General Discussion - 2019

[Skolvikings]

Disappointing to see this headline:
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/tobacco-use-teens-soars-erasing-past-progress-cdc-says-n970321

Fucking Epidemic.

[Idaho Spuds]

Disappointing to see this headline:
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/tobacco-use-teens-soars-erasing-past-progress-cdc-says-n970321

[BrianG]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

I was the same way. Early in my quit, viewed fake dip as sort of a crutch that needed to be dealt with.

But then I considered the alternative. I've often said that I'd rather chew a can of fake every day for the rest of my life than to ever throw in another dip of Kodiak. So I decided then and there that I'd chew as much fake as necessary.

And I did. All day, every day... until one day I didn't. For me, that was around the 200 day mark but there came a day where I just didn't want it  or need it any more. I just didn't reach for it any longer.

My suggestion, not that you were looking for one, would be to keep using the fake as often as you need it. At day 76 you've still got some really shitty days ahead of you, even prior to hitting 100. We refer to this as 'the funk'. Day 80 - 90 can be REALLY bad for some folks. Will you need the fake? Who knows. But why take that tool out of your tool belt?

If you're a year in and you're still stuffing your face with fake then maybe you readdress it then. Or maybe you don't. But if you DO choose to tackle the 'habit' part at least you'll be far better equipped to handle it at day 365 then you are at day 76.

My two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Either way, damn proud to be quit with you today.

Chewie

Thank you Chewie. Always appreciate the experience of others and the wise counsel of those before me. I'm going to play it by feel. See how it goes. Maybe I'll buy a can of fake, keep it around and not use it. Kind of like a fire extinguisher or first aid kit.

I started to wean off my peppermint chewing gum around day 70.  I was kind of in cruise control and my quit was going good.  As soon as I dropped that oral fixation, I started to get intense craves and went into the Funk for almost 3 weeks.  I think the only thing that pulled me out was excitement about nearing HOF.  I agree with Chewie just focus on no nicotine.

Thanks for the thoughts and experience. Bought some fake snuff for backup.

I am on Day 401 today.  I still carry a can of Smoky Mountain wintergreen in my truck, but I honestly haven't touched the stuff in forever. 

Way back I used to chew the fake almost every day.  Then I just started using it less and less for some unknown reason.  At some point I realized that my mouth was really starting to heal from all the decades of tobacco abuse.  And the less I used the fake stuff the better the inside of my mouth would feel.  So, that kind of added a little extra incentive for me to not use the fake very often.

I honestly don't see anything wrong with using the fake stuff.  My feeling has always been that if you truly want to quit you will find a way to quit.  The fake stuff can be a very useful tool, especially early on in your quit when you are still trying to overcome the habit aspect of the nicotine delivery mechanism.   

My experience with the fake dip (Smokey Mountain) mirrors kybo's post to the tee.  Early on, I would use the fake stuff everyday and just thought I would use it forever.  Without even trying or thinking about it, I just slowed my use of it.  I usually have some available in the truck or at work, but I just dont use it.  My point is, use what works right now.  Worry about tomorrow when it gets here.  The main thing is to be quit for good and whatever helps in that goal is an asset and not a liability.  BrianG 755 days of freedom....

[kybo]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

I was the same way. Early in my quit, viewed fake dip as sort of a crutch that needed to be dealt with.

But then I considered the alternative. I've often said that I'd rather chew a can of fake every day for the rest of my life than to ever throw in another dip of Kodiak. So I decided then and there that I'd chew as much fake as necessary.

And I did. All day, every day... until one day I didn't. For me, that was around the 200 day mark but there came a day where I just didn't want it  or need it any more. I just didn't reach for it any longer.

My suggestion, not that you were looking for one, would be to keep using the fake as often as you need it. At day 76 you've still got some really shitty days ahead of you, even prior to hitting 100. We refer to this as 'the funk'. Day 80 - 90 can be REALLY bad for some folks. Will you need the fake? Who knows. But why take that tool out of your tool belt?

If you're a year in and you're still stuffing your face with fake then maybe you readdress it then. Or maybe you don't. But if you DO choose to tackle the 'habit' part at least you'll be far better equipped to handle it at day 365 then you are at day 76.

My two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Either way, damn proud to be quit with you today.

Chewie

Thank you Chewie. Always appreciate the experience of others and the wise counsel of those before me. I'm going to play it by feel. See how it goes. Maybe I'll buy a can of fake, keep it around and not use it. Kind of like a fire extinguisher or first aid kit.

I started to wean off my peppermint chewing gum around day 70.  I was kind of in cruise control and my quit was going good.  As soon as I dropped that oral fixation, I started to get intense craves and went into the Funk for almost 3 weeks.  I think the only thing that pulled me out was excitement about nearing HOF.  I agree with Chewie just focus on no nicotine.

Thanks for the thoughts and experience. Bought some fake snuff for backup.

I am on Day 401 today.  I still carry a can of Smoky Mountain wintergreen in my truck, but I honestly haven't touched the stuff in forever. 

Way back I used to chew the fake almost every day.  Then I just started using it less and less for some unknown reason.  At some point I realized that my mouth was really starting to heal from all the decades of tobacco abuse.  And the less I used the fake stuff the better the inside of my mouth would feel.  So, that kind of added a little extra incentive for me to not use the fake very often.

I honestly don't see anything wrong with using the fake stuff.  My feeling has always been that if you truly want to quit you will find a way to quit.  The fake stuff can be a very useful tool, especially early on in your quit when you are still trying to overcome the habit aspect of the nicotine delivery mechanism.   

[OilnGas]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

I was the same way. Early in my quit, viewed fake dip as sort of a crutch that needed to be dealt with.

But then I considered the alternative. I've often said that I'd rather chew a can of fake every day for the rest of my life than to ever throw in another dip of Kodiak. So I decided then and there that I'd chew as much fake as necessary.

And I did. All day, every day... until one day I didn't. For me, that was around the 200 day mark but there came a day where I just didn't want it  or need it any more. I just didn't reach for it any longer.

My suggestion, not that you were looking for one, would be to keep using the fake as often as you need it. At day 76 you've still got some really shitty days ahead of you, even prior to hitting 100. We refer to this as 'the funk'. Day 80 - 90 can be REALLY bad for some folks. Will you need the fake? Who knows. But why take that tool out of your tool belt?

If you're a year in and you're still stuffing your face with fake then maybe you readdress it then. Or maybe you don't. But if you DO choose to tackle the 'habit' part at least you'll be far better equipped to handle it at day 365 then you are at day 76.

My two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Either way, damn proud to be quit with you today.

Chewie

Thank you Chewie. Always appreciate the experience of others and the wise counsel of those before me. I'm going to play it by feel. See how it goes. Maybe I'll buy a can of fake, keep it around and not use it. Kind of like a fire extinguisher or first aid kit.

I started to wean off my peppermint chewing gum around day 70.  I was kind of in cruise control and my quit was going good.  As soon as I dropped that oral fixation, I started to get intense craves and went into the Funk for almost 3 weeks.  I think the only thing that pulled me out was excitement about nearing HOF.  I agree with Chewie just focus on no nicotine.

Thanks for the thoughts and experience. Bought some fake snuff for backup.

[oldschool]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

I was the same way. Early in my quit, viewed fake dip as sort of a crutch that needed to be dealt with.

But then I considered the alternative. I've often said that I'd rather chew a can of fake every day for the rest of my life than to ever throw in another dip of Kodiak. So I decided then and there that I'd chew as much fake as necessary.

And I did. All day, every day... until one day I didn't. For me, that was around the 200 day mark but there came a day where I just didn't want it  or need it any more. I just didn't reach for it any longer.

My suggestion, not that you were looking for one, would be to keep using the fake as often as you need it. At day 76 you've still got some really shitty days ahead of you, even prior to hitting 100. We refer to this as 'the funk'. Day 80 - 90 can be REALLY bad for some folks. Will you need the fake? Who knows. But why take that tool out of your tool belt?

If you're a year in and you're still stuffing your face with fake then maybe you readdress it then. Or maybe you don't. But if you DO choose to tackle the 'habit' part at least you'll be far better equipped to handle it at day 365 then you are at day 76.

My two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Either way, damn proud to be quit with you today.

Chewie

Thank you Chewie. Always appreciate the experience of others and the wise counsel of those before me. I'm going to play it by feel. See how it goes. Maybe I'll buy a can of fake, keep it around and not use it. Kind of like a fire extinguisher or first aid kit.

I started to wean off my peppermint chewing gum around day 70.  I was kind of in cruise control and my quit was going good.  As soon as I dropped that oral fixation, I started to get intense craves and went into the Funk for almost 3 weeks.  I think the only thing that pulled me out was excitement about nearing HOF.  I agree with Chewie just focus on no nicotine.

[DonkeyMN]

If you like seeds; Tapatio Chile Limon are worth trying!!!

I was a junkie for Davids Sweet and Spicy seeds!!!

[Idaho Spuds]

If you like seeds; Tapatio Chile Limon are worth trying!!!

[Idaho Spuds]

How much did you work out before?  I think quitting chewing is mental retraining as much as anything else, your body and mind are struggling with the new you.  Push hard with a training partner and see if you can break through, getting out of breath can be scary but also once you are used to it, less and less.  And another good reminder that Nic/Chew wouldn't help this at all. QLF
ID

Has anyone experienced shortness of breath as a symptom of quitting? Its been 3 weeks today and I have shortness of breath off and on throughout the day. I tried working out yesterday and had to stop after a few minutes of warming up because i had a hard time catching my breath. I'm not dizzy or anything like that and I don't fee like i need to go to the ER or anything but I really want to know if this could be a symptom of withdrawals. Thanks guys

I was about a 1/2 a day but probably had a dip in 10 hours total per day for 19 years or so.

Jmeat

[jmeat]

Has anyone experienced shortness of breath as a symptom of quitting? Its been 3 weeks today and I have shortness of breath off and on throughout the day. I tried working out yesterday and had to stop after a few minutes of warming up because i had a hard time catching my breath. I'm not dizzy or anything like that and I don't fee like i need to go to the ER or anything but I really want to know if this could be a symptom of withdrawals. Thanks guys

I was about a 1/2 a day but probably had a dip in 10 hours total per day for 19 years or so.

Jmeat

[OilnGas]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

I was the same way. Early in my quit, viewed fake dip as sort of a crutch that needed to be dealt with.

But then I considered the alternative. I've often said that I'd rather chew a can of fake every day for the rest of my life than to ever throw in another dip of Kodiak. So I decided then and there that I'd chew as much fake as necessary.

And I did. All day, every day... until one day I didn't. For me, that was around the 200 day mark but there came a day where I just didn't want it  or need it any more. I just didn't reach for it any longer.

My suggestion, not that you were looking for one, would be to keep using the fake as often as you need it. At day 76 you've still got some really shitty days ahead of you, even prior to hitting 100. We refer to this as 'the funk'. Day 80 - 90 can be REALLY bad for some folks. Will you need the fake? Who knows. But why take that tool out of your tool belt?

If you're a year in and you're still stuffing your face with fake then maybe you readdress it then. Or maybe you don't. But if you DO choose to tackle the 'habit' part at least you'll be far better equipped to handle it at day 365 then you are at day 76.

My two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Either way, damn proud to be quit with you today.

Chewie

Thank you Chewie. Always appreciate the experience of others and the wise counsel of those before me. I'm going to play it by feel. See how it goes. Maybe I'll buy a can of fake, keep it around and not use it. Kind of like a fire extinguisher or first aid kit.

[chewie]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

I was the same way. Early in my quit, viewed fake dip as sort of a crutch that needed to be dealt with.

But then I considered the alternative. I've often said that I'd rather chew a can of fake every day for the rest of my life than to ever throw in another dip of Kodiak. So I decided then and there that I'd chew as much fake as necessary.

And I did. All day, every day... until one day I didn't. For me, that was around the 200 day mark but there came a day where I just didn't want it  or need it any more. I just didn't reach for it any longer.

My suggestion, not that you were looking for one, would be to keep using the fake as often as you need it. At day 76 you've still got some really shitty days ahead of you, even prior to hitting 100. We refer to this as 'the funk'. Day 80 - 90 can be REALLY bad for some folks. Will you need the fake? Who knows. But why take that tool out of your tool belt?

If you're a year in and you're still stuffing your face with fake then maybe you readdress it then. Or maybe you don't. But if you DO choose to tackle the 'habit' part at least you'll be far better equipped to handle it at day 365 then you are at day 76.

My two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Either way, damn proud to be quit with you today.

Chewie

[OilnGas]

So I'm into day 76 of my quit and so far so good. Once passed a couple weeks I've only had a couple of brief transient craves. I've made good use of fake snuff by way of Smokey Mountain which I know has helped tremendously. However I have a problem using fake snuff in that it preserves the ritual part of dipping.
So I finished my last can of fake snuff yesterday. I hope I'm not screwing up here. Any kind of triggers and I won't have anything to reach for. I do feel it is important to not only beat the physical addiction but mental and emotional too. It is kind of like taking the training wheels off the bicycle for the first time.

Anyone else who has gone this route have any words of wisdom?

[OilnGas]

We’ll... here I am again. I quit in 2005 for 12 years. October 2017, I wasn’t really even craving, I was just in a store and bought a can. Then another... you know the story.

If you’re new in here, like me, don’t be discouraged about my fail. After that time, it wasn’t hard to stay quit. I was stupid. I can testify that 99.99% of the 12 years between quit and cave I didn’t even think about snuff. I just lived.

But here I am again. I’ve been trying to re-quit for about the past month. I’d get a few hours or a day and cave again. I was a part of a very similar forum back when I quit the first time, and it was awesome so I came back (if any of the old F-tards are still around, I was staringatthewalls).

I’m reading the posts, and I’m scared of the pain. I’m scared because I know that the can was how I dealt with pain, and now that’s gone. I’m gearing up for 1 second at a time. I just spit out my last dip. Day 1 is tomorrow.

I’m a Christian, a pastor as a matter of fact, so I’ve got my “higher power” in order, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you guys in the May 2019 group. I’m still having a bit of trouble figuring out how to navigate and find the board for my group, so any help is appreciated.

Thanks for being a community where I can walk through this with others. I appreciate the support, and hope to lend it as well.

Warm welcome! Your story is a warning for us all. You can and will quit again.

[arrakisdq]

We’ll... here I am again. I quit in 2005 for 12 years. October 2017, I wasn’t really even craving, I was just in a store and bought a can. Then another... you know the story.

If you’re new in here, like me, don’t be discouraged about my fail. After that time, it wasn’t hard to stay quit. I was stupid. I can testify that 99.99% of the 12 years between quit and cave I didn’t even think about snuff. I just lived.

But here I am again. I’ve been trying to re-quit for about the past month. I’d get a few hours or a day and cave again. I was a part of a very similar forum back when I quit the first time, and it was awesome so I came back (if any of the old F-tards are still around, I was staringatthewalls).

I’m reading the posts, and I’m scared of the pain. I’m scared because I know that the can was how I dealt with pain, and now that’s gone. I’m gearing up for 1 second at a time. I just spit out my last dip. Day 1 is tomorrow.

I’m a Christian, a pastor as a matter of fact, so I’ve got my “higher power” in order, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you guys in the May 2019 group. I’m still having a bit of trouble figuring out how to navigate and find the board for my group, so any help is appreciated.

Thanks for being a community where I can walk through this with others. I appreciate the support, and hope to lend it as well.

Welcome 2ndTimeAround, and welcome back!  Your May 19 group can be found here in there you will find the instructions on how to post roll there.