Trying to Quit... Again

[pky1520]

Welcome Mark!  You've gotten some good advice some from great people, so I won't add much.  I sent my digits over in a PM.  Reach out if I can help.

[FLLipOut]

You have gotten some amazing advice from some amazingly strong quitters.  I don't have much more to add except that the keys for me in slaying this addiction was to really, truly understand the addiction and what nicotine does to your brain. Search through this site, search online about nicotine addiction.  There are a lot of great resources out there.   I found that as I started to understand the addiction, the more I began to see it in a more clinical manner and that made things a lot easier: So "crap, I have a bad crave, but that just means there is a neural pathway that needs to be broken- and if I just take a deep breath and get through the next few minutes, it will go away and then I will destroy that pathway once and for all" -  replaced  "I have a crave, OMFG I really, really, need, want nicotine!!!"  Know your enemy, know the lies it tells.  It really helps.

The other thing that help me that may sound kind of silly, is when you are going through a tough moment, say to yourself "nicotine is off the table.  Nicotine is no longer an option."  Just stay calm and tell your brain that.  If your brain understands that you mean it and that there is not even a sliver of hope that you will cave in to its demands for nicotine, it will move on to another thought.  That may end up being a dozen doughnuts in one sitting, but so be it - worry about that later. 

And as has been already said:  KTC.  Just drink the Kool-aid, immerse yourself in the community, use all of the tools - and it will help like you won't believe.  Trust us on this.

[Dagranger]

Mark, I like what I’ve read from your intro.    I’ve been quit for 6 years, and owe everything to this site.   Here’s some valuable lessons I’ve learned here.
1.   Always always always post roll.   There will be a time in your quit where you will feel like you got this, and posting roll isn’t all that important....and you may be right on that day....but somewhere out there will a be a day where the temptation is too much, you will be glad that on that day you have posted roll.
2.  I wanted to “quit” dip the last 10 years of my 25 years of using.   It wasn’t until I change the way I saw things where I realized I was an addict, and I needed to change my life.   That gave me the fortitude to stay with this.
3. Get ready for the fight...it’s long and seems at times to be never ending....prepare yourself for many hard days.   I promise there will be a day where there is no fight.  Just living life doing what you want to do without thinking of dip, OR thinking about quitting.

You got this

[Rick Jr]

Proud to quit with you today Mark!

Listen as you know, this is going to be hell, I don't mean to scare you, but the first few weeks / month are going to be tough. We take things One Day at a Time (ODAAT) we wake up, piss, Post that Promise and we do that Every Damn Day (EDD) it's that simple like RDB said below. Worry ONLY about today, as it's the only time we control, tomorrow is not a given for any of us. I see you already posted roll so you are on the right path!! Make sure to do it again tomorrow morning when you wake up. The Fog and dizziness will come, you will have a hard time concentrating for the first few weeks, this is normal! Have something to do to occupy your mind, for me it was Sunflower Seeds, Gum, Mints, Hard Candy and Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff.

Drink lots of water, more then you normally do during a day, and a trick taught to me by some awesome Vets here at KTC, Juice.. When we dip, our brains release a sugar, well when we stop, our brain goes a little crazy and our body looks for that sugar. I started every day with an Orange Juice, then around 10 or 11 am would have some other type, and another when I got home. Don't worry about gaining weight or anything like that, do what you have to do to get through the next 24 Hours, you can drop the weight later! I know a few of my Brothers in the Masters of Mayhem (May 19) used the "Rage" that came with stopping Nicotine with workouts, so if that is your thing do it!

About Brotherhood, This is the main foundation of KTC, we have many tools here to use, you have already dug around the forum and that is great! Keep doing it, read intros, hall of fame speeches, things on addiction, because we are all Addicts and as soon as you get that in your Mind, you will be golden! Nicotine is one of if not the Worse Drugs out there, how it is legal is anyone's guess. I have a very Addictive Mind, I quit drinking for just over 6 years (100% Dry) I can now have a few beers, or Whisky and Cokes and stop, I learned I can never have tequila as that is a massive trigger for me and I love it so much I won't stop til the bottle is gone. Same with Dip, I went 1.5 years quit by myself, I had one bad day and thought "Shit man it's been a year and a half, you can just have a tin and stop" well as you know, it don't work. I wish I was on this site back then..

The above works in with what I am going to say next, and please keep an open mind on this as I know it feels strange at first. Message (Private Message) your group mates, swap cell numbers, text or call them when you need to, feel the crave coming on? Reach out. Don't take the rage that is going to come out of your family and friends, they didn't make you start dipping, it's not their faults. Come to the Boards or into GroupMe and lay it on us, We have ALL been through it and together we will push through together. This Quit is about You and You only, but be there for your Brothers and Sisters.

You will start to get PM's from Vets with Numbers and Info, Give them your number as well, If you pay for each text, or call, or work weird hours let them know. Make yourself accountable, and keep your Brothers and Sisters accountable as well, Don't think just because you are the new guy, you can't give people hell for not posting. The MoM's had a rough start, we hardly talked, but it all clicked and changed, Yes we have a few members that "Post & Ghost" but a huge part of our group is in daily contact through Text messages and our GroupMe Room (Some awesome Laughs there) And the Vets that give you their numbers want you to use them! Here is a Story about that as I am a very Private Person, but it saved my Quit:

I was around the Day 30-35 Mark of my quit, I wanted something special for lunch at work, so I went and got some Chinese Food as I haven't had it since I quit. I ordered my food, ate, then went to leave and holy shit Bro, it felt like I was back at Day 3 of my Quit. The fog came rolling in like a storm at sea.. I was sitting in my truck freaking the hell out, Anxiety was high, my head swimming. I grabbed my phone and did something I am not use to do, I asked for help. I made a group text with every damn contact I had at KTC, at first I felt bad, like I was weak (I was) my mind was screaming GET DIP DUDE, well within Seconds I was getting replies back asking whats up? offers to call and chat, I was told the influx of Salt from the Chinese Food triggered a Crave, was told to pound water, go for a quick walk.. My Brothers (Vets and my Group) were there for me.

Get active in your group, lead, and have fun getting to know all these awesome people here! If you ever need anything, Let me know!

Rick Jr
Masters of Mayhem May 19
111 Wonderful Days Quit
and today I quit with you! 

[RDB]

Welcome.

Nice job posting roll, you nailed it.

You are right, cold turkey is the only way. Google the "Law of Addiction". That's why we're never able to get away with "just one."

As far as beating the mental side of dipping - make your promise (by posting roll), keep your promise. It's really that simple. Hard as hell, but simple.

Proud to quit with you.

[vanderbilt1]

Hey all...

I've come to this site a number of times before, each time coinciding with an attempted (and failed) quit. This is the first time I've actually made a profile and dug into the forums a bit, and I hope that with your support I can make my goal a reality.

I started dipping roughly a decade ago. I'm originally from the northeast and was for the first time introduced to dip during the tail end of my freshman year of college in the great state of TN. It wasn't until my sophomore year that I began dipping more frequently. Throughout college it was mostly skoal mint and spearmint long cut. Post college it's been primarily grizz wintergreen pouches.

Over the past 4 or so years I've attempted to quit probably 15 times. Those quits have lasted anywhere from two days to about seven weeks. Because I've gone through this process so many times, I've actually got pretty good at managing the physical symptoms of withdrawal and (unlike my first couple attempted quits years ago) they're more annoying than debilitating. The challenge for me has always been the mental side of things.

I'm able to dip pouches without any spitter easily. Pouches just don't make my mouth salivate much (if at all) anymore. As a result I can pretty much stealthily pack 1-2 pouches in any setting and nobody (other than fellow dippers) is ever the wiser. The result is that I can basically dip the entire day, regardless of the setting. I work an office job and dipping is a big part of what gets me through the day. As I'm sure all of you know far too well, so many of my weekly activities (whether work or play) have been redefined in my mind to include dip. Working + dip. Watching sports + dip. The post gym dip. The laundry dip. The road trip dip (probably the one I'll miss the most tbh). Etc. etc. That's where the challenge will be for me. Reinventing my life without dip.

My MO for failing a quit goes something like: "I will just get one tin for [insert occasion / time] and then I will stop again." What a stupid idea. Never works. I hope that by staying engaged on KTC I will never fall into that trap again. Over the years I've tried patches, fake dip, and slowly cutting back. In my experience those are compromises that don't work. You're either in or you're out. So this time will be another cold turkey try.

Good to meet all of you! I'm about 36 hrs dip free. Here we go!

Mark