General Discussion - 2020

[Thefranks5]

As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis @WELGE 1 @Thefranks5 @elizabeth529 @Michael_D @DTBrown @soumyadeep98 @Sm potatoes @PayDay @KieranMac17

It is such a blessing to be part of a site that has each others back they way we do. I have no clue what or where I would be if I never joined. It is an honor to be part of the family and I pray for all of us to be free from the nasty nic bitch. It has not been easy but nobody said it would. Only way is cold turkey and odaat. I am at 106 and just had the best week of my quit. Then today woke up with the throat issues, nausea, fog, lethargy and bad anxiety/depression. This crap makes me feel like 2 months in again. This is when we hunker down and fight thru knowing my fellow renegades are with me. Going to ent doc on june 25 and praying that the issues are just from the quit. Praying that someday all this will be gone and trying to keep my patience as it plays out. May God bless all my renegade buds, all the vets and all the newbies. As Red Green would say “keep your stick on the ice, we are all in it together”.

[GS9502]

As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis @WELGE 1 @Thefranks5 @elizabeth529 @Michael_D @DTBrown @soumyadeep98 @Sm potatoes @PayDay @KieranMac17

And thanks to my Big Brother Sheepdogs @MuleMan, @stillbrewing, @NErancher, and @Bigdiesel90 for showing me how important the group is early on.

[DonkeyMN]

@SHOAK  https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16445.3105

^^August 2020 would love to have you I'm sure

[DonkeyMN]

quit mid april but had a relapse on 5/13/2020 so using that as my official end date. Anxiety has been awful. It's something that I've never dealt with before and I feel like I'm not choosing the best time in the world to deal with it either. Not that I'm a healthy 32 year old, but I've felt like I'm having a heart attack and a stroke all in the same day. Acid reflux has been bad. Going on my second week with prescription strength prilosec and it seems to be helping. It's amazing what the acid reflux can do though. I've had asthma issues from it now and even becoming hoarse in the afternoon. I'm glad I found this site because a lot of the things I was experiencing, I was starting to think I was either crazy or there was something seriously wrong with me. My Doctor (family friend) was getting sick of hearing from me. Out of all my symptoms so far, the most disturbing has been the weird light head feeling (almost out of body feeling) that just appears out of nowhere. waiting for the day I'm symptom and tobacco free...I started chewing when I was 14 (occasionally) and have been almost a can a day chewer since about age 20 so I know it could take a while. I'm just remembering it will be worth it!

I remember that light headed, fuzzy feeling as well.  Like you hung upside down on the monkey bars for 2 minutes and then jumped down.

Your brain, is in a war.  It is trying to figure out what is going on without that chemical it got, like every hour or two.  Mental, physical, emotional... it will hit you differentlly at different times.  Find your group, man.  There are people who are 30 some days quit, many going through the same shit.  Share stories in there, post your promise on roll and don't EVER turn your back on that.  This place is here for that system, use it!

Quit today, 1,235 days.  Never thought I would say that 3+ years ago.  But here I am.  ODAAT (one day at a time) you will be here too.

[DonkeyMN]

As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis @WELGE 1 @Thefranks5 @elizabeth529 @Michael_D @DTBrown @soumyadeep98 @Sm potatoes @PayDay @KieranMac17

Fuckin woof man, woof.

[GS9502]

As my Quit Group, the June 2020 Renegades of Quit, rides the HoF Train, picking up 100 day passengers left and right, I've been thinking about each one of them and how important they are, not just to me, but to the group as a whole.

We're all from different places, different backgrounds, different lives, but we've got that one thing that keeps us bonded - our quits.

My Renegade brothers and sister aren't just my fellow quitters. No, they're more. They are my fellow Sheepdogs, and they help me guard my Quit just as I help them guard theirs.

See, our quits are like our sheep. They can get weak, and they need protection from the fucking Nicotine wolf. Here's the thing, though. That nicotine wolf, he's in each of us. Yeah, Shit. He's the addiction - lurking, watching, waiting, hoping.

The Addiction wolf, that's a sneaky fucker. See, he's got evil on his mind, temptation on his lips, and death in his heart. Bad fucking wolf. And he's everywhere - in a buddy's pocket, behind the counter at the store, hidden up under the truck seat. Always looking for a hole in the fence to get in to our quits.

But as a group, we're a bunch of bad ass Quitter Sheepdogs, constantly watching each other's quits as we watch our own. When the quit sheep are surrounded by the Renegade Sheepdogs, no wolf is gonna fuck with us.

I could have possibly made it to the HoF on my own, but I know I made it with my brothers and sister in Quit. My group is tight, we watch each other's 6:00, and we hold each other accountable.

That's my group. What about yours? Have you swapped digits? Have you ever actually spoken to anyone in KTC? How often do you communicate within the group? WUPP is vital. Posting that promise is PRIORITY 1, for sure, but there should be more. If all you're doing is posting that promise each day and forgetting about your group, then you're cheating yourself and you're not fucking doing enough!

Don't wait and hope somebody else will take point on this. Don't depend on the vets to be your only voices of encouragement and accountability. Step the hell up and do it yourself. Reach out. Connect. Participate.

Be a bunch of Bad Ass Sheepdogs.

These are my fellow Sheepdogs: @Mmardis @WELGE 1 @Thefranks5 @elizabeth529 @Michael_D @DTBrown @soumyadeep98 @Sm potatoes @PayDay @KieranMac17

[SHOAK]

quit mid april but had a relapse on 5/13/2020 so using that as my official end date. Anxiety has been awful. It's something that I've never dealt with before and I feel like I'm not choosing the best time in the world to deal with it either. Not that I'm a healthy 32 year old, but I've felt like I'm having a heart attack and a stroke all in the same day. Acid reflux has been bad. Going on my second week with prescription strength prilosec and it seems to be helping. It's amazing what the acid reflux can do though. I've had asthma issues from it now and even becoming hoarse in the afternoon. I'm glad I found this site because a lot of the things I was experiencing, I was starting to think I was either crazy or there was something seriously wrong with me. My Doctor (family friend) was getting sick of hearing from me. Out of all my symptoms so far, the most disturbing has been the weird light head feeling (almost out of body feeling) that just appears out of nowhere. waiting for the day I'm symptom and tobacco free...I started chewing when I was 14 (occasionally) and have been almost a can a day chewer since about age 20 so I know it could take a while. I'm just remembering it will be worth it!

[chewie]

I’m getting a script for Chantix to give it a shot. I would really appreciate the input of anyone who’s been on it good or bad.

check out this article... may give you some insight as to what you can expect from Chantix

https://www.killthecan.org/chantix-does-it-work-for-dippers/

[RouttCountyLegend]

I’m getting a script for Chantix to give it a shot. I would really appreciate the input of anyone who’s been on it good or bad.

[chewie]

Tom Kern passed away 16 years ago today. If you've never read Jenny and Tom Kern’s Story you owe it to yourself. Rest in Peace Tom.

https://www.killthecan.org/facts-figures/jenny-tom-kerns-story/

[MN_Engineer]

I am on day 260, and for the past month, I have had cravings like i am back in my first month of quit. Has anyone else had these kind of cravings this far into their quit. Any tips? I have come close, twice, to caving and buying a can.

@KillGrizz what you are experiencing is incredibly common. I encourage you do become an active member here and you will be immediately be surrounding by people like yourself fighting through the 200's. Personally, where you are at in your quit was brutal for me when I was in your shoes.

1 problem + nicotine = 2 problems

If you cave and stuff your face with poison dirt, not only will you instantly regret it, you will have to relive it all over again when you ultimately make up your mind that you are stronger than a dead weed in a plastic can.

Go to January 2020 and start posting roll every damn day right when you wake up. Bind yourself by your word to your fellow brothers and sister who are fighting the same battle each day. And instead of wondering when this phase will end, focus on today and celebrate each 24 hours as a solid victory.

EDIT: Go back to the General Discussion 2019 thread when you posted something back on your day 88. The advice then applies now. What is preventing you from being an active member here and adding a level of accountability to your quit???

[KillGrizz]

I am on day 260, and for the past month, I have had cravings like i am back in my first month of quit. Has anyone else had these kind of cravings this far into their quit. Any tips? I have come close, twice, to caving and buying a can.

[MN_Engineer]

The Fog is tough AF to deal with, especially at work. Anyone have any tips? Walks seem to help, as does downing water. Curious as to any other coping strategies.

You are doing the right things. I suggesting staying on the site here as much as possible to share struggles and victories. Kill time in the Wildcard section. Share digits with other members of your group and some "vets" of the site. This builds accountability and give you quick access to support when needed. Spend time getting to know your fellow quitters.

[RouttCountyLegend]

The Fog is tough AF to deal with, especially at work. Anyone have any tips? Walks seem to help, as does downing water. Curious as to any other coping strategies.

[chewie]

The June 2020 Conductors commented on their June 3 post that we are and always will be addicts, at 100 days clean or 10,000 days clean. I can't argue that point. We are what we are.

This morning I heard a musician on the radio talking about his group's song "Sober" and how addiction tears families apart. Can't argue that, either. It does, but what about us?

Our addiction, the addiction to nicotine, is almost an "acceptable" addiction. We know we're addicted to nicotine, either through smoking or dipping or both; our families know we're addicted; our friends know we're addicted (unless, of course, we hid our addiction). Our addiction is sugar-coated, though, being called a "nasty habit." When is the last time you overheard someone whisper about you, "Oh, he's a nicotine addict. Bless his family. I hope he can get some help."

Probably never, right? Our addiction isn't looked at the same way a heroin addiction or alcohol addiction is, and should it be? Our addictions won't land us in jail or rehab like other addictions, so is it as bad? On a flight to Europe last year, I was jonesing for a dip as much as a meth addict would be jonesing for a hit. I couldn't sleep, I could barely sit still, I couldn't focus on shit or enjoy the excitement of going to Europe for the first time, all because I wanted a dip so bad. But, yeah, it's just a nasty habit.

I'll tell you where our addiction will land you...in chemo treatments or in the grave, or both.

My dipping never threatened to tear my family apart; it may have caused a few head shakes and eye rolls at worst. The monetary cost of my "habit" was more of a focus than the possible health cost of my addiction. I'll probably never be called a "recovering nicotine addict," and that's okay. I know I am, and so does my family, and that's enough.

Society may see nicotine abuse (because that's really what it is) as an acceptable addiction, if they call it that at all, but I chose not to accept it anymore. One day at a time, I'm beating my addiction; I'm breaking my habit. Done, bitch. No more.

This... is... outstanding.

Well said. Proud to be quit (and recovering) with you today.

Chewie