Get Busy Livin or Get Busy Dyin

[bradf]

Day 46
My head has really been messing with me the last few weeks, guess that is what happens when you remove a poison that has been screwing with your brain for the last 21 years. Called and made an appointment with my doctor for next week to have a full physical and talk with him about the mental anxiety/roller coaster. I am really hoping that a good look under the hood and talking through some options for dealing with the anxiety can provide some relief and peace of mind.

On a different note, I am on solo dad duty this weekend since my wife is going to the mountains with some friends. Realized that my thoughts are focused on spending time with my kids and some of the other dads/kids and not on a nic bender like a weekend with my wife gone would have been in the past. Love the freedom to invest my time and energy into things that are actually important.

[Done4Me]

Day 37
Today was one of the more stressful days I can recall having in quite a while. Work really sucked today, owners son works at our company and is probably the most worthless, entitled, narcissistic, disruptive and general pain in the ass employee I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If any one of us could fire him, it would have been done years ago. Today he pressed and pressed every button he could, must have been his time of the month.

My new way of handling that stress, took a great walk at lunch. When I got back to my office I texted my wife requesting she run point with the kids this evening as my day has sucked. Really see how having her in my corner and being open with her about this journey is a huge benefit.

Up to this point in the day, the highlight was looking at the above mentioned employee upon returning from my walk and looking at him and greeting him with a "Howdy Trigger". I have found a great nickname for him.

Love this post. Nice work. Gotta get through the stress no matter what it takes, so why not do it with your middle finger in the air.

Just reread your whole intro Brad....great to see your wife is on board. I quit for me, but it's nice to have a crutch when things get rough. Can't help you with your bosses son....Nepotism has been pissing off people far longer than we've been around.

You're being nice calling him Trigger. Keep up the good quit Brad.

[bradf]

Anyone watch the Curt Schilling interview that was just on sportscenter? If not check it out, it's good stuff. Sounds like anyone of us sitting up there talking about how it was the first tho he thought of in the morning and the last thing he thought of at night.

Yes, I need to hear those messages because they make my quit stronger, but I hate to hear those messages because they make me think I didn't quit soon enough. Is there any research on odds of getting cancer decreasing once you quit dipping for certain amount of times. Such as not dipping for a year reduces your chance of getting cancer by 10%.

Here is the link for the interview with Curt Schilling - http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/i ... tle-cancer

Posted this today in my quit group, wanted to put it in my intro for easy finding also.

[Tuco]

Day 37
Today was one of the more stressful days I can recall having in quite a while. Work really sucked today, owners son works at our company and is probably the most worthless, entitled, narcissistic, disruptive and general pain in the ass employee I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If any one of us could fire him, it would have been done years ago. Today he pressed and pressed every button he could, must have been his time of the month.

My new way of handling that stress, took a great walk at lunch. When I got back to my office I texted my wife requesting she run point with the kids this evening as my day has sucked. Really see how having her in my corner and being open with her about this journey is a huge benefit.

Up to this point in the day, the highlight was looking at the above mentioned employee upon returning from my walk and looking at him and greeting him with a "Howdy Trigger". I have found a great nickname for him.

Right on! Way to stick it to "Spalding" there.

[Dagranger]

Day 37
Today was one of the more stressful days I can recall having in quite a while. Work really sucked today, owners son works at our company and is probably the most worthless, entitled, narcissistic, disruptive and general pain in the ass employee I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If any one of us could fire him, it would have been done years ago. Today he pressed and pressed every button he could, must have been his time of the month.

My new way of handling that stress, took a great walk at lunch. When I got back to my office I texted my wife requesting she run point with the kids this evening as my day has sucked. Really see how having her in my corner and being open with her about this journey is a huge benefit.

Up to this point in the day, the highlight was looking at the above mentioned employee upon returning from my walk and looking at him and greeting him with a "Howdy Trigger". I have found a great nickname for him.

Love this post. Nice work. Gotta get through the stress no matter what it takes, so why not do it with your middle finger in the air.

Just reread your whole intro Brad....great to see your wife is on board. I quit for me, but it's nice to have a crutch when things get rough. Can't help you with your bosses son....Nepotism has been pissing off people far longer than we've been around.

[G]

Day 37
Today was one of the more stressful days I can recall having in quite a while. Work really sucked today, owners son works at our company and is probably the most worthless, entitled, narcissistic, disruptive and general pain in the ass employee I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If any one of us could fire him, it would have been done years ago. Today he pressed and pressed every button he could, must have been his time of the month.

My new way of handling that stress, took a great walk at lunch. When I got back to my office I texted my wife requesting she run point with the kids this evening as my day has sucked. Really see how having her in my corner and being open with her about this journey is a huge benefit.

Up to this point in the day, the highlight was looking at the above mentioned employee upon returning from my walk and looking at him and greeting him with a "Howdy Trigger". I have found a great nickname for him.

Love this post. Nice work. Gotta get through the stress no matter what it takes, so why not do it with your middle finger in the air.

[bradf]

Day 37
Today was one of the more stressful days I can recall having in quite a while. Work really sucked today, owners son works at our company and is probably the most worthless, entitled, narcissistic, disruptive and general pain in the ass employee I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If any one of us could fire him, it would have been done years ago. Today he pressed and pressed every button he could, must have been his time of the month.

My new way of handling that stress, took a great walk at lunch. When I got back to my office I texted my wife requesting she run point with the kids this evening as my day has sucked. Really see how having her in my corner and being open with her about this journey is a huge benefit.

Up to this point in the day, the highlight was looking at the above mentioned employee upon returning from my walk and looking at him and greeting him with a "Howdy Trigger". I have found a great nickname for him.

[bradf]

Day 32
Just got back from a stop by my dentist's office. Although there was nothing specific I was having him check out, it feels great to get a clean checkup under the belt. Since Friday is his day off, he was not in a hurry and we had a great conversation regarding quitting, oral health, things I can do and his professional opinion. So here is the short list for me to remember and pass along some info to others :

1) Keep quit, it is the BEST thing for my health
2) No issues now is a great thing, doesn't mean that will always be the case. That being said, he stated that typically there will be a warning sign while still using (i.e. white patches on gums). Everyday of quit and clean health, the risks decrease greatly.
3) He "prescribed" me to go see a counselor and work on how to keep progressing and recovering. His professional opinion is that mental side of addiction is a VERY TOUGH battle.
4) Being open and honest with your dentist/doctor is extremely beneficial. The more info they have the better. He told me that other than a thorough exam, there is not a reliable test they use for oral cancer. For him to know where to look more closely, he stated is a plus.
5) Nothing wrong or expensive with stopping in every three months for quick checkup. Keep an eye on everything in between and if something comes up that does not heal in two weeks, GO SEE YOUR DENTIST. The earlier an issue is addressed the better.

The only downside of the stop, since his office was closed there were no hygienists working that needed to be leaning over you while they work and he has a great eye at selecting talented employees.

[Done4Me]

Day 31

Reread my post from day 23 about my mouth hurting and feeling raw. This aspect of quitting has seriously been screwing with my head the last few days anytime I brush my teeth, look in my mouth, drink, eat, chew gum, etc. While there is not one specific thing that is bothering or concerning me, the anxiety/fear is as real as anything I have every experienced in that realm and probably more mentally consuming than any craving I have had in the last week.

Put in a call to my dentist (who is also a good friend), he is going to have me come in off the books in the next day or two in the evening to give everything a thorough exam. He tried to ease my fears when we talked, as I just had my 6 month checkup back in June and everything was good then. Will update in the next few days once I am able to get some peace of mind.

Brad - My go to oral replacement has been gum. First month it was eclipse then I started changing it up. I was chewing on avg 18 pieces a day for the first 30 days. I've lessened it since then and am chewing maybe 4 times a day? Right around the same time for yu I had all kinds of weirdness going on in my mouth and mostly the tongue. Felt like someone had cut tiny slices or stabbed it 100 times with a toothpick. That's when I changed up gum. Think it was gum with sorbitol as a sweetener that caused it. Check it out on webmd.

[bradf]

Day 31

Reread my post from day 23 about my mouth hurting and feeling raw. This aspect of quitting has seriously been screwing with my head the last few days anytime I brush my teeth, look in my mouth, drink, eat, chew gum, etc. While there is not one specific thing that is bothering or concerning me, the anxiety/fear is as real as anything I have every experienced in that realm and probably more mentally consuming than any craving I have had in the last week.

Put in a call to my dentist (who is also a good friend), he is going to have me come in off the books in the next day or two in the evening to give everything a thorough exam. He tried to ease my fears when we talked, as I just had my 6 month checkup back in June and everything was good then. Will update in the next few days once I am able to get some peace of mind.

[G]

Brad, we have the same quit date. I thought it was interesting that you noted long intense craves the last few days, because I experienced the same thing. Monday and Tuesday in particular. I was very surprised because they were so intense. Mine have calmed down quite a bit (starting today) and I'm hoping there's not too much of that in the future for us, but I know there will be plenty of challenges. Hang in there, we got this. My Costco pack of Trident is running low, and I'm pretty sure I've gained at least 5 pounds, but I don't care. Quit with you today.

Same quit date? Well, you two just became quit buddies. Swap numbers. Look for each other on roll call and sound an alarm if one of you hasn't posted at the normal time.

Brad, I hope your team loses every single game they play this year. Welcome to the site, man.

Check out our college football pool and join us for some extra accountability. topic/10479945/1/?x=35#new

Wishing that a man's team lose every single game is like wishing his dog to die. In the case of my team, it would be a sickly dog that might need to be put down. 'Remshot'

Ha. They'll be back at some point. It's cyclical. I remember 98 when I was so excited for my number 4 dawgs taking on number 5 vols. Gameday was in town. Great atmosphere. Manning was off to the NFL, so our junkyard D was gonna welcome this new kid to the sec starting role. We were in a drought against the vols having lost like 7 in a row going back to Shuler days. T Martin lead the vols to victory and I had to walk by the ut fans in sanford stadium still whooping it up yelling "over-rated" and holding up signs that just said "8" for 8 victories in a row. I really, really, really hate all things orange.

[bradf]

Brad, we have the same quit date. I thought it was interesting that you noted long intense craves the last few days, because I experienced the same thing. Monday and Tuesday in particular. I was very surprised because they were so intense. Mine have calmed down quite a bit (starting today) and I'm hoping there's not too much of that in the future for us, but I know there will be plenty of challenges. Hang in there, we got this. My Costco pack of Trident is running low, and I'm pretty sure I've gained at least 5 pounds, but I don't care. Quit with you today.

Same quit date? Well, you two just became quit buddies. Swap numbers. Look for each other on roll call and sound an alarm if one of you hasn't posted at the normal time.

Brad, I hope your team loses every single game they play this year. Welcome to the site, man.

Check out our college football pool and join us for some extra accountability. topic/10479945/1/?x=35#new

Wishing that a man's team lose every single game is like wishing his dog to die. In the case of my team, it would be a sickly dog that might need to be put down. 'Remshot'

[G]

Brad, we have the same quit date. I thought it was interesting that you noted long intense craves the last few days, because I experienced the same thing. Monday and Tuesday in particular. I was very surprised because they were so intense. Mine have calmed down quite a bit (starting today) and I'm hoping there's not too much of that in the future for us, but I know there will be plenty of challenges. Hang in there, we got this. My Costco pack of Trident is running low, and I'm pretty sure I've gained at least 5 pounds, but I don't care. Quit with you today.

Same quit date? Well, you two just became quit buddies. Swap numbers. Look for each other on roll call and sound an alarm if one of you hasn't posted at the normal time.

Brad, I hope your team loses every single game they play this year. Welcome to the site, man.

Check out our college football pool and join us for some extra accountability. topic/10479945/1/?x=35#new

[Gabriel]

Brad, we have the same quit date. I thought it was interesting that you noted long intense craves the last few days, because I experienced the same thing. Monday and Tuesday in particular. I was very surprised because they were so intense. Mine have calmed down quite a bit (starting today) and I'm hoping there's not too much of that in the future for us, but I know there will be plenty of challenges. Hang in there, we got this. My Costco pack of Trident is running low, and I'm pretty sure I've gained at least 5 pounds, but I don't care. Quit with you today.

[bradf]

Day 23
Been having some serious, long, deep, intense craves the last few days. Today felt like smooth sailing compared to them. Having the network to text and reach out with is huge and has been helpful for me in those circumstances. After seeing some drama the last few days surrounding guys caving and then own up that they did not utilize the tool of their brothers, makes me scratch my head asking why don't we learn from those before us.

Also, in regards to the oral fixation angle of quitting, damn my mouth is raw/hurts. I think it feels worse than I ever remember when dipping. Bought some sunflower seeds yesterday and they have done a number on my mouth. Probably need to chill on the Trident as well, the edges of my tongue feel like I burned it eating hot soup. Not surprised after reading all the info, but damn this is for the birds.