We asked our favorite female quitter, racetrackcowgirl, about her quit and what she thought would help other women quit dipping. She really opened up and gave us her female perspective on quitting chewing tobacco. Here it is, this is some good stuff right here ladies.
Man or Woman, Take This Seriously:
Regardless of if you’re a man or a woman. Take going and getting that can off the table from the get go. Don’t let it be an option, no matter what. I did that and no matter how bad it got I never even said out loud “I’m going to go to the store” or “a dip would be good”. It wasn’t an option anymore. Now that i’m further along, I do say that ever so often but i’m solid now in my resolve that it’s not an option, it doesn’t bring in that little voice that says something back about it. Never again for any reason – as cliche as it is – that’s the most solid one a quitter can use.
Be Above The Drama:
Don’t let the drama drag you down. They win. There are some evil people out there – men and women who will actually take pleasure in your fail (it’s terrible but unfortunately, it’s the truth). There are always other options. Some people will say that their way is the only way – whether its how they got to day one, or what they use to help them stay quit, or what website they log-on to, to be accountable. The truth is that everyone is different. Every man is different, Every woman is different, and every quit is different. You do what you need to in order to preserve your quit – this is about you – this is self-fish, no non-sense, life and death choices & actions you have to live with. If something isn’t working for you, try something else, go somewhere else, hang out with someone else. If you find it’s getting significantly tougher than before, try something else – while some days are worse than others, overall it is supposed to get easier…. Just don’t use. When my cravings started talking louder than before – to the point of entertaining the idea of seeing me with a dip and I had well over 2 months under my belt, i knew something was wrong. I had to change my program. What worked in the beginning may not work in phase 2 or down the road. That’s okay! Some people will say it’s not but it is – we’re all mature, the rage subsides and our quit will change over the course of time. It will change who we are and what we need – guaranteed. We just hope in the end when the dust settles, it will change us for the better and we will grow with it instead of in spite of it.
Don’t Single Yourself Out:
Don’t single yourself out as a woman. You are an addict. You are a quitter and in the end it doesn’t matter what’s between your legs, it’s what’s in your head that will make the difference. People are here to help, you just have to find the ones that compliment your own personality and mind set.
If you don’t want the stigma of being a woman quitter for fear or shame – just don’t ever bring it up. No one point blank says are you a man or a woman. Make your screen name generic and introduce yourself as an ex-dipper of how ever many years – they will assume what they are going to and if they are truly there to support and not anything else, it will never be an issue. Don’t let that be an excuse to go back to the can.
Its Time To Take a Look Inside:
You are going to have to do some hard inventory on yourself – if you think people are being mean, put on your big girl panties and go look in the mirror. Are they being mean because they are mean or are you hurt because it’s the truth? Your quit is going to bring out the worst in you. Be ready for people to call you on your crap if it needs to be done. you’ll work through it. It’s a process. It’s an extremely difficult, simple process.
