Ditching the Dip

[BackofBeyond]

I've dipped or smoked or both for over 30 years. I've tried quitting multiple times - the patches always fell off from sweat, Chantix put me in a really dark place mentally, and cold turkey just got me no where fast. I'd resigned myself to being a life long dipper - consequences be damned. The pain of dipping wasn't more than the pain of quitting, so the mental math just didn't work out for me and my motivation.

Now I've got a 2.5 y/o mini-me running around reflecting many of the good parts of me, but also many of my bad habits. I've found because of him I talk softer to the dog, I help out much more around the house, I bring flowers home for mommy much more than just on our anniversary. So last week when he pantomimed pulling a can out of his back pocket, opening it, putting something in his mouth, and putting the can back I knew it was time to make another big change.

A buddy of mine recently got himself free using these Zyn packets. It's a nicotine replacement, but tobacco free. It worked for Rich, and he spoke highly of them, so I'm giving them a go. Been three days since my last dip, and so far so good. My buddy did the Zyn over 5 months - 3 months with the more potent 6 mg, then another 2 months on the less potent 3 mg. That's my plan too. Come January 1, I'll be off the Zyn as well.

How about y'all? Any other ex-dipper/ex-smokers out there? How'd you quit? What worked, what didn't?

 

[Nick87]

Cold turkey about 2 months ago. So far so good. I've also got 2 little ones that are starting to copy everything I do.

 

[Muleyfanatic]

Following
Been dipping way too long myself. Cost alone anymore is starting to be more of a motivator.

 

[kylemcintyre67]

Good luck to you and stay strong. For me I was finally able to kick the tobacco habit when I was 28. I had tried and failed to quit multiple times over the years. Some stressful event always brought me back to it. When my first wife left me and I spent the better part of 3 years in that pit of depression I started smoking so much that I eventually grossed myself out. Found myself standing on my back porch totally repulsed by the idea of taking another drag. Put that one out and ignored the rest of the carton in the freezer for 6 months until I moved out of that place. Never really had the desire after that. Even the occasional cigar these days just tastes gross.

 

[jejack26]

Been trying to quit for really over 40 years. Really haven't chewed for last 5, but my damn 26 y.o. son chews, and I regret that. My main motivation is trying to get him to quit. Zyn packets helped, but they were hard to quit.good luck, quit before your son is old enough to mimic the habit

 

[brockel]

Quit my can a day of Copenhagen 5 or 6 years ago. When I decided to quit I went on a week long elk hunting trip by myself and didn’t take a roll with me. Crabbiest week of elk hunting I’ve ever had but it worked. Squirrels looked at me wrong and I’d flip on them. Still crave it every so often. Just last week woke up in the morning REALLY craving one

 

[Rzrbck918]

I've dipped or smoked or both for over 30 years. I've tried quitting multiple times - the patches always fell off from sweat, Chantix put me in a really dark place mentally, and cold turkey just got me no where fast. I'd resigned myself to being a life long dipper - consequences be damned. The pain of dipping wasn't more than the pain of quitting, so the mental math just didn't work out for me and my motivation.

Now I've got a 2.5 y/o mini-me running around reflecting many of the good parts of me, but also many of my bad habits. I've found because of him I talk softer to the dog, I help out much more around the house, I bring flowers home for mommy much more than just on our anniversary. So last week when he pantomimed pulling a can out of his back pocket, opening it, putting something in his mouth, and putting the can back I knew it was time to make another big change.

A buddy of mine recently got himself free using these Zyn packets. It's a nicotine replacement, but tobacco free. It worked for Rich, and he spoke highly of them, so I'm giving them a go. Been three days since my last dip, and so far so good. My buddy did the Zyn over 5 months - 3 months with the more potent 6 mg, then another 2 months on the less potent 3 mg. That's my plan too. Come January 1, I'll be off the Zyn as well.

How about y'all? Any other ex-dipper/ex-smokers out there? How'd you quit? What worked, what didn't?

Nicotine gum and exercise worked for me. I also had to stop going to the gas station I always went to. I soon as I walked in they asked whether I wanted one or two.

 

[JEL]

Quit my can a day of Copenhagen 5 or 6 years ago. When I decided to quit I went on a week long elk hunting trip by myself and didn’t take a roll with me. Crabbiest week of elk hunting I’ve ever had but it worked. Squirrels looked at me wrong and I’d flip on them. Still crave it every so often. Just last week woke up in the morning REALLY craving one

Pretty amazing how that nicotine gets a hold of you. I quit 30 years ago and still have times where your mind says damn a chew would be good. Usually triggered by hunting, harvest or drinking for me.

 

[Straight Arrow]

I've dipped or smoked or both for over 30 years. I've tried quitting multiple times - the patches always fell off from sweat, Chantix put me in a really dark place mentally, and cold turkey just got me no where fast. I'd resigned myself to being a life long dipper - consequences be damned. The pain of dipping wasn't more than the pain of quitting, so the mental math just didn't work out for me and my motivation.

Now I've got a 2.5 y/o mini-me running around reflecting many of the good parts of me, but also many of my bad habits. I've found because of him I talk softer to the dog, I help out much more around the house, I bring flowers home for mommy much more than just on our anniversary. So last week when he pantomimed pulling a can out of his back pocket, opening it, putting something in his mouth, and putting the can back I knew it was time to make another big change.

A buddy of mine recently got himself free using these Zyn packets. It's a nicotine replacement, but tobacco free. It worked for Rich, and he spoke highly of them, so I'm giving them a go. Been three days since my last dip, and so far so good. My buddy did the Zyn over 5 months - 3 months with the more potent 6 mg, then another 2 months on the less potent 3 mg. That's my plan too. Come January 1, I'll be off the Zyn as well.

How about y'all? Any other ex-dipper/ex-smokers out there? How'd you quit? What worked, what didn't?

Much like you, my daughter telling me to quit as a tot and my son running up the mountain while I paused and panted, plus just knowing of detrimental effects which manifested in cancer for my dad and brother, all caused me to quit smoking about fifty years ago. I smoked two packs a day in Vietnam and at least half that afterwards.
Smoked so many at a holiday party that my throat hurt and I vowed to quit the next day ... 'haven't smoked since. Cold turkey with strong commitment.
At 76 yrs young, I can out-hike my son, I run a few races, and easily still hunt the steep elk slopes. I'm a wimp ... so if I can do it, YOU GOT THIS!!!

 

[BackofBeyond]

Following
Been dipping way too long myself. Cost alone anymore is starting to be more of a motivator.

I hear ya. They just jacked up the tax again here, so it was damn near $7/can. Far cry from the $2.50/can it was when I started... Plus I recently changed companies, and went from company provided life insurance to nothing offered... the $200/mo life insurance premiums compared to my wife's $35/mo really bit.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I don't know if you're a beer drinker or not, but I had to quit alcohol for awhile to quit tobacco. I'd do really good sober, but then have a few drinks on a Friday night and the urge was to high. I had to go cold turkey on both booze and tobacco for it to stick.

 

[Salmonchaser]

I started at 14, quit three years ago at 62. Every month I put 150.00 in a jar, saving for another rifle. For me it was all about motivation, and I like #1s

 

[appaloosa]

Gave up the dip cold turkey about 12 years ago. None of the other gimmicks worked for me, I was on and off the wagon for years before I finally gave it up. I will say, there are few days that go by that I don't feel a craving, but they pass. You just have to know going in that you can never touch it again, not even one, cause that is where it starts. Once you accept that and make it your mission, you can do it.

 

[JLS]

Cold turkey last November, after “quitting” periodically prior to that.

 

[MThuntr]

I never could chew...instant urge to puke. The few friends who quit chew/smoke had to quit the friends that also chew/smoke to kick it...was too easy for them to bum a dip with a buddy that constantly carries a can. 1 friend that still chews somehow only does it while fishing and this year with the terrible water conditions has nearly quit. Plus the like $6 cans are starting to bug him.

I used to sneak smokes when drinking...took a move across the state to completely quit bumming them because I don't have friends that smoke to bum from. Tried to have a cigar on the 4th and couldn't do it for more than 5 minutes before I started getting sick.

 

[44hunter45]

Here brother. You CAN quit.

I dipped the hard stuff from about age 17 until last year at age 58. After a year I still want it. It gets easier as time goes by. For the first month, my truck wanted to drive in to the Smoke Shop by itself, then it started to ease up.

It becomes situational. You want it bad when you are heading to the woods or fishing. That was usually when I fell off the wagon.

I had quit multiple times over years. Finally for good. I was buying a roll week at the end. The money I've saved in round cans and the tobacco surcharge for my health insurance is helping to pay for my Alaska hunting trip this month.

After over a year, I still have a momentary cancer scare every time I get sore gums after dinner.

First advice I can give you is if you are hiding it around the house, stop pretending. 40 years of it for me and everyone in the house knew, but we all pretended not to notice.
One of the triggers for me was that my granddaughter got to be around ten Y.O. and refused to ignore it.

Second is give momma permission to put the smack on you over it. When Mrs45 understood I seriously wanted to stop for good, she became my best ally. She started by asking me every evening if I had made it through the day. Not nagging, just asking how it went. I really did not want to tell her I had not.

It is true what they say about weight gain after quitting. I had dropped about 45 pounds before I quit and have fought to keep it off. In some ways I replaced my dip habit with 3 Musketeer's bars. Now weaning off of this, too.

Ditto what others are saying. You can quit and having kids is the best reason.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Cold turkey two years ago on smokes. I had a bout of pancreatitis and in researching the issue, I discovered that you are 500% more likely to get pancreatic cancer after a bout of pancreatitis if you smoke.

I started in 7th grade when we found three cartons of smokes behind the Albertsons. Tried to quit several times throughout my 30's, but always went back. The pain of pancreatitis and the increased risk seem to have been the ticket I needed. I miss it everyday, but not enough to die a slow, painful death.

Keep what's important forefront. That kid is your motivation. If you need someone to vent to or to help with some tough words, hit me up on PM. It's worth quitting.

 

[MT Bound]

yep been there done that. Same thing got me to quit, a little toddler hopping around the house. That was a long long time ago and I'm so glad I quit way back when. It took about 2 years of on-again off-again quitting to finally get it done. Every once in a while I still have a dream that I've got a dip in, when I wake up I'm so glad I don't do it anymore.

Do it, you'll be glad you did in the long run

 

[Ridgerunner6901]

I grew up on a burley tobacco farm, spent countless hours working in it summer through January when we finally finished grading and baling it. I was addicted before I even knew what nicotine was, dipped, smoked, chewed, sometimes a pipe, sometimes a cigar, probably tried it every way besides holding it between my toes. After several failed attempts at quitting I was told bluntly I could quit or start taking blood pressure medication, so I bought may last tobacco on the day before memorial day in 2016, and didn't buy any more. At times I think would still fight a litter of rabid skunks for a can of snuff but im never going to do it again. And that's how you quit, you decide you are done and don't buy anymore. Period.

 

[hank4elk]

I quit chewing many years ago,45. Never smoked til I quit drinking 35 yrs ago. Quit that cold after a couple years. Funny I started again when I moved here and got away from everything 12 yrs ago. Nervous habit.
Last thing I need to be doing and about to just chuck it again.
Funny I never smoked/used til I was 25 or so. I would trade my smoke & beer rat's for real food in the Nam...lol