For The Family – Quit On

My journey started when I was 12 or 13. I use to spend the summers in Kentucky with my cousins growing up and chewing / dipping was an everyday thing. I started chewing first, then progressed to dip, oh the sweet taste of wintergreen. I can taste it now……..

We became one, I went everywhere with it and did everything with the Devil’s dirt in my mouth.

I met the love of my life, at the age of 14. She tried to get me to quit all the time while we were dating and I didn’t want to give it up. Looking back now, I should have listened; I wouldn’t be having the issue most of us who quit do right now.

My first child came along in 1991, my son, and I never even thought about quitting, 5 years later, my baby girl came into the world, I still never quit. Once they got old enough to pick up cans to drink, I would tell them don’t touch that, that’s daddy’s shewy, you don’t want to drink that it will make you sick. There have been times that my wife would pick up my spit can thinking it was pop and take a drink until it hit her mouth and then almost puke, you would have thought she would have caught on after all those years.

Fast forward to now, I am 44 and yes the girl I was dating at age 14, is still the love of my life with 25 years under our belt, I can’t believe she stuck around with me that long. That is something that is hard to find these days.

My son met the love of his life and the just got married in October, they now have 2 wonderful boys and a third on the way, yes I started a family early in life, got married at 19 and had my son when I was 20. Loving/Living life to the fullest! My daughter is now attending collage for the first year and we see her a couple days during the week and on weekends. They grow up fast people, take time and enjoy them while they are home.

I had a scare one day that made me quit dipping and drinking, so I decided to quit it all cold turkey, biggest mistake I’ve ever made, if I had to do it all over again, I would have tapered off of the nicotine slowly, my head felt like you hit me with a baseball bat and the anxiety issues came from nowhere. The best thing that came out of all of this is my closer walk with GOD, I know I couldn’t have done this alone; he is fighting my Nicotine battle with me! I still deal with anxiety and funny feelings in my head, but I want to stick around for a long time to see all of my grandkids grow up.

This by far has been the toughest thing I have ever done in my life.
If I had not had the love of my life beside me to help me through this, I don’t think I could have ever made it.

My name is Rob and I’m an addict.

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member Cope30