Just the Beginning – ready4dasandman HOF Speech

As is customary let me tell you my story of how I started. In high school I had the reputation for being the “good” guy, which is nice but it won’t get you in the good graces of the girls. So I started hanging out with the quarterback of the football team (I know it’s a stereotype, but he was popular with the ladies). He and I started smoking while fishing, to keep the misquitos away. Then I started smoking at parties to fit in. After a while I hated smelling like ash, so I tried smokeless tobacco. It was great. Really nice buzz, no smelly clothes, it was pure bliss. I continued to chew in college. I quit once for a year, then started back up again, with a vengence. I chewed at my job, although I was a ninja dipper :ph43r: (sneaking around). I chewed although my wife hated it. As long as I didn’t do it in front of her I was fine though. That worked for awhile but I was starting to get hemroids from spending so much time in the freaking bathroom. So I started chewing pouches and I could hide those really well. So I was chewing all the time, one or two cans a day. I would have continued this for awhile. Then my brother-in-law quit. Just like that. He quit. I was pretty impressed. I asked him how and he directed me to this site. I checked it out and was inspired. The concept is so easy, just check in everyday and swear to yourself that you won’t chew. Execution is more difficult. It really helped going to the live chat and meeting someone that was going through the same thing. I remember making pacts with different people: “I won’t chew, it you don’t chew.” Here I am, 100 days later, making that pact with the man in the mirror everyday.

Here’s my goal now that I’ve completed the first step: evangelize. I am a teacher at a high school. The kids do not know that I chewed for 12 years. I have already directed a couple of them to this site. Whether or not they followed up is unknown. But it is a goal of mine to direct as many students as I can to this site that may have a problem. I encourage all of you to do the same. If you are reading this and haven’t joined a room yet, refer this site to as many dippers as you can. I’m a math teacher so I love stats. One stat that I refuse to look up is the chances that I will get cancer. I know this much: someone that reads this post will get cancer. That is a mathematical certainty. It may not be you, but it might be one of your friends, if they don’t quit. So please get this site out into the public. My brother in law was amazed at how many was in the “Shut the Fuck up and Quit” group. This is working.

To my “brothers” in STFUAQ: Thanks and keep it up. You are saving lives.
Chewie: I like to think of you as the “godfather”. A million thanks my brother.

This is just the beginning and I’ll be seeing you for a long time to come. I owe you all my life, now I’ll get to enjoy my wife and kids for a lot longer.

-ready4dasandman

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member ready4dasandman