Do You Know How Much You’re Actually Chewing?

Dippers have a tendency to romanticize their addiction. I know I certainly did.  I can’t tell you how often I hear people trying to quit talk about how much they “love dipping”.  Many times, people don’t even realize they’re addicted, or how addicted they truly are.  That point was driven home for me today when Tom stopped by the KillTheCan.org Facebook page and shared this:

Tom: Hello, I am on day 2 of this journey of finally quitting “for good” this 30+ year addiction. I have stopped several times before, with six months being the longest, but seemed to always have an excuse to start again. I did not even realize the amount of cans I chewed each week until I cleaned out my desk at home and found so many empty cans. I have an incredible wife, sons, and extended family/friends and want to be with them years from now. It finally hit me yesterday that each new day of putting in a chew was one day closer to receiving bad news from a doctor about being diagnosed with an issue due to chewing and losing everything I love by not being around to enjoy it. I have been lucky so far! I am absolutely determined to do it this time.

A couple of things that jump out to me here.

First of all to Tom: WELCOME!!!  You’ve taken a huge first step toward regaining your freedom.  You’ve posted this in a public forum (Facebook) and allowed your friends and family in on your quit.  That’s simply outstanding!

Secondly, it just goes to show just how an addiction can take hold of someone’s life.  If you’re thinking about quitting, I’d urge you to do what Tom did and take a good close look at your addiction.  And then join us on the forums and start taking that freedom back one day at at time. We’re looking forward to getting to know you!