diamonddave. Welcome. Don't be offended by Kodismack's tough love. You'll get a lot of that around here from the old timers that have been to hell and back. He's in your corner. And he's absolutely right. There's no such thing as a Quit based on weening. You either get on board and flush every last can in the house down the toilet, or you go away and come back when you're serious about quitting.
Don't get me wrong, we're all proud of you for recognizing the problem and trying to do something about it. Most of us wish we were that smart at 21. But we're all here to tell you from experience that unless you embrace the Quit, once and for all, it won't last. And once you quit, every single person in this community will stand with you. Everyone will work hard to make sure you don't falter and you'll have personal teammates to rely on.
As for the gum pain, that means things are getting worse for you. Gum pain, occasional cough, etc, are the early warnings that you've already done some damage. The faster you quit, the faster you start repairing that damage and adding years back onto your life. You're lucky you found this site. Don't fuck it up and ignore the warnings.
BTW, when I was 21, I felt pretty invincible. Best shape of my life, on multiple college sports teams, etc. I convinced myself that I had plenty of time to quit and that unless I experienced some really bad health problems, then I was probably okay. Unfortunately, the truth is that tobacco has already started causing damage to your body and you are not okay. I suggest you read the KillTheCan.org postings and web pages on health problems. As my doctor said, "You need to accept the fact that you are going to get sick if you chew tobacco. It's not IF, it's WHEN." Dude, I can't stress enough how bad this is for you. There are wonderful people on this site who are currently going thru chemo to beat cancer. It's heartbreaking, but most of all, they want guys like you and me to get the message.
So, if you're ready to join the rest of us dumb asses who let the Nic Bitch take hold of us, then here's what you need to do.
This site won't cost you a penny, but it is not free. The cost is as follows:
1. Every damn day (EDD) you add your name to the roll call in your Quit Group and commit to me and your other teammates that you will be Nic free that day. Every day. As soon as you get up. Guys here say "WUPP". Wake up, piss and post. To join your Quit Group - September 2015 go to
topic/11155274/. Read the instructions on how to post roll call and watch the video. It's not complicated but you don't want to screw it up because you could delete someone else's entry that day.
2. Commit to be clean every day and DO IT.
3. Repeat 1 and 2 every day.
Next steps. I hope you'll join us. If you do, explore this site as follows and you'll quickly get a sense of the community around here.
A. Use this Introduction page as a diary and post your successes and challenges. I promise you that people in the community will flock to support you. I've been amazed at the level of outreach.
B. Also post in the Quit Group page. And most importantly, click on the names of other people in your group, like me and MWBest, and exchange cell numbers. We text and call each other to be strong. That is CRITICAL. Quitting is so much easier (not that it's ever easy) when you're part of a team and you've got support.
C. Check your Inbox (upper right corner link) for messages from people who have your back thru this process
D. Read up on the Symptoms that you are about to face over the next 100 days. Ya, that's right, this ain't no weekend solution. You need to be committed.
E. Click on LIVE CHAT, sign up and share your challenges or just shoot the shit. Chat is a great place to go if you can't reach a teammate by phone and you need some help fighting the cravings.
That's it dude. The rest is up to you. I hope to see you in our September group, but it has to be you making the commitment... we can only promise you to be there if you show up.
