Quit: Become a Better Person – Make the Choice

This has been a long time coming. I started chewing later in life than most. I started at around age 27. I can remember making the conscious decision to start chewing spearmint skoal. I was not tricked into it by fancy advertising, or talked into trying it by someone older. I simply made a decision to use. There was a bad day at work and since tobacco addiction seemed to calm those around me, I thought it might ‘smooth out the edges’ for me as well.

But it didn’t. In fact, it caused more problems. Now I had this passenger with me everywhere I went. Every waking moment was affected by my addiction to nicotine. My entire day was planned on a schedule of chew. Had to get one first thing, then one on the way to the job, constantly while on the job and so on. If someone or an event interrupted my chewfest, I would be upset. It did not take long to work my way up to using between 2 to 3 cans per day.

So now I’m using a large amount of tobacco per day and the cost is becoming an issue. Does the addict quit? Hell no. Buy cheaper chew. I went from the relative highbrow skoal and Kodiak to the low rent Grizzly. All the while not realizing that the addiction alone to chew made me look like an ignorant redneck idiot.

While addicted to nicotine I developed many other bad habits. My feeling was that if I am slowly killing myself with tobacco, why should I live right? My weight shot up to over 280 lbs. and my blood pressure was sky high. My weight affected my job performance. As a contractor I could always hire someone to take my place on most jobs, so I continued to just get fatter, chew more and slowly work my way to an early death.

One night in September 2009, I stumbled into the KTC chat room. I talked with quitters that night, but I was not really ready to quit. I went right back at the chew with vigor, all the while knowing I needed to quit.
When I did quit, I came to KTC for help. I posted roll for the first time and off we went. I quit on Sunday, October 2, 2010 and posted Day 2 the next morning. KTC gave me a place to rage about my quit. KTC gave me a chat room to commiserate and joke with other quitters. I joined the January 2011 quit group. Best bunch of quitters ever.

Most importantly, my quit game me an opportunity to start over. I quit the chew, and started eating. Eating a lot, eating constantly. My weight went even higher; I started seeing the scale with a new number- 300.

I then made a decision to become a better person. I began by eating better. Then I discovered CrossFit and started working out on a regular basis. I’m down around 260 now and working my way to 200. I’m going back to church. I spend more time with my family. I never realized how much time I was away from my kids just so I could chew. My wife and I are closer than ever. My life is one thousand times better without nicotine.

KilltheCan.org gave me back my life. KTC has made me a better person. You have to make the choice.

What will it take? You have to make the choice- every day. It will take an amazing amount of determination. Quitting is one of the hardest things many of us will ever take on. But it can be done, and is being done every day. I will see you at roll tomorrow morning.

I have not done this alone. My quit has been supported by many and I would have not made it without everyone here. January 2011- Thank you. Let’s keep this group together. Tarpon- thank you for hanging out with me during my first week in chat, that first week built a solid foundation on which to quit. Gomer, Gator, Klark, BillyG, kbdavear- thanks for everything. I’m sure there are many I’m forgetting. I’d like to thank everyone who posts roll daily here at KTC.

Together we are better people because we are quit.

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