A Fresh Start

[kjack628]

I'm feeling a bit restless tonight, so I thought it would be a good time to update my quit journey up to this point. First of all, thanks to all of you for offering your support to me here in my introduction. The level of support from everyone on here really is amazing and has made me so much stronger and more committed to my quit.

Tomorrow will be Day 18 of my quit. Holy shit. It's been a journey to get to this point. I was having a conversation with some of my fellow July quitters, and I think the common theme so far has been "up-and-down." One minute, you feel like a fucking champion and are starting to believe that you've finally turned a corner. The next minute, the Nic bitch starts to creep into to the back of your mind, the fog starts to roll back in, and you feel like hammered cat shit. It's totally bizarre. It happened to me today actually. I was driving home from work and this wave just came over me. I felt awful, almost like you would feel when you first start to come down with the flu. I pulled over at a convenience store and grabbed a candy bar and a soda, which seemed to do the trick. The urge to actually buy a can of dip seems to be gone (for now).

Another thing I learned very quickly into my quit is that life doesn't give a shit about your quit. So last week, I had one of these moments. We had a couple of rounds of hail come through the DFW (Texas) area the last few weeks and I had some hail damage to my car. I arranged for my insurance adjuster to come check my car out one afternoon at my work. So on my lunch break, I took my car through a car wash so dents would be more visible. I take my car though the car wash and drive back to the office, and when I get out of my car I realize that my bumper is gone (yes, completely gone). Well, the rage starts bubbling here. I drive back to the car wash, tell the manager, and they pull my bumper out. When I ask him what the hell they planned on doing about it and he gives me some smart ass response, all the built-up dip rage was unleashed upon him. It felt pretty damn good and that asshole deserved every bit of it. Anyway, some good people helped me out and put my bumper back on for me.

The entire time that was happening though, the Nic bitch was trying to get a foothold back in my life. So, the moral of the story is that you better be on your guard against the Nic bitch at all times because at the first sign of trouble, she'll start to whisper in the back of your mind that all you need is one dip and all of your problems will disappear.

I wish everyone the best and look forward to continuing this journey with all of you.

[MonsterMedic]

You're on the right path. Stick with it.

Keep coming back and making your promise not to use. And make sure to connect with guys in our group and "vets" alike. It really does help to reach out to someone who knows what you're going through.

Quit on.

[Dagranger]

Agree with everyone above...I like what I read. Quitting sucks. It's seems like your craves won't give up. But believe me it gets easier and easier. Stick with the system here. Post roll everyday as early as you can. Don't get lazy about this. Good luck.

[kubiackalpha]

Great decision! Welcome to KTC! No time like the present to start chugging water and add a bit of fruit juice in with it then drink some more water. It helps with all the withdraws. Read some other intros. And keep doing what you have been doing. Post roll everyday because that is your promise to yourself and to others that, that 24hrs you are clean from it. The goal is to be Clean and Sober fromit. Takes time. Keep on. Today, I quit with you.


Just for today, Self.

[Team Quitter]

I met my wife about 6 years ago and while she never made it a make or break situation, she would often pressure me to stop quitting. Of course, I always had an excuse handy...Was I going to be an addict for the rest of my life or kick this filthy fucking habit? On March 26, 2016...

First, let me say I totally agree with the others that you've done great so far on your own, and being here will only make the journey easier and more enjoyable.

BUT, I included that quote of yours for a reason. It sounds like this is your first quit attempt, which is truly amazing. In my experience, my first quit attempt was by far the easiest. I coasted for 3 months solo and then..."quit" again for a couple months...then a month...lots of times for a couple/few weeks. Each time you try again, you remember the past failures, and they give you dumbass mental excuses that the Nic Bitch uses to pull you back. Well, that's how it worked for me and lots of others here...before they came here. I'd say find someone's story of such a relapse (a couple people lately are back after leaving the site and caving after 1 year +) and print it out along with the Contract to Give Up for some light reading when you find yourself considering the impossible after months of being quit every day.

That, and grab some numbers. Mine is yours if you don't have enough already.

[Mogul]

Nice intro! Welcome to KTC. It sound like you are serious about this and you are posting roll. ODAAT really is the key. Stay active here and keep updating your intro. It will help you and others. Keep going. Life without nicotine is beautiful.

^^^^^ agreed! you are taking a great step now by reaching out.... the network you develop will help immeasurably with both support and accountability. Part of the addiction messes with the brain circuitry that actually encourages us to build friendships, believe it or not. Evil damned addiction! So, it may be foreign, but develop a network of quitters of all sorts, and you'll be well rewarded!

Keep up the great work! Day by day, craving by craving, you are winning!

Agree with my quit brothers, a nice refreshing intro and somebody who "gets it." Welcome to KTC, if you stay here and follow the path already paved, you will stay quit.

[brettlees]

Nice intro! Welcome to KTC. It sound like you are serious about this and you are posting roll. ODAAT really is the key. Stay active here and keep updating your intro. It will help you and others. Keep going. Life without nicotine is beautiful.

^^^^^ agreed! you are taking a great step now by reaching out.... the network you develop will help immeasurably with both support and accountability. Part of the addiction messes with the brain circuitry that actually encourages us to build friendships, believe it or not. Evil damned addiction! So, it may be foreign, but develop a network of quitters of all sorts, and you'll be well rewarded!

Keep up the great work! Day by day, craving by craving, you are winning!

[rdad]

Nice intro! Welcome to KTC. It sound like you are serious about this and you are posting roll. ODAAT really is the key. Stay active here and keep updating your intro. It will help you and others. Keep going. Life without nicotine is beautiful.

[suthern_gntlman]

Brother...

I'm glad to see you putting some effort into your quit! Don't ever forget we are here for each other.

I know we have swapped digits, but make sure you get everyone else's. The stronger we bind together as a group the easier our quit will be.

I encourage you to keep writing in your introduction. Tell us about your ups and downs in your quit. Who knows, one day someone will wander in off of the street, read your material and decide to quit because of it!

I quit with you today!!

[Thumblewort]

Welcome kjack. I see you are posting roll. Congratulations on beginning your professional career, and on your decision to quit nicotine. I look forward to following you on KTC. Ten days on your own is badass.

I agree, a solo quit is badass, but now you don't have to do it alone! I quit with you today.

[RDB]

Welcome kjack. I see you are posting roll. Congratulations on beginning your professional career, and on your decision to quit nicotine. I look forward to following you on KTC. Ten days on your own is badass.

[kjack628]

I'm just about to wrap up Day 10 of my quit, and I thought I would introduce myself to the entire KTC community and give some background on how I got here (especially considering that I couldn't sleep because of some anxiety and serious craves).

I start dipping when I was about 17 years old. I, along with the rest of my high school baseball team, thought we were bad asses for dipping at practice and during the games. We failed to realize that we were in fact dumb asses. Well, I dipped off and on for about 3 years after that, and it then became a major part of my life for the past 5 years. I probably dipped about a half-can a day (sometimes more) during that 5 year period.

I met my wife about 6 years ago and while she never made it a make or break situation, she would often pressure me to stop quitting. Of course, I always had an excuse handy. I would tell her I needed it to cope with undergrad, then law school, then studying for/taking the bar exam. Now that all of that was behind me, it was at this point that I started to realize that I was out of excuses and that I was, and had been for awhile, an addict. I always knew that I had an addictive personality, but had never readily admitted to myself that I was addicted to the nic bitch.

A few weeks back, I kind of started to feel that I was at a crossroads. After a long road, I'm just about to begin my career. Was I going to be an addict for the rest of my life or kick this filthy fucking habit? On March 26, 2016, I decided to sack up and be done with this shit and I announced it to my wife. I took my last dip on that day and have been nic free since. I gotta say, it feels pretty god damned good.

Well, ya'll know how that first week is. It was pure hell. That led me to the internet and then to this website. Now, I usually like to take problems head-on by myself, but after reading through a lot of posts and articles on this website, I knew I needed some accountability to get through this. So, thank all of you for your insights and support. I look forward to a long journey together.

I'm honored to quit with all of you today.