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Gabe

James.

I had dipped copenhagen for 23 years - pretty much had a dip in all hours of the day. Thanksgiving 2002 I quit cold turkey. Figured that I wanted to be around and see my kids grow up.

Sunflower seeds worked great for me, but its just a crutch. What happens when you run out of sunflower seeds and all your buddies are dipping??? The biggest thing to remember is "It's just one Dip" leads to another and another and well - thats not quiting.

If you really want to test your desire to quit, try this. Buy your last can of dip - leave it unopened - tape a picture of your wife and kids on the lid and carry that can with you everywhere. If you can get through a week without opening that can and having a dip, then you have a great chance of being able to quit and stay quit when everyone around you is dipping.

Good luck and be strong, It's not easy, but in the end you will thank yourself.

Nicorette gum helped me get over the nicotine addiction.

The number one thing is determination. If your going to quit then it has to be for you and you alone. If you really want to do it then just ride out the storm and you'll be OK.

Hang in there!

When your willpower is low, others can "supplement", i.e. nag.

its been an everyday thing for 12 years. i may have to stop and get me some smokey mtn snuff for the habit part. i think driving is going to be the hardest.

I was once told by an MD that it takes on average 6-7 times of truly trying to quit to effectively do it. This was my 5th time of giving it a hard try. I have a one year old daughter and wanting to be around and have my whole jaw finally got to me for some reason. I've tried a lot of things in the past including seeds and trying to wean myself down using Smoky Mtn and mixing it in with cope but nothing every lasted for more than a couple days.

I decided to try a patch this time and chew about 1/4 can of Smoky Mountain wintergreen on its own and it has worked for me.

My fil chews cope and last weekend played golf with him and it wasn't difficult at all. Keep trying, as much as I absolutely love Copenhagen, I like not using it much better. I doubt the urge will go away completely but I'm thoroughly enjoying not doing it anymore. Heartburn has been cut down dramatically also....

Good luck

Good luck. It will ruin your mouth. I know. The dentist loved me.

Randy

thats another thing i dont understand... why do people get on threads and post stuff that has nothing to do with anything the OP mentioned?

OHHH, and thanks everyone for the helpful posts!

I've made a pact with myself that on my birthday which is July 7th I'm going to quit period. Just cold turkey and hopefully do it. If I tell myself that it might give me a couple of more years to enjoy family and bowhunting that is all the incentive I should need!

Good luck to all of you trying to quit!

Prior to quitting I was getting to the point that my inside lip would be sore and in the morning I'd scrape dead skin out of it. My breath was horrible and my gums would occasionally ache too. I remember watching TV at 0100 and heading to the local 7 Eleven, during a thunderstorm, in a bad part of town, to buy a $5 can of dried up Copehagen to help curb my desire. Shoot,,,, one time I dropped a spit bottle from my tree stand and it cost me a 140 inch buck!

When I quit I was amazed at all the excuses I had for dipping. I couldn't drive to work with out one in. I couldn't do the dishes, take a shower, watch TV, or even take a dump with out having one in. I could kiss my wife and drink with a dip, but never did quite master eating with one or sleeping with one in.

The first thing I noticed when I quit was that I always had money in my pocket. It wasn't a lot of $$$, but it was enough to notice. I think I spent about $15-$20 a week on snuff. It took some time for my gums and lip to heal, but they eventually returned to normal.

The first three days were the worse. Man if it wasn't for the gum I'm sure I would have fallen. After that it was the thrid week and then the third month that sucked. I'm not sure why, but that's just how it happened.

Hang in there!

Nicotine will be in your system and affecting your dopamine levels for 3-6 days, depending on how much and how long you dipped. This is the physical craving stage. You can lessen it somewhat with Vitamin C and lots of water. An over the counter supplement that can help is 5HTP. It seems to help with dopamine support.

The psychological habit is as tough to kick than the physical, if not harder. My wife tells me that she can tell when I am stressed as I will roll my tongue between my lip and teeth as if arraigning a dip. To this day if I am at a bar with a beer I want a dip. And if I smell Copenhagen (and I can smell a fresh can across a smokey room with a dead skunk) I so want some. I just choose not to do it.

Be prepared for some weight gain and start fighting it now. Nicotine is a stimulant and speeds up the metabolism. With it gone your metabolism will want to slow as well, meaning you will burn less calories. You will need more exercise or to eat less or both.

You can do this, you just have to want it. Keep us updated, we are cheering for ya.

~Troy

It is the best Father's Day gift you can give yourself, and your kids!

Best of Luck, Jeff

That website helped me out a bunch. Just reading and a daily re-enforcement that the only thing nicotine does is keep you addicted to nicotine. One day at a time. Smokey Mtn helps a bunch for the first year or so. I laughed one day when buying Smokey Mtn and it was more $ than Copenhagen.

The only way to quit is cold turkey as far as I am concerned. Nicotine will lie to you with that “just a little bit” sucker punch. Once you quit and read enough, you will realize you are really no different than any other addicted person and you can “Never, ever have nicotine again”.

The first month I thought I would die, 6 months later it still sucked. At some point since July 22, 2006 it has become a non-issue and I rarely think of it anymore. You will almost certainly gain weight so you are better off to start exercising as well.

After you get away from Copenhagen you feel like such an a$$ for doing for so long. SO STUPID!!!

Copenhagen free since July 22, 2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleep. It is amazing how fast I can fall asleep now and stay asleep all night. I was always the last person to fall asleep, now I can beat all the snorers!!!!!!!!!

Switched to Cope when I entered the Marine Corps at 18, and continued that for years, ended up on Red Seal a few years ago because it was a cheap version of Cope, which got way out of hand on price. Most recently I switched to Skoal pouches.

I quit for about 30 days right before the ground assaults began in '91 over in Kuwait, but started right back up when they did.

I tried to quit a couple years ago cold turkey again. Went about three days and went nuts on some a**hole in an interview room at the PD. Didn't hit him, just yelled a lot and loudly. He had it coming believe me.

Finally, 12/1/10 was my youngest daughter's 10th b-day. I decided that was the mark, and I've been tobacco free since then. I think about it often, but I think this time my will is strong enough to leave it be. I've had no "episodes", but I have put on a little weight.

I started using sunflower seeds, but that didn't last. I tried some pouches from the Oregon Mint Tobacco Company. They have a couple different flavors, and they helped quite a bit in the beginning. Now, no crutch at all.

I've found it's like any other addiction. You can't kick it until you decide you are really ready to do it. Good luck, if you're ready, you'll succeed.

PS I tried it again in the summer of 2000 while fishing with a buddy. I got so light headed, I almost pucked. Never have had the urge since.

Good luck.

1) I am a "tobaccaholic" and have an unhealthy addiction.

2) I can NEVER use any type of tobacco EVER AGAIN. No matter how many years go by, no matter how well I "know" I've kicked the habit, and no matter how many beers I've had at the bar - if I ever use any tobacco ever again, I will fail.

I know this sounds lame, but simple logic dictates that the easiest way to stay quit, is to simply never pick up tobacco again. Every time you consider it, you're failing.

You can do it. Feel free to reach out to any one of us quitters and we'll be happy to support and talk you through it.

Good luck.

I've quit once for almost 2 years, but not really, I still smoked cigars almost daily, and I missed it every single day. I wasn't quitting for me that time, so I resented it. I've quit chewing on extended overseas trips during school, but I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day to replace, so again, it doesn't count

I've told my wife and parents that I have to want to quit for myself, and when that day comes I will. However, it's dang hard.

I tried to slow down a couple months ago, but then work stress would hit, and the dip would go in.

When I did quit for that 2 year period, I missed the physical aspect of it. I had cravings, but mostly I missed the physical act.

Now you guys are making me want to quit again. If I could just get down to 2 or 3 small dips a day I would be happy. That would be a good start

Bake

Good luck, you can do it if you really want to.

Everyone that quits tobacco will be glad they did.

Scott

At one point the school even started cracking down on dipping and busting folks with a circle in their pocket. A bunch of us got together and found a bunch of cardboard tubes about the right size, cut them in the right size sections and distributed them all through the school for everyone to put in their pockets. Resulted in a very upset bunch of self righteous party poopers for sure.....

At one point it was nothing to fall asleep with one. Stained a pillow or two but not as much as you'd think. Mornings were a little rough for a while though....

Dentist took his cut from the chewing, but I had a bad coke habit too. Switched to pepsi later on but didn't help much.

Quit when I was 40, over 15 years now. It was a good move. 100%

The keys for me were gum and toothpicks. Anything to keep your mouth busy. IMO it's more a mental habit than physical.

I do however love a good cigar. Good cigars, there is a huge differnce. And there was about 5 years gap there when I'd quit dipping and took up cigars, so it wasn't transferring one tobacco system for another.

I'll enjoy anywhere from one up to even 3 a week, but it's nothing to go a week or 10 days several times a year without one, so I'm not sure about it being a "habit" so to speak. More of an affinity, like chocolate or sweets.

Oh well. Gotta die of something, nobody lives forever. A life without living to it's fullest is just passing time away. If you're giving up what you truly enjoy to get to tick more seconds off a clock, timing it to a rocking chair? Gets to that point I gotta tell ya, there's not much hunting left anyway.....

"I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age. I just turned fifty seven.

Concerned about the comment, I asked, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"

He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer, wine or hard liquor?"

"Oh no," I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either!"

Then he asked, "Do you eat a lot of rib eye steaks or barbecued ribs?"

I said, "Not much. My other doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!"

"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?"

"No, I don't," I said.

He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?"

"No," I said.

He looked at me and said, "Then, why do you even give a rip?"