Motivation

People quit smokeless tobacco for numerous and varied reasons, however, research indicates that people with the highest success rates are those who want to quit for themselves. That's not to say that quitting for people that you care about isn't a valid reason, IT IS, and sometimes its the best reason. What seems to work best is finding a personal reason to compliment any external reason. For example, "my wife really wants me to quit and I want to quit for her" this is a great reason to quit and adding a personal reason to that original reason can really boost your chances for success...like "It would also be great to save the $75 per month I spend on this habit!" Choosing a reason for quitting is essential because there will be many times during the quit that you will need to remind yourself of why you are quitting.

Prior to getting started it may also be helpful to honestly look at what you like about your habit. I know this sounds odd, but its important to balance the reasons for not quitting with your reasons for quitting. I am confident that the reasons for quitting will greatly outweigh the reasons not to, but nonetheless this is an important part of the quitting process. There may be several reasons to not quit such as "I enjoy the feeling I get from dipping", "Its something I like to do while I work in the yard", "I need it to wake up in the morning". No matter how small the reason is, for either column, it is important to identify it. I recommend getting out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. One side you will label "Reasons To Quit" the other side will be labeled "Reasons Not To Quit". This will help you quickly achieve a decisional balance. Even if you dont think you need to do this, humor me and do it anyway! You might be surprised.

I knew of someone who took any empty dip can and taped a picture of his children right to the top of the lid. Any time he thought about going back to his habit he would take out this can and simply look at the picture. Seeing his kiddos was motivation enough to fight off the cravings. There are lots of creative variations of this and I encourage you to find something to motivate you!

No discussion is complete without a top ten list, so here is a Top Ten Reasons list for quitting smokeless tobacco.

10. No more stinky, nasty, spit cups sitting around to spill.
9. No more late night drives to the mini-mart because your can is empty.
8. You no longer have to find an excuse to go outside during the middle of something.
7. No more frantic searches for a misplaced can.
6. Your breath wont stink (as often).
5. Your significant other will kiss you more often.
4. You no longer need to be scared to death of the annual dental exam.
3. You will save a ton of cash! (The average user will save $1,000 per year @ todays prices)
2. You get to keep your teeth.
1. You drastically reduce your chances of oral cancer shortly after you quit!

Please feel free to add to this list with your posts...Im sure you can come up with hundreds of other reasons!

Quitting Smokeless Tobacco

This blog will be dedicated to giving up the smokeless tobacco habit. To follow in the coming days, weeks, and months will be information gathered from the latest resources on how to quit, overcome common obstacles, and how to stay "done" once you get there. Your author was a long time user of smokeless tobacco, 22 years to be exact, and someone who understands the unique challenges related to giving up the can or pouch. Here you will find research backed information, the latest topics covered in tobacco cessation classes, and the trials and tribulations of nicotine addicts.