13 Years and Counting – Long and Winding Road

13 Years - Pool Billiards Ball

July 24th.

Other than family birthdays and my anniversary (OK, and maybe Thanksgiving 😉 ) July 24th is probably the day of the year that I look forward to the most. It is the anniversary of the day that I took back my life.

13 Years and Counting

13 years ago today, I quit chewing tobacco. For nearly 18 years I chewed Kodiak, Skoal and Copenhagen on a daily basis… sometimes more than a can per day. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that quitting both one of the most rewarding and most difficult things that I’ve ever done.

Amanda put up with me through years of being a dipper but also with me during all the withdrawal, weight gain (I’m still working on that), me being a hypochondriac and my general “old man grumpiness” (which to be fair is getting worse as I get older and I don’t think has anyting to do with dipping).

My kids have never really known me as a dipper. I’m thrilled about that fact. They know Dad used to use that stuff and I’ve talked with them often about it, but I’m hoping that I’ve shown them the errors of my ways and they’ll think twice when they’re confronted with it. We talk about the things that they’ll be dealing with, most likely vaping, and how it’s a gateway to the same sort of thing that Dad dealt with for years.

I have to give special recognition to my family at KillTheCan.org. These are not simply my ‘Internet friends’. They are some of the greatest friends, brothers and sisters I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I’m humbled by the support I’ve been shown over the years. Without them I’d still be lost in a habit that consumed nearly two decades of my life. Thank you.

Now… it’s time to really tackle that ‘quit weight’ I put on all those years ago 😉

Day 4,749 / 13 Years – Never Again

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