Diagnosed Bipolar II - Doing very good - but my snuff habit has steadily increased.

[rdad]

1. You have never quit before only stopped
2. I am here because I have failed too many times and I can't afford to again
3. no nicotine, post roll
4. don't be afraid to use bullet points or paragraphs when writing :)

1. I
2. agree
3. with
4. everything
5. Spuds
6. Wrote!
7. Quitting doesn't have to suck.
8. Its all in your attitude and perspective.

[Idaho Spuds]

1. You have never quit before only stopped
2. I am here because I have failed too many times and I can't afford to again
3. no nicotine, post roll
4. don't be afraid to use bullet points or paragraphs when writing :)

[Thumblewort]

Read my intro, I came in here with a patch on and got my ass kicked. I finally manned up 30 days later and still went through "the SUCK", just like they said I would. Now it's 400+ days later and I love each and every poster for kicking my ass.

Quitting sucks and is hard, but so is cancer, so drop the " I can't" attitude and be a quitter.

[Wt57]

My friend you are not a lone wolf when it comes to nicotine addicts that have mental health issues. I joined KTC and quit nicotine 3 years ago at a very low point in my life. I joined in a desperate attempt to save my life. I had been addicted to nicotine for over 40 years and am sure I used to self medicate my mental health issues. I reached the point I couldn't deal with the fact that I had no control over my addiction. To complicate my situation I hid and lied about my addiction.
You say that you're not ready to quit cold turkey, that's addict talk. Replacement therapy is a joke, I've been there. I've seen so much evidence over the past 3 years here that there is a link between nicotine use and mental health issues that I am convinced there is a link. Nicotine addiction to self medicate mainly but also those that nicotine leads to depression. For me it was both.
No one here will belittle anyone over mental health issues but you may get criticized for not embracing a nicotine quit. Switching the delivery method is a joke and all of us that are recovering nicotine addicts recognize that.
I have kids older than you and would love to see you face your addiction at your young age and avoid the mistakes I made by not facing it when I was your age. I also know that only you can decide to face it now. Pm me if you'd like to have my number.

[jpetmpls]

Well I understand that completely. I had it beat and the perfect opportunity to just be done with it and foolishly let it back in my life. This evening was tough, I almost caved, but I used my lozenge's to get rid of the craving. My mouth needs to heal. I may be embellishing the condition of my mouth as I had a dental appt soon after I had quit for 3 weeks, and they said I had great teeth and wonderful oral health. I brush my teeth pretty good. At work at the office it's not as bad, but I realize I was doing most my damage at home where I relax and just indulge and enjoy. So I wasn't in the best of moods and held my snuff can in one hand and my Nicorette mints in the other as I sat outside watching my three boys this evening. I was just dying for a dip. I believe what I've been doing in the evenings with my snuff(one dip after another) was probably equivalent to chain smoking. Anyway as I type this with my lip and gum feeling raw and irritated on both sides I know I have to quit this for my family and myself. If yall will have me I'd like to hang around as I try and beat this in my own way. It may not be the cold turkey Kill The Can way, but my wife would have me just keep doing it rather than put up with me in a bad mood all the time so I'm using the nicotine replacement to get started. So many of family and friends (mostly on my wife's side smoke or dip) so my wife actually doesn't take it too seriously or even really see it as a big problem or even an addiction, but I see it as an addiction and deep down I always have known that, I just would deny it and kind of look at it as my little bad habit. lots of guys on my wife's side dip. I always looked at it as hey everybody has bad habits, so this is mine, so what. Well, not anymore, I have an addiction, and I'm not ok being addicted to something that is hurting my body. Yes I take pills, that I may or may not be "addicted" to for my mental health, but those are essential medication. I honestly don't know if I'm addicted to any of my meds, and I'm not going to quit them and find out. I've tried that before in the past and I wasn't craving any med, but I was having symptoms that were scary, so not going down that road again. The snuff is different, it's a guilty pleasure, it's not helping me, it's hurting me. I may be a little more sensitive to the mouth pain than others. Looking at my mouth everything looks pretty good, it just doesn't feel good. My quit may be a little different from all of yours but I hope you will still have me. Am I welcome to hang around on one of these forums? I'm not going to count my days on the Nicorette mints as days quit, but as days to the path of being quit, and when I get there, which I will. I'll Join yall on the nicotine free forum if that sounds ok. If not that's ok too. Just let me know if I'm still welcome. I'm through with using snuff or tobacco of any kind. I do realize that I will have to eventually get myself off the nicotine replacement, but for now I need to let my mouth heal, and take this one day at a time. Please let me know if I'm still welcome to hang around some place on this website? If not, I understand.

Dude... It's a nic free forum. We don't make room for "if's or but's". Go nic free, post roll and repeat. It ain't easy, but it is simple. Thousands have cleared the trail for you. Follow the lead.

[Lone_Wolf]

Well, start of a new day. Guys I'm going to do this with the nicotine replacement. I understand your site isn't about that. Maybe I'll come back when I've got myself weaned off the mints. I understand there are some very strong feelings about this being a "no nicotine site". So when I'm officially "no nicotine" maybe I'll come back and join if I feel the need. I admire all you guys able to do this cold turkey. I just can't do it cold turkey. Not at this time in my life. Thanks for your time.

[danojeno]

Don't let a bipolar diagnosis kill you. You don't need nicotine anymore than anyone else here. If you want to quit, and here that means no nicotine, you just need to do it. This is a no nicotine site so I sure wish you would give it up and join us...just one day at a time.

[Lone_Wolf]

As far as helping others, I would be more than happy to help anyone. I've had well over a year of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and I continue to see my therapist as needed. I've been on many medications, so I have a lot of experience with therapy and medications. I've read many books and I do have experience with the mental health system. I can offer up my experience of what has worked for me as far as mental health, and what hasn't. As just general advice that I will throw out there, if you truly have a chemical balance that's causing you depression or anxiety, then you need to skip the family doc and find yourself a psychiatrist. Trust me, if I could do it over again, I would skip the family doc and go straight to a psychiatrist. But even better general advice, if you are suffering from anxiety or depression the best thing to do is seek help from a trained psychologist and see if you can get better without drugs. So basically seek therapy first and find out if you even need medication. It's a shame how the family docs hand out psychotropic drugs as if they're candy. Oh, my dog died, put me on an antidepressant. If you've never been depressed, and you have a major life event, you lose a close loved one for example. You really should seek therapy and not drugs if you've never in your life ever suffered from anxiety or depression and now find yourself struggling. Anyway, just some general advice. And I've just been through the system, so it's just my experience and opinion. As far as quitting tobacco, I'm afraid I've been weak in this dept. I was able to quit once for a couple of years maybe, but I believe that Wellbutrin and having extreme anxiety basically made me feel so bad that I just didn't want to do it, so that doesn't really count. I will say that if you're willing to put a psych med in your system, Wellbutrin/Zyban will take the pleasure of nicotine away. It can also help libido and energy, but can cause anxiety. If you can take the med with few if any side effects it many be the ticket for you. But remember, to pay close attention to any weird changes in mood or thoughts. Very important to pay attention to these kinds of things because these drugs can cause scary side effects, and it may just not be worth it. Your messing with your brains chemical balance with any of the drugs they now prescribe for smoking or nicotine cessation. Just my two cents.

[Lone_Wolf]

Well I understand that completely. I had it beat and the perfect opportunity to just be done with it and foolishly let it back in my life. This evening was tough, I almost caved, but I used my lozenge's to get rid of the craving. My mouth needs to heal. I may be embellishing the condition of my mouth as I had a dental appt soon after I had quit for 3 weeks, and they said I had great teeth and wonderful oral health. I brush my teeth pretty good. At work at the office it's not as bad, but I realize I was doing most my damage at home where I relax and just indulge and enjoy. So I wasn't in the best of moods and held my snuff can in one hand and my Nicorette mints in the other as I sat outside watching my three boys this evening. I was just dying for a dip. I believe what I've been doing in the evenings with my snuff(one dip after another) was probably equivalent to chain smoking. Anyway as I type this with my lip and gum feeling raw and irritated on both sides I know I have to quit this for my family and myself. If yall will have me I'd like to hang around as I try and beat this in my own way. It may not be the cold turkey Kill The Can way, but my wife would have me just keep doing it rather than put up with me in a bad mood all the time so I'm using the nicotine replacement to get started. So many of family and friends (mostly on my wife's side smoke or dip) so my wife actually doesn't take it too seriously or even really see it as a big problem or even an addiction, but I see it as an addiction and deep down I always have known that, I just would deny it and kind of look at it as my little bad habit. lots of guys on my wife's side dip. I always looked at it as hey everybody has bad habits, so this is mine, so what. Well, not anymore, I have an addiction, and I'm not ok being addicted to something that is hurting my body. Yes I take pills, that I may or may not be "addicted" to for my mental health, but those are essential medication. I honestly don't know if I'm addicted to any of my meds, and I'm not going to quit them and find out. I've tried that before in the past and I wasn't craving any med, but I was having symptoms that were scary, so not going down that road again. The snuff is different, it's a guilty pleasure, it's not helping me, it's hurting me. I may be a little more sensitive to the mouth pain than others. Looking at my mouth everything looks pretty good, it just doesn't feel good. My quit may be a little different from all of yours but I hope you will still have me. Am I welcome to hang around on one of these forums? I'm not going to count my days on the Nicorette mints as days quit, but as days to the path of being quit, and when I get there, which I will. I'll Join yall on the nicotine free forum if that sounds ok. If not that's ok too. Just let me know if I'm still welcome. I'm through with using snuff or tobacco of any kind. I do realize that I will have to eventually get myself off the nicotine replacement, but for now I need to let my mouth heal, and take this one day at a time. Please let me know if I'm still welcome to hang around some place on this website? If not, I understand.

[Raider]

For the life of me, I can't understand why your still hanging around tobacco forums if you've quit for almost a year. I've quit before, and I just didn't think about it anymore after I stopped.....I just didn't. It was out of my life. It was not part of my life. I understand the desire to help others, but I think for me, I would just have to remove myself from anything associated with tobacco once I was completely quit. I've done it before I quit, for a good while, and it wasn't until a friend offered me a tiny pinch that made me dizzy as heck that I started on "occasion" taking a small dip. And the habit, slowly over years crept back.

This statement right here is why Spuds has been around here for over 300 days. Today I posted 477 and plan on posting roll till I'm dead. We don't give ourselves the option of taking a little pinch. That option isn't on the table because we made a commitment to ourselves, our brothers and sisters here, and those who are close to us.

[jpetmpls]

I have 3 children, a wife, and a full time job. I am stable. I have never been hospitalized. Bipolar II disorder is not who I am or what I am, it does not define me. I accept it, I live with it, I work, I exercise, I eat good, I try and keep a routine. I have a therapist, I have a psychiastrist, I have a family doctor. I have good medication that is working. I have care. In-patient is last resort for anyone. It's not like you go hey doc I'm quitting snuff, so let me quit my job and not be able to support my family while you check me in to a hospital somewhere. It doesn't work that way. Just came here looking for a little support is all.

Well... you're not going to be too much good to your 3 children, wife and full time job when you're battling mouth cancer down the road either.

[Tom92673]

It's not news to me that I'm addicted to it and I know this is a site that's only about cold turkey no nicotine flowing your veins type of quitting, but I don't think you understand what real depression is like my friend. I've started nicotine replacement today. Took one dip this morning for about 20 min, and I've used one lozenge. My plan is to use the lozenge's to get off the snuff and then taper the lozenges. That's how I'm going to do it. That's my plan. If I don't belong here that's fine. For the life of me, I can't understand why your still hanging around tobacco forums if you've quit for almost a year. I've quit before, and I just didn't think about it anymore after I stopped.....I just didn't. It was out of my life. It was not part of my life. I understand the desire to help others, but I think for me, I would just have to remove myself from anything associated with tobacco once I was completely quit. I've done it before I quit, for a good while, and it wasn't until a friend offered me a tiny pinch that made me dizzy as heck that I started on "occasion" taking a small dip. And the habit, slowly over years crept back. I also don't understand, maybe it's a northern thing, why do alot of yall call dipping snuff chewing. You don't chew on it. You chew on chewing tobacco. You dip snuff. IDK I just see alot of folks using the terminology of using stuff and calling it chewing....weird to me. Anyways I guess I'm done here.

I hope you do come in and join here. There are a number of guys who struggle with mental health issues here and don't have a lot of experience with it. Someone, like you, who has been involved with treatment could probably help a lot of others who haven't worked with qualified professionals.

As to why someone would stick around here, I think the best answer for me is that I believe there is physical and mental addiction. I suffer from both. Once I have nicotine out of my system, that may address the physical addiction, but the mental addiction remains, and I have to come here for my therapy just like a diabetic takes insulin or someone with depression might see a therapist for cognitive therapy.

Addiction may or may not be fully understood, but what is understood, is that true addiction is never "cured" it can only be treated. It is also known that addiction is a progressive illness. Addicts never get better only worse. How else could you explain someone who had family members die of cancer and go back to dipping or smoking?

I hope this doesn't seem argumentative, because I think you could help others here, and I think helping others is the best way to help yourself. At least that's been my experience. Good luck in whatever you pursue. I hope things work out well for you.

[Lone_Wolf]

I'm really not sure how sensitive the balance of everything is, but I do know that I was taking the same meds and doing just fine back in the winter, and not dipping until the evening each day, usually after I had supper. Maybe a can would last me a couple of weeks. I can't really remember, but it's been a quick escalation. And now I'm done with it. I have my lozenges if a craving comes. So far so good. And I accept that I can't post as being quit because I'm still using nicotine. But it's better than snuff. I do agree though that advice from my Dr.s is probably where I should be looking instead of coming online and getting opinions from folks who aren't experts on how nicotine and my meds all work together. As far as I know nicotine isn't that big a deal......in terms of the medications I"m taking. Alcohol on the other hand is. Alcohol can really mess with stuff. Thanks for all the replies.

[Lone_Wolf]

I have 3 children, a wife, and a full time job. I am stable. I have never been hospitalized. Bipolar II disorder is not who I am or what I am, it does not define me. I accept it, I live with it, I work, I exercise, I eat good, I try and keep a routine. I have a therapist, I have a psychiastrist, I have a family doctor. I have good medication that is working. I have care. In-patient is last resort for anyone. It's not like you go hey doc I'm quitting snuff, so let me quit my job and not be able to support my family while you check me in to a hospital somewhere. It doesn't work that way. Just came here looking for a little support is all.

[jpetmpls]

I am by no means a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. But... I would highly recommend you speak with someone medically qualified to get the answers you want. With that being said, I can't imagine any doctor in the long run suggesting you NOT give up nicotine. Perhaps the first 30 days of your quit would be best suited for an in-patient program where you can be monitored 24/7 if the medical balance is as sensitive and necessary as you describe.