Need help with my quit

[Sh4string]

Day 15

So I feel semi good overall, but I'm getting this clicking sound when I swallow.  I'm starting to convince myself that I'm dying again.  That whole first week, I thought I was dying, and I could barely eat.

My son had the same thing a week ago, so I know I shouldn't be panicking.  I'm just trying to keep my mind focused on other things.  I also looked it up, and it is something that can be caused by anxiety, which I feel like I was having, but was going away...until of course my throat started bothering me, and now the anxiety is returning.  I just don't want to lose sleep or lose my appetite Iagain.

It's very nice to be eating again though, my appetite is back in full swing, and the nausea has been gone for at least 5-6 days now.  That whole first 10 days or so, I couldn't even drink coffee, but now it's tasting better than before.  I use about half the cream I used to as well.  Coffee has definitely improved a lot in taste.

My digestive system is back to normal.  In fact it's better than it used to be.  Maybe the week off of eating a lot cleaned me out, or maybe it's the nicotine being gone from the system, but the digestive system in general feels much much better than it ever has my entire adult life.

--

Sometimes I have moments in the day where I just faze out and am in a fog.  But for the most part, I'm feeling pretty normal again.

--

Part of me keeps saying to just go buy a can and see if everything is back to normal tomorrow.  But I can't go back after 15 days...I just can't do it.  Honestly, if I didn't have a wife and a son, I'd chew until the day I died.

Day 15 is awesome man, don't throw that away. The fog will lift, it may take a couple more weeks but there are better days ahead. Those thoughts that a can just might make everything better is the nic bitch trying to wedge herself back into your life. Nicotine has lost it's physical grip on you but your mind and body are beginning to heal and rewire itself, that just takes some time.

I can assure you that buying a can will bring you nothing but disappointment and sorrow. Staying quit again today, keeping your promise to your group and the community here will add another brick to the foundation of your quit. Every victory will build on the last and pretty soon you will begin to understand just how powerful taking your freedom back from the poison will be to your entire life.


Keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything.

Jlud said it all, listen and adhere. To add; after 385 days poison free you couldn't stick a gun to my head and make me suckle with the poison again. I hate the poison. It lied to me for to long. I believed it helped me, when all it ever did was take. It doesn't deserve your want and desire. Begin building a hatred because that's all the poison deserves.

It will help you to learn this enemy. Read all you can on nicotine/addiction. Learn your enemy, it knows you. Its time to build your quit knowledge and gain the advantage. Begin knowing what to expect.

SCREW the poison. I don't care if I'm married, divorced, got kids, don't got kids, who dies, throat clicking, wrist hurts or whatever else comes up or lies ahead. I will post roll and keep my word. My life belongs to the poison NO longer. Let's get some quit on brother. Let's take it to another level. The level of no return. Develop a better state of mind. Your in control my friend. Time to begin acting like it. Quit with you.

Hey deepbrah,
I'm in your quit group and can't stand by while your are talking cave. Breath deep, exercise. These guys have said it all. It doesn't make a shit if you have kids, wife, girlfriend, mama, puppies or what...you quit for you.
Going back to the nic bitch will only bring you grief. You have kicked her out, now stick to the quit. Hate nicotine and the dip that brought her.
Hang in brah!
I quit with you!

Let me know if you need anything.
Doc

Hang tough!!!! Better days are coming and I can promise caving will make you miserable. It is a poison lie! Learn to hate the nic bitch and all her tricks. Keep taking your freedom back odaat!

[Doc Chewfree]

I can honestly say that 100%, without a doubt, I'm never going to put a chew in my mouth ever again. There is no doubt in my mind.

bump

[Doc Chewfree]

Day 15

So I feel semi good overall, but I'm getting this clicking sound when I swallow.  I'm starting to convince myself that I'm dying again.  That whole first week, I thought I was dying, and I could barely eat.

My son had the same thing a week ago, so I know I shouldn't be panicking.  I'm just trying to keep my mind focused on other things.  I also looked it up, and it is something that can be caused by anxiety, which I feel like I was having, but was going away...until of course my throat started bothering me, and now the anxiety is returning.  I just don't want to lose sleep or lose my appetite Iagain.

It's very nice to be eating again though, my appetite is back in full swing, and the nausea has been gone for at least 5-6 days now.  That whole first 10 days or so, I couldn't even drink coffee, but now it's tasting better than before.  I use about half the cream I used to as well.  Coffee has definitely improved a lot in taste.

My digestive system is back to normal.  In fact it's better than it used to be.  Maybe the week off of eating a lot cleaned me out, or maybe it's the nicotine being gone from the system, but the digestive system in general feels much much better than it ever has my entire adult life.

--

Sometimes I have moments in the day where I just faze out and am in a fog.  But for the most part, I'm feeling pretty normal again.

--

Part of me keeps saying to just go buy a can and see if everything is back to normal tomorrow.  But I can't go back after 15 days...I just can't do it.  Honestly, if I didn't have a wife and a son, I'd chew until the day I died.

Day 15 is awesome man, don't throw that away. The fog will lift, it may take a couple more weeks but there are better days ahead. Those thoughts that a can just might make everything better is the nic bitch trying to wedge herself back into your life. Nicotine has lost it's physical grip on you but your mind and body are beginning to heal and rewire itself, that just takes some time.

I can assure you that buying a can will bring you nothing but disappointment and sorrow. Staying quit again today, keeping your promise to your group and the community here will add another brick to the foundation of your quit. Every victory will build on the last and pretty soon you will begin to understand just how powerful taking your freedom back from the poison will be to your entire life.


Keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything.

Jlud said it all, listen and adhere. To add; after 385 days poison free you couldn't stick a gun to my head and make me suckle with the poison again. I hate the poison. It lied to me for to long. I believed it helped me, when all it ever did was take. It doesn't deserve your want and desire. Begin building a hatred because that's all the poison deserves.

It will help you to learn this enemy. Read all you can on nicotine/addiction. Learn your enemy, it knows you. Its time to build your quit knowledge and gain the advantage. Begin knowing what to expect.

SCREW the poison. I don't care if I'm married, divorced, got kids, don't got kids, who dies, throat clicking, wrist hurts or whatever else comes up or lies ahead. I will post roll and keep my word. My life belongs to the poison NO longer. Let's get some quit on brother. Let's take it to another level. The level of no return. Develop a better state of mind. Your in control my friend. Time to begin acting like it. Quit with you.

Hey deepbrah,
I'm in your quit group and can't stand by while your are talking cave. Breath deep, exercise. These guys have said it all. It doesn't make a shit if you have kids, wife, girlfriend, mama, puppies or what...you quit for you.
Going back to the nic bitch will only bring you grief. You have kicked her out, now stick to the quit. Hate nicotine and the dip that brought her.
Hang in brah!
I quit with you!

Let me know if you need anything.
Doc

[Diesel2112]

Honestly if I didn't have a wife and a son, I' chew until the day I died."

Say what? This worries me greatly.

Basically what you are say that you aren't quitting because you WANT to, you are quitting because you feel you should. That's not going to cut it. Quitting for you faimily is a good starting point but ultimately if you don't quit for you, your chances at success deminish greatly. It's very tough to force yourself to do ANYTHING you really don't want to do.

You also are still glamourising dip. You think going back to the can will make things "normal" again. It won't, so get that shit out of your head. If you're going to do this, you have to be all in, not one foot in and one foot out.

Anxiety...I've been there and know what you're going through. In fact I know what your thinking before you think it. Anxiety is one big circle of shitty self defeating thinking.

The littlest things that wouldn't have bothered you in the past, now cause you to freak the fuck out and you can't stop your brain from thinking about it, then you can't stop thinking about not thinking about it, next you can't stop thinking about not thinking about not thinking about it. And so thy viscous cycle continues.

I was there. I once only ate chicken noodle soup for 10 days straight because I thought it made me feel better. I thought I had diabetes, I thought I had angina, I feel asleep with my neck cocked goofy one day and woke up and thought I had a stroke because my face was a little tingly.

All this goofy shit had me thinking there was something "wrong" with me or that I was "crazy".

I wasn't. Crazy people don't worry about being crazy. They are just fucking crazy and don't give a shit.

Anxiety was causing all these thoughts. Over time with some help I began to see anxiety for what it was. An over abundance of adrenaline produced because my body was THINKING it was in trouble. Fight or flight....

The thing that really helped me was the montra of "I don't fear anxiety" and letting these thoughts roll in and out without getting too fired up about them. The harder you try and fight anxiety the harder it fights back. Try and accept your thoughts for what they are...thoughts. Don't let them define you or take over your life.

Again, easier said than done, but hang in there, bro.

PM me anytime if you want to hear more.

Quit on...

[srans]

Day 15

So I feel semi good overall, but I'm getting this clicking sound when I swallow.  I'm starting to convince myself that I'm dying again.  That whole first week, I thought I was dying, and I could barely eat.

My son had the same thing a week ago, so I know I shouldn't be panicking.  I'm just trying to keep my mind focused on other things.  I also looked it up, and it is something that can be caused by anxiety, which I feel like I was having, but was going away...until of course my throat started bothering me, and now the anxiety is returning.  I just don't want to lose sleep or lose my appetite Iagain.

It's very nice to be eating again though, my appetite is back in full swing, and the nausea has been gone for at least 5-6 days now.  That whole first 10 days or so, I couldn't even drink coffee, but now it's tasting better than before.  I use about half the cream I used to as well.  Coffee has definitely improved a lot in taste.

My digestive system is back to normal.  In fact it's better than it used to be.  Maybe the week off of eating a lot cleaned me out, or maybe it's the nicotine being gone from the system, but the digestive system in general feels much much better than it ever has my entire adult life.

--

Sometimes I have moments in the day where I just faze out and am in a fog.  But for the most part, I'm feeling pretty normal again.

--

Part of me keeps saying to just go buy a can and see if everything is back to normal tomorrow.  But I can't go back after 15 days...I just can't do it.  Honestly, if I didn't have a wife and a son, I'd chew until the day I died.

Day 15 is awesome man, don't throw that away. The fog will lift, it may take a couple more weeks but there are better days ahead. Those thoughts that a can just might make everything better is the nic bitch trying to wedge herself back into your life. Nicotine has lost it's physical grip on you but your mind and body are beginning to heal and rewire itself, that just takes some time.

I can assure you that buying a can will bring you nothing but disappointment and sorrow. Staying quit again today, keeping your promise to your group and the community here will add another brick to the foundation of your quit. Every victory will build on the last and pretty soon you will begin to understand just how powerful taking your freedom back from the poison will be to your entire life.


Keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything.

Jlud said it all, listen and adhere. To add; after 385 days poison free you couldn't stick a gun to my head and make me suckle with the poison again. I hate the poison. It lied to me for to long. I believed it helped me, when all it ever did was take. It doesn't deserve your want and desire. Begin building a hatred because that's all the poison deserves.

It will help you to learn this enemy. Read all you can on nicotine/addiction. Learn your enemy, it knows you. Its time to build your quit knowledge and gain the advantage. Begin knowing what to expect.

SCREW the poison. I don't care if I'm married, divorced, got kids, don't got kids, who dies, throat clicking, wrist hurts or whatever else comes up or lies ahead. I will post roll and keep my word. My life belongs to the poison NO longer. Let's get some quit on brother. Let's take it to another level. The level of no return. Develop a better state of mind. Your in control my friend. Time to begin acting like it. Quit with you.

[Jlud007]

Day 15

So I feel semi good overall, but I'm getting this clicking sound when I swallow. I'm starting to convince myself that I'm dying again. That whole first week, I thought I was dying, and I could barely eat.

My son had the same thing a week ago, so I know I shouldn't be panicking. I'm just trying to keep my mind focused on other things. I also looked it up, and it is something that can be caused by anxiety, which I feel like I was having, but was going away...until of course my throat started bothering me, and now the anxiety is returning. I just don't want to lose sleep or lose my appetite again.

It's very nice to be eating again though, my appetite is back in full swing, and the nausea has been gone for at least 5-6 days now. That whole first 10 days or so, I couldn't even drink coffee, but now it's tasting better than before. I use about half the cream I used to as well. Coffee has definitely improved a lot in taste.

My digestive system is back to normal. In fact it's better than it used to be. Maybe the week off of eating a lot cleaned me out, or maybe it's the nicotine being gone from the system, but the digestive system in general feels much much better than it ever has my entire adult life.

--

Sometimes I have moments in the day where I just faze out and am in a fog. But for the most part, I'm feeling pretty normal again.

--

Part of me keeps saying to just go buy a can and see if everything is back to normal tomorrow. But I can't go back after 15 days...I just can't do it. Honestly, if I didn't have a wife and a son, I'd chew until the day I died.

Day 15 is awesome man, don't throw that away. The fog will lift, it may take a couple more weeks but there are better days ahead. Those thoughts that a can just might make everything better is the nic bitch trying to wedge herself back into your life. Nicotine has lost it's physical grip on you but your mind and body are beginning to heal and rewire itself, that just takes some time.

I can assure you that buying a can will bring you nothing but disappointment and sorrow. Staying quit again today, keeping your promise to your group and the community here will add another brick to the foundation of your quit. Every victory will build on the last and pretty soon you will begin to understand just how powerful taking your freedom back from the poison will be to your entire life.


Keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything.

[deepbrah]

Day 15

So I feel semi good overall, but I'm getting this clicking sound when I swallow. I'm starting to convince myself that I'm dying again. That whole first week, I thought I was dying, and I could barely eat.

My son had the same thing a week ago, so I know I shouldn't be panicking. I'm just trying to keep my mind focused on other things. I also looked it up, and it is something that can be caused by anxiety, which I feel like I was having, but was going away...until of course my throat started bothering me, and now the anxiety is returning. I just don't want to lose sleep or lose my appetite again.

It's very nice to be eating again though, my appetite is back in full swing, and the nausea has been gone for at least 5-6 days now. That whole first 10 days or so, I couldn't even drink coffee, but now it's tasting better than before. I use about half the cream I used to as well. Coffee has definitely improved a lot in taste.

My digestive system is back to normal. In fact it's better than it used to be. Maybe the week off of eating a lot cleaned me out, or maybe it's the nicotine being gone from the system, but the digestive system in general feels much much better than it ever has my entire adult life.

--

Sometimes I have moments in the day where I just faze out and am in a fog. But for the most part, I'm feeling pretty normal again.

--

Part of me keeps saying to just go buy a can and see if everything is back to normal tomorrow. But I can't go back after 15 days...I just can't do it. Honestly, if I didn't have a wife and a son, I'd chew until the day I died.

[construction24$7]

Alright, I've got a texting crew established.  Thanks guys.

--

Day 12 (could be 13, can't remember)...I may have been counting incorrectly.  It depends if you count Monday INTO Tuesday as a day or if you count Monday as a day, then Tuesday as a day, etc.  Either way, I'm going to officially call today day 12.

---------------------------
SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

So I've gone through 3 cans of Smokey Mountain Wintergreen.

The stuff is awesome.  Like I go to buy it, double check that it's tobacco free before I buy it.  Then get in the car, triple check to make sure it's tobacco free before I put one in.  Then after I've had one in for a minute, I find myself checking again, just to make sure the clerk didn't slip me the wrong thing.

A couple things to note:

Before, I would chew CONSTANTLY -- at work...I had a coffee cup and I had a coffee cup -- one filled with coffee, the other was a spitter in disguise.  Not a cheap one, mind you, a full on $20 coffee cup that was my spitter.

If it was 11:00 PM and I noticed I had one dip left, I ran to the store.  If it was too late, I could not save that last dip til tomorrow, I would chew it, then put it back in the can so I had *something* for the morning.

If snow was in the forecast, you had better believe I had enough chew for the next 4 days, without a doubt, 100%, never failed I had a stock pile.

--

Now, with the fake stuff, I ran out last night at like 9PM -- did my night time ritual, got up this morning, played with my son, went to his soccer game, came home, played more, and didn't get a chance to make it to the store until I went to the gym around 4:30PM -- so I stopped and grabbed a can so that I could relax tonight with my homework.

So yes, I find that using fake chew is a "crutch" if you will, but it's not an obsessive addiction like nicotine was.  All those times I (we) say we're in control, we're not.  The nic controls YOU.  Believe that shit or not, it's 100% true.

--

In closing, I just want to say I recommend Smokey Mountain (or another brand, I tried 3 and liked Smokey Mountain the best) to anyone quitting dip.

When you spend 16 years with pretty much a dip in your lip constantly, it's hard to deal with losing that and your body's physical withdrawal all at the same time.  So use it as a crutch for as long as you need to...a week, a month, a year, the rest of your life...whatever you have to do.

The fact is I'm 12 days clean from nicotine and feeling good about it.

--------------------------------------
PROGRESS

My appetite is back as of yesterday and my energy is getting there. I've noticed that while doing cardio at the gym, my heart rate seems to start much lower than it used to when I had nicotine flowing through my veins.  I can still get it racing just the same, but it's a good 20 beats lower when I first hop on a machine.

One day at a time, you will reach a greatness that you didn't know existed before. Go back and read day one... Day two... And see how far you've already come.

Today you should be a proud man. Thanks for bringing me along for the ride.

Monday is a day. Tuesday is a day. And I think Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are days as well.

Early fog can be rough and days of week get confusing. No worries that is why we are here.

You are doing great. Use smokey mt all you need. Totally safe. Use whatever u need as a crutch right now. All that matters is u stay quit today. That is it.

Keep at it. Quit with you all day long.

WOW !!! The dream team of Quit has assembled at your door. Many of them have been instrumental in my personal Quit success. Listen closely to them as they will guide you thru some of the pitfalls that we have all experienced. Do whatever it takes to stay quit and not use nicotine. Make quitting your number 1 priority. Congratulations on taking your life back .....

[Derk40]

Alright, I've got a texting crew established.  Thanks guys.

--

Day 12 (could be 13, can't remember)...I may have been counting incorrectly.  It depends if you count Monday INTO Tuesday as a day or if you count Monday as a day, then Tuesday as a day, etc.  Either way, I'm going to officially call today day 12.

---------------------------
SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

So I've gone through 3 cans of Smokey Mountain Wintergreen.

The stuff is awesome.  Like I go to buy it, double check that it's tobacco free before I buy it.  Then get in the car, triple check to make sure it's tobacco free before I put one in.  Then after I've had one in for a minute, I find myself checking again, just to make sure the clerk didn't slip me the wrong thing.

A couple things to note:

Before, I would chew CONSTANTLY -- at work...I had a coffee cup and I had a coffee cup -- one filled with coffee, the other was a spitter in disguise.  Not a cheap one, mind you, a full on $20 coffee cup that was my spitter.

If it was 11:00 PM and I noticed I had one dip left, I ran to the store.  If it was too late, I could not save that last dip til tomorrow, I would chew it, then put it back in the can so I had *something* for the morning.

If snow was in the forecast, you had better believe I had enough chew for the next 4 days, without a doubt, 100%, never failed I had a stock pile.

--

Now, with the fake stuff, I ran out last night at like 9PM -- did my night time ritual, got up this morning, played with my son, went to his soccer game, came home, played more, and didn't get a chance to make it to the store until I went to the gym around 4:30PM -- so I stopped and grabbed a can so that I could relax tonight with my homework.

So yes, I find that using fake chew is a "crutch" if you will, but it's not an obsessive addiction like nicotine was.  All those times I (we) say we're in control, we're not.  The nic controls YOU.  Believe that shit or not, it's 100% true.

--

In closing, I just want to say I recommend Smokey Mountain (or another brand, I tried 3 and liked Smokey Mountain the best) to anyone quitting dip.

When you spend 16 years with pretty much a dip in your lip constantly, it's hard to deal with losing that and your body's physical withdrawal all at the same time.  So use it as a crutch for as long as you need to...a week, a month, a year, the rest of your life...whatever you have to do.

The fact is I'm 12 days clean from nicotine and feeling good about it.

--------------------------------------
PROGRESS

My appetite is back as of yesterday and my energy is getting there. I've noticed that while doing cardio at the gym, my heart rate seems to start much lower than it used to when I had nicotine flowing through my veins.  I can still get it racing just the same, but it's a good 20 beats lower when I first hop on a machine.

One day at a time, you will reach a greatness that you didn't know existed before. Go back and read day one... Day two... And see how far you've already come.

Today you should be a proud man. Thanks for bringing me along for the ride.

Monday is a day. Tuesday is a day. We keep it simple. A day is a day.

You are doing great. Use smokey mt all you need. Totally safe. Use whatever u need as a crutch right now. All that matters is u stay quit today. That is it.

Keep at it. Quit with you all day long.

[worktowin]

Alright, I've got a texting crew established. Thanks guys.

--

Day 12 (could be 13, can't remember)...I may have been counting incorrectly. It depends if you count Monday INTO Tuesday as a day or if you count Monday as a day, then Tuesday as a day, etc. Either way, I'm going to officially call today day 12.

---------------------------
SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

So I've gone through 3 cans of Smokey Mountain Wintergreen.

The stuff is awesome. Like I go to buy it, double check that it's tobacco free before I buy it. Then get in the car, triple check to make sure it's tobacco free before I put one in. Then after I've had one in for a minute, I find myself checking again, just to make sure the clerk didn't slip me the wrong thing.

A couple things to note:

Before, I would chew CONSTANTLY -- at work...I had a coffee cup and I had a coffee cup -- one filled with coffee, the other was a spitter in disguise. Not a cheap one, mind you, a full on $20 coffee cup that was my spitter.

If it was 11:00 PM and I noticed I had one dip left, I ran to the store. If it was too late, I could not save that last dip til tomorrow, I would chew it, then put it back in the can so I had *something* for the morning.

If snow was in the forecast, you had better believe I had enough chew for the next 4 days, without a doubt, 100%, never failed I had a stock pile.

--

Now, with the fake stuff, I ran out last night at like 9PM -- did my night time ritual, got up this morning, played with my son, went to his soccer game, came home, played more, and didn't get a chance to make it to the store until I went to the gym around 4:30PM -- so I stopped and grabbed a can so that I could relax tonight with my homework.

So yes, I find that using fake chew is a "crutch" if you will, but it's not an obsessive addiction like nicotine was. All those times I (we) say we're in control, we're not. The nic controls YOU. Believe that shit or not, it's 100% true.

--

In closing, I just want to say I recommend Smokey Mountain (or another brand, I tried 3 and liked Smokey Mountain the best) to anyone quitting dip.

When you spend 16 years with pretty much a dip in your lip constantly, it's hard to deal with losing that and your body's physical withdrawal all at the same time. So use it as a crutch for as long as you need to...a week, a month, a year, the rest of your life...whatever you have to do.

The fact is I'm 12 days clean from nicotine and feeling good about it.

--------------------------------------
PROGRESS

My appetite is back as of yesterday and my energy is getting there. I've noticed that while doing cardio at the gym, my heart rate seems to start much lower than it used to when I had nicotine flowing through my veins. I can still get it racing just the same, but it's a good 20 beats lower when I first hop on a machine.

One day at a time, you will reach a greatness that you didn't know existed before. Go back and read day one... Day two... And see how far you've already come.

Today you should be a proud man. Thanks for bringing me along for the ride.

[deepbrah]

Alright, I've got a texting crew established. Thanks guys.

--

Day 12 (could be 13, can't remember)...I may have been counting incorrectly. It depends if you count Monday INTO Tuesday as a day or if you count Monday as a day, then Tuesday as a day, etc. Either way, I'm going to officially call today day 12.

---------------------------
SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

So I've gone through 3 cans of Smokey Mountain Wintergreen.

The stuff is awesome. Like I go to buy it, double check that it's tobacco free before I buy it. Then get in the car, triple check to make sure it's tobacco free before I put one in. Then after I've had one in for a minute, I find myself checking again, just to make sure the clerk didn't slip me the wrong thing.

A couple things to note:

Before, I would chew CONSTANTLY -- at work...I had a coffee cup and I had a coffee cup -- one filled with coffee, the other was a spitter in disguise. Not a cheap one, mind you, a full on $20 coffee cup that was my spitter.

If it was 11:00 PM and I noticed I had one dip left, I ran to the store. If it was too late, I could not save that last dip til tomorrow, I would chew it, then put it back in the can so I had *something* for the morning.

If snow was in the forecast, you had better believe I had enough chew for the next 4 days, without a doubt, 100%, never failed I had a stock pile.

--

Now, with the fake stuff, I ran out last night at like 9PM -- did my night time ritual, got up this morning, played with my son, went to his soccer game, came home, played more, and didn't get a chance to make it to the store until I went to the gym around 4:30PM -- so I stopped and grabbed a can so that I could relax tonight with my homework.

So yes, I find that using fake chew is a "crutch" if you will, but it's not an obsessive addiction like nicotine was. All those times I (we) say we're in control, we're not. The nic controls YOU. Believe that shit or not, it's 100% true.

--

In closing, I just want to say I recommend Smokey Mountain (or another brand, I tried 3 and liked Smokey Mountain the best) to anyone quitting dip.

When you spend 16 years with pretty much a dip in your lip constantly, it's hard to deal with losing that and your body's physical withdrawal all at the same time. So use it as a crutch for as long as you need to...a week, a month, a year, the rest of your life...whatever you have to do.

The fact is I'm 12 days clean from nicotine and feeling good about it.

--------------------------------------
PROGRESS

My appetite is back as of yesterday and my energy is getting there. I've noticed that while doing cardio at the gym, my heart rate seems to start much lower than it used to when I had nicotine flowing through my veins. I can still get it racing just the same, but it's a good 20 beats lower when I first hop on a machine.

[deepbrah]

I completely forgot texting existed there. I would like that though...I'll have to go through my inbox when everyone goes to sleep and reply with my number so people can text me. I think 1 or 2 people gave me their numbers.

Feel free to give me yours now so I can add it tonight.

[slug.go]

Brah,
Do you have other quitters' contact info for your support network?
A middle of the day text can make a big difference!

[deepbrah]

I hear you guys, and thanks for the support. Day 11.

I'm just trying to stay busy really...I mean I'm not sure what else I can do.

I go to the gym every day and do a medium to fast paced walk on 8-10% incline every day for about 20-25 minutes but haven't really lifted weights yet. I tried yesterday but after 2 medium sets on the bench press, I thought I was going to fall over, so I figured I'd leave while I was still standing.

I wanted to share a link to an article about Nicotine Withdrawal -- the good part of this isn't really the article (although it's ok), it's the 600+ comments of people going through what we are going through. It helps me to read through them and maybe it will help someone else, I don't know. But it helps me feel better.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-sympto ... drawal.htm

(EDIT: the way I do it is this: bookmark the page, then when you're feeling down or abnormal, read through as many of the comments as you want. Then when you're done, click your bookmarks, properties, and change to the number of the post you stopped reading at. That way you can pick up where you left off.

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I picked up some bacc off Extra Wintergreen, which is made from tea leaves, which feels almost like cheating to use. I mean on one hand, I went so long without anything in my mouth, but on the other hand, I feel like I'm having a hard time, so why deal with multiple issues at once...chew on some tea leaves.

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Anyway, the days are still rough *IF I focus on that aspect. When I can distract myself and focus on other things, all seems normal.
The fog has lifted for the most part, although I still catch myself in bouts of fogginess from time to time.
My sleep schedule is still out of whack and my digestive system is NOT where it should be. I partially blame this on nicotine withdrawal and partially on the anxiety caused by the nicotine withdrawal.
And as far as depression goes, I wouldn't so much say my problem has been depression at all. I feel like it's more of an anxiety thing. I don't even know how my adult body handles anxiety to be honest. I started chewing when I was 16, and before that I smoked for a couple years, so I really have never been an adult and not been under the influence of nicotine, which could have been masking my anxiety. That's depressing.

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Oh well, I'm just hoping the weather becomes nicer soon. Nothing like some sunshine and 65 degree weather to make your troubles go away.

[Diesel2112]

Yeah that's pretty helpful actually. I wish I could explain how I feel, I mean I feel like I'm getting my appetite back but I still can't eat.

Nicotine is such a terrible thing, we all know that now.

I think the depression comes from knowing that I've poisoned my body for so many years and didn't really think about the health of myself or my mouth. I'm afraid that it might be too late. By the time I came to my senses, it would be too late. Imagine that.

Lots of praying, lots of crying, lots of trying to fill a void with something. I've asked God to fill the void. I've asked God to help me fill the void with my family.

At this point, I feel like I need depression help more than I need nicotine help.

Go to the doctor. Don't try and be a "tough guy" and gut it out.

I tried that. It did not work.

When you quit you need some assists. One is this site. Another may be medical help, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Not everyone gets hit with the depression or anxiety sledge hammer, but I sure the hell did, and it sounds like you are too.

Going to a doctor about it was the best thing I did.

He prescribed some pills to help with the depression, which I'm now off, and I also saw a counselor for some talk therapy. Both were life savers.

Many quitters have taken this path, so don't be ashamed.

Just my 2 cents on the matter...