Hi all, My name is Rick, or Junior. I'm from Vermont, 40 Years old, Great Wife, 2 beautiful Daughters, and I'm a Dipper of 20+ Years.
My Parents smoke, ever since I was a kid I hated it, the smell, the act, being around it.. I swore I would never Smoke. We moved from one town to another when I was 14, Out of the "City" and into the Country. All my new friends lived on a farm or at least worked on one. One day when I was 15 my buddy and I were doing field work, plowing getting everything ready for the planting season. We started our day like every other day. It was a Friday, we were off from School, we stopped to the store and bought 2 24 packs of Coke.. And we worked and Drank. Saturday morning I woke up puking up blood, off to the doctors to find out Coke was eating my Stomach, I had to quit drinking it. Two days later my buddy had the same issue with the same result.. We tried Water, Pepsi, Water with Lemon, Coffee, nothing worked.. Then an old timer saw us at the store, asked if we needed our daily Coke... We told him no, but asked what else he had that would keep us awake..
Our first pouch of Redman at 15.. The Buzz was great!! We then switched to Grizzly, then came Senior Year.. in 1997 I somehow quit dipping after 3 years hiding it in School. As I grew up I figured it would be good to get in a Trade. Hello HVAC! I was 20 years old.. Working on a roof with an old "Vet" of the trade, again it was summer and we were sweating up on a roof. He offered me a Pinch, thinking it would be funny to watch the new guy boot all over the roof.. Awww The Buzz was Great!! One can would last a Month, then 3 weeks, 2 weeks, a week then a day.
Met the girl of my dreams fresh after quitting drinking, I was a fifth a night guy, 30 rack if the liquor was gone.. I was dry 6 years when I met her.. Now I can have a drink now and again, have 3..stop.. I can drink anything but Tequila.. I figured "If I can quit Drinking, I can do anything"
Joke was on me. I have tried Gum, Patches, Seeds, Fake Dip you name it, went a year once.. then had a bad day, was buying a coffee, my wallet was in the wrong pocket.. The one with the old trusty Dip Ring.. Put my coffee down and heard myself say "And a Can of Copenhagen Long Cut please."
The questions from my Daughters, the bad breath, the needing a Pinch as soon as I wake up, making that special trip because I only have half a tin and worrying about running out, even if we are getting a foot of snow and it's -20 degrees out.. My Boss got sick this summer, was out for 6 months.. 1 tin a day was turning into 2.. I would put a pinch in for 10 minutes, spit it out and 2 minutes later be packing an new one. Yesterday I decided I have had enough.. Today at 8am I took my last pinch, skipped getting a coffee because I didn't want to buy dip.. I bought 2 on Tuesday and again fished my last tin this Morning at 8am.. Made it to 10:30am before I told my Boss "I'll be right back" Off to the drug store I picked up some Nicotine Gum and some seeds.
I have tried everything, Seeds, Fake Dip, Fake Dip with Nicotine, Gum, Patches, Hard Candy... But I never stuck with it, because I was not doing it for me, It was always my Grandma, My Parents, My Wife, My Daughters.. Spent tons of Money on stuff that didn't work... Well I am trying it again, and I am reaching out to all of you. In the past I would tell everyone I was done. Today I am telling you, God, and myself, I will let the others figure it out, ok I told the Wife too, so she knows why I will be grumpy, going to bed at weird hours etc.
My Name is Rick, or Junior... I was a dipper, but today I am Quit.
I would like to say sorry to everyone here in advance, for my long post and rants. Together we got this, I do feel less of a Man, not being able to just stop.. But I am ready.