I should begin by commenting on how riveting the other stories here have been since I started reading them yesterday. It's given me additional motivation for sure.........
I have dipped for exactly ten years now. Unlike many, I didn't even start until my 30's. A guy at work had a can of Cope snuff, the kind my grandfather dipped and that held so many childhood memories for me..........not sure why, but I guess I was feeling nostalgic that day; took my first dip, and now here I am ten years later.
Along the way, I've made the obligatory attempts at quitting. One year in, I gave it up cold turkey, and made it 31 days. I got weak one stressful day at work, and BAM......back at it.
On another occasion, I decided to enlist the help of the Nicorette gum, and that worked for six months! Awesome! Except I didn't bother to monitor my gum intake, so I got equally addicted to that.
So in the ensuing years I have developed the habit of not only a can of Grizzly long cut straight a day, I also chew 8-10 pieces of the 4mg Nicorette gum as well. No half-measures here!
This latest attempt at quitting is now in its 20th day. Part of it is prompted by a new relationship that means a lot to me....it's not that she has demaned I quit; hell, she hasn't even asked me to. I just want to be there for her later in life, and there suddenly seemed a bit of urgency that hadn't been there for previous attempts. Also, the ten-year mark seemed like a big, fat, even, scary number. Just a good time to pack it in.
So..........this time I'm monitoring the Nicorette, and have allowed only one piece every four to five waking hours, and have cut back to the 2mg dosage in the past few days. They've been a tough few days, I have to say, my body and mind are rebelling, but I've maintained. I even still have an unopened "brick" of five cans, still wrapped in the plastic sleeve from the factory, sitting in the freezer. I want them there, not as a place to fall should I get weak, but to remind me of the danger that is never too far away. I've been there before, I know it's not over after just a few short weeks.
Best of luck to you all in losing it for good!
-The Finn