OK, I’m quitting the Cope (again)

[Bert Orange 1120]

I must suck at searching as I can’t find a single thread on this (legacy shaggy). In any event, short story. Quit four weeks ago for the second time. Had been off the shit for two years before a four year relapse. I’m done for good now - I pray. For those who struggle, I feel you. This shit has to stop. I want to see my grandkids. And smile in pictures. 

[TeeDubya 3362]

Good Luck Brother.  Grandkids are a damn good reason.

[fattyflattie 4639]

Stopped 10 years ago in January.  Kid 1 was on the way and figured it was time.  I miss it every single fucking day, but have never relapsed. I’m one of those that can’t just pick it up and put it down.  Godspeed. 

[retread 2951]

Took me several tries to quit. Not easy at all. Last time I bought a can, it thankfully just about made me sick. That's been years ago.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Not sure I recommend it, but I tried vaping and it worked for me with no ill effects.  Also chewed a lot of gum.

I still have an urge for a dip, but it's easy enough to withstand.

[conVINCEd 21469]

I quit 15 years ago when my dad was denied cigarettes while he was in the hospital for quintuple bypass surgery due to smoking for 40 years.   I’ve had relapses,  but I’m 2 years clean.

[RPM 26315]

Motivation:

[RMac5 1551]

Freakin love Copenhagen, been off of it for several years now. Hang in there Bert, you will live through it.

[South Austin 52448]

My dad dipped for most of the time that I’ve known him. He would just put a pinch in and never spit. He quit maybe 10-15 years ago, but still has to chew nicotine gum. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Good luck brother.

[BayouBill 835]

Quitting myself. I've been using the nicotine pouches and they've gotten me through the hardest time. Still hard but so far I'm able to get by. Eventually going to ween off these as well...hopefully

[ROFL BOX 6647]

I must suck at searching as I can’t find a single thread on this (legacy shaggy).

Did we not restart a nicotine thread here on Shag²?

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[Gil Bang 25907]

I read the other day that Rod Carew spent over $100,000 getting his teeth and gums fixed, 30 FUCKING YEARS AGO. 

That shit is poison man.  Hang in there, you can do this.   And Texas dads, tell your sons that it's a stupid and disgusting fucking habit.  Stop making it cool and macho and cowboy and all that shit. 

[Bevo&Pevo 5120]

I started with Red Man plug when I was 10 or 11.  Skoal Long Cut was my jam.  Tried quitting along the way without much success until...the dentist laid down the law.  He started talking about how "we" was gonna fix my front gum with a skin graft unless I could quit.  Scared my shitless (never liked the dentist visits much anyway), I managed to quit, but every once in awhile I still miss the experience.  Good luck to everyone trying and stay after it.

[Francisco 2.0 32386]

On 11/17/2021 at 8:46 PM, Bert Orange said:

I must suck at searching as I can’t find a single thread on this (legacy shaggy). In any event, short story. Quit four weeks ago for the second time. Had been off the shit for two years before a four year relapse. I’m done for good now - I pray. For those who struggle, I feel you. This shit has to stop. I want to see my grandkids. And smile in pictures. 

 

You got this.

I started chewing when I was 14.  Dad always had a carton of Union Standard behind the seat of his truck, and when friends came over, they knew dad chewed so they wanted me to steal a pouch so they could try it out.  As kids do, I tried it out with them.  Was funny to watch them get ill because they didn't know any better.  However, I kept on chewing, through my 42nd bday.  Never got into Skoal or its variants, but pouch, twist and plug were my jam.  28 years of loose leaf tobacco usage.  It was an old friend.

One April day in 2009, I took my pouch of Beechnut Wintergreen and put in a chew.  Tossed it into my truck.  My daughter, who was 9 at the time, picked up the pouch and read the Surgeon General warning about it potentially causing cancer.  She asked me about it, and I gave her a half-assed answer about how that probably wouldn't affect me.  She paused for a few seconds and then said "but why would you take the chance anyway?"

That was the sign I was looking for.  I quit that day, and haven't had a chew since.

You got this.

 

 

[Hpara759 1778]

It is a tuff one to break......started when I was 14 at 40 cents a can.....quit at 42 when B/P started getting high. Still want it when I see somebody put a dip in. and that's been 20 years ago

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Back when I rodeo'd in high school, it was a time when a 14 year old kid could buy a pouch of Red Man without any questions.

I monkeyed around with that nonsense off & on for prob. 2 years & NEVER when my mom could catch me.

I came from a family line of chewers back in Louisiana & figured that was simply what "we" did. The ladies smoked, the guys hit the chaw, right?

Anyway, my expense account was slim to nil, so I never could get more than 1 pouch every 3 or 4 months & besides, I was too lazy to walk the roughly 1 mile to the C-store.

Never did hit it for more than 2 minutes per plug & probably was taking a small amount anyway. I didn't quite catch the fascination, so I didn't get hooked.

I guess I got lucky.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[ztejas 43411]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:10 PM, Gil Bang said:

Stop making it cool

Yeah. It isn't like smoking. 

[cabowabo 4484]

On 11/21/2021 at 6:10 PM, Gil Bang said:

Stop making it cool and macho and cowboy and all that shit. 

I was pretty fucking cool dipping Hawken back when I was a kid.  

[pops 6980]

Decided to quit this morning... partly because of this thread and mostly because it is dumb and regarded to have a substance have control over you. 

I figured I would just quit because I'm not an addict!  Fuck that. Today has sucked. Hopefully tomorrow is better. Not going back. 

[ztejas 43411]

1 minute ago, pops said:

Decided to quit this morning... partly because of this thread and mostly because it is dumb and regarded to have a substance have control over you. 

I figured I would just quit because I'm not an addict!  Fuck that. Today has sucked. Hopefully tomorrow is better. Not going back. 

There's a difference between being an addict and being addicted to something 😉

Good luck. I probably smoke a cigarette a day on average and quitting that isn't easy. Granted I haven't really set my mind to it in awhile. 

Edited November 29, 2021 by ztejas

[pops 6980]

2 minutes ago, ztejas said:

There's a difference between being an addict and being addicted to something 😉

Good luck. I probably smoke a cigarette a day on average and quitting that isn't easy. Granted I haven't really set my mind to it in awhile. 

I feel you. I will still have a cigarette in the right company on occasion. But I could smoke 10 on the golf course during a round and not have the need to even think about another for weeks. 

This dipping shit snuk up on me. Buddy gave me a camel pouch about 8 years ago. That eventually led to actual pouches and then long cut. 

9 year old son found a can last week and asked why it was in my truck. I lied and said it was garbage I found and just hadn't thrown it away yet. That's not who I want to be so I'm done. Fuck it. 

[Hate 20106]

Good luck Pops! Quitting tobacco can be difficult. I never got the smokeless bug. I dipped Hawken for a summer when I was 12 or 13 because an older cousin had it. I tried Beechnut wintergreen too, but it was too messy for me. I tried the smallest pinch of Copenhagen you can imagine for about 30 seconds before I was dizzy and about to hurl.

I was a smoker for 18 years so I do understand how hard it is. I “quit” several times before I realized that I cannot have a cigarette in any environment. I wish I could have one on a golf course or at a bar, but I I can’t. I don’t miss it, but it would be nice to have one every once in a while.

[woohorn 1131]

You gotta just hit the nic gum as much as you need to so that you never dip again. You can beat this and never dip again.

Haven't dipped or smoked for decades and never think about it. So proud I don't have that shit in my mouth anymore. GL!

[Bert Orange 1120]

10 hours ago, pops said:

Decided to quit this morning... partly because of this thread and mostly because it is dumb and regarded to have a substance have control over you. 

I figured I would just quit because I'm not an addict!  Fuck that. Today has sucked. Hopefully tomorrow is better. Not going back. 

Good on ya. Just hit the one month mark and have to say, I think I’m through it. Just like you, my 13 yo daughter found a can in my bag (she was looking for my keys at my request) and she started crying. Sad it took that jolt, but it worked. 
 

best of luck to all trying to quit this filthy shit 

[conVINCEd 21469]

3 hours ago, Bert Orange said:

Good on ya. Just hit the one month mark and have to say, I think I’m through it. Just like you, my 13 yo daughter found a can in my bag (she was looking for my keys at my request) and she started crying. Sad it took that jolt, but it worked. 
 

best of luck to all trying to quit this filthy shit 

The key to quitting long term involves resisting the urge when you are engaging in activities when you would normally dip.  For me, that’s long drives, golf, and hunting.  And anytime alcohol is involved (and I seent your bourbon stash).

[pops 6980]

8 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

The key to quitting long term involves resisting the urge when you are engaging in activities when you would normally dip.  For me, that’s long drives, golf, and hunting.  And anytime alcohol is involved (and I seent your bourbon stash).

This. I just hit 48 hours and i don't think it's as much the chemical withdrawal as it is the pavlovian urge to keep up the routine. Going to the gym....right after dinner....right after cracking that first beer....definitely golf. Dealing with it. Thought about buying some zyn or whatever, but seems like that doesn't really solve the problem and just leaves the door open. 

[TwiceHorn 31438]

5 minutes ago, pops said:

This. I just hit 48 hours and i don't think it's as much the chemical withdrawal as it is the pavlovian urge to keep up the routine. Going to the gym....right after dinner....right after cracking that first beer....definitely golf. Dealing with it. Thought about buying some zyn or whatever, but seems like that doesn't really solve the problem and just leaves the door open. 

Yeah, this is why I tried vaping.  Completely different experience that didn't set off the "something in my mouth triggers" that I figured nic gum would.  I did chew quite a bit of gum though.  

[pops 6980]

17 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Yeah, this is why I tried vaping.  Completely different experience that didn't set off the "something in my mouth triggers" that I figured nic gum would.  I did chew quite a bit of gum though.  

Yeah... I'm chewing the shit out of regular gum. I look like Pete Carroll on crank. 

[Gil Bang 25907]

On 11/28/2021 at 6:51 PM, pops said:

Decided to quit this morning... partly because of this thread and mostly because it is dumb and regarded to have a substance have control over you. 

I figured I would just quit because I'm not an addict!  Fuck that. Today has sucked. Hopefully tomorrow is better. Not going back. 

I don't know if I can agree until a get a ruling on pussy being a "substance".

[High Plains Drifter 11026]

 

old co-worker of mine quit using a combination of chewing nicotine gum and a stuffing a wad of sunflower seeds in the spot where the dip would go. I remember riding with him in the work truck and having to stop frequently to buy a bag of sunflower seeds.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

19 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

old co-worker of mine quit using a combination of chewing nicotine gum and a stuffing a wad of sunflower seeds in the spot where the dip would go. I remember riding with him in the work truck and having to stop frequently to buy a bag of sunflower seeds.

Kind of a funny story.  In HS, on the baseball team, a lot of us dipped and chewed, and sucked on sunflower seeds.

One guy had told his dentist that he dipped, so the dentist gave him a stern warning and was "on guard" for signs of problems.

Well, at one dentist appointment, the dentist pronounced that our boy had leukoplakia, which is, I believe a pre-cancerous lesion that dipping can cause.  It's a whitened, leathery patch on the gums or inside cheek.  He showed it to our boy.  Problem was, it wasn't where he dipped, left side lower, but where he put seeds, right side lower and middle.  The salt and rough texture of the seeds had sort of callused the inside of his mouth.  He quit sucking seeds in the offseason and the "leukoplakia" disappeared.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2731]

I quit during college. Skoal Long cut straight was my jam. Tried to dip once while deathly ill and that did the trick for me. Couldn’t ever stomach it again and I even tried a few other flavors a few years down the road.

I buy one bag of Red Man Golden Blend once a year at the start of deer season. It usually lasts until about NY but I mix with Dubble Bubble as it gets dry.

[maninblack 7974]

I quit years ago while I was deployed with the help of Wellbutrin. I never really felt it do anything per se but I quit and only have the occasional odd craving.

[fattyflattie 4639]

Hope you guys are sticking to it. Keep up the fight.  

[Sandman 3403]

On 11/29/2021 at 6:53 PM, pops said:

i don't think it's as much the chemical withdrawal as it is the pavlovian urge to keep up the routine

I quit smoking in March/April 2001 but for several years, I'd catch myself sticking a pen in my mouth or holding one in my hand like a cigarette. I had zero urge to smoke but for some reason I couldn't stop going through the motions. 

[High Plains Drifter 11026]

On 12/13/2021 at 12:59 PM, Sandman said:

I quit smoking in March/April 2001 but for several years, I'd catch myself sticking a pen in my mouth or holding one in my hand like a cigarette. I had zero urge to smoke but for some reason I couldn't stop going through the motions. 

 

I cut back on the beer by drinking a carbonate drink every time I got the urge to drink a beer. Now I'm hooked on carbonated drinks, but that usually means Topo Chico, so no big deal. I still drink beer, just not all the damn time like I used to.

<cue announcement that Topo Chico makes your dick shrivel and fall off>

[Celery Man 20931]

I smoked when I drank which used to be all the time. I vaped for a bit, cut that with nicotine lozenges, and then just switched to mints. And I still carry a roll of breathsavers around and pop one in every now and then like it's going to do something.

[topochico 1049]

1 hour ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

I cut back on the beer by drinking a carbonate drink every time I got the urge to drink a beer. Now I'm hooked on carbonated drinks, but that usually means Topo Chico, so no big deal. I still drink beer, just not all the damn time like I used to.

<cue announcement that Topo Chico makes your dick shrivel and fall off>

 

Oh no!

[HornOnTheBayou 8905]

6 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

<cue announcement that Topo Chico makes your dick shrivel and fall off>

By "shrivel", do you mean shrink down to 12 inches? I guess I can deal with that if it means I can still drink Topo Chico.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

6 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

I cut back on the beer by drinking a carbonate drink every time I got the urge to drink a beer. Now I'm hooked on carbonated drinks, but that usually means Topo Chico, so no big deal. I still drink beer, just not all the damn time like I used to.

<cue announcement that Topo Chico makes your dick shrivel and fall off>

This is how you know you're not an alcoholic.

Such things as subbing fizzy water for beer and/or actually reducing your consumption of beer, are incomprehensible to an alcoholic.

[Bookman 4638]

It's February 2, 2022, which means it's been six years since I've had any Copenhagen, smokeless tobacco, or any type of tobacco in general.

Twenty-four year can-a-day Copenhagen habit. Still chew nicotine gum though, but the doc is okay with that.

[Bookman 4638]

On 12/14/2021 at 2:50 PM, High Plains Drifter said:

 

I cut back on the beer by drinking a carbonate drink every time I got the urge to drink a beer. Now I'm hooked on carbonated drinks, but that usually means Topo Chico, so no big deal. I still drink beer, just not all the damn time like I used to.

<cue announcement that Topo Chico makes your dick shrivel and fall off>

In 2011, I decided that my habit of drinking 2-3 beers a day needed to end. I replaced it with Topo Chico.

I don't think I was an alcoholic, but I sure drank beer practically every day.

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

Quit a pack-a-day cigarette habit in 2010 by switching to cigars. Eventually got to the point I didn't care if I went a few days without a cigar, and ended up unintentionally effectively quitting those as well. For some reason, perhaps boredom, I bought a can of Cope in 2016 after not having dipped since high school. It made my queasy, but I ended up diving back into a nicotine habit, eventually landing on Skoal Snus as my preferred delivery system. I signed up for life insurance back in October. As part of the process, I had to take a blood test that tested for nicotine use. That was enough to convince me to quit. Haven't had any snus since, but I would be lying if I said I didn't think about grabbing a can occasionally.  

[Sandman 3403]

6 hours ago, Bookman said:

In 2011, I decided that my habit of drinking 2-3 beers a day needed to end. I replaced it with Topo Chico.

I don't think I was an alcoholic, but I sure drank beer practically every day.

I remember going to my grandparents as a kid, hadn't seen them in years. My grandfather would drink beer after beer, almost all day, never acted drunk that I can remember, but I was 12 and didn't know what "drunk" was. I went back to see him a few years later and he had replaced the beers with diet coke, one after another. He told my mom that the Dr said he needed to stop drinking so much. I don't think he drank again but he never stopped his habit of draining 12 oz cans all day long. I guess it was a type of oral fixation or something.

[JSB 677]

On 12/14/2021 at 9:51 PM, TwiceHorn said:

This is how you know you're not an alcoholic.

Such things as subbing fizzy water for beer and/or actually reducing your consumption of beer, are incomprehensible to an alcoholic.

I'm an alcoholic sober for 7 months now and I've had a large surge in my dipping. Both vices will kill me, but alcohol could kill me tomorrow, so while I know I need to quit the red seal too, today is not that day. Soon enough I'll be where you guys are. Keep up the good fight. 

[TwiceHorn 31438]

3 minutes ago, JSB said:

I'm an alcoholic sober for 7 months now and I've had a large surge in my dipping. Both vices will kill me, but alcohol could kill me tomorrow, so while I know I need to quit the red seal too, today is not that day. Soon enough I'll be where you guys are. Keep up the good fight. 

Progress not perfection, yes.

[Bookman 4638]

Six years ago I had receding gums around one tooth. Never was sure if it had anything to do with my smokeless tobacco use, but yesterday I went to the dentist and everything is completely back to normal, and has been for some time.

Take care of yourself out there, and stop thinking of tobacco use as a “bad habit.” It’s a nicotine addiction and should be treated as such.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Bookman

[Bookman 4638]

It's been a week since I've had any nicotine gum.

[Murfdogg21 4412]

Did the posters who said it was about looking cool never dip? You get a nice buzz, sometimes a different buzz when done with alcohol, it’s an appetite suppressant, and keeps you alert for times like driving at night. I never thought it made me look cool and typically hid it.

I was only a casual user (2-3 cans a month) in my 20s, then met my future wife who said she wouldn’t date me unless I quit. Quit cold turkey for two years, then went to work (at a biotech company of all places) where 50% of the male employees dipped all the time, at their desks, in conference room meetings, in the car on the way to sales calls. I jumped right back in for a few years until my wife got pregnant 6 years ago. I wouldn’t call it relapsing, but about once a year if doing a long drive by myself I might stop by the gas station and get some bandit pouches for the roadie and it’s a nice nostalgic feeling. Never felt the urge to do it regularly again, but I treat it like the occasional cigar. Good luck to the rest of you quitters!