I need everyones help please.

[Red]

I just went into my bathroom and dumped the last of my dip in the toilet and flushed it!  I smoked from the time I was 14 to 24 then I gave it up for dipping and have been doing it ever since, I will be 33 in a couple weeks.  I know it will be really hard but I am ready for, it is time for me to do this.  If y'all have any tips, advice or words of encouragement I know I will need them, so post em up!!  I check here everyday.  Hopefully tomorrow morning some nice bass will come visit me in my boat to help me keep my mind off it!!

Thanks guys!

Cliff

[Tin]

Do you like your lower jaw?

[Red]

Thanks, just made the decision that much easier!

[preach4bass]

Try following these three steps:

1.  Pray about it.

2.  Look at the picture Tin posted every day.

3.  Buy a boat load of sunflower seeds.

You can do it!

[OHIO]

It's tough man, but it's definitely not impossible.

I quit a month before my wisdom teeth got yanked out, so I wouldn't have the urge to dip with holes in my mouth.

I just went cold turkey.

It's a lot harder if you have friends that still do it because your always around it, so ask them not to do it around you.

Also, buy some sunflower seeds or hard candy to keep your mouth occupied. 

[SDoolittle]

Get some nicotine gum. It worked for me. I smoked and dipped for 18 years. I gave it up in March of 2009. Nicotine gum is a lifesaver.

[firefightn15]

I'm not the one to cast stones being a smoker but one of my classmates had his gum line rotted out by the time he was 23.......Good luck Red, I suspect there is a couple young ones at home rootin' for ya too!

[J Francho]

As a guy tat really needs to quit smoking, I'm rooting for you too.  I've failed four times in the last two years, but I'll keep trying.  Many successful quitters tell me it can take several attempts.  Sounds stupid, but the big thing they did, was never touch the stuff again.  Sounds too simple...  Good luck, bro.

[Sam]

Drive by a cemetery.

Good luck and we are all proud of you giving up that nasty habit.

Be sure to have annual physicals to spot any cancers that may still occur to be on the safe side. 

[OHIO]

Think of it like this, every can is a new jig. ;D

I started back up after quitting and am trying to stop using this logic.

May sound dumb, but it makes sense.

[fourbizz]

Cold turkey bro, cold turkey. Im at over a can a day for the last 8 years. Good luck!

[Red]

Thanks guys!  Another reason for me wanting to quit is that my mom, who has never touched a cigarette or dip for that matter, is having a surgery this coming Monday to remove a spot on her tongue that is pre-cancerous.  Something to do with genetics the doctors have told her.  She told me specifically to tell y'all to say her a prayer Monday morning!!

Thanks

Cliff

[ROCbass]

If possible, try to minimize environmental cues you may associate with dipping. This can be hard, especially if you do it pretty much all the time, but Ive found that environmental cues can be a strong instigator of cravings. For example, I played hockey in high school and we would dip in the locker room and showers after games and practices. That's how I got started and for a while that was the only time I did it. Once I started college I started doing it a lot more (didn't help that one of the frats on campus was sponsored by skoal and had reps giving out free samples at their parties). When I decided to quit I was lucky in that I had an easier time than most and I haven't dipped in two years, but to this day every time I'm in a hockey locker room I get cravings.

edit: I agree with the others who suggest going cold turkey. When I decided to quit i gave away the couple cans I had lying around, stopped going to the frat that had free samples, and just told myself I wouldn't buy anymore. I didn't miss it and never felt like I needed to buy a can, but it was tough to say no when one of my buddies would offer me a pinch.

[Captain Obvious]

1.  we will all pray for you

2. spend the money for dip on fishing lures

3. Don't quite at once.I know you want to stop but your better off taking it slow and reducing your intake little by little.This is much better because if you just drop it and then fail you naturally start thinking you can't stop it. Little by little gives you something to build off of.

4. Find something to replace it. I suggest sun flower seeds that nicotine gum is also good but I still think that anything that gives you nicotine is a step in a wrong direction. You want to stop your addiction not transfer it to a different form.

Good luck post when your getting weak and will help talk you out of it. 

[Glenn]

You're doing a good thing.  I'm proud of you.

Prayers sent for your mom.

[Bassn Blvd]

I dipped Skoal for 15 years and have quit on 2-3 different occasions, the last being for 6 months.  (each time I quit was cold turkey)  I experienced extreme headaches after the second day that lasted for 2-3 days.  I also had severe mood swings during the 1st week. I would say the 1st-2nd week were the most difficult 2 weeks to get through.  I constantly ate hard candy and chewing gum.  I'd wake up in the morning, go straight to the candy jar right out of bed, get a jawbreaker and then stumble to the shower.  I also darned near chewed a hole in my cheek from biting it because I missed not having anything there. A couple months went buy before I could easily turn down a chew from my friends. The problem for me, aside from the addiction, was that I enjoyed chewing.  I missed having a chew while fishing, watching t.v, taking a poo or doing anything.

After six months, I figured I'd buy a bag of Redman instead of Skoal.  I thought I could chew on a  small leaf of tobacco while fishing and not get hooked.  WRONG.  I've been chewing Redman now for a couple years straight. 

 

[Grey Wolf]

Don't let that crap rule your life , take hold of your own life and just quit , you can do it, I know because I've done it with cigarettes , haven't had one in over three years.

GOOD LUCK AND REMEBER IT'S UP TO YOU AND NOBODY ELSE.

[fishinfiend]

My great grandmother died of mouth and throat cancer. They removed most of her jaw and adjacent tissues. It later became infected. She still tried to chew and it would run down her face and neck. Because of the surgery she could not eat solid stuff and kept withering away. It was gross and upsetting. I hope this helps the next time you think of sneaking a pinch.

Good luck! You can do it. Just think of the extra money for tackle.

[NateFollmer]

I used to smoke and do all that junk back in High school. You know how I quit, fill your mouth with chew and shallow. I can't even smell the stuff without feeling sick now. Be prepared to be sitting on that toilet you flushed the dip down though

You got this! Don't give in!

[SmokeRise1]

I'm quitting smoking, after 24 years, on Halloween.  It won't be easy but it's time.  I'll check your post to see how you're doing. 

[Red]

Doing good y'all!!  Had a nice morning on the lake.  Caught 7 with 5 keepers.  Catching a limit of keepers in one outing was a goal of mine this year, I can check it off finally.  The cravings are not as bad as I thought they would be.  Been chewing on seeds and hard candies.  Thanks for the support!!

Cliff

[SoFlaBassAddict]

My last habit from the Army is smoking.  I've drastically cut back in recent months.  I just can't do the cold turkey thing.  When I'm at an install for work, there are times when I just need a smoke to calm me down.  A pack lasts me about two to three days now.  I'm hoping by the end of the year to be down to a pack a week or totally quit.  There is just something nice about being out fishing and having a smoke once in a while.  I didn't have a problem quitting Copenhagen.  That was a really bad habit.  Now that I look back at it, man that stuff was nasty.

[TrippyJai]

I quit smoking and it was one of the hardest things for me to do because everyone smoked around me and I'll admit, I did fail a couple of times when things got stressful.

Don't cold turkey it. If I can give you advice, it would be to slowly cut down on it. Just dip less and less everyday until you realize that dipping is a waste of money and bad for your health.

You've got to fight it when things get tough. It'll become a struggle for sure, but you need a good reason for not giving up. That will be your safety net when your about to give in.

To help you, it is almost the end of the month. Starting in November, maybe you can take out a calender and write on it. Basically develop a strategy on how to be dip-free by the end of the month. See what is best for you. Maybe you want to have off days or slowly decreasing the amount you use through out the month... you get the point. Take some time to think about how you'll do this.

Good luck!

[shootermcbob]

Red, if you have kids, look at a picture of them and/or your wife every time you feel the urge to rub, and remember how much they love you and are counting on you being there for them.

Regarding the cold turkey vs. taking it slow and gradually easing away from it, I vote for cold turkey. I have never smoked nor chewed/rubbed, but I WAS a lifelong Mountain Dew addict. I have not had ANY soda pop since june 12th. I quit cold turkey and have not looked back. I have lost weight, have actually almost no headaches(although they were severe for the first couple weeks), and sleep MUCH better. Do what makes sense or works best for you.

Lastly, if you find you are having a hard time quitting, or relapsing, consider getting hypnotized. A close family member went to a private hypnotist, and has not smoked nor had the urge to smoke for almost 20 years. Best 150.00 bucks I have ever spent.

[SuskyDude]

You can do it.

I smoked for 13 years. Quit the first week of June, cold turkey.

People will say it's the first week, when your body goes through withdrawl, thats the worst. They're wrong.

The physical withdrawl is rough, but it's nothing compared to learning how to live without tobacco. The mental addiction is the worst.

It's been about five months and I still would like to smoke. Some days it might only cross my mind once. Others I can't stop thinking about it.

Here's how I've been getting by:

1. Stay busy - this is big. Pick up extra hours at work, work on the honey-do list, go fishing on days when you'd normally stay at home, start another hobby. Do ANYTHING to keep you mind busy.

2. Substitute - I chewed alot of gum the first couple of weeks, especially when fishing. Sunflower seeds also would do it. Keep you're mouth busy with something else other than chew.

3. Treat yourself - Your doing something really good for your health and well being, so reward yourself. Go buy a new rod with the money you save. Take yourself and the ole lady out for a big steak dinner at a nice restaurant. Make yourself feel good about quitting anyway you can.

4. Talk about it- I was fortunate that my girlfriend decided to quit as well, not just because she wouldn't be smoking around me, but also because we could both talk about how hard quitting was. It feels good to talk about it, it helps you keep your eye on the prize.

Hope this helps. It's gonna be tough, believe me, but stick with it. Its been 5 months and sometimes I still can't belive that I'm NEVER gonna smoke again. It's alot like losing an old friend. Take it day by day and you'll get there.