TRUTH – It Has Set Me Free From My Addiction
My story is similar to many of yours. I started dipping young… so long ago that my parents were glad I wasn’t smoking and didn’t see any harm in smokeless tobacco. The crap soon became my constant companion, associated with every major, and minor, event in my life. Graduations, marriage, birth of my kids, professional career, and on and on, Skoal and the nicotine fix were always a part of my life.
I bought into the lie that I needed tobacco and nicotine for peace, for comfort, for confidence, for stress relief and for joy enhancement. I openly dipped when I could and I ninja dipped when I had to (like when sounding a 50 page docket for a full court-room). Looking back, I think most people that I know associated me with Skoal. I have had a few ask me out of the blue if I quit dipping. They knew without me telling them. I guess the lack of a nasty spit cup gave me away. Maybe the extra 25 pounds was a clue as well.
The hard truth of my life is that I am addicted to nicotine. I have had at least 3 long-term quits on my own through the years. Every time I fell off the wagon by succumbing to the big lie that I could have just one dip. I rationalized that I had friends that could take one dip every once in a while and I could be like them. The truth, every time, has been that I am an addict to nicotine and one dip leads to a can a day habit in a very short time. The fact that I don’t have other addictions doesn’t help me when it comes to ingesting nicotine.
Nicotine is often accurately described as a “bitch” on KTC. I think its influence on me has been stronger than just a bitch. I have been able to flee from bitches fairly easily throughout my life. For me, nicotine has been demonic. I know that sounds strong, but the truth is that tobacco’s sole purpose in my life has been to kill me, to steal from me and to destroy me in every way possible leading to death. John 10:10 identifies killing, stealing and destroying as the work of Satan and his demons. Tobacco/Nicotine has stolen my time and money; it has attempted to destroy my health and my relationships with loved ones. If I use it, it will ultimately kill me because that is its purpose; that is what it does.
Now, however, the TRUTH has set me free and will continue to set me free from my addiction. The TRUTH is that I am an addict but I don’t have to give in to my addiction. The TRUTH is life is better without being controlled by the Nicotine Demon/Bitch. Thanks to all of you on KTC for constantly reminding me of these truths and for telling the truth to all newcomers that cold turkey is the most cruelly efficient method of expelling the Demon/Bitch from an any addict’s body.
Special thanks to every last Martha FOQer of April ’09. Around 68 posted roll at one time or another as a potential HOF’n FOQer. Trapper and I both quit on New Year’s Day and strangely both posted roll for the first time after 54 days of lone wolf quits. Weird. 34 FOQers stuck it out for the full 100 days and beyond. As we close out our run, I want to close my HOF speech by recognizing each and every one of you. I am particularly proud to have been one of the record 10 inductees, all New Year’s Day quitters, that went into the hall on Good Friday. God bless you all and I thank each and every one of you for your support. You all have been invaluable to my quit. I look forward to being quit with you all for a very long time.
Southersteeler / Scott
APRIL 2009 FOQ’ers (FELLOWSHIP OF QUITTERS) with HOF dates
1. TFurrh 4/1/09
2. edromero 4/2/09
3. rkymtnman 4/3/09 (aka ricky martin man)
4. squeaky 4/3/09
5. burmie 4/7/09
6. ndrooster 4/8/09
7. Bengalsgirl08 4/10/09
8. BigHoss44 4/10/09
9. imaquitter 4/10/09
10. Niwot 4/10/09
11. ob1541 4/10/09
12. Ron3775 4/10/09
13. RoyJester 4/10/09
14. Southersteeler 4/10/09
15. Trapper 4/10/09
16. Wildcat99 4/10/09 :ph43r: :ph43r: :ph43r:
17. MoeMan 4/13/09 (aka Joey 12” Cock)
18. JpCrew 4/15/09
19. TCOPE 4/15/09
20. Mike1228 4/16/09
21. buddyboy 4/20/09
22. Chrisman31 4/20/09
23. NKT 4/21/09
24. OBC 4/21/09
25. SWJ 4/21/09
26. BigDBingo 4/22/09
27. ScubaSteve 4/22/09
28. abrown 4/24/09
29. nbrady 4/24/09
30. camojfk 4/25/09
31. 2jet 4/27/09
32. Pbkid 4/28/09
33. Dutch 4/30/09
34. JK17 4/30/09
NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member Southersteeler
