Anxiety and Stress When You Quit Dipping

Anxiety and stress are VERY common side effects of quitting dip and smokeless tobacco.  The physical withdrawal that accompanies smokeless tobacco cessation is something that nearly every quitter deals with.  If you don’t, consider yourself lucky.

Anxiety, or stress associated with your quit, takes many people by surprise.  For so long, you’ve used your Kodiak, Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Man (or insert any other brand of choice) to deal with he stress in your life. Naturally, when you remove the nicotine from your body, for many of us the anxiety will be the next thing you deal with.  Luckily, there are several ways to minimize anxiety when you quit dipping.

Dietary & Lifestyle Changes To Help Anxiety When Quitting Dip

• Caffeine – you’ve read about the caffeine / nicotine interaction. Lowering your caffeine intake early in your quit will most certainly help anxiety levels.
• Alcohol – we suggest you avoid alcohol early in your quit. While it can act as a natural depressant it can also send you into an anxiety tailspin.
• Sleep – make sure you’re getting enough. Period.  While dip dreams may be bothering you, your body needs sleep in order to recover.  It’s going through a lot… give yourself time to recuperate.
• Antioxidants – these can lower your stress and put you in a better mood.
• Exercise / Stretching – meditation, yoga, stretching, running, etc. have been scientifically proven to reduce stress and lower anxiety levels.  Not to mention you will be combating weight gain that tends to accompany many quits.

I personally took myself to the emergency room TWICE early in my quit because I thought I was having a heart attack.  It turns out it was nothing more than anxiety.  The good news… anxiety is temporary.  If the tips above don’t give you any relief there are also several medicinal routes that you can try.  See your doctor and let him know you’ve quit dipping (good advice regardless) and that you’re dealing with anxiety issues.

In addition to the above, make sure you’re talking with your fellow quitters in our Discord Community (live chat) and on our forums. Other folks that “get it” because they understand what you’re going through can be a HUGE help in your quit.