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Ready, Set, GO!
Do you want to know how to stop dipping snuff? Why is it so important to you? You probably have the same reasons for quitting that most people have. You probably have a few that are unique to your own situation.
For me, my number one reason for quitting smokeless tobacco was that I did not want to get cancer. I am a health care professional and I have seen first hand what cancer can do to a persons body. Obviously, you can get cancer through no fault of your own. But you can also be proactive and lower your chances of getting cancer. By learning how to quit smokeless tobacco I drastically reduced my chances of getting mouth, throat or stomach cancer – and I want you to do the same.
Snuff is not cheap!
Maybe your desire to stop dipping snuff is financial. Dip is getting more expensive by the year. Even the cheap stuff isn’t cheap anymore. Let’s do a quick exercise. Assume a can of snuff costs $6 and you dip a can a day. That comes out to $2190 a year. Do that for 10 years and that is $21,900 WITHOUT factoring in interest! It absolutely makes financial sense to stop dipping.
What about the Gross Factor?
There are tons of reasons to quit – not least of all is that it is absolutely disgusting. Ever spilled a cup full of brown spit? I bet you have. Ever spilled it on your clothes or furniture? How about this – what does a spit cup smell like that has been left in your car in August? Gag-o-liscous. Teeth turning brown? When is the last time you went to the dentist? Most dippers do not go to the dentist very often because they are afraid. Talk about compounding the problem!
Tired of letting people down?
You probably have a lot of people in your life that want you to learn how to stop dipping snuff. You may have even promised them so many times and failed that they don’t even ask you to quit anymore. It feels bad to really try and fail again and again. People around you may even take it personal that you gave up your quit. They probably do not know how hard you tried. Its OK, you can choose to quit dipping TODAY, for the last time. That’s right, just like that. Boom! You are no longer a user of smokeless tobacco, feels good right? (I didn’t say it would be easy, keep reading articles on the site).
When you stop dipping snuff it’s ok to have doubts
You are probably thinking “yeah right, If I was able to quit just like that I wouldn’t be checking out this article”. I get it. The difference today is that you ARE checking out this article. There are many, many articles on this website about quitting smokeless tobacco. I fully believe that educating yourself about what you are up against is a very important key to success. There is no such thing as “overdoing” when you are preparing your quit.
As you start to dig deeper into what other people have written, you will start to get a clear picture of what actually quitting dip looks like. You will learn about timelines and withdrawal symptoms that are common and uncommon. Also, you will read about things to avoid early on that will increase your chances of success – like cutting back or stopping alcohol for a while. Most importantly you will learn what freedom from addiction feels like. I can promise you it is worth the struggle to get there.
What is your most important reason to stop dipping snuff?
Regardless of what your reason for quitting dip is, you know the bottom line is that it is just not good for you. You might do it for health, money, significant others, your kids…..the list goes on and on and on. Grab on to the one thing that means the most to you and make that your focus to get through the first, most crucial days. Spend time reading through the articles and links that are posted. Got to the forum section and post on roll call every day. Realize that you are up against an incredibly strong enemy here – lovingly referred to in the community as the “nic bitch”.
The Adversary is a Crafty One!
The nic-bitch is tough. She will whisper lies to you after you walk away from her. “Just one won’t hurt”. “Look how good you have done, you have gone xx number of days without dip, take one for a celebration” (I have seen people do this 100 days after they quit smokeless tobacco. The result? They were back to a can a day in no time at all). “I thought we were friends. Think of all the fun stuff we did together like fishing, hunting, watching movies, etc.” “You quit the dip once before, so you can’t get addicted again”. “Now that you know how to stop dipping snuff you know the next time you quit will be easier”. Lies, lies and more lies.
What is the biggest key to stop dipping snuff?
Getting involved in a quit smokeless tobacco community arms you for the rough times. Not just in the beginning but later down the road. There is a guy in our group that posted the other day and said he was having a craving, and he has hundreds of days tobacco free. This happens out of nowhere every once in awhile and is normal. However after days start piling up after you learn how to quit smokeless tobacco, the craving s and the whispers become less and less and most days nonexistent. If it never got better I don’t know if anyone would stop dipping snuff!
Conclusion
I CANT tell you what your story will look like when you decide to stop dipping snuff. I CAN tell you that it is totally freaking awesome when you finally come out the other side. Along the way you will have a lot of people rooting for you on this site and in your personal life. I CAN also tell you that the personal feeling of accomplishment you have when you beat this addiction down is absolutely invigorating. When you now longer have to ask “how to stop dipping snuff” you will have other obstacles in your life that just don’t look as big anymore.