Hey guys,
Just decided to quit today after 22 years of dipping. My brother started 10 years ago and is going through some medical issues now related to dipping. I'm a traveling salesman so I'm scared as hell I will never give myself the opportunity to stop. The crazy thing is when I'm home I can stop "cold turkey" but when I hit the road it's the first thing I want to do. I have 4 young kids and just want to be free of this crap for good. Decided I was done today like I said and have two nights planned on the road next week. Anyone give me some good advice? Should I buy Nicorette or something?
BTW, how do you start a new post??
MJW
Congrats on the decision MJW!
First of all, no to the nicorette. Gum, patches, etc. won't to anything to help you quit - it's just a different delivery method for the same drug. You'll prolong your withdrawal and be miserable, without actually doing anything to allow your body to start healing.
This is going to sound stupidly obvious, but just don't dip. Next time you get the urge to throw in a dip, do something else. Go for a walk, eat a ham sandwich, take off your shoe and throw it at a pigeon... whatever floats your boat. The more times you do that in a row, the easier it gets. Eventually, you won't feel the need to dip anymore.
At KTC, we operate on a One Day At A Time principle. Quit today, just today, and worry about tomorrow when it gets here. Anyone can go without dipping for one day. Withdrawal is unpleasant, but it won't physically harm you, so get through the immediate crave and don't worry about the future. We have a system called "Posting Roll." In the Quit Group forum at this site, you post a promise every single day, first thing, that you will not use any nicotine product. You have to keep that promise and then make it again the next day. Specific instructions can be found on those pages.
Additionally, by doing that, you'll have access to a deep and committed support information network. It's a great place to vent, commiserate and learn about the quitting process. I realize that it sounds a little weird to make a promise to a bunch of strangers on the internet, but I promise you that it is effective. Quitting is achievable, you can do it and it is worth it.
I posted day 501 today. I'm not special, I just used the tools here to my advantage. I hope you choose to do the same. Reach out if I can help.