R3bauer HOF Speech

Here goes nothing.

I started dipping when I was 15, I’m 38 now. My first dip came from my old school grandad, he was a man you didn’t say no to. Kodiak wintergreen, I’ll never forget the bear on his can. I got a head rush and thought damn that was cool. Flash forward to age 17 I’m a can a day dipper skoal wintergreen. Ninja dipped in class and even got caught a few times.

Joined the Army where tobacco was so cheap on post I was up to a can and a half a day. Blew out my knee and that was it my army career was over.

So it’s August 96 and I am chewing whatever I can afford because i had moved in with my now wife. Working three jobs, no money other than bills and a baby on the way. We had other needs but boy I made sure to have my dip.

I finally get a job that pays well and I can dip freely. Still struggling as a young married couple with a child does. Cue the first attempt to quit, it lasted three days. The rage and frustration was to much for my wife to bear and she bought me can. Cherry skoal I was in heaven when put that dip in.

So a few years go by and I land a job loading barges with grain. The majority the job is like watching paint dry. I was up to two cans of Rooster mint working there. Cue cancer scare. Two white sores on either side of my mouth. They came back negative and I started dipping again.

I left that job but the habit stayed. I went back to skoal wintergreen and never looked back. Through the jobs, the stress of the VA, and daily life stress I could always count on the can.

I did slow to a can a day. I only dip when I am working outside I told myself. It’s not a big deal I said.

Flash forward to Aug of 16. I decided to try quitting and was looking for quit tips when I found KTC. I read the posts and dump a quarter can in the trash and tossed the empty can in with it. That was AUG 30, 2016. My hall of fame date is December 7, 2016. I would never had made it this far with out the KTC method. I support it whole heartily and to anyone reading this thinking about quitting do it now! Don’t wait 20+ years.

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member r3bauer