Although this is my introduction to KTC members, I have been reading comments here since my quit date 3 months ago. I find the strength in everyone's comments when I don't want to inundate my family with talks about my dipping constantly. Quitting tobacco isn't just a personal struggle; the people closest to me feel it too. Here is my story.
I picked up dipping tobacco when I was playing baseball in college when I was 19. It started out minor, or at least to me, and like many "new" users of smokeless tobacco, I started with the Skoal products with all the flavors, straight, mint, cherry, etc. I had to really work to get the habit started, and I remembered the smallest pinch would bring out sweats, and warning me multiple of times, that I am taking poison. Wasn't longer than a couple of months I found Copenhagen Long Cut, and that is where my addiction began to burn like wild fire.
I am 33 y.o. and the last 8-10 years I dipped Cope LC at 2 cans a day. I got to the point where there was never a time in my waking day of my Entire Adult Life, I didn't have a dip in. I looked up CopeLC and 2 cans a day equated to 8 packs of cigarettes of nicotine being absorbed in my body most of my adult life. Anything I did, ended up requiring a dip, waking up, showering, driving car, work, playing chess, pitching, or other sports, I even threw in a dip immediately after brushing teeth at night.
I and many other people thought I'd be a dipper for life. But I had a realization that helped me step out of the box to make the decision to quit. For the last year, I found my attitude changing. For years, I was sick of paying $300+ a month on feeding the addiction (that's a car payment), having bad breath, mumbling to conceal the breath but also hide the tobacco stained teeth, dried tobacco bits all over the place, in my house, car, clothes stained, dominant hand thumb and index finger stained in yellow from constant dip into can, spit can after spit can and bottles AND empty used up copenhagen tins scattered around the house like a hoarder would do. I was sick of all this, but I was an addict so it was allowed to happen. However, when all the crap added up inside me that was hindering my life ahead of me, I found the courage in myself to stop. No girlfriend, or wife, family or friends, can stop it alone.
I was so serious to stop, and I was 100% in to quit, which was the only way to keep excuses to start up again from flowing in. The only way I could stay all in with my quit was to accomplish it "cold-turkey." I used the first month using non- nicotine/ tobacco Wintergreen Smokey Mountain herbal snuff to help with my oral fixation and dip replacement in my gums, and worked great, but I think it was becoming habit forming and still expensive, so I've been off assistance up to now, I exercise, lost weight, cleaner, no spitters, clean car, clean mouth, bigger bank account, and feel good most of the time. However, although I love not feeling tied down to nicotine, I am still trying to figure out how to live without dip, and although it's been months since I quit, I constantly still get reminders and cravings to put a dip in, and it's understandable due to how hard I abused the substance. I know it's all part of the territory though, these cravings will not deter me, the cravings will cease, the moodiness will lift.
I very much wish the best to you all in your quests to quit chewing tobacco. There is many combinations to make it through, you need to find the one that is best for You. Good luck!
Jon
