JCFish HOF – Life Turned Upside Down
“Now this is a story all about how my life got flip, turned upside down…”
“Say no to drugs dip.” Growing up I always heard the slogan of “say no to drugs.” For me, being an athlete growing up made that very easy. You hear all about what drugs can do to you and the addiction that comes with them. Hell, even the consequences of smoking was preached. However, what they never seemed to discuss was the addiction that also comes with dipping.
Fast forward to my high school years where I played varsity baseball for 4yrs. I was the only freshman on the team and surrounded by guys who dipped during practice. Wanting to fit in, I gave it a whirl one day after practice. Skoal Citrus. My mouth immediately started salivating. But not a good kind. That juice hit the back of my throat and induced a scene comparable to that of The Exorcism. Just the thought of it makes me gag to this day. The thing about dip though is you’re not limited to one particular flavor, which is what started my addiction. After trying different brands, flavors, and cuts l discovered my go to, Copenhagen Wintergreen. From that point forward I was hooked.
After high school I went on to continue playing baseball in college where my addiction was in full swing. At this point it had consumed me. Whether it was studying, practice, or just hanging out, I pretty much always had a dip in. I bounced around flavors and was eager to try new ones when they came out. In the end, Copenhagen Wintergreen was it. The other brands and flavors sufficed if I needed to bum one off somebody, however, nothing seemed to do it for me quite like Cope.
Twelve years into my addiction I met my now wife. A little firecracker from East Tennessee with the strongest Type A personality I have ever come across. We met when she was 8 months into her masters program to become a Physician Assistant here in Norfolk, VA and that’s when my addiction started to really show its true colors.
Over the course of time, she had stressed the effects tobacco has on the human body. And with a Bachelors in Nutrition and now a board certified Physician Assistant, I really didn’t have much to stand on when it came to trying to plead my case. That being said, two years ago I began the whole “I’ll quit” lie. A lie that seemed to take over my life. I found myself hiding cans in my shoes, under the seat of my truck, in my tackle box, and just anywhere I thought she’d never look. Let’s not forget about the stresses of leaving a spitter lying around. It had taken over my life and made me a liar. Unfortunately at the time (but fortunately now), I wasn’t always the best at remembering where I hid my spitters, but she sure let me know when she found one. Three strikes is what she told me or she was done. Never in a million years did I think my marriage would end over dip. But that was the issue. It was much more than dip at this point. It had turned me into a lying sneak. That’s when I realized I had to end this addiction.
Today I have been quite 129 days. To say that it’s been hard would be an understatement, but finding this group has been key in my Quit. I fell off the wagon several times prior to finding this group due to not feeling like I was being held accountable. Posting roll and sharing the initial struggles of quitting with everyone here is truly what got me through it. I may not be the most active person on here, but i know for a fact that I could reach out to anyone of my fellow Pricks of September for support. We are all in this journey together to end this unhealthy addiction that has taken hold of us. So please do not hesitate to reach out. Traversing this ODAAT with this group was key in my quit and my wife and I are forever thankful that I found such an awesome group of people.
Tight lines,
Jeff
(JCFish) September22
NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan community member JCFISH
