It Is Time

[BrianG]

Day 477

I dipped Skoal Fine Cut Wintergreen for 35 years. It was nothing to go through a can a day for me. Today I posted 477 days quit. First I just want to say

everyone should quit right now. Cold turkey, never again for any reason. If everyone would quit, that would be great. Saying that, I am writing this so that the

older guys will read it. The guy who has been dipping for 20+ years. The guy who really doesnt enjoy it as much, but still does it because quitting is tough. I

am sure you are like I was when I would buy a can(s) of dip. I need to quit this stuff, I am tired of it. What a waste of money. Maybe after these cans are

gone, then I will quit. You know that as soon as those can(s) were gone, you were back at the store buying more and making those same promises to yourself.

I am here to tell you that it is time. Time to do what we all know is the right thing. If you have dipped this long, then I know you have had that scare multiple

times, you know the one. The one where your heart skips a beat because you think you just discovered you have mouth cancer. A new bump in your lip, white

patches on your tongue. Some tickle in your throat that seems to not be getting better. These things used to worry me sick. Am I the only one that would

grab the flashlight and head to the bathroom mirror and start looking for cancer? Since I have been quit, I dont think that way anymore. Will my 35 years of

abusing myself with tobacco cause me issues in the future? I pray not, but I know that I did the right thing in quitting now. No regrets. If you had the power to

see the future and you knew the next dip was the one that would cause the cancer to start growing, would you take that dip? I think most of us would fight like

hell and do whatever it took to keep tobacco out of our mouths. Of course we do not have that power, but we do know that at some point, enough is

enough. Us 20+ year guys cant be dancing with the devil and not expcet something bad to happen. You can read stories of guys with less time than that

developing mouth cancer. When I was dipping, no way could I look at pictures of mouth cancer or even read about it. Since quitting, I have allowed myself to

view some of these pictures and read about people going through the treatments. Let me tell you, I ain't going out that way...Hell NO. It is just gruesome to

read about. You think it will be easier to quit while you are going through chemo treatments? This is real. You are on a site that helps people quit using

nicotine and reading this, so you must agree that you have had enough. Now you are trying to figure out how to do it. First thing is to know that you do not

have to do it alone. Knowing that there were guys and gals here going through the exact same thing I was made this doable. I tried on my own and failed. I

came here and went all in. I wanted to quit bad. You have to get yourself to that point and then do what it takes. If a vet tells you to post roll everyday, then

you post roll everyday with no questions asked. If a vet says you post early in the morning, then you post early in the morning. This site has worked for many

people. It will also let you down if you are not committed to being quit. No magic pills here. You have to quit for you and you have to determine that failing is

not an option. When you get to that point and you leave the ego at the door, you too can quit this addiction. You can learn what it feels like to truly be free

from nicotine. I have had 477 days of my adult life nicotine free and I wish I was smart enough to quit a long time ago. The freedom is so worth it. Read

everything you can on this site. Get your game plan together. Determine that no matter how bad I feel while quitting, tobacco will never be an option again. I

can promise you 2 things if you decide to quit. Promise 1, this will be hard. There will be times that you will question yourself. I say this to you, nobody has

ever died from quitting tobacco. You can do it! Promise 2, You will not regret quitting. It took me about 225 days or so to really feel good and not think of

tobacco. It may be shorter for you or maybe longer, but when you do reach that point, you will never look back with regret. Hopefully you will reach out like I

am doing here and try to help the next guy who is trying to figure out how to quit. Let today be day 1 of your quit...

[David S]

Awesome year, Brian

[ChickDip]

Day 371

Wanted to make a post talking about 1 year quit. It has been an interesting ride to get here. Lots of ups and downs. Made some new friends. Got out of my comfort zone a few times. Looking back now, I can say it was all worth it. I do not do tobacco anymore. Wasn't that long ago that I thought I would never be able to quit. I thought it was too much apart of who I am. 35 years was a long time. I learned to live without it. To be honest, that did not take that long. The mental games were tough early on. That addict guy in my head comes around still. I can pretty much ignore him now. I know that I still need to stay focused and remember why I quit. I must remember that I never want to do a day 1 again.

Outstanding. On your way to more peace, more often.

[BrianG]

Day 371

Wanted to make a post talking about 1 year quit. It has been an interesting ride to get here. Lots of ups and downs. Made some new friends. Got out of my comfort zone a few times. Looking back now, I can say it was all worth it. I do not do tobacco anymore. Wasn't that long ago that I thought I would never be able to quit. I thought it was too much apart of who I am. 35 years was a long time. I learned to live without it. To be honest, that did not take that long. The mental games were tough early on. That addict guy in my head comes around still. I can pretty much ignore him now. I know that I still need to stay focused and remember why I quit. I must remember that I never want to do a day 1 again.

[ChickDip]

Congrats on 1 year and being a fine quitter!!

Congrats on your 1 year quit Brian!

[Bert75]

Congrats on 1 year and being a fine quitter!!

[DonkeyMN]

One full year of being a quitter.... congrats man!

[ChickDip]

'Birthday' freedom!
Celebrate!

[Ready]

Day 303 and quit for today.

My last update was on my Day 200. I stated that I hope the next 100 days are easier than the last 100 days.
I can say without a doubt that they were. People kept saying it gets easier and I was tired of hearing it.
I finally have gotten to the point where I can say it has gotten easier. I have really been having some
good days, dare I say even good weeks. I do not really remember the last crave I have had. I do not remember
the last time that voice in my head started to get the better of me. He still talks to me every once in awhile,
but not very often.

I am proud to be quit over 300 days and looking forward to the 1 year mark. Still doing 1 day at a time and it
is working. April '17 has really dwindled in numbers, but the group that remains is a strong group. Proud to quit
with them.

If you are reading this and thinking about quitting, I hope you will do as I did and go all in. You have to take
tobacco off the table from the start and then do whatever it takes to get through the day. My thought is if you
can get through the first couple of weeks, you are really on your way to being quit. I am amazed at how fast these
300+ days have gone by. There were some tough days for sure, but the right attitude can go along way in helping
you cope with the stress and anxiety of quitting. If you are committed and all in, reach out and lets get this
quit going....

Pssssst! Brian! It gets even better!!!!!!!!

???

[ChickDip]

You da man BG!
Congrats on that 300!!

[BrianG]

Day 303 and quit for today.

My last update was on my Day 200. I stated that I hope the next 100 days are easier than the last 100 days.
I can say without a doubt that they were. People kept saying it gets easier and I was tired of hearing it.
I finally have gotten to the point where I can say it has gotten easier. I have really been having some
good days, dare I say even good weeks. I do not really remember the last crave I have had. I do not remember
the last time that voice in my head started to get the better of me. He still talks to me every once in awhile,
but not very often.

I am proud to be quit over 300 days and looking forward to the 1 year mark. Still doing 1 day at a time and it
is working. April '17 has really dwindled in numbers, but the group that remains is a strong group. Proud to quit
with them.

If you are reading this and thinking about quitting, I hope you will do as I did and go all in. You have to take
tobacco off the table from the start and then do whatever it takes to get through the day. My thought is if you
can get through the first couple of weeks, you are really on your way to being quit. I am amazed at how fast these
300+ days have gone by. There were some tough days for sure, but the right attitude can go along way in helping
you cope with the stress and anxiety of quitting. If you are committed and all in, reach out and lets get this
quit going....

[Kdip]

Keep up the great work Brian!!!! If you cave I'll put together a posse and we'll come kick you ass!!!!!

[DonkeyMN]

Damn good post BrianG!

I have been thinking about how to articulate the same types of thoughts. The second 100 days should be titled "the push to stay involved".

Many people have reached that HOF.... but many have left after that.

[BrianG]

Day 200

Today marks my second Hall of Fame day. It has been a while since I have updated my progress
so I thought I would write about the last 100 days, day 101 to 200. The one thing I have noticed
here on KTCk, is that not much is written about the days after your HOF. I understand that the
first 100 days are very important and that is where the focus is. After completing the second
100 days, I think some attention needs to be paid to this time frame. I believe the second 100 days
are tougher than the first, bar maybe week 1. Let me explain.

During the first 100 days, your group is getting a lot of attention. You have a goal in sight and
you are excited about reaching the HOF. If you have any competitive spirit to you at all, 100 days
is not that difficult. You make your promise everyday and keep your eye on the prize. If you get
through the first couple weeks, it is very doable. After the HOF, the attention to your group tends
to fade. People in your group tend to drift off. We have lost well over a third of the guys who
made it to HOF in the second 100 days. A few to caves and some who felt they were cured. This is the
time where you really have to dig deep and remember what you quit for in the first place.

I quit because it was time. 35 years was enough. I took tobacco off the table on day 1 and refused
to ever let it be an option no matter how bad it got. That is the mentality that got me through those
first days and the mentality that got me to the HOF. Shortly after day 100, I started to have craves
comparitive to the first week. I found myself thinking about dipping quite often. I was in a funk
that was hard to get out of. During the next 100 days, that voice in my head has gotten louder. Many
times I have found my inner voice trying to convince me that I have quit long enough. That one dip
would not affect me like the others. I could do 1 dip and be quit. I have asked myself more than a
few times if I really want to be quit. These thoughts have come many times over these last 100 days.
Everytime, I have been able to convince myself that I am quit for good reason. I try and remember day
1 again. I go to the new groups and read how those poor bastards are doing. I say to myself, never
doing day 1 again. I have to stay quit. I relied on my group to get me through. A few phone calls
and lots of texts to different people.

I cant imagine going through these last 100 days without my group, without KTC as a whole. I am positive
that I would have caved somewhere along the way if I wasnt continuing to post roll everyday. I see
people leave and wonder how they can do it. How do they have the confidence to stay quit? I hope there
comes a day when I can have the confidence to leave KTC and know that I am quit forever. I know that
thought is not popular on this site, but like it or not, that is my goal.

My hope is that the next 100 days are easier than the last 100 days. People keep saying that it gets better.
I believe they are right, but I am getting tired of reading about it and not relizing it. With all this
being said, I would not change a thing. I have been quit for 200 days. I am proud of that. I will keep
battling the inner voice with the help of all of you.

[BrianG]

Day 155

Sometimes your faith gets tested. Reading things like this can get you back on track.

Been thinking a lot about this whole "it gets better" voodoo that we all parrot over and over. I know I didn't really believe it when I was just past the hall and trudging through the motions trying like hell to stay clean and watching my group lose quitters. Always lead me to think - if it is OK for them, why not me?

I remember another thing I did in these types of situations. Go find some "active", crusty old vet - I'd suggest a guy like Hydro because he is quit friggen YODA - shoot him a pm. Ask him questions about what it is like now. Find these 6, 7, 8 year quitters who are still here every day - though not overly active - and ask them. Don't take my word for it. Ask them what it is like. Ask them if it was all worth it. There HAS to be a reason guys like Hydro and others still post roll like it is their job. We are all pretty busy guys with professional lives and work responsibilities, with families and probably have FAR better things to do than troll internet forums for nic addicts. Yet here we all are - in the same boat.

I bet you'll hear the same story over and over. Take it on faith that shit gets so much fucking better you can't possibly imagine. I sure as shit didn't until one day, I realized it had. I challenge you all to keep the focus on TODAY - every day and everything will get worked out in time. Get rid of the thoughts of "by now, I should feel ______" because I can promise you those expectations will lead to let down. Instead, try "Today I will not use nicotine" and go live your life without thinking about where you think you ought to be at this point. You are exactly where you all should be. There is a reason I hate the hall...sure it is a bad ass benchmark but after that, it is just another +1. My worst days were AFTER the hall. My best days were ahead of me - I just didn't believe it.

Keep the faith brothers. You are all killing it - and winning - it just doesn't feel like it most days. I promise that changes.