Scared

[kms]

I don't know how you guys did it! I'm going crazy. I have a horrible headache, tons of work to do, can't seem to focus,  I'm antsy  grumpy. This is not going as planned! I have my own fraud examination business with me as the only employee  I've got tons of data to analyze for a court date that is too soon - maybe I should have started after it was over.

I thought about getting drugs but, since I'm a female who has been in hiding I don't want anybody to know. We live in a small town where we know everybody  my father-in-law is also a dr. here. Thought about seeing if I could get some online but, I'm not sure I trust those online drug companies. Please tell me this will get better soon....

[Jeeper]

Kelly, I am 207 days quit. I used the fake stuff, this website, the quitters (my brothers and sisters) and my family to quit.

Use any resources you can to stay quit. Like others on here I keep some fake stuff. I did not touch any fake from the middle of September until last week.
The holidays and some other crap stressed me out and I decided to use the fake so the cravings would go away. I will be honest, it does very little for me now.
It kicks the craving away but I found I didn't like the taste of it anymore nor did I like it being in that "old spot".

You came to a great place. Everyone on here knows what you are going through.
You can yell at us, cuss us out, do/say anything you want and we will take it as long as you stay quit.

Congrats on making the great decision to quit!

[jcook]

Don't worry about the fake stuff. The battle isn't with the habit of chewing, it is with your addiction to nicotine. The habit will go away on its own as long as there isn't any nicotine to reinforce it.

My experience was just like Greg described: used the fake stuff a lot for the first 200 days, then the desire to have something in my lip just seemed to evaporate.

You're doing exactly the right thing: quitting minute by minute. Just remember that you only have to go through it once.

You are doing great, keep it up....... and yeah, it does suck. Do whatever you have to do not to use, the fake stuff is no big deal, use that, seeds, rocks, hell, whatever, just no dip.... you can do it! We are pulling for you!

[Greg5280]

Kelly,
Here is a post I put in the new groups. Not sure if you are navigating around the site clearly yet so I will put it here for you.

New foggy quitters,

I have a suggestion for all of you and I have found it to be helpful more than once during my quit. Starting today get a journal and keep track of your quit each day. How you feel, the struggles you are having, the night sweats, loss of appetite etc. Write it all down in vivid detail. When you want to rage get the journal out and write it all down. Even the days when you are so foggy you cannot get a clear thought need to be written in the journal. Hold nothing back. Why you say ?

Here is why; believe it or not there will be a day in the not too distant future, when you will be far removed from the NIC bitches recovery effects. A day when the pain of quitting has faded, you feel great. A day when the fear of physical damages done have subsided. A day when the reasons you quit are not so clear anymore. A day when the whisper of " I have this beaten, I deserve just one" starts playing in your head. "I have this thing licked, I do not need to post anymore" will be your next thought. " I no longer need the site or my brothers" and you wander away and eventually find yourself back in the arms of the bitch.

When those days arrive, and they will, go get your journal out and in your own words read about the misery you endured to get to where you are. Remember every miserable second of it, then get your asses lined back out, get in here and post your promise and stay quit. Always remember you are an addict and you are NEVER cured.


STAY QUIT
Greg

[redtrain14]

I better only go through this once cause I won't make it a 2nd time! This is not a good feeling. But, I will make it. I have too - no other options this time.

Remember how you feel now, remember it well and never go back.

Never again, for any reason.

[kms]

I better only go through this once cause I won't make it a 2nd time! This is not a good feeling. But, I will make it. I have too - no other options this time.

[nkt]

Don't worry about the fake stuff. The battle isn't with the habit of chewing, it is with your addiction to nicotine. The habit will go away on its own as long as there isn't any nicotine to reinforce it.

My experience was just like Greg described: used the fake stuff a lot for the first 200 days, then the desire to have something in my lip just seemed to evaporate.

You're doing exactly the right thing: quitting minute by minute. Just remember that you only have to go through it once.

[Greg5280]

You will go through a period of time called the fog. It will be difficult to concetrate, even the easy things will seem harder. You will have mood swings, especially if your sugar levels get out of whack. Your body is fighting to rid itself of the poisons you have been stuffing into it.

Read, read, read. Go to the welcome center and read every post in there. It will help keep your mind busy.

Using fake is not failing. Many quitters look at this addiction as two seperate battles. The first is the NIC addiction. The second is the oral fixation part of it. Get the Nicotine out of your system, then worry about stopping the oral fixation portion. I used fake early on and pretty steadily until about day 200. I still have a can with me everywhere I go. I have not used any in quite some time but if the need ever arsies you can bet your ass I will use the fake !!

You are doing fine... !! One hour at a time, you got this.

[kms]

I'm not sure if it's me or the withdrawls or even caffine. But, got very on edge  couldn't work or think straight. Read your post  went out to get some flavoring for my water  the fake stuff. Feel like a failure cause I didn't even go a day! I'm also writing everything down as I go. But, no nic  can at least focus on work. You are a lifesavor!

KMS,
Watch out with caffine. Your body will process it differently now. Keep some candy, gum, seeds etc around you. Get some fake chew if you need to. Make sure you drink PLENTY of water. When you think you have had enough, go get some more. IT helps you detox.

Keep your sugar levels even. It will help with the mood swings. When it gets bad, just break your quit into smaller intervals of time. Smokeys advice of 5 more minutes works just fine. Anyone can quit for 5 minutes right ? Then just add another 5. It does work.

Remember every second of your first three days " the suck " and it will help you to remain quit. I suggest getting a journal and keeping track of all the things you go through.

You CAN do this !! Use the tools provided and you will be quit !!

[Skoal Monster]

You got this KMS, if I can so can you. Below is one of the posts that helped me flip the switch

the link below that is to the Tom and Jenny Kern Story, you owe it to yourself as a parent to read it

What Price to Save Ourselves?

For over 2 decades, my best quit efforts lasted maybe 10 or so days. Finally, asking myself the right question changed my attitude and made it possible to quit. This quit is not easy, but it is finally in MY CONTROL and (I firmly believe) FINAL.

Previously, I always asked "how can I find the strength to break this addiction? In particular, how can I get through the crushing brain fog that always leads to my demise. I can't stay quit or start quitting right now because I get too brain-stupid to get any work done." THAT QUESTION ALWAYS LED ME TO FAIL because (a) it gave me the choice to fail, and ( it said I had other priorities that I would allow to interfere with quitting. This time, I asked myself a different question. "IS THERE ANYTHING I WILL NOT DO IN ORDER TO QUIT? IS ANY COST TOO HIGH?" Since nobody was asking me to give up my family, I decided the answer was "NO." I therefore decided that I WILL INCUR ANY COST WHATSOEVER TO QUIT. If I must, I will use up all my vacation time to get away from the office until the fog lifts. If I have no vacation time left, I'll call in sick (and I consider addiction withdrawal to be honestly sick). If I run out of vacation/sick time, I'll ask for unpaid leave until my head clears up and while I practice handling fewer stresses without opening a tin. If I can't get unpaid leave, I'll let that job go (and go find a new job AFTER I SAVED MY LIFE). If I can't afford being on unpaid leave or unemployment, I will swallow my pride and ask for help from family  friends, and I will sell my stupid car/house/stereo while I SAVE MY LIFE.

WOW, once I decided that NO COST WAS TOO HIGH TO SAVE MY LIFE, and that I would GLADLY INCUR THOSE COSTS, my whole mental attitude changed. No longer were there any impediments to quitting. Once that was my attitude, quitting was easier than I had experienced in prior efforts. I did have to cut back on my office time (and incur some temporary pay reduction), but nothing drastic. And in the long run, who gives a damn?

See, the real barrier wasn't quitting tobacco -- the real barrier had been what I had not CONSIDERED doing, or had not been WILLING to do, in order to make quitting the absolute #1 priority.

Another example: does quitting make being around the house unbearable? Negotiate leaving for 2 weeks!!! "Honey, I need these 2 weeks in order to give you the rest of my life. This isn't a vacation, this is the old 'stick with me in sickness and in health thing.' It's unfair to leave you with the kids, but I will make it up to you, and you will like the new me much better, and I won't go and get cancer on you.")

I came to this "At What Price" attitude after my wife died. She had been given a terminal diagnosis from hell with no hope whatsoever (Lou Gehrig's Disease). We had wished there was something/anything we could do, but there was not. And she had done nothing to deserve it (no smokes, barely drank, exercised regularly, young).

Now here I was, 14 months after she passed away, giving myself my own terminal sentence. But this was a sentence I had the power to stop. My wife had been denied any such power. So, every time I CHOSE to fill my lip, I insulted the memory of my wife. My wife and I would have paid ANY PRICE to save her: sacrificing job, house, friends, etc.

Once I asked "What Price" to save myself, the answers became rather obvious and easy. This quit is not easy, but now it is only a question of time. The fog still lingers some, but now I just ride it out rather than fight it or let it scare me back to the can.

Hey guys, don't fill the boards with condolences. It's been 15 months and I've come to terms with my loss. But I wanted to share this story to prompt you to ask yourselves, "Is Any Price Too High?" Are you putting artificial barriers (like the job, or conserving vacation days and sick leave, or keeping secrets from your wife) in the way of accomplishing THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL in your life right now?

Would you quit your job, sell your house and move to a desolate place where you have no friends, all in order to save the life of your child, wife, or father? Of course you would. Now, do whatever you have to do, at whatever cost, to save your own life.

http://www.killthecan.org/facts/jennykern.asp

[Greg5280]

KMS,
Watch out with caffine. Your body will process it differently now. Keep some candy, gum, seeds etc around you. Get some fake chew if you need to. Make sure you drink PLENTY of water. When you think you have had enough, go get some more. IT helps you detox.

Keep your sugar levels even. It will help with the mood swings. When it gets bad, just break your quit into smaller intervals of time. Smokeys advice of 5 more minutes works just fine. Anyone can quit for 5 minutes right ? Then just add another 5. It does work.

Remember every second of your first three days " the suck " and it will help you to remain quit. I suggest getting a journal and keeping track of all the things you go through.

You CAN do this !! Use the tools provided and you will be quit !!

[husky086]

KMS - you've taken the first step and that's one of the most important things in your battle against nic.

As hard as it sounds to go the whole day without any nicotine, you can do it. Break it down even further - if saying 24 hours is hard - break it down to hour increments. Tell yourself, "I can last the next hour without a dip." Last the hour, and then promise yourself for the next hour and so on.

If you are close to caving, jump on the chat, post, read, post. take a walk, take deep breaths. Do ANYTHING you can to keep the dip out of your lip.

It's hard, but I promise you, it WILL get better and you will see a huge difference.

Even if you don't think you are strong enough, KNOW that you are.

I was in your shoes 10 days ago. It was HELL, but I did it and I am here to tell you that it is possible!!

[kms]

God this does suck! Was fine until I come into my office this morning. It's just me so I don't think I have ever worked in my office without a dip. But, first thing was to flush the opened can I had here. I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee, along with an opened coke,  2 mints,  gum in my mouth right now... You all make me smile because it's like you read my mind at any given moment. Thank you all  will be strong with you.

[KTG]

kms,

You are not alone in the way you are feeling. Everyone here thought they were more addicted than then next. Everyone was scared, no one thought they could do it. I was one of them. The fact you are here shows strength and courage, you may not even know you have. You've found the site, now flush your dip and join the fun. I used to live with a chew in, now I have been quit for 163 days. Believe me and I'm sure everyone else here feels the same, if I can do it so can you. There is a ton of info and support here. Use it, I promise you will love the site and you will love being quit. I also don't know a lot about eating disorders but I can see clearly enough to know it doesn't make sense to quit something that's going to kill you with another thing that will kill you. Get through the fog and stop letting nicotine control your reasoning and thoughts. I'll meet you at the other side.

ktg

[Smokeyg]

Of course you can make it 5 more minutes....

Of course you can make it 5 more minutes....

Of course you can make it 5 more minutes....