I joined KTC today. I have been dipping for over 30 years now and after 32 days, I quit cold Turkey, I even quit drinking at the same time, talk about a double whammy! I started chewing when I was around 14 as I visited my cousins during the summer months in Kentucky, years later it progressed to dip. My brand of choice was Cope Long Cut Wintergreen. Over the last 5 years I have used a can a day and going cold Turkey, has been a living HELL! Day 18 of being free is when it hit the fan, I feel like I am not even here, I can talk to someone and it's like its not me talking to them, I feel like I am losing touch with reality, that's when the anxiety sets in and I go into panic mode, Is this normal? Is this the "FOG' that everyone refers to on here? If so, you all have been strong to not cave and give back into the dip demon. I went to the Dr. and he started me on 5mg of Valium, first day on it and it seem to help some but I still do not feel like myself. If this is the normal feeling associated with nicotine withdrawals, I will never touch this stuff again. I just want this to go away and be normal again, but what is normal, without dip. 'Crazy'
Yes, all of these are entirely normal.
I think Chewie went to the hospital twice for thinking he was dying (if I recall correctly)
I thought about doing the same.
The reason I KNOW it's nicotine is that I never had anxiety, depression, or weird feelings UNTIL I quit. EVER. I was the happiest most upbeat kid in the world. I'm 72 days clean, and it's been hell and high water. It's been a wild spiritual journey as well (thinking you're going to die makes you do some deep digging...)
Anxiety, depression, all of it is NORMAL. I can tell you with a whole heart, it DOES GET BETTER. Your brain is repairing itself, you will be normal and happy again.
I was having full blown and rolling panic attacks, I'd wake up thinking I was going to die with that sick stomach feeling like you're going over a bump in a car.
I got a basic physical, everything looked fantastic. I only dipped for 1.5 years, but nicotine definitely had its grasp on me. I was going through bouts of 'will I be ok' and things like that, you work yourself into anxiety and it sucked. You will be ok, each day seriously gets better and better. The anxiety has gone away (day 60 or so for me) I mean I went from having full blown panic to being fine, I couldn't drink ANY coffee or caffeine for nearly a month, I had my first two cups yesterday and I was fine :D
I can tell you, FUCK THAT NICOTINE SHIT AND FUCK THE TOBACCO COMPANIES AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
Quitting itself was easy, it's the after effects that sucked.
If anything, living sober lets you appreciate life. I wake up now with a floating 'i don't give a shit' feeling, everything is a blast, and to be honest, I'm just happy to breathe, walk, talk, and go to work.
Quitting turned my life around. I believe when you link anxiety/stress and cope with depression with a substance, when there's no substance, the anxiety and shit appears, and you're left to deal with it. Bottled up, if you will.
so when I quit and my body realized no more,
BOOM! Instant WTF mode. I was forced to deal with it all full bore. I had major personal stuff as well which I think affects it MAJORLY.
(broke up with my gf, parents got divorced, moved 600 miles with just a pillow to start a new job, college graduation, etc) Not like my life is a shit wreck, but I was definitely using beer and nicotine to deal with it. once again, all bottled up, and quitting forces you to deal with it soberly.
I'd come home, throw a dip in, and call it a day.
You're not going mad. Nicotine ramps up your adrenals until your body is so used to having it that it freaks when it doesn't. The fog and everything will disappear. It will take a lot of time, but I can tell you it will go away.
Just put it this way. You pummeled your body with that dirty fking shit for years, along with work stress, marriage stress (if applicable), bill stress, physical stress, and all the negativity in your life (news, people, etc.) Your brain is hardwired to thinking this way, now you have to rewire and clean it :)
Now you're forced to face it all at once, and you ARE strong enough to do it. If I did it, you can do it.
Best of luck. You are more powerful, and HUGE congrats on quitting.
literally the best thing I ever did.