Smokeless: Why not quit NOW

Krakatoa,

I really wish you the best of luck in quitting. My husband has been on smokeless tobacco for at least 25 years. I just hate it!!! He has tried to stop several times and is currently again in the process of trying to quit. It really must be quite an addiction. Thank you for the providing the website. Those pictures are worth a thousand words! Sadly, many of our young baseball players are now using this stuff. I think they believe it is just part of being a baseball player. Coaches can really be a big influence in these players. For any of you coaches out their, please, please do not allow your players to use this stuff. I am all for sitting thier butts on the bench if caught with it.

Good luck!

Good posts. The one good thing pro ball has done is the program in the minor leagues that they have on tobacco. If you get caught chewing, you get fined and so does the Mgr. Each time it is more money. When the Mgr. has to pay a fine because you were caught dipping, he will make your life miserable. It was put in about 10-12 years ago, and the amount of players in the big leagues who use tobacco is now down significantly.

lew - thank you for the support. I hope your husband finds the site useful. It really does help to get a username and start posting all your hopes and frustrations on the boards. Current beginning quitters are in the "Freedom Marchers" group, e.g., we will all hit the 100 day mark in March. I hope he'll join in and kick it in the teeth!!

bbscout - yes, I bought my first can of chew at age 17 because of baseball. This would've been about ten years before they cracked down in the minors. My parents even knew I had started and said nothing because it just wasn't consiedered a danger at that time!!

Try the nicoderm patch 21mg. It works, the problem is when you go to the ballpark and need that dip. It takes a lot of will power.

I smoked more and more over a 15 year period and finally had enough. Was able to give up the smoking habit but while doing so got hooked on the nicorette gum. This happens quite a bit and is a better alternative than cigarettes.
I wanted to completely eliminate the nicotine (using the gum is almost as expensive as smoking) so I tried the patch. After 1 1/2 years of the gum I used the 21 mg. patch for 1 week, 14 mg patch for 1 week and 7 mg patch for a week and have been off it all for a month. I feel much better and am glad I persevered as it was not easy. With a 25 year addiction it may take a while and different methods to quit but try everything you can and never give up!
I don't like to preach to kids but I almost beg my kids and their friends to never even start smoking/chewing, those who have started I try to tell to quit now as every year you smoke makes quitting that much more difficult.

I'm on the 21mg patch right now. I'm nine days into the quit. I'm going to follow the full program, 21 to 14 to 7mg, and am getting back into my triathlon training. Time to turn this ship around!!