Quit4good.......again

[Smeds]

Well, well, well.....see folks? This program DOES work! Congratulations on that HUNDRED, Mike! Just know that you are not even close to being cured. You're whupping this addiction one day at a time, and doing a fine job of it! See you back here tomorrow for a 101!

SHEER AWESOMENESS!

Dude - today you should feel 10' tall! You have accomplished something absolutely fantastic, for yourself and for your family. You have done something for 100 days in a row that you lost at for DECADES! Today, you can stand tall as a winner. One of a small percentage of people that have posted their promise and kept their word for 100 days!

Now, I'll tell you this, and I'll give you my word... if you keep doing what you are doing, and I know that you will because your character is apparent, then the pride that you feel today is a tiny glimmer of the pride that is ahead. There is even more greatness ahead for you.

Thanks for all that you do on this website to support newbies and vets alike. You are the real deal.

Congrats brother ... if W2W is in your corner, you've got a lot of the battle won. Keep pushing yourself to remain at the top of your game. Today is a great milestone, but it is just that ... a milestone. It's a good indication that you've got the tools to smash the shit out of this addiction. Keep those tools in good repair, shiny  organized ... so that you are not only proud of them, but so you can access them whenever needed.

Good quote in your intro speech too ... I really like it for some reason. 'winker'

[worktowin]

Well, well, well.....see folks? This program DOES work! Congratulations on that HUNDRED, Mike! Just know that you are not even close to being cured. You're whupping this addiction one day at a time, and doing a fine job of it! See you back here tomorrow for a 101!

SHEER AWESOMENESS!

Dude - today you should feel 10' tall! You have accomplished something absolutely fantastic, for yourself and for your family. You have done something for 100 days in a row that you lost at for DECADES! Today, you can stand tall as a winner. One of a small percentage of people that have posted their promise and kept their word for 100 days!

Now, I'll tell you this, and I'll give you my word... if you keep doing what you are doing, and I know that you will because your character is apparent, then the pride that you feel today is a tiny glimmer of the pride that is ahead. There is even more greatness ahead for you.

Thanks for all that you do on this website to support newbies and vets alike. You are the real deal.

[CavMan83]

Well, well, well.....see folks? This program DOES work! Congratulations on that HUNDRED, Mike! Just know that you are not even close to being cured. You're whupping this addiction one day at a time, and doing a fine job of it! See you back here tomorrow for a 101!

[Mike1966]

You are doing this the right way. Brotherhood + Accountability = Success.

You post roll. Keep engaged on the intros. Keep your word. Get on here when it gets real.

Keep doing exactly what you are doing. It gets SOOOOO much easier. And your life, in every way imaginable, gets SOOOOO much better.

It is an honor to quit with you, Missouri Mike.

Thanks W2W!
I'm determined that this is going to be my last quit! And if in some small way I can help someone else, that's just icing on the cake.
Thanks for the encouragement.

[worktowin]

You are doing this the right way. Brotherhood + Accountability = Success.

You post roll. Keep engaged on the intros. Keep your word. Get on here when it gets real.

Keep doing exactly what you are doing. It gets SOOOOO much easier. And your life, in every way imaginable, gets SOOOOO much better.

It is an honor to quit with you, Missouri Mike.

[eric71]

Mike1966 on a rambling rampage on day 91!
Every night at about 7:00 I start getting these nagging feelings of need and emptiness. I used to dip all day long but around this time in the evening was my favorite time to dip. Most of other times I was just dipping to avoid withdrawal.

Now, during this time, I try to read intros and posts here and articles on quitting. One website I found extremely helpful in the last couple of days is this one https://www.verywell.com/will-i-miss-sm ... er-2824756 it is for quitting smoking, but there are many similarities.

Since I've quit I've noticed that I've gone through a couple of different phases of quitting:
1 There was the initial withdrawal and intense craving period,
2 Then there was a period of feeling like I'd give anything if could just stop thinking about quitting and think about anything else(I still think about it a lot but back then it seemed like someone was screaming at me though a bullhorn "YOU'RE QUITTING YOU'RE QUITTING! YOU'VE NOT HAD ANY NIC TODAY!) as well as feeling fidgety and unable to concentrate.
3 And now the nagging feelings of need every night around 7:00

I can remember when I was contemplating quitting, wishing I could skip the withdrawal portion of quitting. That wasn't realistic though, and the same is true of the other phases and periods of quitting even the ones in the future that I have yet to experience. We can't skip them any more than we could skip that period of withdrawal

We are a society of people who are use to and demand instant gratification. We want what we want and we want it now. But with nicotine addiction recovery, there is no substitute for time, no shortcuts we can take. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, people don't quit nicotine in a day either. A lot of us spent 30 years or more of dipping before we quit. Quitting is not a single event that took place on April 18th (for me) it's a process of breaking free of the mental associations I built over years and years of reinforcement.

Now I'm trying to walk through these various phases of quitting, instead of trying to take a shortcut around them, I'm trying to use some advice I've gotten here at KTC. Now during these 7:00 urges/empty feelings, I remind myself to be patient with my quit, that Rome wasn't built in a day and take the advice Gone Cruising has posted,"stop trying to feel better, stop fighting it, accept it, live with it and move on with your life as if it's part of your life now and it will slowly fade away in time!"
And I'm trying to apply the advice from the website above "Accept and Let It Go - Relax into your quit program and embrace cravings to Smoke as they come. Don't fight them. Instead, try leaning into urges emotionally and let them run their course. Most cravings last 3-5 minutes. Think of them as signs that your body is healing, because that is just what they are." Embrace them? I'll admit I haven't quite mastered that one yet but I'm trying.

One other thought, . . . .As for nicotine relieving stress. I've used it time and time again as a stress reliever, but now, I truly believe that the only stress it relieves is the stress that it created in the 1st place. I've conditioned myself over time to believe that it relieves stress because I've used it time and time again to relieve the stress of withdrawal.

Read through your thread and you, like us all here, have one commonality. We are addicts. That is ingrained in our minds; it is how we operate, view the world and all its components. That addict mindset is not a bad thing if we can harness its power. I've found myself integrating back into the site more lately as it keeps me centered. If I can give back to those who need to walk the roads I've already traveled, I will gladly do so. Use your addict tendency to gain a control over a different aspect of your life. We all only go around once, let's make sure they remember we were here. I'll quit today with you!

[Mike1966]

Mike1966 on a rambling rampage on day 91!
Every night at about 7:00 I start getting these nagging feelings of need and emptiness. I used to dip all day long but around this time in the evening was my favorite time to dip. Most of other times I was just dipping to avoid withdrawal.

Now, during this time, I try to read intros and posts here and articles on quitting. One website I found extremely helpful in the last couple of days is this one https://www.verywell.com/will-i-miss-sm ... er-2824756 it is for quitting smoking, but there are many similarities.

Since I've quit I've noticed that I've gone through a couple of different phases of quitting:
1 There was the initial withdrawal and intense craving period,
2 Then there was a period of feeling like I'd give anything if could just stop thinking about quitting and think about anything else(I still think about it a lot but back then it seemed like someone was screaming at me though a bullhorn "YOU'RE QUITTING YOU'RE QUITTING! YOU'VE NOT HAD ANY NIC TODAY!) as well as feeling fidgety and unable to concentrate.
3 And now the nagging feelings of need every night around 7:00

I can remember when I was contemplating quitting, wishing I could skip the withdrawal portion of quitting. That wasn't realistic though, and the same is true of the other phases and periods of quitting even the ones in the future that I have yet to experience. We can't skip them any more than we could skip that period of withdrawal

We are a society of people who are use to and demand instant gratification. We want what we want and we want it now. But with nicotine addiction recovery, there is no substitute for time, no shortcuts we can take. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, people don't quit nicotine in a day either. A lot of us spent 30 years or more of dipping before we quit. Quitting is not a single event that took place on April 18th (for me) it's a process of breaking free of the mental associations I built over years and years of reinforcement.

Now I'm trying to walk through these various phases of quitting, instead of trying to take a shortcut around them, I'm trying to use some advice I've gotten here at KTC. Now during these 7:00 urges/empty feelings, I remind myself to be patient with my quit, that Rome wasn't built in a day and take the advice Gone Cruising has posted,"stop trying to feel better, stop fighting it, accept it, live with it and move on with your life as if it's part of your life now and it will slowly fade away in time!"
And I'm trying to apply the advice from the website above "Accept and Let It Go - Relax into your quit program and embrace cravings to Smoke as they come. Don't fight them. Instead, try leaning into urges emotionally and let them run their course. Most cravings last 3-5 minutes. Think of them as signs that your body is healing, because that is just what they are." Embrace them? I'll admit I haven't quite mastered that one yet but I'm trying.

One other thought, . . . .As for nicotine relieving stress. I've used it time and time again as a stress reliever, but now, I truly believe that the only stress it relieves is the stress that it created in the 1st place. I've conditioned myself over time to believe that it relieves stress because I've used it time and time again to relieve the stress of withdrawal.

[worktowin]

Are there caver statistics anywhere on this site???

I know that no 2 quits are the same but would like to see if there are any patterns to watch out for.

Here's a pattern to watch out for COOP....

Starting to view posting roll as more of a chore, a duty, an obligation, than a promise to your quit group.
Starting to post and ghost (withdraw from your quit group, posting more and more sporadically)
Failing to reach out and contact one or more of your brothers in quit when a crisis happens or during a period of the blahs
Romanticizing dip like it was some friggin' nectar of the Gods, when you know full well it created way more problems for you than it EVER solved
Becoming complacent, thinking "I've got this", when in reality we are all a seriously bad choice away from another Day 1

Medic is not unique (well he kinda is, but that's another story). What I'm trying to say, this site is replete with quitters with seriously day's quit who didn't use the tools this place provides. When you are drowning, would you not reach for a flotation ring? But the thing is, quitters who cave can't think straight because they're letting their addict brain do the thinking. Why do you think they call it a "cave" anyway? Because it is caving (giving in) to the addict brain, and not thinking about this clear-headed and logically. Addiction is a medical condition that is characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences (I found the real definition from Pyschology Today earlier, but it's already posted somewhere). It's the whole "DESPITE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES" part that really screws folks up.

So to preclude falling into that pattern....

Post roll. Do it as early as you can after waking. Make it a solemn promise to your quit group that you won't use today. Be a man (or woman) of integrity, and honor that post for that 24-hour period.
Become engaged with your quit group. Get to know them, where they live, who they are, what they do, things they like......My Sultans are like a big family (sometimes we bitch at one another, but I know any of them are just a phone call or text away). Speaking of....get as many numbers in your cell phone as you think you need, then get 50% more. Build that web of accountability.....it's kinda like insurance. You want that safety net there, but you never want to have to use it. It's a far sight better to have something and not need it than the other way around.
When something happens and you begin to think you're gonna lose your mind or kill someone if you don't get a dip....USE THE SAFETY NET. True story....about four weeks ago, I had one of the WORST CRAVINGS I have had in at least a year. I immediately texted four quit brothers. EACH ONE OF THEM texted back. I wasn't truly in danger of caving, but just knowing that others who have been through it had my back made it easier to take. Suppose I hadn't contacted them, but began to dwell on how good a dip would make me feel? You see where those "romanticizing" thoughts can take you? Down a road you don't want to be travelling. Finally, you'll read all over this place where complacency kills quits. It does.

I tell you the truth. You practice the tools and methods this place teaches, you make them a part of your routine and your life, you build your quit by engaging other quitters, and you do this ACTIVELY, you'll stay quit. You stop doing that, and there's a HIGH PROBABILITY (don't ask me for specific numbers) you'll either be wallowing in the mud of your addiction again or coming back here to post another day one.

I hope that helps.

bump - this is quit gold etch these words into your brain!

I've watched this happen hundreds of times. I also have seen a pattern where people disappear after slack ass posting... And then stop answering texts or calls. Think they caved? Yeah.

This is so easy. And free. Post your promise. Takes 10seconds. Keep your word.

I don't understand cavers at Ktc, but to be honest... Some people have no integrity.

[Mike1966]

Are there caver statistics anywhere on this site???

I know that no 2 quits are the same but would like to see if there are any patterns to watch out for.

Here's a pattern to watch out for COOP....

Starting to view posting roll as more of a chore, a duty, an obligation, than a promise to your quit group.
Starting to post and ghost (withdraw from your quit group, posting more and more sporadically)
Failing to reach out and contact one or more of your brothers in quit when a crisis happens or during a period of the blahs
Romanticizing dip like it was some friggin' nectar of the Gods, when you know full well it created way more problems for you than it EVER solved
Becoming complacent, thinking "I've got this", when in reality we are all a seriously bad choice away from another Day 1

Medic is not unique (well he kinda is, but that's another story). What I'm trying to say, this site is replete with quitters with seriously day's quit who didn't use the tools this place provides. When you are drowning, would you not reach for a flotation ring? But the thing is, quitters who cave can't think straight because they're letting their addict brain do the thinking. Why do you think they call it a "cave" anyway? Because it is caving (giving in) to the addict brain, and not thinking about this clear-headed and logically. Addiction is a medical condition that is characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences (I found the real definition from Pyschology Today earlier, but it's already posted somewhere). It's the whole "DESPITE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES" part that really screws folks up.

So to preclude falling into that pattern....

Post roll. Do it as early as you can after waking. Make it a solemn promise to your quit group that you won't use today. Be a man (or woman) of integrity, and honor that post for that 24-hour period.
Become engaged with your quit group. Get to know them, where they live, who they are, what they do, things they like......My Sultans are like a big family (sometimes we bitch at one another, but I know any of them are just a phone call or text away). Speaking of....get as many numbers in your cell phone as you think you need, then get 50% more. Build that web of accountability.....it's kinda like insurance. You want that safety net there, but you never want to have to use it. It's a far sight better to have something and not need it than the other way around.
When something happens and you begin to think you're gonna lose your mind or kill someone if you don't get a dip....USE THE SAFETY NET. True story....about four weeks ago, I had one of the WORST CRAVINGS I have had in at least a year. I immediately texted four quit brothers. EACH ONE OF THEM texted back. I wasn't truly in danger of caving, but just knowing that others who have been through it had my back made it easier to take. Suppose I hadn't contacted them, but began to dwell on how good a dip would make me feel? You see where those "romanticizing" thoughts can take you? Down a road you don't want to be travelling. Finally, you'll read all over this place where complacency kills quits. It does.

I tell you the truth. You practice the tools and methods this place teaches, you make them a part of your routine and your life, you build your quit by engaging other quitters, and you do this ACTIVELY, you'll stay quit. You stop doing that, and there's a HIGH PROBABILITY (don't ask me for specific numbers) you'll either be wallowing in the mud of your addiction again or coming back here to post another day one.

I hope that helps.

bump - this is quit gold etch these words into your brain!

[Mike1966]

It's interesting, stranger said the covers fascinate him... Me too.

I think a big turning point for me is that if you watch closely, pay attention and see the obvious signs you can almost predict a cave from someone

Posting habits change, times change, begin to distance themselves a bit.

As I say, when I start to feel lost and wandering mind,... I get here into INTRODUCTIONS. It really helps me put things into perspective. Reading newbie struggles and offering a hand really helps me and my quit.

I think younger doing great Mike.

I can say some of the hardest days for me were 100-140. But I redeicated myself. And took another step forward.

Before I couldn't imagine NOT dipping, now I can't imagine dipping. It's disgusting. But...... I am still an addict, always will be. I am still wary of feeling too good.... The NIC bitch is always lurking

Good luck Mike, love reading the updates - see you on roll tomorrow. JB

JB
I agree reading some of the new Intros as well as some of the struggles in October has really been helpful to me during periods of craving. I'm posting stuff in my intro as a reminder of what I've gone through but reading other peoples intros are as helpful as reading mine it seems because to some degree we all tell the same story.

Dipping does seem disgusting. When I'm out in public and see someone with a huge dip in their mouth it strengthens my quit as well. I think, Man I'm glad that's not me anymore.

Thanks for the encouragement JB!

[JB65]

It's interesting, stranger said the covers fascinate him... Me too.

I think a big turning point for me is that if you watch closely, pay attention and see the obvious signs you can almost predict a cave from someone

Posting habits change, times change, begin to distance themselves a bit.

As I say, when I start to feel lost and wandering mind,... I get here into INTRODUCTIONS. It really helps me put things into perspective. Reading newbie struggles and offering a hand really helps me and my quit.

I think younger doing great Mike.

I can say some of the hardest days for me were 100-140. But I redeicated myself. And took another step forward.

Before I couldn't imagine NOT dipping, now I can't imagine dipping. It's disgusting. But...... I am still an addict, always will be. I am still wary of feeling too good.... The NIC bitch is always lurking

Good luck Mike, love reading the updates - see you on roll tomorrow. JB

[Mike1966]

Day 41
Thought I'd put down some reminders of why I quit for those tough days.
Things I don't miss and the reasons I chose to quit

•talking around a mouthful of spit,
•always having to be within arm’s reach of a spit cup
•being in the middle of doing something and have stop to find a spit cup
•Spit cups all around the house
•Bad breath and worrying about tobacco in my teeth when I smile
•hiding it from people I work with,
•experiencing withdrawal at work cause I’m around people I can’t dip in front of
•being angry and short tempered because I haven’t had a dip in the last couple of hours
•5 dollars a can for a 1 can a day habit
•having to make that last minute run to the store before bedtime so I’ll be able to have that first dip in the morning before work
•looking forward to friends and family visiting, but 2 hours later thinking, "When are these people going leave!" So I can get my nicotine fix and put out the fire of withdrawal.

This is great stuff.

Out of curiosity... What do you miss? Dig deep, you are now to a point where the truth is beginning to become clearer....

Thanks for the PM worktowin

Yep. That is what I was asking about. "what do you miss about the nicotine/Tobacco?"

Trust me when I say this... the ONLY thing that you will miss about it is that it took away the withdrawal of not using it. That is it. It wasn't a reward. It didn't help with boredom. It took away the side effects of not having it. That's it...

I promise. You'll see.

I do think you're right about the only thing nic did for me was take away the withdrawal of not using it. And yet there is the "habit" in addition to the addiction it seems. I'm so use to sitting in front of the TV with a dip every evening that it seems odd I guess not to be doing that any more. I guess with time the habit of not having a dip in the evening will take its place.

[worktowin]

Day 41
Thought I'd put down some reminders of why I quit for those tough days.
Things I don't miss and the reasons I chose to quit

•talking around a mouthful of spit,
•always having to be within arm’s reach of a spit cup
•being in the middle of doing something and have stop to find a spit cup
•Spit cups all around the house
•Bad breath and worrying about tobacco in my teeth when I smile
•hiding it from people I work with,
•experiencing withdrawal at work cause I’m around people I can’t dip in front of
•being angry and short tempered because I haven’t had a dip in the last couple of hours
•5 dollars a can for a 1 can a day habit
•having to make that last minute run to the store before bedtime so I’ll be able to have that first dip in the morning before work
•looking forward to friends and family visiting, but 2 hours later thinking, "When are these people going leave!" So I can get my nicotine fix and put out the fire of withdrawal.

This is great stuff.

Out of curiosity... What do you miss? Dig deep, you are now to a point where the truth is beginning to become clearer....

[Mike1966]

Day 85
Been feeling kind of blah the last few days. Every evening around 7 I get this nagging feeling of "need". Not a 911 four alarm craving, just nagging empty feeling in the back of mind. That sends me looking for something to snack on which really doesn't help at all. Not to mention I've gained about 15 pounds since I've quit and I need to loose that plus an additional 15.

Our plant is on 2 weeks of shutdown this week and last week. So I'm on 2 weeks of vacation. It seems like I've got no motivation to do anything recently. I just want to sit on my butt all day. Then I feel guilty about not doing the things I need to be doing. I don't know if that has anything to do with quitting or if I'm just lazy and blaming everything on quitting.

Blahhh!

[Mike1966]

There is no stroll into victory lane, there is no finish line, there is only today.

This thing is a beast waiting to claw back into your life at any moment be it day 1 or day 1,000 or day 10,000. Other than learning about just how horrible tobacco and nicotine are for your physical and mental health (which will cultivate the hatred required), the knowledge that after the first few days, then after the fog this becomes a 100% psychological battle is vital to success in my opinion. Understand that you are embarking on an unbelievable journey that will change your life forever and be ok with the fact that you will never be cured, you will never "arrive" or be "finished". Addiction is a wound that never fully heals but we all battle together everyday here and that my friend is where the magic resides. Simple, but not easy.

Post roll everyday, get involved and get to know your quit group brothers. Reach out to a few veterans that you like what you read, they can be a great resource when you really struggle.
Post roll everyday, when you struggle (and you will) keep your promise. Reach out and ask for help. Be a man of your word. Integrity.
Post roll everyday, hold one another accountable. Accountability builds the brotherhood.
Read and soak up as much as you can on the site, read intros, post in older quit groups, read HOF speeches and words of wisdom.
It will suck until it doesn't but and no one can tell you exactly when it clicks but when it does you will feel something deep and meaningful. Infinitely more rewarding than sucking on a wad of some poisonous weed. You need another number PM me.

A quote I don't want to loose track of. Needs to be read by everyone whose made a decision to quit, everyone hitting 100, everyone hitting a year, etc.