What's up guys and gals my name is Ryan, I'm 23 and I'm from southeastern PA. I stumbled across this website while trying to find a substitute for dip. I've been dipping for almost 5 years now. Started off with Skoal wintergreen for about a year then switched to my current poison Grizzly wintergreen. I used to go through a can in 2-3 days then slowed down to about 1 can every week but I'm back up to a can every 3-4 days. I always told myself that I would quit when my dentist could tell I've been dipping. Well when I went about 3 months ago he could tell right off the bat and told me I needed to stop ASAP. Instead of stopping I switched sides and am now tearing up the other side of my mouth. Cancer runs rampant in my family so I know that I have a good chance one day of getting it. I've tried quitting before using this chopped up beef jerky that they sell but it still has little chunks that hurt my gums. I'm not a fan of sunflower seeds and don't know what else I can use to satisfy the feeling of having a lip in. Sorry for the long post just wanted to put as much info up as possible.
Another dumb ass that isn't as ready to quit as he thought. Guess he'll wait til his odds of cancer increase more. Odds increase daily! I hate the power nicotine addiction has!
Dammit, I must be bad luck to new quitters. I am done with this shit. I have reached out to at least 10 new quitters in the last month. Not a single one of them have turned into solid roll posters. I had to quit sending out my group text because I had so many damn people telling me not to text them anymore. "I am quitting my own way", "I dont need the site" etc.
Spent a ton of time on 2 guys from May, neither reached HOF. I dont know why I bother. I guess it is because so many people spent so much time with me when I needed it.
Oh well. Take what you need and leave the rest I guess? Frustrating.
I agree with Jake. A lot of people who are still trying to get their heads around the fact that that they/we are addicts and slaves to nicotine read these threads.
While I agree with you 100% about the drive by quitters, don't underestimate the future and current quitters you're helping by reaching out.
I personally find it therapeutic to read new intro threads even though I don't often respond (I'm using my phone most of the time).
Good points Jake and Jungleland. I just hung up with worktowin and he feels the same way. I guess we just post what we post and it helps who it helps. All you can do is plant a seed, the ground may or may not be fertile. Some folks are too "tinheaded", (thanks srans) to hear what they need to hear or see what they need to see. The outcome doesnt render the effort any less worthwhile.
Thanks guys. It never ceases to amaze how other peoples perspectives can help someone out. Peace.
I found this site about 2 weeks in to my quit I think. I don't really know since I was in that damn crazy fog for a month, but anyway let's say it was 2 weeks. I posted an intro and one of the first people to reach out was waketech - a bad ass from Utah who quit on Sept 11 2012. He sort of explained things to me and then said something to the effect of... Ill quit with you, but I don't need any weak people in my quit. I think you can still read his post in my intro. Well, that pissed me off! Me, weak? Come on! Oh, wait... I ninja chewed most of those 9,000 cans of kodiak I spent 36k on over 25 years. Maybe I was weak? So I responded to waketech, and itsgottohappen, and sage, and ob, and erussell, and flguy42, and traumagnet, and jake, and kc guy, and jayhawk, and davemo, and....
You get the idea. Over time I felt more secure and less weak. And I didn't feel like I was in this alone. And reaching out to the new guys - helps me too. That August team gets me lit up and I really appreciate them. If someone wants to do this on their own, fine. I was too weak to do it. Maybe they are stronger than me? Good luck.
By the way, happy 300 to waketech today. His challenge to me is a big part of the reason I am still here. We are on this train together at ktc. Or you are alone. Ill stay on this train with Ryan.
Uhhhh... If everyone threw in the towel and stopped reaching out to newbies like me then I would not be at Day 15. Keep on keeping on. Maybe it don't stick for all but people are reading what u say and it fuckin helps. Glad to be quit with u all today.
Itsgottohqppen, Derk and the others are correct, Srans said something to me not to long ago "you don't have to post on every newbies intro they all read each others intros". I read most of your post and have benefited from your words many times bro! Indirectly your post have helped many, I'm one of them!
Story;
A guy walks up to a little girl on the beach throwing stranded starfish back into the ocean.
Guy; why are you throwing all those starfish back in?
Little girl; if I don't they will die!
Guy; There are thousands your efforts wont even make a difference.
Little girl; raises her hand with a star fish in it and profoundly says to the guy "I bet it matters to this one"
Your post have mattered to me brother!
I'm only 15 days in, but I think my experience with KTC will help...
At first, I was a casual lurker and wasn't serious about quitting. This lasted for a couple of months.
Then in June I signed up after "stopping" in early May and cheating many times. I figured out how to post roll, posted a couple of rolls, and then I caved.
Here's where I think the disconnect is: after caving, I came back to the site and owned up to it. I re-posted my second Day 2 and admitted that I caved in my Introduction. I didn't know it then, but I was not committed to my quit at this point. I didn't "get it" until after I caved.
What I didn't know was that I was about to get my ass virtually kicked by some pissed off quitters. Yeah, when I first joined I had some people reach out and I had received a standard Welcome PM, but it seemed very generic. It was only after people wrote on my Intro about their experiences and struggles that I was like, "holy shit, that's ME". Quitters came out of the woodwork to A) beat on me for caving and B) share their own experiences. Then I started reading others' intros... It was only THEN that it clicked for me: accountability, posting roll, NAFAR, brotherhood, etc.
How often does that happen? A new KTC quitter caves and then says, "F it. I already caved, what's the point?" and they never come back to KTC. But maybe they, like me, don't "get it" until someone gets in their face a little.
My only suggestion would be that when a new quitter joins, instead of sending a "I'm here for ya, man" type message, include a story about yourself. How much you quitters and I have in common (ninja dipping, just one more, spousal guilt, kids, etc.) really made an impact on me. I used to try and explain how my brain would f'n TRICK me into rationalizing one more, but no one ever got it. You all do.
I don't need to tell you that quitting is hard to do. Not a single one of you quit on your first attempt, though, not outside of KTC. I hope this helps. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it can take a little while to understand the value of this community. During that little while, people are going to cave. We've got to keep the cavers coming back, to a point. I know it's a fine line between telling a new person that they can keep coming back if they cave and drawing a line in the sand re: NAFAR...
Like I said, I'm only 15 days quit so take this all with a grain of salt. But for whatever reason, I came back after my caving and only then did I 1) understand 2) commit.
