Hey guys, new here. I'm 32 and have been tobacco-free for 20 hours. I started dipping when I was 19. I did it for a few years and did haphazard attempts to quit here and there. Anytime I went to the dentist and they gave me the green light for good teeth/gums, I'd go buy a can on the way home.
I quit for 6 months with the help of patches back in 2013 with no intention on starting again. Life was great. Then, I picked up a second job doing janitorial stuff and started off with actual Chaw and bubble gum, thinking it'd be something to do while working. Well, that turned into going to pouches as I convinced myself it was "real dip". I eventually ended up back with Cope. A few years go by and my wife and I are getting ready to have our first kid. I decide it's time to stop again so I picked up nicorette gum with the help of herbal tobacco. I was tobacco-free for 2 weeks and wasn't even feening for a dip, all was well. Then I went golfing with some buddies and my friend brought him some wintergreen Cope. It was always his fav but I had never had it. I tried it and it almost knocked me on my rear end. I was hooked. Again.
August 2015 I had 2 biopsies on portions of my gums for cancer due to luek., they turned out benign but was told to stop. The other night, I noticed a patch on the inside of my cheek that I felt with my tongue. I went to the bathroom to look and noticed a gnarly lesion. I can't remember if it's from me biting it earlier in the day or from something else. Seemed pretty intense for it to be there out of nowhere. Anyway...my son is 14 months and it's time to quit for good.
The weird part is that in the past, the quitting hasn't been too bad. The first few days are kind of rough but going from a can a day to nothing a day was a little easier than I thought. This first day has been easier than the previous ones and it's even more stressful time at work/home.
Also, once I started dipping again...I kept it a secret from my wife, friends, coworkers. It was an intense thing to keep silent for 3 years but I made it happen. Looking forward to not doing that again.
-B