Tracking my thoughts on “fake chew”….So, 21 days into my quit and I am having outrageous oral fixation issues. I constantly have the desire to put something, ANYTHING into my mouth. I am eating more, and am chewing trident until my jaw hurts. So on my way home last night, I stopped at the Chevron and bought some Smokey Mountain fake dip (1 can of “straight” and 1 can of “arctic ice”.)
I sat there in the car turning the cans over in my hands and reading the ingredients listÂ…includes molasses, artificial coloring, kudzu root, corn silk, etc. I slit the labels with my thumbnail (just like I did with my cans of Cope long cut) and popped open the lids on both cans. The stuff was webby and looked like shit. It smelledÂ…well, like it might pass muster, but I still didnÂ’t put a pinch in.
I put the cans into my briefcase and drove the rest of the way home and thought about this some more. After I got home, I realized I could not bring myself to put this fake chew inÂ…WhyÂ…?
1) Although it’s not nicotine….just the act of purchasing the cans, the familiar routine opening of a “tin”, the potential act of putting a pinch into my lower lip…are far too close to the real thing. When I signed on to quit dip, I also wanted to leave behind many of those dangerous mannerisms or precursors to actual chewing. For me, duplicating those pre-dip behaviors may increase the likelihood of a cave with the real thing.
2) If I had dipped this fake chew, I would have to ninja dip it. I have told everyone around me (my family first and foremost) about my quit. However if they see brown shit in my lip, they would assume I caved to the real thing. So, every social interaction would, therefore, have to include a mandatory explanation and justification of how this is “fake chew” and how it doesn’t contain any nicotine, etc. etc. Having that conversation would just be a pain in the ass. Also, one of the things I’m escaping with this quit is the act of ninja dipping itself! I hated the hiding aspect of it all. Fake dip would lead me right back there.
3) Fake chew is loaded with molasses and artificial coloringsÂ…both contributors to either tooth decay or staining. Neither of these are appealing. As mentioned above, when I quit chew, I sought to leave behind as many undesirable qualities as I could. Luckily I havenÂ’t lost any teeth yet, and I want to do everything I can to keep it that way. The dentist will give me his opinion next week.
4) Gum recession: I have moderate to severe gum recession in two locations where I used to place my Cope. Putting fake dip in my mouth would possibly aggravate that recession further. Sure, there is no nicotine to suck the oxygen out of my gums, nor poison or toxins to shrink themÂ…but stillÂ…fake dip is a foreign, grainy material wedged against the gums. This certainly wouldnÂ’t help the recession issue, and could cause irritation to sensitive and healing gums. Why even risk it.
5) Money: While fake chew is cheaper than the real thing, why should I spend $7 or $8 a day on this new version of an old addiction? It would be like saying youÂ’ve quit drinking beer, but then go out and drink a 12-pack of OÂ’douls every night.
Fake chew is probably controversial, and certainly is a matter of personal preference. So if it works for you, great. But for me, itÂ’s something that cannot be part of my quit. IÂ’ve tossed both cans of Smokey Mountain into the trash, and will stick with gobs of sugarless trident as the lesser of two evils.
Quit on brothers and sisters.
