Nicotine Addiction

My Dad dipped, and for those that do not know what that is, it's where you get a pinch of tobacco and place it between the outside of your teeth and gums. I'm not sure when they tried it but my brother and uncle, who were close in age, tried it. If you've never done it, the first time will either dissuade you from ever wanting to touch the stuff again or not. If you swallow it, normally it will make you throw up. It's very unpleasant. My brother and uncle made it through the trials of the first times and kept doing it for years.

My cousin and I, who were close in age, tried it. I had eaten spaghetti a few hours before. I guess I accidentally swallowed it because I immediately threw up the entire dish I had eaten a few hours before. Spaghetti is not good a second time and so I never tried dipping again. My cousin didn't get sick but I think he might have been turned off by my throwing up and didn't keep doing it either.

My Dad could dip and he never spit it out until he was done with it. He had no problem swallowing it; it never made him sick. I don't know how that is possible but I guess he has a cast-iron stomach :)

My Grandparents, Aunt, and Mom smoked when we were young. The kids grew up around it, travelling in cars and sitting in the house. It was awful. I'm not sure when they decided to quit and I was young so I don't even know how hard it was for them. I believe it might have had something to do with my Grandfather having a heart attack. The doctor told him he needed to quit smoking and so in support of him, everyone quit. I think quitting for my Mom was very easy. She never inhaled the smoke, she would just puff on it.

Quitting is a very difficult thing to do. You not only have the addiction to the nicotine but you also have the habit of smoking after certain events such as eating. You know it's hard to quit when you spend tons of money every year to keep it up. It becomes part of the budget but if you looked at what you spent every year, it would make you want to quit immediately. It's not that simple though. You first have to really want to quit. Then you have to have a real strong willpower. It is probably the hardest addiction to quit.

To help you quit, find people that will support you. These are the people that will stand strong by taking a cigarette out of your mouth and throwing it on the ground. These are the people that will take all your cartons and packs out of your house. As the quitter, you must remember that the supporter is helping you. As the supporter you must know that the quitter is going to hate you but they will love you after the cravings have subsided. It's like any addiction though. You must fight the urge for the rest of your life to keep from picking up another cigarette.

If you are in the process of quitting, I commend you and hope you kick the habit and addiction. I hope you have strong supporters as well. If you know my wife or me, we will be glad to help in any way we can.