I am quitting because its time. It has gotten too expensiveÂ…I am/or was up to a can and a half a dayÂ…and I am just tired of being owned by that bear on that red can.

SoÂ…that leaves just plain ole me. I quit for me!

tough to reconcile your words a couple months ago with today's apparent reality.


to the new quitters, and to the new HoF'ers, let this be a warning. let this strengthen your quit. there is NO such thing as just one. hootie new this and still failed. this is a hell of an addiction. it's a constant battle of wills. be forever vigilant.

[30yraddict]

282 days and still romanticized dip- said you loved it... you know that is what did you in, don't you??

hope to see you return some day and get this done....

30 sadly turns out the lights *

[30yraddict]

Hootie,

where are you man???? :(

post up day 284 or day 1...whatever it is!

[tarpon17]

WellÂ…I got off my ass and went for a run this morning. Nothing fast and definitely not anything long. I took off with my husky in tow with a goal of just going to the blinking light down the road (.9 mile) and turning around and coming back. No time restrictionÂ…just run.

Once on the road I immediately noticed how good it felt to be moving. It has been a while since I seriously ran and I got to thinkingÂ…what happened to me? My last really serious event was the 2000 Best Ranger Competition. I ran my last marathon in Honolulu in 98 and did my last century in Wichita Falls in 99. I have farted around with mini triÂ’s and charity rides since then but nothing serious. It dawned on me that it had been 11 years since the BRC. SadÂ…

Here I was probably chugging along at a 9 min. mile clip (I didnÂ’t were a watch or HRM) and reminiscedÂ…Dude; you used to sustain a 6 min. mile pace for miles. What happened to you?

I always wanted to be that 50 year old guy chugging along in the marathon with not a care in the world. Somewhere I lost the drive and motivation.

IÂ’m gonna go find it and become that guyÂ…

Random thought for the dayÂ…

I realized this morning when I didnÂ’t have a can of grizzly in the little key pouch in my running shorts how careless I used to be. After driving to intended place of workout; I used to sacrifice the safety of my truck by throwing the keys in the toolbox after locking it just so IÂ’d have room for my dip.

Another first todayÂ…

About five years ago the old man hairs in my ears started to show up pretty regular and if left unattended will get out of control. Well; to each his own; but this is bothersome to me. SoÂ…about five years ago; my beautiful bride volunteered to pluck them for me when needed. I accepted and she complied with said offer.

HereÂ’s the firstÂ…Picture in your head if you will that for about every other month for the last five years the following scenario has taken place.

I am on my knees in front of the lavatory in the bathroom with my head resting upon the edge of the sink because thatÂ’s where the best light is to see down my ear canals. My beautiful bride stands next to me with tweezers in hand plucking the porcupine quill sized hair out of my ears one at a time. The only problem isÂ…I have never attempted this task without a big you know what in my mouth. She would pluck; I would spit. She would pluck; I would spit. She would pluck; I would spit. It would go on for an hour like this if it went on for a minute. The two of us working in perfect union like a well oiled machine. Eventually; one of three things was going to happen. My better half was going to get all the hair removed; her arms were going to tire before said task was complete rendering her mission unfinished; or the sink was going to be full.

We attempted and accomplished this task today dip free. Although we had a hard time of it at the beginning and I caught a pair of tweezers to the corner of my mouth a couple of times and in my eye onceÂ…we finally found and established a new rhythm. AndÂ…the best part was that all of the quills were removed in half the time with one of the main steps removed from the sequence.

One more thoughtÂ…

I woke up this morning with the realization that it was time to be responsible again. My wife has been so good through all of this. For the last week I have been given a very lenient amount of space to bitch; moan; stomp my feet; be a slug; eat oatmeal with only my hands; put the cat in the dryer; do donuts in the flower bed; stalk naked down the neighborhood while humming the tune from mission impossibleÂ…I digress

She has been good to me and I promise to act like an adult again once more.

damn man, how much ear hair you got?????

[Hootie]

There is a long standing statement here that goes like this....take what you need, leave the rest.

I've always been of the mind to "take what you need, call bullshit when needed." 

There will always be a certain amount of drama and bullshit in every group.  April and May groups tend to lead the pack in this area.  Why?  Dunno, just is.  What I can tell you is that the groups that lead the way in drama and daily banter, also lead the way in posts, HOFers, and long term group cohesiveness.  Go back and check out all the April and May groups, or any group for that matter, the theory will proof itself over and over.

What does this mean to me?  Accountabiliy and commitment.  The more you put yourself out there, the more accountable you are to yourself and your fellow quitters.  Are you going to be the guy (read: any quitter) that puts yourself out on these boards on a daily basis, a leader, only to come in dragging tail and posting a day 1?

Just remember, quitting will have a certain amount of drama because....well.....quitting just ain't easy.  To think of it another way, the you are pissed off at someone for being a dumbass, ask yourself this, "was I thinking about putting a dip in my mouth while this was going on?"  I bet you answer no almost everytime.

Mr. Redtrain I respect you so much. Not for what you have accomplished in your personal quit but also for what you taken upon yourself to do in this house each and every day of your life.

You and many others around here deserve national recognition and medals issued for Bravery; Determination; Selfishness; and for lack of better words balls.

I respect what you are saying wholeheartedly but would it not be advisable to squash it now if given the chance before it got out of hand and uncontrollable? I mean reallyÂ…would it not be more enjoyable to be able to use all of it instead of just a little?

In a perfect world yes.

Quitting is messy business. Some people respond differently to certain quit methods. Some people need to be encouraged. Some people need to be educated. Some people need to be reasoned with. Some people need to be seen and not heard. Some people need to be seen. Some people need a swift kick in the ass. Some people need all of the above and much more.

We are a mixed bag here. What works for some may not work for others. We help everyone here the best we can. We try not to exclude anyone unless they are intentionally sabatoging someone elses quit. It may seem on occassion that someone has crossed the line. If it appears that no one is noticing, bring it to a mod or admins attention. But don't be dissapointed if the course of action you think should be taken is not acted upon.

Many things seem extremely urgent and anxious right now. You are into your quit and things are getting better in your life. Feels damn good doesn't it. And you want to keep that ball rolling full steam ahead. I get that. Good for you. Damn proud of you. I (we) know what you are going through. Keep it up.

Having said all of that, I (or any mod or admin) are not the end all or be all of quit. But we have been around awhile and have seen quite a few quit groups take their first steps. We have seen them fall, fight, scream, and literally want to kill each other. There is a method to the madness. More often than not, it works itself out and strong quits are formed.

Take what you need and leave the rest.

Done ramblin.

Wisdom trumps bull-headedness. I will place full faith in you my friends although it goes against every grain of my twenty-year military formed way of thinking. I will take what I need and leave the rest

[Ready]

There is a long standing statement here that goes like this....take what you need, leave the rest.

I've always been of the mind to "take what you need, call bullshit when needed." 

There will always be a certain amount of drama and bullshit in every group.  April and May groups tend to lead the pack in this area.  Why?  Dunno, just is.  What I can tell you is that the groups that lead the way in drama and daily banter, also lead the way in posts, HOFers, and long term group cohesiveness.  Go back and check out all the April and May groups, or any group for that matter, the theory will proof itself over and over.

What does this mean to me?  Accountabiliy and commitment.  The more you put yourself out there, the more accountable you are to yourself and your fellow quitters.  Are you going to be the guy (read: any quitter) that puts yourself out on these boards on a daily basis, a leader, only to come in dragging tail and posting a day 1?

Just remember, quitting will have a certain amount of drama because....well.....quitting just ain't easy.  To think of it another way, the you are pissed off at someone for being a dumbass, ask yourself this, "was I thinking about putting a dip in my mouth while this was going on?"  I bet you answer no almost everytime.

Mr. Redtrain I respect you so much. Not for what you have accomplished in your personal quit but also for what you taken upon yourself to do in this house each and every day of your life.

You and many others around here deserve national recognition and medals issued for Bravery; Determination; Selfishness; and for lack of better words balls.

I respect what you are saying wholeheartedly but would it not be advisable to squash it now if given the chance before it got out of hand and uncontrollable? I mean reallyÂ…would it not be more enjoyable to be able to use all of it instead of just a little?

In a perfect world yes.

Quitting is messy business. Some people respond differently to certain quit methods. Some people need to be encouraged. Some people need to be educated. Some people need to be reasoned with. Some people need to be seen and not heard. Some people need to be seen. Some people need a swift kick in the ass. Some people need all of the above and much more.

We are a mixed bag here. What works for some may not work for others. We help everyone here the best we can. We try not to exclude anyone unless they are intentionally sabatoging someone elses quit. It may seem on occassion that someone has crossed the line. If it appears that no one is noticing, bring it to a mod or admins attention. But don't be dissapointed if the course of action you think should be taken is not acted upon.

Many things seem extremely urgent and anxious right now. You are into your quit and things are getting better in your life. Feels damn good doesn't it. And you want to keep that ball rolling full steam ahead. I get that. Good for you. Damn proud of you. I (we) know what you are going through. Keep it up.

Having said all of that, I (or any mod or admin) are not the end all or be all of quit. But we have been around awhile and have seen quite a few quit groups take their first steps. We have seen them fall, fight, scream, and literally want to kill each other. There is a method to the madness. More often than not, it works itself out and strong quits are formed.

Take what you need and leave the rest.

Done ramblin.

[redtrain14]

There is a long standing statement here that goes like this....take what you need, leave the rest.

I've always been of the mind to "take what you need, call bullshit when needed." 

There will always be a certain amount of drama and bullshit in every group.  April and May groups tend to lead the pack in this area.  Why?  Dunno, just is.  What I can tell you is that the groups that lead the way in drama and daily banter, also lead the way in posts, HOFers, and long term group cohesiveness.  Go back and check out all the April and May groups, or any group for that matter, the theory will proof itself over and over.

What does this mean to me?  Accountabiliy and commitment.  The more you put yourself out there, the more accountable you are to yourself and your fellow quitters.  Are you going to be the guy (read: any quitter) that puts yourself out on these boards on a daily basis, a leader, only to come in dragging tail and posting a day 1?

Just remember, quitting will have a certain amount of drama because....well.....quitting just ain't easy.  To think of it another way, the you are pissed off at someone for being a dumbass, ask yourself this, "was I thinking about putting a dip in my mouth while this was going on?"  I bet you answer no almost everytime.

Mr. Redtrain I respect you so much. Not for what you have accomplished in your personal quit but also for what you taken upon yourself to do in this house each and every day of your life.

You and many others around here deserve national recognition and medals issued for Bravery; Determination; Selfishness; and for lack of better words balls.

I respect what you are saying wholeheartedly but would it not be advisable to squash it now if given the chance before it got out of hand and uncontrollable? I mean reallyÂ…would it not be more enjoyable to be able to use all of it instead of just a little?

That's not really for me to say....that is more of group choice.

Generally, the true BS gets squashed on its own merit for being just that....bs.

Did you know we have this thingy? Its one of my favs.

'B.S.'

^_^

[Hootie]

There is a long standing statement here that goes like this....take what you need, leave the rest.

I've always been of the mind to "take what you need, call bullshit when needed."

There will always be a certain amount of drama and bullshit in every group. April and May groups tend to lead the pack in this area. Why? Dunno, just is. What I can tell you is that the groups that lead the way in drama and daily banter, also lead the way in posts, HOFers, and long term group cohesiveness. Go back and check out all the April and May groups, or any group for that matter, the theory will proof itself over and over.

What does this mean to me? Accountabiliy and commitment. The more you put yourself out there, the more accountable you are to yourself and your fellow quitters. Are you going to be the guy (read: any quitter) that puts yourself out on these boards on a daily basis, a leader, only to come in dragging tail and posting a day 1?

Just remember, quitting will have a certain amount of drama because....well.....quitting just ain't easy. To think of it another way, the you are pissed off at someone for being a dumbass, ask yourself this, "was I thinking about putting a dip in my mouth while this was going on?" I bet you answer no almost everytime.

Mr. Redtrain I respect you so much. Not for what you have accomplished in your personal quit but also for what you taken upon yourself to do in this house each and every day of your life.

You and many others around here deserve national recognition and medals issued for Bravery; Determination; Selfishness; and for lack of better words balls.

I respect what you are saying wholeheartedly but would it not be advisable to squash it now if given the chance before it got out of hand and uncontrollable? I mean reallyÂ…would it not be more enjoyable to be able to use all of it instead of just a little?

[jaygib]

My god man.....is your wife up for sainthood yet?

Random thoughts based on hootie's random thoughts....

Almost every guy I talk to here has an attractive and understanding wife. How the hell did that happen to a buncha former dippers?

I can't stand ear hair...or any facial hair that is out of place. Especially eyebrow fliers....I can't take you seriously if you have an eyebrow flier.

Good shit hootie! Huzzah huzzah!

I don't have the attractive gal at the moment but I've picked dip over a few in the past. Oh well can't change yesterday, can only own today.

[redtrain14]

There is a long standing statement here that goes like this....take what you need, leave the rest.

I've always been of the mind to "take what you need, call bullshit when needed."

There will always be a certain amount of drama and bullshit in every group. April and May groups tend to lead the pack in this area. Why? Dunno, just is. What I can tell you is that the groups that lead the way in drama and daily banter, also lead the way in posts, HOFers, and long term group cohesiveness. Go back and check out all the April and May groups, or any group for that matter, the theory will proof itself over and over.

What does this mean to me? Accountabiliy and commitment. The more you put yourself out there, the more accountable you are to yourself and your fellow quitters. Are you going to be the guy (read: any quitter) that puts yourself out on these boards on a daily basis, a leader, only to come in dragging tail and posting a day 1?

Just remember, quitting will have a certain amount of drama because....well.....quitting just ain't easy. To think of it another way, the you are pissed off at someone for being a dumbass, ask yourself this, "was I thinking about putting a dip in my mouth while this was going on?" I bet you answer no almost everytime.

[Hootie]

Thanks everybody for the fine comments. And yes; my wife is a saint. A retired neo-natal nurse who took care of sick babies most of her life. I love her dearlyÂ…

I am a little perturbed at what is going on in my own quit group right now. IÂ’ve always been told to Lead From the Front. I am going to make it a personal mission of mine to make sure that my new brothers come out of this unscathed. Why should we have to suffer the childishness of others?

I sure hope others will share my opinionÂ…it sure would be a shameÂ…just saying is all.

[redtrain14]

My god man.....is your wife up for sainthood yet?

Random thoughts based on hootie's random thoughts....

Almost every guy I talk to here has an attractive and understanding wife. How the hell did that happen to a buncha former dippers?

I can't stand ear hair...or any facial hair that is out of place. Especially eyebrow fliers....I can't take you seriously if you have an eyebrow flier.

Good shit hootie! Huzzah huzzah!

[J2b]

WellÂ…I got off my ass and went for a run this morning. Nothing fast and definitely not anything long. I took off with my husky in tow with a goal of just going to the blinking light down the road (.9 mile) and turning around and coming

[Lots of good stuff removed for brevity]

I woke up this morning with the realization that it was time to be responsible again. My wife has been so good through all of this. For the last week I have been given a very lenient amount of space to bitch; moan; stomp my feet; be a slug; eat oatmeal with only my hands; put the cat in the dryer; do donuts in the flower bed; stalk naked down the neighborhood while humming the tune from mission impossibleÂ…I digress

She has been good to me and I promise to act like an adult again once more.

Hootie, good shit on a Sunday. I am having all kinds of firsts as well, but I think your first paragraph sums up a lot of thoughts I have had over the first week.

Its good quittin with ya, and congrats on a good week of quit.