People with a quit date of 03/24/2006 - 04/23/2006, this is your Quit Group.

Team Independence
Saturday, June 30th, 2007
End of June Roll Call!



7iron ~ 456 (6/30/07) 79.5 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 446 (6/28/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

Junkie, burn-out, addict, drug abuser,
drunk, alcoholic, chew-a-holic
________________________________________


Some people would argue that chew-a-holic is just a cute euphemism which should not be compared to what they consider degrading syndromes. Contrary to this belief, nicotine addiction can be equally as strong and deadly as any of these other conditions. In fact, if you total the number of people who die yearly of all these other conditions combined, they would not add up to the number of premature deaths attributed to chewing and smoking.

Until recent times, the idea of nicotine being a physiologically addictive substance was controversial in the world-wide medical community. For a drug to be considered addictive, it must meet certain criteria. First, it must be capable of inducing physical withdrawal upon cessation. Nicotine abstinence syndrome is a well documented, established fact.

Second, tolerance to the drug usually develops. Increasingly larger doses become necessary to achieve the same desired effects. Chewers experience this phenomenon as their chew consumption gradually increases from what probably was sporadic occasional use to a required daily consumption of one or more cans.

The third criterion is that an addictive substance becomes a totally consuming necessity to its user, usually resulting in what is considered by a society as anti-social behavior. Many have argued that chewing and smoking fail to fulfill this requirement. True, most chewers do not resort to deviant behaviors to maintain their dependency, but this is because most chewers do manage to easily obtain the full complement of chews they need to satisfy the addiction. When chewers are deprived of easy accessibility to chews, the situation is totally different.

During World War II, in concentration camps in Germany, prisoners were not given enough food to fulfill minimum caloric nutritional requirements. They were literally starving to death. A common practice among smoking prisoners was to trade away their scarce supplies of life sustaining food for smokes. Even today, in underdeveloped countries, such as Bangladesh, parents with starving children barter away essential food for smokes. This is not normal behavior.

During the "stop smoking clinics" I conduct, numerous participants admit to going through ashtrays, garbage cans and, if necessary, gutters looking for butts which may still have a salvageable value of a few dips when their own supplies are depleted due to carelessness or unforeseen circumstances. To them, it is sick to think that they ever performed such a grotesque act, but many realize that if they were currently chewing or smoking and again caught in a similar predicament, they would be fully capable of repeating the repulsive incident.

Nicotine is a drug. It is addictive. And if you let it, it can be a killer. Consider this when you get the urge for a chew. One dip can and most often will reinforce the addiction. Don't take that chance.


Joel

© Joel Spitzer 1982, 2000
Page last updated by Joel Spitzer on August 24, 2003

Team Independence
Sunday, July 1st, 2007
Weekends are too short :( Roll Call!



7iron ~ 457 (7/1/07) 79.5 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 446 (6/28/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

Team Independence
Monday, July 2st, 2007
Monday's Suck Roll Call!



7iron ~ 457 (7/1/07) 79.5 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

Team Independence
Monday, July 2st, 2007
Monday's Suck Roll Call!



27iron ~ 458 (7/1/07) 79.5 MAD ... I agree :angry:
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

Team Independence
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
Tuesday's are better Roll Call!



7iron ~ 459 (7/3/07) 83.0 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

450 looks good on ya HJ!

Team Independence
Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
Independence Day Roll Call!



7iron ~ 460 (7/4/07) 83.0 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

Team Independence
Thursday, July 5th, 2007
Work Again? Roll Call!



7iron ~ 461 (7/5/07) 85.8 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

Team Independence
Friday, July 6th, 2007
RIP Granny Roll Call!



7iron ~ 462 (7/6/07) 85.8 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95

My last grandparent died today. I'm sad. Thoughts of a can of cope entered my mind very briefly. They are long gone. I am flying out tomorrow and leavng my family at home. I will not dip snuff today or tomorrow or on the way home Sunday. I don't do that crap anymore. It wouldn't help me anyway.

Someone please post roll for me while I'm gone.

Team Independence
Friday, July 6th, 2007
RIP Granny Roll Call!



7iron ~ 462 (7/6/07) 85.8 MAD
Hagen Junkie - Day 450 (7/2/07)
VikeFan ~ 428 (6-25-07)
DNM - 207 (6-25-7)
chewie - 311 (5.30.07)
BLove - Day 95
GK - 361 praying for your family 7!

Team Independence
The Day After 7.7.07 Roll Call


464 - 7 Iron
363 - GK

Team Independence
Monday July 9th, 2007
Finally Flying Home Roll Call!


465 - 7 Iron - (7/9/07)
363 - GK
457 - Hagen Junkie - (7/9/07) Pre-flight people-watching at DTW...some nice looking hotties!

7:

My condllences on the passing of your grandmother. It is always sad when we lose a loved one, but losing the last surviving grandparent is difficult as so much family knowledge and history is lost forever. I know what you are going through as I lost my grandmother, who was also my last surviving grandparent back in January this year. You are absolutely right, dipping will not help the situation and will only make things worse. You already know that, but it is always worht repeating, and occasionally hearing it from someone else.

You are probably home by now but I hope you had safe travels to and from.

If there is anything I can do, please do not hesitate to ask.

Our prayers are with you and your family.

Take care bro!

HJ

Thanks 7! I almost missed this post from you. I've been in Michigan at the in-laws since 7/2 and have not had any access to the site. I am finally going home today but Mrs. HJ and lil' HJ are staying until Friday. I now have some time to get most of the honey-do projects knocked out without interruption!

Hope you are doing well!

HJ

Team Independence
Monday July 9th, 2007
Finally Flying Home Roll Call!


465 - 7 Iron - (7/9/07)
363 - GK
457 - Hagen Junkie - (7/9/07) Pre-flight people-watching at DTW...some nice looking hotties!
221 - DNM

Caring for Your Recovery

The recovered cocaine addict, the heroin addict, the nicotine addict, each knows the law of addiction. They’ve heard it over and over and over. Just one, just once, that's all it ever takes and it's back! They’ve also read or heard about the relapse study data indicating that 95% to 97% of recovered addicts who take just one chew, one hit, one snort or one injection, experience full and complete relapse. They know the rule of addiction and they know what happens if they break it. Then why do we?
There are three primary factors associated with relapse: (1) rewriting the law of addiction; (2) an excuse; and (3) a vague memory. It doesn’t matter if it happens within two weeks after quitting, two months, two years, or twenty years, the factors remain the same and apply to all of us. Rewriting the law of addiction is easy and you don’t need a pencil, paper or computer to do it.

“Just one chew” and then “do not pass go, do not collect $200, but go directly to the addict’s prison and surrender your freedom for good.” It isn’t that the recovering nicotine addict doesn’t know or believe the law of addiction, because we do. It’s just that we begin to believe that we’re the exception. We convince ourselves that we’re stronger than those who wrote the law, and wiser than the addicts who came before us. We amend the law. We put ourselves above it. “Just one, it’ll be ok, I can handle it, I'm stronger than the others, a little reward, it's been a while, I’ve earned it.”

I’m sorry. As soon as those words are spoken, it's over. Instead of saying that you can handle“ just one ” a truthful statement would have been “I can handle them all, give them all back to me, my entire addiction, all the spittoons, the sore throat and tongue, the bad breath, I want it all back.” It’s far easier to create an exception to the “law” than to admit the truth. A one can a day addiction is approximately 4,000 chews of tobacco a year. Don’t picture chewing just one. Picture taking 4,000 slave-driven chews each and every year. “To thine own self be true.” You deserve the truth - you paid the price - you earned it.

The excuse can be anything. Usually the addict waits for that great excuse to come along, but some get tired of waiting and any old excuse will do. Even joy! A reunion with an old chewing buddy, a few drinks with friends, a wedding, a graduation, or even a baby’s birth and a free nicotine laden cigar, why not! But joyful relapse is harder to explain to yourself and to those you love.

The smart nicotine addict waits for the great excuse, the one that we know we can sell to ourselves and others. As sick as it may sound, the easiest to sell and the best of all is the death of a loved one. Although everyone we love is destined to die and it will happen sooner or later, for the reformed addict it’s the perfect excuse for relapse. I mean, who can blame us for ingesting highly addictive drugs into our bodies upon our mother’s death. Anyone who does would have to be extremely insensitive or totally heartless! Right? Losing a job, the end of a relationship, illness, disease or financial problems are all are great excuses too - it’s drug time again! The addict is back!

But an excuse doesn’t work alone. It needs help. Failing memories of “why” we were willing to climb walls and endure tremendous internal agony in order to break free, breathes fatal life into any excuse. Most of us failed to keep a detailed record of why we quit or what it was like. Instead, we're forced to rely upon our memory to accurately and vividly preserve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But now, the memory in which we placed all our trust has failed us.

It isn’t that your memory is bad, faulty or doing anything wrong. In fact, it’s working as it should to preserve in as much detail as possible the joyful events of life, while forgetting, as quickly as possible, all the pain and hurt that we’ve felt, including all of the wrong we’ve done. To have our brains do otherwise would make life inside our minds unbearable. If women were forced to remember the true agony and intense pain of childbirth, most would have just one. God blessed us with the gift to forget.

So how does the reformed nicotine addict who failed to keep accurate records of their journey, revive their passion for freedom and recall the price they paid for liberty. If we forget the past, are we destined to repeat it? Not necessarily. It doesn’t have to be. But just as any loving relationship needs nourishment to flourish, we can never take our quit for granted or the flame will eventually die and the fire will go out. We have to want to protect it until the day we die. We have to turn that "want" into action. If we do, we win. If not, our fate may be similar to almost all who don’t - relapse followed by crippling disease or early death.

Whether daily, weekly or monthly our quit needs care. If you don’t have a detailed log to regularly review upon each quit anniversary or birthday, do your best to create one now. Talk to chewing friends and ask for help in revitalizing your memories. Encourage them to be as truthful as possible. Although they may look like they’re enjoying chewing, their primary joy is in keeping their body’s nicotine level within the comfort zone, so as to avoid the onset of early withdrawal. Show them your pen and paper. Let them help make your list. You may even spark their desire for freedom. Be kind and sincere. It wasn't long ago that those were our shoes.

Think about that first week. What was it like? Can you still feel the powerful craves as your body begged and cried to be fed? Can you still feel the pain? Do you see yourself not being able to concentrate, having difficulty sleeping, feeling depressed, angry, irritable, frustrated, restless, with tremendous anxiety, a foggy mind, sweating palms, rapidly cycling emotions, irrational thinking, emotional outbursts or even the shakes? Do you remember these things? Do you remember the price you paid for freedom?

If you have access to a computer, you wont’ need a Chewer’s help. You can go on-line to scores of chewing cessation support groups and find thousands of battles being fought, hear tons of cries and watch hundreds who won’t make it through “Hell Week” to the hope that lies beyond. Visit as often as possible. Make a few posts to those in need. Share your valuable quit wisdom and give the gift of hope. Most don’t know what it’s like to be free. Most have few remaining memories of the days before their addiction. Fear of the unknown is frightening. Help them and in doing so help yourself.

If you find yourself attempting to rewrite the law of addiction, stop, think, remember, read, revisit, revive and give to others, but most important, be honest with you. Terrible and emotional events will happen in each of our lives - such is life. Relapse won’t fix, correct or undo any of them. In your mind, plan for disaster today. How will you cope? What will do? Remember, your addiction is real. Today it sleeps. Will it sleep tomorrow?

John R. Polito

© WhyQuit.Com 2000, 2002

Team Independence
Tuesday July 10th, 2007
Golfing Tuesday Roll Call!


465 - 7 Iron - (7/9/07)
363 - GK
458 - Hagen Junkie - (7/10/07) Shot 93 last week and shot 93 today...hopefully a sign of things to come!
221 - DNM

Team Independence
Tuesday July 10th, 2007
Golfing Tuesday Roll Call!


466 - 7 Iron - (7/10/07) ... missed my own HOF anniversary :blink:
363 - GK
458 - Hagen Junkie - (7/10/07) Shot 93 last week and shot 93 today...hopefully a sign of things to come!
221 - DNM

Thanks bro ... means a lot!

Been a tough last few days and although I was with lots of family, I had to leave my wife and kids at home. I missed them a ton. Then my daughter got food poisoning yesterday so I had to stay home with her. Now I'm seriously backlogged at work. Oh well, life ain't always easy. Good to have family and friends to help carry the load.

Nite!

Team Independence
Thursday July 12th, 2007
Golfing Thursday Roll Call!


466 - 7 Iron - (7/10/07) ... missed my own HOF anniversary :blink:
363 - GK
460 - Hagen Junkie - (7/12/07)
221 - DNM

Team Independence
Thursday July 12th, 2007
Golfing Thursday Roll Call!


468 - 7 Iron - (7/12/07)
363 - GK
460 - Hagen Junkie - (7/12/07)
221 - DNM

Team Independence
Friday July 13th, 2007
TGIF Roll Call!


468 - 7 Iron - (7/12/07)
461 - Hagen Junkie - (7/13/07) Last 3 rounds: 93 :), 93 :), 100 :arg: .......... :wacko:

Team Independence
Friday July 13th, 2007
TGIF Roll Call!


469 - 7 Iron - (7/13/07) ... the median is still 93 though :inno9:
461 - Hagen Junkie - (7/13/07) Last 3 rounds: 93 :), 93 :), 100 :arg: .......... :wacko:

Team Independence
Saturday July 14th, 2007
TGI Saturday Roll Call!


470 - 7 Iron - (7/14/07) ... the median is still 93 though :inno9:
461 - Hagen Junkie - (7/13/07) Last 3 rounds: 93 :), 93 :), 100 :arg: .......... :wacko:

Team Independence
Saturday July 14th, 2007
TGI Saturday Roll Call!


470 - 7 Iron - (7/14/07) ... the median is still 93 though innocent0009.gif
461 - Hagen Junkie - (7/13/07) Last 3 rounds: 93 smile.gif, 93 smile.gif, 100 sign0064.gif .......... wacko.gif
447 - VikeFan (7/14/2007)

Not just us 3 left from July 06 is it???

Time for a few PM's? :mellow:

good to see ya VF!

Team Independence
Sunday July 15th, 2007
Oh Crap! Tomorrow is Monday Already?? Roll Call!


471 - 7 Iron - (7/15/07) ... the median is still 93 though :inno9:
461 - Hagen Junkie - (7/13/07) Last 3 rounds: 93 :), 93 :), 100 :arg: .......... :wacko:
447 - VikeFan (7/14/2007)

Team Independence
Sunday July 15th, 2007
Oh Crap! Tomorrow is Monday Already?? Roll Call!


471 - 7 Iron - (7/15/07) ... the median is still 93 though :inno9:
463 - Hagen Junkie - (7/15/07) ...and an average of 95.3 ...guess I won't complain too much!
447 - VikeFan (7/14/2007)

Team Independence
Mundaneday July 16th, 2007
Mundaneday is not a Fun Day Roll Call!


471 - 7 Iron - (7/15/07) ... the median is still 93 though :inno9:
464 - Hagen Junkie - (7/16/07) It always sucks when the secretary calls in sick on Monday's :mad66:
447 - VikeFan (7/14/2007)

Team Independence
Mundaneday July 16th, 2007
Mundaneday is not a Fun Day Roll Call!


472 - 7 Iron - (7/16/07) 89.6 MAD ... ours is out too :(
464 - Hagen Junkie - (7/16/07) It always sucks when the secretary calls in sick on Monday's :mad66:
447 - VikeFan (7/14/2007)

You too, Iron. Don't get on as much as I'd like but still think about the place and feel the need to post. I owe it to you guys and the site, too.

How's life, brother?

Team Independence
Mundaneday July 16th, 2007
Mundaneday is not a Fun Day Roll Call!


472 - 7 Iron - (7/16/07) 89.6 MAD ... ours is out too sad.gif
464 - Hagen Junkie - (7/16/07) It always sucks when the secretary calls in sick on Monday's mad0066.gif
449 - VikeFan (7/16/2007)

Every Quit is Different


Every quit is different. Not only that, but when a person quits multiple times, each one of those quits is different also. Some people quit and have a terrible time, relapse down the road and are terrified to quit again because they "know" what will happen the next time. Well, actually they don't know. The next time may be a breeze in comparison. On the alternate side, some people have an easy quit, go back with the attitude, "Oh well, if I have to, I'll just quit again." They may find the next quit horrendous, and possibly not be able to pull it off.

The reason I mention this is it is possible that you won't have any major symptoms this time. I have had a lot of can or two a day Chewers who chewed 40 plus years who toss them with minimal withdrawal or discomfort. The reason they never tried to quit before is that they witnessed people who chewed one fourth of what they did go thorough terrible side effects and figured, "If it did that to them, it will kill me." But when the time came, their quit was easy in comparison.

You may find that this quit will be relatively easy. Stranger things have happened. But if it does, don't think that this doesn't mean that you were not addicted. The factor that really shows the addiction is not how hard or how easy it is to quit. What really shows the addiction is how universally easy it is to go back. One chew and the quit can go out the window.

Summing up, the first few days may be relatively easy, or for some, it may be very difficult. Who knows? The only thing we know is that once you get past the third day nicotine free, it will ease up physically. Psychological triggers will still exist but more controllable measures can be taken with them, basically keeping your ammunition up for why you don't want to be a Chewer.

Easy or hard, quitting is worth it. Once you have quit for even a few hours, you have invested some effort, time, and maybe even a little pain. Make this effort count for something. As long as you hang in there now, all of this will have accomplished a goal. It got you off of chewing tobacco.

© Joel Spitzer 2002
Whyquit.com

How effective are over-the-counter NRT products?

We nicotine addicts have been lied to by so many for so long that it's getting hard to believe. One of the biggest lies of all is that few successful quitters are quitting cold turkey, that you have to be a superhero to do so, or that it requires a Herculean effort to succeed.

To the contrary, even today with Chewers being drowned in a sea of magic cures that include NRT products, Zyban, Wellbutrin, magic herbs, the traveling hypnotist, Chew-Away, acupuncture, and every quick fix magic cure ever devised by man, the American Cancer Society's 2003 Cancer Facts and Figures report asserts that 91.2% of all successful long-term quitters quit entirely on their own. When it comes to magic quitting cures there is only one cure with the potential to keep you 100% nicotine free for the remainder of your life and it is "you!"

The websites and commercials of those marketing nicotine replacement therapy products (the nicotine patch, gum, chewer and lozenge) are not advertising the fact that a March 2003 study, published in Tobacco Control, combined and average all over-the-counter NRT patch and gum studies and found that 93% had relapsed to chewing within six-months. It’s even worse as a November 2003 study (also published in Tobacco Control) found that as many as 7% of nicotine gum quitters and 2% of patch users may still be dependent upon the gum or patch at six months.

Nor will those with a financial stake tell you that if you've already tried quitting with the nicotine patch once that they have known since as early as 1993 that your odds during a second or subsequent attempt drop to almost zero (see Tonnesen, Addiction, April 1993). Also don't expect them to reveal that 36.6% of all current nicotine gum users are chronic long-term users of greater than 6 months (see Shiffman, Addiction, Jan. 2004), but why?

The hypnotist and acupuncturist will never tell you that governments around the world (including the U.S.) have reviewed all credible studies and found no evidence whatsoever that either is effective in helping Chewers quit. Why? They're not telling you the truth because they know just how badly you want to break free and know you're willing to pay hard earned money for a quick and painless magic cure.

If you are able to get your brain's dopamine, adrenaline and serotonin pathways adjusted to again functioning without nicotine while continuing to use it, be proud of yourself because you are in fact a superhero. But if you are among the 93 out of 100 first time NRT users who quickly relapse, or among the nearly 100% who gave the patch a second try and again fell flat on your face, then don't get discouraged as you are in some wonderful company.

There is only one quitting aid that can 100% guarantee success and it is you!

Whyquit.com – by John R. Polito

The last couple weeks have been tough actually (Granny died, travel for the funeral, away from home, daughter got food poisoning, we stayed home for two days, behind at work, personal issues with coworkers, clients who do not want to pay their bills, etc., etc.).

The nice thing is that thoughts of dipping were almost nonexistent.

Seriously, we all have our lists of good and bad. At times, the scale gets a little lopsided, but it has already been corrected and things are back in balance. Dipping snuff sure ain't gonna make any problems go away.

On a positive note, I started running again (I used to hate running) and I actually weighed in at 199 yesterday evening (first time under 200 since early in the year). Feels good to get the heart rate up and be burning off some of those beers.

My daughter will be three in under 2 weeks and recently learned to swim. My son, Scotty, is close to 11 months old and is ready to start walking soon. We are all going back to Singapore in September for a vacation and friend's wedding. I have much to be thankful for - I am a very blessed man.

You?

Team Independence
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Vike's Four Fifty Roll Call!


473 - 7 Iron - (7/17/07) 93.2 MAD
464 - Hagen Junkie - (7/16/07)
449 - VikeFan (7/16/2007)

Team Independence
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Vike's Four Fifty Roll Call!


473 - 7 Iron - (7/17/07) 93.2 MAD
465 - Hagen Junkie - (7/17/07) 1yr HOF Anniversary! wooohoooo! Congrats on 450 VF!
449 - VikeFan (7/16/2007)

Way to go Greg! Feels great, huh? Night and day difference between now and then. :D

Team Independence
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
No Name Roll Call!


474 - 7 Iron - (7/18/07) 93.2 MAD ... gotta love these numbers!
465 - Hagen Junkie - (7/17/07) 1yr HOF Anniversary! wooohoooo! Congrats on 450 VF!
449 - VikeFan (7/16/2007)

Team Independence
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Could This Week Drag On Any Longer? :arg: Roll Call!


474 - 7 Iron - (7/18/07) 93.2 MAD ... gotta love these numbers!
467 - Hagen Junkie - (7/19/07)
449 - VikeFan (7/16/2007)

Team Independence
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Could This Week Drag On Any Longer? :arg: Roll Call!


475 - 7 Iron - (7/19/07) 93.2 MAD ... just workin' for the weekend <_<
467 - Hagen Junkie - (7/19/07)
449 - VikeFan (7/16/2007)

Team Independence
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Could This Week Drag On Any Longer? sign0064.gif Roll Call!


475 - 7 Iron - (7/19/07) 93.2 MAD ... just workin' for the weekend dry.gif
467 - Hagen Junkie - (7/19/07)
452 - VikeFan (7/19/2007)

Iron,

Sorry about grandma, Iron. Hang in there, brother.

Do you have relatives in Singapore? You were there when you first quit, right?

The wife is talking kids, Iron. I'm 33 and this is the first time we've both said it's time. So that's cool.

Job is going great, man. Been there almost a year now -- great money, co-workers, environment, etc. Happy, brother, very happy.

I agree with you -- my days of chewing are over. I don't think about it at all. Never. Not after eating. Drinking. Waking up. Etc. It's gone.

It's amazing how we used to default to it, right? One bad incident -- chew. Busy at work ... stressed out -- chew. Golfing -- chew. It was always there.

F that.

I'm glad your kids are healthy, Iron, esp. Scotty after the troubles he had earlier. You're blessed, my friend, and that is all you need.

That and a little money :inno9:

Team Independence
Friday, July 20th, 2007
Ahhhh ... TGIF Roll Call!


476 - 7 Iron - (7/20/07) 93.2 MAD
467 - Hagen Junkie - (7/19/07)
452 - VikeFan (7/19/2007)

[quote=VikeFan,Jul 19 2007, 06:11 PM][quote=7iron,Jul 17 2007, 10:39 AM] [quote=VikeFan,Jul 16 2007, 01:28 PM] [quote=7iron,Jul 15 2007, 12:46 AM] [quote=VikeFan,Jul 14 2007, 02:53 PM] Not just us 3 left from July 06 is it???[/quote]
Time for a few PM's? :mellow:

good to see ya VF! [/quote]
You too, Iron. Don't get on as much as I'd like but still think about the place and feel the need to post. I owe it to you guys and the site, too.

How's life, brother? [/quote]
The last couple weeks have been tough actually (Granny died, travel for the funeral, away from home, daughter got food poisoning, we stayed home for two days, behind at work, personal issues with coworkers, clients who do not want to pay their bills, etc., etc.).

The nice thing is that thoughts of dipping were almost nonexistent.

Seriously, we all have our lists of good and bad. At times, the scale gets a little lopsided, but it has already been corrected and things are back in balance. Dipping snuff sure ain't gonna make any problems go away.

On a positive note, I started running again (I used to hate running) and I actually weighed in at 199 yesterday evening (first time under 200 since early in the year). Feels good to get the heart rate up and be burning off some of those beers.

My daughter will be three in under 2 weeks and recently learned to swim. My son, Scotty, is close to 11 months old and is ready to start walking soon. We are all going back to Singapore in September for a vacation and friend's wedding. I have much to be thankful for - I am a very blessed man.

You? [/quote]
Iron,

Sorry about grandma, Iron. Hang in there, brother.

Do you have relatives in Singapore? You were there when you first quit, right?

The wife is talking kids, Iron. I'm 33 and this is the first time we've both said it's time. So that's cool.

Job is going great, man. Been there almost a year now -- great money, co-workers, environment, etc. Happy, brother, very happy.

I agree with you -- my days of chewing are over. I don't think about it at all. Never. Not after eating. Drinking. Waking up. Etc. It's gone.

It's amazing how we used to default to it, right? One bad incident -- chew. Busy at work ... stressed out -- chew. Golfing -- chew. It was always there.

F that.

I'm glad your kids are healthy, Iron, esp. Scotty after the troubles he had earlier. You're blessed, my friend, and that is all you need.

That and a little money :inno9: [/quote]
My wife has many friends in Singapore and her parents live just outside Singapore in Malaysia. We try to go back every year for a couple weeks. It's gonna be a little tough now with 2 kids, but we'll manage to have a great time I'm sure.

So there may be Lil Vike on the horizon, huh? That's good ... I'm sure Minnesota could use a larger fan base. ;)

Kids are incredible difficult and frustrating at times (so are wives), but they are pure joy as well (yeah, wives too). The good definitely outweighs the bad.

As for dipping, isn't it amazing? I still have a moment once in a while where I miss it, but life really is so much better without it. Remember those times when you would realize you forgot your can? That used to happen to me rarely, but once in a while I'd forget. Typically, I would have a dip in and leave the house without a can. When that dip was spent, I would reach for my can to "freshen" or "top up" my dip and a feeling of dread would overwhelm me as I realized the horror of being without my cope.

I still chew gum quite a bit and occasionally have a dip of SMC, but no longer do I have feelings of loss and doom come over me when I leave the house empty handed.

Freedom is pretty sweet!

Minimizing Weight Gain

You may have heard that you can’t deal with weight control issues at the same time as quitting chewing. It may be fine for some people to gorge themselves while quitting chewing and deal with the weight at a later time. The health implication of a minor weight gain is negligible in comparison to the health risks posed by chewing. The average Chewer would have to gain over 75 to 100 pounds to put the additional workload on the heart that is experienced by chewing, and this is not saying anything about the chewing cancer risk.

But for aesthetic and emotional reasons, allowing uncontrolled eating and the inevitable weight gain is a mistake that will often undermine the quitting process. Discouragement over appearance can cause some to return to chewing. Then the Chewer has the additional problem of the extra weight combined with chewing. Sometimes the weight does not automatically disappear by simply relapsing back to chewing.

Weight gain following chewing cessation can be due to several factors. Chewing can have an effect on a person’s metabolism and thus quitting can account for a small weight gain in some individuals. Gains of 5 to 10 pounds over a number of months can be attributed to metabolic alterations in some individuals. But once weight gain exceeds 10 pounds, other factors are more probably responsible.

Snacking between meals or increasing the overall size of meals, can easily result in the consuming of several hundred extra calories per day. Eating just an additional 100 calories a day will result in a one-pound fat gain in just over a month, 10.4 pounds in one year, and an extra 104 pounds in ten years. One hundred four pounds of fat from drinking the equivalent of one extra soft drink per day. This is why you often hear, "I didn’t eat that much more but gained excessive amounts of weight!" True, they may not have eaten that much more daily, but they did it everyday, and the cumulative effect can easily account for the "mysterious" weight gain.

Some ex-Chewers eat more because they are just hungrier. They find themselves snacking between meals or needing to eat at times that were never necessary before. If they wait to eat too late in the day or there is too much time between meals, they may start to experience symptoms such as headaches, sleepiness or lack of energy. This can be a real side effect of chewing cessation.

The reason for the new sense of hunger is due to the fact that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. Chewing between meals seems to eradicate the need for the snacking behaviors experienced by many ex-Chewers. Nicotine does this by elevating the blood sugar and blood fat levels, basically tricking the body into thinking that it has eaten more than it actually has. While that may help to control weight, it does so at a risk. Chewing tobacco used as an appetite suppressant can cause cancer, heart disease, strokes and a host of other illnesses.

The ex-Chewer is no longer constantly administering an appetite suppressant. This does not mean he or she needs to increase caloric intake. It may be a matter of redistributing food normally eaten at single sittings at large meals into numerous smaller meals spaced throughout the day. This can allow for the snacking between meals ex-Chewers are notorious for without increasing overall caloric intake. As an example, if breakfast consists of cereal, muffin, eggs, and a glass of juice, instead of eating all that food in one sitting, it can be dispersed over two or three times keeping a more even distribution of blood sugar throughout the morning hours. The same rule can apply to lunch and dinner, allowing for numerous snacking times throughout the day.

A more insidious mechanism of increased caloric intake can be experienced by unwittingly eating more at the end of meals. The chewing of a chew used to signify the end of a meal. With no chew to serve as a cue, the ex-Chewer may continue to consume extra food after every meal whether or not he or she is hungry. The ex-Chewer may not even know that he has eaten more in the process.

One solution to this behavior can be planning the meal out in advance. Calculate and prepare the amount of food you used to consume while chewing and acknowledge to yourself that you have finished. Another way is leave the table immediately upon completion of the meal. If you must stay at the table have a glass of cold water or a non-caloric beverage present. Don’t leave a plate with scraps or desserts in easy reach.

Another very good solution is getting up and brushing your teeth. This can become the new cue for the end of the meal as well as improve dental hygiene. The clean feeling in your mouth may be a new pleasurable experience for an ex-Chewer. While chewing, brushing of the teeth was often followed by a chew, compromising the overall cleansing process.

Besides controlling consumption, exercise is another tool to help with weight control efforts after quitting chewing. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise done every other day can offset the metabolic alteration accompanied by chewing cessation. If you are eating "a little more," then more exercise can help offset that, too. But be realistic. You have to do a lot of activity to burn off a relatively small amount of food. That is not to say it is a waste of time to exercise to lose weight; just don’t eat food with a shovel and go for a short walk and expect to work off the difference.

Successful weight control while quitting chewing can be accomplished with a little extra effort and planning. Watch your food consumption and exercise regularly.

Joel Spitzer

© Joel Spitzer 1997, 2000