I wanted to get an actual introduction out there, sorry for the long winded post, but I had to type this out and get it off my chest.
I'm from small town Minnesota. I'm a small town kid and always have been; outdoors is my passion. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and all sports, football, hockey, baseball, golf....basically anything physically active outside I'm up for giving it a go. Ever since I was about 14 I've had a "friend" with me in my pocket. Started out with Hawken, then to Kodiak, then to Copenhagen, then to Skoal mint, then to Grizz Wintergreen and I had been on that basically since Grizz started.
I "quit" for 18 months many years ago, but then around came a fishing trip for muskies with my "boys" ....and I thought I'll just buy a tin for the trip....well maybe one for the 7 hour drive home from the trip….well maybe 1 for my hour drive back and forth to work.....etc….you all know this story.
I'm now 39 years old, I've been married for almost 15 years, and we have 2 kids. 4-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy. I hid my addiction from my family for as long as I could, my wife has known for several years, but I still don't believe my 4 year old ever really knew or at least she didn't understand. I've wanted to quit for some time, but used the same old shitty excuses, too much stress at work, too much stress at home, oh after my next hunting trip, after my next fishing trip, when my kid is born, when my next kid is born.
Friday Feb. 8th 2019– Nothing earth shattering happened in my life, on the day I quit. I was sitting around after my family was asleep having a night dip or 2 while binging Breaking Bad when it hit me like a ton of shit right in my face, that I’ve been shoving a ton of shit in my face for about 25 years. I was no better than the junkie meth-heads I was watching on the TV. I needed my nicotine fix just as bad as they needed their fix, the ONLY difference was my fix was legal. My fix still makes me stink, look like an idiot, fucks up my teeth and gums, fucks up my internal organs, and would still end up killing me.
I spit out my chew and flushed my tin and that was it. I was done. I watched one more episode of Breaking Bad and went to bed. The next couple days were tough, but I hung out with my kids and wife the whole time. I didn’t tell her I quit because I didn’t know if I could actually stick to it at that point, I thought I could but wasn’t sure. Sunday afternoon I started surfing for how long nicotine withdrawal symptoms lasted and I happened across KTC on my first search. I spent the next 2.5 hours reading on the site, getting signed up and making my first promise.
I told my wife Monday night because I knew I was quit. I now have a brotherhood of accountability and I won’t let you guys down today. Tomorrow I will make this promise again, and I am a man of my word. As my wife said Monday night, you are the most stubborn person I know, so if you set to mind to it I know you are quit. I’m going to prove her right.
Today is Day 5 I quit with all of you ADD.