I started chewing when I was 16 and now I'm 39. I started because I played baseball and it was the thing to do, but after a while I wanted to quit and couldn't. I don't know if it was because I didn't have the proper motivation or what.

Fast forward to September 03, 2008. I woke up this day and the left side of my face wouldn't move. I thought that I had had a stroke. I went to several doctors, who I never told that I chewed, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. They eventually sent me to neurologist. From the time that I sat down in the doctors office to the time he came in was about 30 minutes. During that time I thought of everything I could to figure out what was going on with me and I finally thought that it must be a tumor in my brain due to chewing for 23 years. I told myself that if it wasn't, that I would quit forever. Well, the doctor came into the room and looked at me and said that I had Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. It didn't have anything to do with chewing. I was very happy that it wasn't something that I would die from. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is like Bell Palsy. It makes one side of your face paralyzed. However, after a while it all comes back and eventually recover full movement. Not everyone recovers, but I'm well on my way. Back to chewing I went right after I left the office, thanking God that it wasn't a tumor. I put a chew in and relaxed a little, but then I started thinking of what I told myself. I did want to quit and I didn't want anything to happen to me and not be able to see my two little girls grow up, so I threw out my dip and threw out my can and haven't looked back sense.

I had tried to quit for years. I used sunflower seed, green mint leaves, nicotin free chew, etc... Nothing worked. It finally came down to this. I was sick of being controlled by a substance. I think of chew every day and probably will for the rest of my life, but it doesn't control me anymore. No more going out at 10pm at night because I'm out of Copenhagen. No more being an ass when I haven't had a chew for hours. No more paying for something that is slowly killing me. NO MORE!!!

It's been 19 weeks and counting. I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN...