A Quit Worth Fightin’ For
I started using tobacco products as a young teenager in the early 2000’s. My father himself gave me my first pinch of Skoal Vanilla (Yes it was disgusting, and yes I threw up.) That started a chain reaction of asking him to buy me cans of Grizzly Wintergreen with allowance money I had made doing housework, or mowing lawns in the neighborhood. To which he eagerly obliged. I am sure he enjoyed having someone to share a dip with. A son to not judge him for his own addiction.
Fast forward a few years and I continued to use tobacco all throughout my time in the Marine Corps. The “Nicotine Demon” held my hand through both of my deployments to Afghanistan, and in my mind at the time, was necessary for me to cope with the things we did and saw. When the time came for my service to be over I went home, and the dip once again came with me.
After many years, 17 to be exact. It was decided that enough was enough. On a very uneventful day in January of 2023 I woke up and scrounged together a little bit of Longhorn Longcut Wintergreen out of a few cans and put in a small pinch of dip while sitting on the couch looking down at the mess I had made combining the dregs of the cans. “I am tired of this…it is time for a change.” This lead me to head online and look up a few videos on youtube about quitting nicotine. After some browsing a video came up from our very own KTC Admin Chewie about getting quit. A quick link to the website/discord was all it took, and I have been here ever since.
It is very well known the physical symptoms that nicotine and tobacco use can have on the body, but not much is shared about the mental aspects. Over the last 100 days it has been like being reborn. Everything in life is more enjoyable, and my desire to learn and do things have returned. When you come to KTC, make some friends. No seriously, get to know your group and other Veteran quitters. Swap numbers, call them, chat often. It all helps to make our daily promise stronger. WUPP and ODAAT will get you by, but having a strong quit hole, and many quitters at your side to help out in the hard times is a huge advantage in beating this addiction every damn day. When you join remember you wanted the accountability.. Post early, and help out other groups/your own group when they need it. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and admit you’re struggling. We all do.
Last but not least I could write a list a mile long of all the quitters who have helped get me here. If your name is not on the list I apologize in advanced there are just to many of you all in this wonderful place… Shout-outs to Kodiakdeath, that man spent countless hours mentoring and guiding me. We still chat daily and I consider him a good friend. BluManChew(BMC), the absolute bad ass quitter who has been awesome to chat with and get to know. Nick-0 from April ’21, UncleRico May ’17, Halides May ’18, Barnabus and Pocket Oct ’22, Uncle Bubba Feb ’04, BrianBrianBrian (Starfish) and EdT Nov ’21 alongside a ridiculous amount of other friends and supporters that could take up an entire HoF speech in itself. You all have helped me, and others get through so much. Lastly every single one of my fellow May ’23 Militia members. You could not hand pick a better group to be in and what we all have shared is ,and was special. Dig your quit hole, and get ready to battle. This is a quit worth fightin’ for.
NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan community member EV
