Rooter intro

[Rooter]

As we roll into July itÂ’s a huge month for me. First, it is the first time I can remember where I will celebrate the 4th without nicotine. That is huge to me. Second, itÂ’s my anniversary month with the wife... happens to fall on the 4th. See guys thatÂ’s how you do it, get married on a holiday so you will never forget the date! Third itÂ’s the wifeÂ’s birthday. CanÂ’t think of anything else that I want to give her than a healthy nicotine free husband. Last, hope that this is the month that I make it back to the states. That means some long travel days and some new challenges this month. But as long as I quit one day at a time I will be fine! LetÂ’s kick this months ass and have some quality quit!

[pab1964]

Damn......Just........Damn! Thanks for helping make it possible for me to live freely and do the things I truly love while you sacrifice by being away from your family, in which I can tell you love and miss dearly! Thanks my friend and IÂ’m damn proud to quit with you ODAAT! Prayers for you all


Pab 1279

[240Bravo]

Rooter,

Your thread is inspirational man. Way to hang in there. I cant wait to be three weeks in like you.

I noticed I am a boredom dipper and eater too. Once I quit eating for fun i dropped 10 pounds in like 2 weeks. I aint no fatty either!

The dipping thing also sucked up time. I never realized it before, but I could literally throw a chew in and be entertained. Now I have time to actually do things that are productive.

[Rooter]

Day 24... sandstorms are continuing. Gotta love that feeling of grit in your mouth. One thing that I have realized the last couple of days is that I was a boredom dipper. Sitting here bored and the desire to dip to pass the time hits strong. Guys around me are filling their lips with cancer. I will just suck away at my jolly rancher. I am quit. Also just doing the math helps me realize how much money I have saved just on chew... $120. ThatÂ’s a huge sum of money in 24 days.

[Athan]

Loving you and your quit Rooter. Congratulations on the THREE WEEKS. That's a major accomplishment. Regarding the craves, your brain is still rewiring itself. It takes time. A lot of it is anxiety, frustration, even anger and these are a normal part of the human experience. We have conditioned our brain to interpret them as cravings for nicotine. They're really not. That little bit was an epiphany for me; if nicotine is not part of the problem (after 72 hours is out of the system), it cannot logically be part of the solution.
BubbaM in June chronicled that the 'crave' is the mind functioning from the brain stem in a primitive fight or flight mode. To move to the temporal lobes and out of the crave, one needs to visual or auditory cues, i.e. pictures of loved ones, or relaxing music (the metal and heavy percussion that most folks listen to in the gym shift you INTO the brain stem, something like Mozart or Beethoven shift you out).
Very pleased you've made it three weeks man. Really. Proud to be quit with you today.

[Rooter]

Day 21- well they say cravings will hit at bad times and well that is true. As I lay here in this wonderful tent sweating my ass off at 9 am because the ac doesnÂ’t work well in high temps a desire to break down and go buy a can swept over me. For most people this would mean jumping in the car and driving to the c store and picking up a can. For the deployed Rooter that would have meant walking over to the bx and buying what ever flavor of cancer they had in stock. But alas I am holding strong. Have already worked out to the point of shaking so that is off the table. I still have laundry to do... but that requires some motivation. So think I will just lay here for a bit and roll around in my self pity. I have no one else to blame but myself and big tobacco. Nobody else made me an addict but myself and the tobacco industry. So big tobacco if I take my share of the blame will you take yours? No didnÂ’t think so. So for today, hereÂ’s a big fuck you to the tobacco industry. IÂ’ll save my quit, carry on for another day, and save that $5 to spend on something that wonÂ’t kill me.

[Rooter]

For those of you who use the fake... good lord have you lost all taste? I tried the Smokey mountain wintergreen. Shit made me want to vomit. Could be cause itÂ’s probably older than dirt over here, but that can tastes like crap. Dry nasty worm dirt. So I am looking for suggestions for a fake to have on hand for when the craves hit really bad!

Grinds brother, its just coffee in a pouch, doesn't really give you that mouth feel like smokey mountain does but it helps. Plus gives you a little kick of caffeine. I've been using them to replace my afternoon cup of coffee for a few years now. Caramel is my go to flavor, irish cream is also pretty good. They should ship over there fairly quickly, my brother in law used them when he was deployed and never had any complaints about them drying out.

Grinds Flavors

Thanks. Will give those a go!

[Kancoltex]

For those of you who use the fake... good lord have you lost all taste? I tried the Smokey mountain wintergreen. Shit made me want to vomit. Could be cause itÂ’s probably older than dirt over here, but that can tastes like crap. Dry nasty worm dirt. So I am looking for suggestions for a fake to have on hand for when the craves hit really bad!

Jakes mint chew pouches. Quitting has been much easier than I thought. But I was using pouches previously for the last few years after 35+ years of skoal original.

[Gromo]

For those of you who use the fake... good lord have you lost all taste? I tried the Smokey mountain wintergreen. Shit made me want to vomit. Could be cause itÂ’s probably older than dirt over here, but that can tastes like crap. Dry nasty worm dirt. So I am looking for suggestions for a fake to have on hand for when the craves hit really bad!

Grinds brother, its just coffee in a pouch, doesn't really give you that mouth feel like smokey mountain does but it helps. Plus gives you a little kick of caffeine. I've been using them to replace my afternoon cup of coffee for a few years now. Caramel is my go to flavor, irish cream is also pretty good. They should ship over there fairly quickly, my brother in law used them when he was deployed and never had any complaints about them drying out.

Grinds Flavors

[Thumblewort]

Dip sucks, quit rules, I quit with you today.

[wildirish317]

3. Honestly I am tired of being a slave to a can.

This. This has the power to carry you through any cravings. Freedom. People have fought and died for freedom.

All you have to do is not put nicotine in your body.

[Rooter]

For those of you who use the fake... good lord have you lost all taste? I tried the Smokey mountain wintergreen. Shit made me want to vomit. Could be cause itÂ’s probably older than dirt over here, but that can tastes like crap. Dry nasty worm dirt. So I am looking for suggestions for a fake to have on hand for when the craves hit really bad!

[Rooter]

It’s days like today that test my will power. I am sure we have all had that day when nothing goes right. Seems the world is plotting against us... yep, well that was today. But having quit for 15 days in a row today was something different. Today was a day when I didn’t resort to chew to make things “better”. I didn’t turn towards that cancer causing can. So today I am extra proud of my quit!

[kodiakdeath]

Rooter iit's great to follow your struggles and successes. You are doing awesome bro - totally aware, owning your quit, and kicking nicotine's ass.
IQWYT

[Mack213]

I like your style man.
1. Thank you for your service sir.
2. One day at a time. Your stronger than you even know. And your brain has to have time to rewire itself from the shit you've put it through. I hope you have a way to reach out before the next crave hits. Somehow, some way, have a plan. She'll hit when your at your weakest point.

Your doing one hell of a job so far, no reason to turn back now.

Day 157 and quit with you.