Need to quit chewing

#6
I have quit several times. Once for a year then picked it back up and quit after 6 months for a few years and now I may have a pinch every 5-6 months. I suppose I am lucky because I don't have an addictive personality. I have watch some good friends really struggle with it. I have used my focus on physical fitness and strength as a motivator. Go for a 5 mile run for time with out a chew then try it with one, or hit the gym and max on one of the big 3 (squat, dead lift, or bench) with out a chew and try it with. I notice a big difference in strength and endurance, I read one time that you can lose up to 30% of your strength with a chew in...

Oh sugarless gum may help too.
 
#7
jbell said:
I have quit several times. Once for a year then picked it back up and quit after 6 months for a few years and now I may have a pinch every 5-6 months. I suppose I am lucky because I don't have an addictive personality. I have watch some good friends really struggle with it. I have used my focus on physical fitness and strength as a motivator. Go for a 5 mile run for time with out a chew then try it with one, or hit the gym and max on one of the big 3 (squat, dead lift, or bench) with out a chew and try it with. I notice a big difference in strength and endurance, I read one time that you can lose up to 30% of your strength with a chew in...

Oh sugarless gum may help too.
Click to expand...

Gosh I think I'd puke if I worked out with a dip in. Lol unless that's the point. But thanks for the info. Hopefully I can kick the habit
 
#8
BradleyH said:
Gosh I think I'd puke if I worked out with a dip in. Lol unless that's the point. But thanks for the info. Hopefully I can kick the habit
Click to expand...

I hate to admit it, but I do almost everything with a dip in. Easier with pouches, but used to do it without as well. Dinner (expect about 25% loss unless well practiced), sleep (easy except if you drool), work all day in a non-permissive environment (piece of cake). I'll probably get stomach cancer before anything else. Should quit again...
 
#9
BradleyH said:
Well the title says it all. If anyone can chime in with how they quit, that would be great

Thanks
Click to expand...

Well, I quit cold turkey three years ago. It just takes getting really pissed at your self for spending that much money (In my case 7$ per pouch for RedMan Gold) and the understanding that mouth and throat cancer has a 25% survival rate.

Yes, I miss it every day I step into the field..... BADLY, but the worst is past, and I chew TONS of sugarless gum instead. The harder the gum, the more energy you expend chewing.

It is tough, but putting your mind to it will get you there.

JFL
 
#11
I looked at chewing like this; if I'm addicted to it, It's stronger than me. I just told myself: "self, if you just "have" to have chew, you are a total pussy". Self you don't need it. If you think you do, it's because your weak." This is how I justified quitting tobacco. The shit ain't worth it. I now spend the money of candy bars. I laugh and wonder at the thought that 3 snickers a day is probably worse than chewing Cope.

Good luck...don't be a pussy. Quit that shit, just don't be like me and start spending the money you save on candy bars!
 
#12
I quit 2.5 years ago now, started with nicotine lozenges it helped but was just trading one for the other. The part they did help with was being so expensive I didn't want to use them long! What it comes down to no matter what method you use is you just have to want to quit and then just do it! There is never going to be a perfect time or way to quit just quit and stick with it. It gets easier, good luck and stick with it.
 
#17
A bunch of ideas here: Ways to Quit

and another
Text To Quit
Confidential service. Receive 2 quit tips a day for 21 days. Standard text messaging rates apply.
Text "TRUTH" to 53535

I personally never used regularly, but watched my brothers both deal with quitting chew and BIL and aunt deal with smokes. Also my wife worked with tobacco cessation so I've heard quite a few ideas.

A big thing is like you said it's a habit and for most people they attach the habit with various routines. Like "everytime I go to the range I have a dip" or "I chew whenever I smoke crack" etc. So finding ways to break those habits and staying away from circumstances that cause cravings/needs (granted if you're smoking crack, you may have some bigger issues). And learning to recognize when and where those cravings are going to show up and how to shift that focus. For a lot of people that also means staying away from others who use.

Also get family/friends involved to help out. Sure some can/have to do it on their own, but support can make a difference. The most important thing is you have to want to quit. Doing it for someone else will never fly. Good luck.
 
#18
I have quit 4 times, with up to 5 year chew free periods of time. When my spouse was deployed the last time, even gasoline smelled like Copenhagen to me and I caved, ate that shit 'til I puked. I am "clean" now for about 8 months. I started chewing when we were not allowed to smoke beanies in country, and I could not get American Cigarettes.

I am a volunteer firefighter for the adrenaline, and I keep a bag of coffee beans in my turnout gear, 'cause everyone is chewing, and my lip itches like crazy the whole time I am on a scene. A few coffee beans are great and does the job. I also eat tons of sugar free gum. I miss it everyday, more so when hunting, fishing, shooting, and the most when everyone around me is putting in a pinch.

Also, a little tip, never quit while at Disney Land with the family. I will not go into the details, but I still hear about that (and that was 2004).
 
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#19
Today was my first morning without a dip. And man this is gunna be tough. I can already tell I am getting "pissy" with others. So hopefully this gets easier. But In the mean time ill be chomping away on some gum. I will also have to try the coffee bean thing.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Hopefully I can kick this nasty habit
 
#21
May sound dumb, but I used e-cigs to quit after failing many times going cold turkey. Never smoked a real cig in my life, but the e-cig cured my nicotine cravings to start, then I just lowered the dose down till I didn't need it anymore, and now im two years no chew. Not sure how bad the e-cigs are for you, but I'm pretty sure you don't get all the other hundreds of chemicals that come with cigs and chew. It's way cheaper than say nicotine gum to.
 
#22
Not to sound like some sob story but here's another good reason. My dad smoked is whole life, one day went to the ER for intense back pain. By the time I got there the Dr. was telling him he had stage 4 cancer. My dad died on June 24, 2010 less than 6 months after being diagnosed. My first son and his first grandson was born August 17, 2010. I don't know if you have kids or grandkids or a fucken dog you love more than life but trust me, when you die someone is going to be devasteted. Just ask me, Im still morning my Dad. Is a fucking dip worth it? NO. Now I know that we're all going to die but its a lot harder to tell your loved ones that your going to check out due to bad habits whiich essentially make it your fault rather than natural reasons or chance. It's not that hard man, I quit cigs cold turkey the day my dad was diagnosed and quit other long term additictions cold turkey as well. If you want to stop you will. Good luck brother. I have faith in you.
 
#25
I think I saw that video or another and I just stopped. I used to dip 2 1/2 cans a day. I would constantly put dip in different places because the inside of my mouth would get to sore to keep using the same spot. By the end of the day you could see how the Copenhagen was making my gums wear away, white sore marks, and leathery gums on the inside of my mouth. I knew it wasn't good for me to be dipping, but just never really wanted to think about it. After seeing a video on smokeless tobacco use and what I could expect to happen if I kept doing it, I had to stop right there and then. I quit in 1993 and every time I see someone pulling out their tin of Copenhagen, Skoal doesn't do it for me, my mouth waters. However, still not tempted to dip. Good luck.
 
#26
I got an idea, try to chew the whole can at once, all at the same time. You'll get so sick and nauseous and puke your guts out that I bet you'll never want to smell cope again. I knew a guy who sat aNd smoked a whole box of cigerates till he was sick from it...said after that he never smoked one again
 
#27
Just look at your loved ones long and hard...think about the grief and emotional suffering that they are going to endure because you weren't man enough to quit for them. Think about how your children, your parents, your spouse or the farm that you worked so hard at maintaining are going to suffer financially from the astronomical medical bills associated with your chemotherapy, radiation therapy, facial reconstructive surgery and funeral bills. Realize that the victim in that video has probably had in the neighborhood of $1000000 in medical costs directly attributable to the habit that you have. Think about it, cry, bargain with your choice of deity, curse tobacco...then man up and QUIT.
 
#28
You are addicted to nicotine, it's a bitch.

You prob. didn't become addicted overnight, may be easier/successful if you wean yourself off of it.

Buy box of patches, wake up, take a shower, slap one on your ass, start your day. In about 20 minutes, Buddy Rich will be doing a drum solo on your chest. You will be getting plenty of nicotine. Patches stick better to a freshly washed ass, not visible, even if you sweat a lot, will not fall off. (Better than on your arm, less likely to get rubbed, knocked, sweated off. If you sit in an office all day, doesn't matter.)

Do it for week, your nose, taste will get better, you won't miss the little behaviors that you associate with dipping. SWEET JESUS, DO NOT DIP AND WEAR A FUCKING PATCH.

After a couple of weeks, cut the patch in half. Give it a week, do you see where I'm going with this? 3rd and last box of patches, cut them in 1/4. Do it for a week.

One day, you will forget to put a patch on. Guess what, you just quit dipping.

This gradual approach is a little less stressful and if it works for you, fan-fucking-tastic.

You've got to do it. I wrote this wall of text, you do your part. It's that fucking important. Like bronco_buster said, "Look at your loved ones."

Who is stronger, the can, or the man?

Good luck.

P.S. I'm a reformed whore, 2 cans of Cope a day, quit 13 years ago. It's great. And take the $2500 you saved in a year and buy a nice AR with the money.
 
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#29
I feel for you......I've been quit for 8 months now. I could "F" up a can of Copenhagen still. Like has been said before, I pretty much got pissed that I allowed something to take that much control over me. It's hard, stay focused, keep mints, gum, or even substitutes like Bacc-off around until you get past the stage of putting something in your lip. It's all willpower, tap in to it.
 
#30
First off, thanks for all the replies. I have a lot of different ways to look at it now.

I guess I never realized that my chewing addiction could make things harder for my friends and family.

I agree with everyone on the fact that I need to change my tampon, grow a pair and fight the urge to chew.

I do not know if this is a good way to fight the urge, but I found that sunflower seeds help. If I pack them in my lip it kinds cuts it like a dip does. Since its feels cut I do not have as much of a urge to put a chew in.

Thanks again
 
#34
BradleyH said:
Well the title says it all. If anyone can chime in with how they quit, that would be great

Thanks
Click to expand...

Have you decided to quit? Really decided? Or just thinking you ought to quit. If you just think you ought to quit, go back to making the tobacco company bosses all Billionaires. Who knows perhaps one of them will take your daughter on as a mistress if she needs a little help to get through college after the big "C" does you in. By the way nobody from Skoal is going to show up at your funeral to help your loved ones through their grief.

Step 1) GET PISSED OFF. These people are rotting out your guts so they can make money. They created an additive product and they know you are too weak to quit. You will just keep giving them money, till you are dead. You are too stupid to quit. You are too weak.

Step 2) Get the patch. It will take the edge off the physical addiction.

Step 3) Get lots of gum to replace the oral habit.

Step 4) Figure out what your triggers are. Give them all up for as long as you have to. I did not go to a bar, have a alcoholic beverage, a cup of coffee or hang out with any of my friends who smoked or chewed for a year.

Step 5) Deep clean your home, car workplace. Git rid of all the evidence.

Step 6)You are not going to kill yourself right? I mean you are a stable normal kind of guy right? If not, then do not do step 5. Do you have a .45? If you are going to kill your self why use tobacco?

I been clean 20 years. If you decided to quit congratulation. Go for it.
 
#35
I had a can a day habit for years. I made several half ass attempts to quit. I tried chewing gum, sunflower seeds and none of it worked. I decided to quit for 1 week and see what happens. The first few days were tough. The third day I had lost all cravings for the stuff. I can't stand to even look at that shit any more. Quitting was the best decision I have ever made.
 
#36
Have a quadruple bypass. That shit stopped me cold turkey! Chewing & smoking; haven't had either since I went into the Hospital. That's been 20 months ago.

No shit, walking tall and toting a big stick, running around the world troubleshooting rigs. Stopped in for a required physical in Rio, passed it with flying colors. Had to go through Houston less than three weeks later on my way to Turkey. Turns out I took the wrong physical in Rio, so I had to take the right one in H-town...failed ekg, and stress test and two weeks later my oyster was cracked open for 3 98% and 1 99% blockages. They called it the widowmaker. I was climbing 75-100 flights of steps a day and never felt it. I was 42 years old.

You just don't know, I argued with that little doctor about how she was wrong. Turns out I'm typing this 'cuz she was right.

just sayin',
Breeze

If'n you want ugly, I can send you a pic from the next morning in ICU. That shit'll motivate you!
 
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#37
I quite fairly quickly. I went and ate a large mexican dinner heavy sauce and packed myself full and then I went out to due something and stuffed a larger amount of Redman in my mouth, I vomited like no other time in my life and it broke me of having to have a chew. When I go hiking or hunting I miss it a little.
 
#38
Out of the thousands of things that get put in our bodies, tobacco seems to get one hell of a bad rap. Did anyone know that ethanol(yeah your favorite whiskey, beer or wine) is actually a carcinogen? Oh but a little bit is good for you, I know I catch up from time to time myself cause I get behind on my medicine. Think that 2 can a day habit is what the real problem might be? How about the correlation of per capita refined sugar use from 1890 to present, and how it correlates directly with increases in diabetes, heart disease, and cancer?
What of the people who get lung cancer who never smoked? Mouth cancer who never dipped? Throat cancer who never smoked or dipped?
Teflon pan use? It has been linked to cancer. I know two people who cook evry meal they eat in non stick teflon and have for many years. They were BOTH diagnosed with colon cancer AT THE SAME TIME! Don't smoke, don't drink, don't cuss,etc.

There is more to cancer than tobacco use. They aren't selling those patches to you to help you quit either. If you want to quit that is great, and if you are going to dip more than about a half a can a day, or sleep with some, or use it while you eat(christ almighty are you serious), then you probably need to quit, as soon as possible.
 
#39
Quad bypass, out cold for about a week. By the time I woke up, I was already quit. My last cig was while waiting for the ambulance; I had no idea I was having a heart attack. Thought I had pneumonia. Turns out that while I was out, I was diagnosed terminal, and am probably still the only patient any of my Doctors has met who has actually survived Cardiogenic Shock.

My currently, mostly stable diagnosis is Congestive Heart Failure with Left Ventricular Myopathy and COPD. I.e., about 20% of my heart muscle has been converted to scar tissue. The rest is just details. It won't get better, and eventually it's probably gonna be what kills me. Some days I can actually walk far enough to change a target. During allergy season (i.e. the four months we are currently in the middle of) my outdoor time is severely limited. I just can't breathe worth a damn then.

Doesn't matter how you ingest it, nicotine is slow death; it turns the coronary arteries into a scarred, clogged mess. If you're ingesting nicotine, that's our arteries we're talking about.

Quit now, or better yet, never start. There is only one way to stop ingesting nicotine. You stop, period.

I wish I could tell you an easier way, but they're isn't any that works. Even I cheat, but on the whole it's damned rare.

BTW, previously, I have been a Lymphoma survivor. 2X.

I knock on wood a lot...

Greg
 
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#40
I bought a large box of jolly rancher lollypops at Sams Club and every time I wanted a dip I put a lollypop in my mouth. By the end of the box I had quit. I quit smoking cold turkey and it was never a problem, dipping was hard for me but the lollypop thing worked.

ETA: I haven't dipped since Copenhagen was a dollar a can at the commissary (10 years give or take).
 
#41
pepito said:
Pick a bottom of the barrel brand and from that brand select a flavor in which you despise.
Click to expand...

Doesn't work. I hated copenhagen and dipped skoal. I wanted to quite so I started dipping copenhagen thinking because I hated it so much I would stop. I wound up LOVING copenhagen and hating anything else!

I remember buying Cope from the shoppette at Ft. Campbell on the same date that the born date was stamped on the bottom because the place were they made Cope was just down the road.
 
#42
I used to dip for several years, but I started to develop this sensation of a lump in my throat (yes, definitely called for an, "uh-oh, I'm fucked" moment). Thankfully, it was nothing serious, YET. The dip was giving me reflux, which was burning my esophagus. The sensation was the swelling of my esophagus. Doc said, if I continued, it could turn worse. Suffice to say, I quit instantaneously. It is not easy, then again, that's why those fucking companies make so much dough. If the shit were easy to stop, we wouldn't be typing/posting right now. The mind is a powerful thing, you just have to make it work for you and not against you.
 
#43
I quit smoking Camel cowboy killers before I got out of the Marines. I switched to Redman Plug. Chewed that for a few months until one night after a nice, uh...well, anyway Panty 6 grabbed the wrong Pepsi can and took a huge swallow. I haven't had any since then...well except a little during OEF VII, along with some Tennessee twist
 
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#44
I "dipped" for almost half of my life..... I'm 29 now and have been without for 5 months. Two cans a day......if I had to drive a long way, I would open a third. Five dips was stretching a can. I realized I needed to quit and struggled with the thought of it for a few years.

I was at work (about 5 months ago) and overheard a conversation about a guy who went through close to the same thing as the guy in the YouTube video. I didn't comment or ask questions, just listened. I thought about it all afternoon..... The more I thought...the "madder" I got. I was embarrassed and ashamed and no one knew it but me. It was my fault. My stupidity.

The next morning after I slept, I was driving to work. During the routine part of my morning, it never crossed my mind. When I pulled out onto the highway, I reached for my back right pocket. It hit me again. I pulled out the rest of can 2 from the day before. Surprisingly, it was only half empty(consider my thoughts from the day before). Right there, I decided that half can was my last.

It's a decision you have to make. I'm not over it yet, but I'm in for the win.
 
#45
This is really immaterial to the conversation, but FWIW, tobacco-realted cancer is more related to the way tobacco is cured than to the leaf itself. The leaf is actually unremarkable, save for the nicotine. Not many people remember but if you've ever seen a barn full of tobacco being cured, with smoke pouring out the cracks, then you've seen where the carcinogens come from. And that's just leaf tobacco. Who knows what kind of shit they put in moist snuff and cigarettes. All in all, a given cig or pinch o' worm dirt probably has a lower concentration of carcinogenic stuff than a given plate of smoked brisket, the difference being that you don't walk around with a brisket in your cheek 12+ hours of the day. It's just interesting how the 30-year long war on tobacco we've been in here in the US has created a social perception around the plant itself and not how it is processed and cured, all while turning a relatively blind eye to the other garbage we are all but encouraged to put in our bodies. Can anyone say coca-cola?. If you asked me whether you should quit your soft drink addiction or you tobacco addiction....I'd have to say six in one, half dozen in the other. Really.

But yeah, quitting is the best course...
 
#46
^^^This! In a study pipe smokers were actually found to live longer than the general population. Most pipe tobaccos are highly aged leaf as oposed to the "flash cured" types of tobacco that go into cigarettes. Snuff, chewing, pipe and cigar tobaccos are generally aged a very long time allowing the carcinogens to break down. It also makes for much better tasting tobacco. The high demand for cigarette type tobaccos nescessitates that they be cured rapidly due to demand.
I grew a crop of completely organic tobacco back in 03. That crop has been aging in a barn for 10 years now. I have a copenahgen type recipe in hand and plan to make my own very soon.
Moderation is your best friend in anything. I know a man who is in his 80's now who had a triple bypass in his early 50's. He did not quit cigarettes, he has allowed himself two cigarettes a day for the past 30 some years. He is quite healthy now and no more heart problems. He changed his diet quite a bit after his heart attack as well.

I am not advocating against quitting, especially if you have addictive tendencies. I am saying as well as the tobacco there are many other things that you would do well to keep out of your body if you are truly interested in avoiding the most common diseases of our modern society. Yeah I would put soft drinks, ALL VARIETIES, especially diet ones, at the top of the list of things you should avoid.

In 1890 the per capita sugar use in this country was below 10lbs a year. Today that number is over 200lbs! It is almost impossible to eat a meal that doesn't contain processed sugar, especially if you eat out. My MIL puts sugar in sweet corn, as well as almost everything she cooks. People have ruined their taste buds with processed sugar, including me. I am currently needing to go back to a sugar free, low impact carb lifestyle. It is not an easy task, as it requires conscious choices.I can guarantee all your food will taste better when you give up processed foods. I have friends who were in bad shape and suffering from ketoacidosis(sp. you know what it is even if I didn't get the teh term right, their body was eating itself) type II diabetes had taken over, above 300 sugar levels, etc. One guy in particular who I work with went cold turkey, no sugar, low impact carb and he now takes no pills and no insulin. There are only a few doctors that will tell you you can FIX type II diabetes. Not hijacking, simply giving examples of how impulsive, excessive behavior can be fixed, and that there are other things that most people deem rather harmless that are in fact not good for you AT ALL. It could be argued that they aren't fit for human consumption at all, but we all love the shit, and it IS highly addictive.

If you need to quit, or you imbibe in excess, then you should quit. Don't be too quick to demonize a thing that is being abused to excess. Nothing wrong with a SMALL dip of snuff once or twice a day. Nothing wrong with a candy bar every so often if you are fit and have a healthy metabolism. Nothing wrong with a shot of whiskey or couple beers in the evening before bed. Excess is the real problem. It seems to be a function of our society in general.
 
#49
I had a tough time with withdraw during high school - I only chewed a can a week of Skoal Mint. Not that I was trying to quit, but mainly because I couldn't get my hands on any for a couple weeks. Had dreams every night how I could acquire my next can...whether it be bumming a dip or robbing a convenience store. After I made it though that phase I seemed to not have any issues with starting and stopping as a I pleased.

I could go out today and buy a can and chew it and not want any more for a couple months. I could bum a dip off someone and enjoy it and that's that.

Yes, I crave it sometimes...ESPECIALLY when I'm fishing or doing any outdoor activity....AND after having a 6-pack of beer or a greasy hamburger or pizza (probably due to the college days).

I think my point is that it's about willpower...more mental than anything and, for me, overcoming it once allowed me to make nicotine my bitch...instead of the other way around. ;)

Your mileage will vary and everyone's personally with addictions is different.
 
#50
Hope your quitting is going well. Don't let the tough days get you down, quitting can take time and may challenge you but will be worth it in the end. Let us know how it goes... My wife kept pushing quitting so finally I did and you know I rarely ever miss it and when I do I look at Her and know it was worth it... Motivation is Key.

Stay strong.
 
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