I quit chewing Feb 3rd of this year through a local smoking quit group. I was the first chewer my instructor could remember in her 15 years of leading the group. I'm a beanpole type guy, and have been putting on a bit of a beer belly recently, which somehow led me to this sight. Anyways, I just wanted to congratulate everybody on their choice to quit and for realizing it's not something that you want to go at alone.
I'd tried to quit many times before, but it was always because my girlfriend wanted me to quit. I thought I could quit for her, but I couldn't. When I joined a support group, I said that my major reason to quit was for her. After much personal reflection, I realized I was finally at a point where I wanted to quit for me. Also, I had always made excuses for why I chewed: my dad smoked when I was a kid, my friends chewed in high school. A huge change in thinking that helped me quit was accepting responsibility for the choice to chew and accepting responsibility for the choice to quit.
Do it for you. If you want to quit for your wife, your girlfriend/boyfriend, whatever, forget them. You must care for yourself first. Be self-centered. People who truly care for you will appreciate your choice. By caring for yourself, you're caring for those who love you.
This is my first and only post (June 9th, 2007) before joining the August 2008 BAMFERs back on May 19th, 2008. Don't I sound smart for a soon to be caver?
Newcomer or long time vet - stick around and use the tools available.
besides "sticking around and using the tools" which I think is fabulous advice, I think you hit on but failed to explicitly point out the other obvious.
Newbs should learn to shut the fuck up. :)
Nothing grates me more than having some righteous fuck with 1 day under his belt posting up words of wisdom about shit they don't know shit about.
i'm all for rampant participation. the more vocal the better. hop on board. but i can do without the other shit. at least for a week or so. :)
shocking Smokey, you felt the need to pontificate after only a few hours back then.
'crackup' 'crackup' 'crackup' 'crackup' 'crackup' 'crackup' 'crackup'