Fifth day of no dip.. this is hard

[DennyX]

Hey Rich - from the start, congrats on BOTH your quits. Something everyone that kicks an addiction needs to be cautious of is trading one addiction for another. Like you, I used chew to kick cigarettes...at least it wasn't cig's, right? My cigarette use picked up tremendously when I was in recovery, just like you. And I thought I understood addiction, I completed 12 steps, all focused on my addiction. Tell you what, probably the same thing you're realizing right now: I didn't know addiction until I tried to kick nicotine to the curb. Nothing I ever fought was as fierce as this. Nothing. That's why every day is a gift. You have 5 fantastic gifts under your belt. Another thing I THOUGHT I understood, but never really did until I fought nic: one day at a time. Here we don't ask anyone to quit forever, just today. If you can make it to bedtime, you have won. Tomorrow, well deal with that then. There is so much great stuff on this website, read HOF speeches, words of wisdom, 30's intro post, everything. This is the foundation of your quit, make it strong. I'm proud to be quit with you today my friend.

Denny

[Dr. Bruce Banner]

What's up guys? My name's Rich and I am addicted to nicotine. Been smoking/dipping since I was 15 and I am now 22. In January 2010, I went to my first AA meeting and got the support I needed to get through my addiction to drugs and alcohol. It was at this time that I made the firm resolve to quit nicotine.. It worked for about 7 months, until I decided to get a can of dip... I mean, at least its not cigarretes right? :rolleyes: Well, since then I've been dipping a shitload, and can't seem to kick it. Sometimes I'll stop for a little bit for some reason, but I'll always end up right back into it.

I'm here because I'm tired of this shit. I'm tired of the addiction having control of my life.. I'm tired of hiding it from my loved ones, and of chasing a high that brings little to no satisfaction in the end. I need you guys.. I need support before the insanity of this shit claims my life at the expense of the people I love.

Right now, I'm having a hard time. It's my fifth day clean and the cravings are fierce. I'm reaching out for a little support and help, so if somebody could give me some words of encouragement, I'd really appreciate it.

-Rich

Quit Day: 8/9/11

it's all been said. not much more to add other than this:

HEROIN is bad and addictive, so shooting HEROIN into my arm is bad.  but so is smoking it.  or sucking on a piece of HEROIN gum.  or having a sweet patch that slowly releases HEROIN into my bloodstream.  HEROIN is bad.  HEROIN is addictive.  Continuing to take HEROIN, no matter the delivery system, is stupid and only feeds my addiction.  I should completely stop taking HEROIN in any form for the sake of my health and well being.  the first couple days will suck bad, but with a strong support network, and some guts, i'll be free of HEROIN.

i think we can all agree that heroin is bad. you certainly would suggest that a junkie strung out on heroin just switch from shooting up to smoking it as a way to quit, would you?

well, let's switch out heroin and put in nicotine:

NICOTINE is also bad and addictive.  putting NICOTINE in my lip is bad, but so is smoking it.  or sucking on a piece of NICOTINE gum.  or having a sweet patch that slowly releases NICOTINE into my bloodstream.  NICOTINE is bad.  NICOTINE is addictive.  continuing to use NICOTINE, no matter the delivery system, is stupid and only feeds my addiction.  i should completely stop using NICOTINE in any form for the sake of my health and well being.  the first couple of days will suck bad, but with a strong support network, and some guts, i'll be free of NICOTINE.

what suddenly makes the patch or gum a good idea?

here's the real newsflash, whsii. YOU'RE A JUNKIE. stop allowing your rotted junkie brain to rationalize why continuing to use the chemical you're addicted to is okay. it isn't. time to man up, sunshine. the first three days without nicotine are bad, but they'll be bad whenever you stop using nicotine. it'll be bad today, and it'll be bad in 3 weeks when you (theoretically... see DennyX's perfect post below) quit those patches that you've spend a ton of money on.

what are you waiting for? tomorrow? no one quits tomorrow. every quitter quits today.


Sorry borrowed this from another thread... You should be able to recognize some logic here....Congrats on the Day 5 Nicotine is out of your system, no just keep it that way! Shout if you need anything

[tillergm]

Rich, congrats on your quit. If you are on day 5 the worst part of your quit is over. Now you've moved on to the mental part along with me. I'm on day 14. I went to Walmart and bought smokey mountain chew. It has helped me tremendously. I use it less than I thought I would, but its still there when I need it. I've come to realize that I mostly dipped out of boredom and routine. With each day that goes by it gets a little easier. Another tip is to look at those cancer pictures. That'll open your eyes. Hang in there brother. It's all mental now. Go get something to satisfy your craves. It does get better, I promise. Keep posting roll, log on here twenty times a day if need be and read or go chat with some hard core quitters. Use the site, It works.
Shoot me a PM if you need anything.

[steve1357]

Congrats on your quit Rich. You made a great decision. You will get all the support that you need here. Just give us your word everyday that you will not use nicotine and we will give you ours. Wake up the next day and do it again.

Fight through the cravings anyway you can. Seeds, gum, candy, jerky; anything to get through the cravings. I see you are day 5, and the nicotine is all out of your system now. It is all mental. Each day from here on will get better, I am on day 20.

Proud to quit with you. Pm me if you need anything

Steve

[mxrethoret]

What's up guys? My name's Rich and I am addicted to nicotine. Been smoking/dipping since I was 15 and I am now 22. In January 2010, I went to my first AA meeting and got the support I needed to get through my addiction to drugs and alcohol. It was at this time that I made the firm resolve to quit nicotine.. It worked for about 7 months, until I decided to get a can of dip... I mean, at least its not cigarretes right? :rolleyes: Well, since then I've been dipping a shitload, and can't seem to kick it. Sometimes I'll stop for a little bit for some reason, but I'll always end up right back into it.

I'm here because I'm tired of this shit. I'm tired of the addiction having control of my life.. I'm tired of hiding it from my loved ones, and of chasing a high that brings little to no satisfaction in the end. I need you guys.. I need support before the insanity of this shit claims my life at the expense of the people I love.

Right now, I'm having a hard time. It's my fifth day clean and the cravings are fierce. I'm reaching out for a little support and help, so if somebody could give me some words of encouragement, I'd really appreciate it.

-Rich

Quit Day: 8/9/11