And with that… the second winner is… Nate T!!!  Nate will be getting a 500 chip poker chip set courtesy Mint Snuff.

I started my dance with nicotine when I was 14 years old. Skoalspearmint was my first dip. I wanted to try it because my uncles did it and I thought they were the coolest guys on the planet. Made my head spin for a little bit and then once I relaxed it felt good. I continued to dip all through high school with the idea that I could quit anytime. I wasn’t doing bad maybe 2 cans a week, that’s not an addict, right? I got married when I was 20 and my bride did not like me dipping, so I told her, “when you get pregnant I will quit, I promise”. Four years later she was pregnant. “I’ll quit when he’s born, I promise”. Nine months later, “I’ll quit before he’s old enough to know what I am doing, I promise.” Four years later she was pregnant again with our daughter. I told her the same thing, “when the baby’s born I’ll quit, I promise.” Nine months later, “I’ll quit before she’s old enough to know what I am doing, I promise.”

Two years later still slowly killing myself and telling myself that I can quit at any time no problem. My ten year anniversary was coming up soon and I had to make plans. Married with 2 kids requires a lot of planning to make one evening special. I started thinking and reminiscing about how we made it this far. I started to go back in my mind and the things that kept popping in my head were the promises I didn’t keep. I’ve always tried to be as honest as possible. I’ve always tried to say what I mean and mean what I say, but the hard reality was that I was a liar. I have lied to myself, my wife and my kids and why was I lying? To feed a habit that gave me nothing in return except grief and death? This didn’t compute logically and I could no longer ignore the facts. The justifications I had been feeding myself (I can’t get cancer, I can stop when I want to, they are not sure if this is bad for you, I’m not going to lose my teeth, it’s safer than smoking….) no longer pacified me.

I really tried quitting on February 22, 2012, but I failed. I couldn’t even get past day 1 without caving into nicotine. That made me angry and sorrowful all at the same time. Trying to rationalize this in my mind I could not figure how a little pinch of tobacco could have so much power over my will and my actions. I remember saying, “this can’t be happening, when did I lose control?” I continued to dip over the weekend and hating every minute of it knowing I was a slave and nicotine was my master. This was war.

I started to strategize, looking at alternatives for dip. Nicotine replacement wasn’t an option at all, I wanted to be free. I formulated the opinion that an alternative would cause me to crave more, so I decided to go it alone for the first few weeks. My true day 1 was February 28, 2012. That’s the day I won my freedom for a 16 year oppressor. That was also the same day I found a new family. I was searching quit methods and any other tools to use in my quit and stumbled on KTC.org. I looked around for most of the day and quickly realized that this was the best tool I could have in my fight against nicotine.

The first four days were almost unbearable, but the guys got me through the tough craves. They were there when I needed them. After that it was a constant mental game of craves and victories. Every time I craved I dealt with it either by chatting online or reading others’ posts. I did use an alternative dip after 2 weeks of being quit. I bought some cans of Mint Snuff and some cans of Smokey Mountain. This helped with the mental craves of wanting something between the cheek and gum (i.e. after meals, fishing, hunting…)

Needless to say, my wife is thrilled about my quit and has my hall of fame date marked on the calendar. She and the kids mark off each day as I get closer. Today is day 59 and as I look back I have only one regret. Not being a man of my wordand quitting when I promised. Looking forward, I am excited to be quit and enjoy my freedom every day. I also love my brothers, they keep me accountable to my word and have my back when I need them.

 Told ya we’d be having more contests soon!  Thank you again for everyone who submitted a story.  They were all epic.  And you’re all winners… cause you’re quitters!!!

Here’s how this conversation typically starts.

“Hey guys… I’m SO glad to have found this community and I’m LOVING being dip free!  I’m definitely never going back to the can!  Here’s my question.  I’m going to my buddy’s bachelor party this weekend and when I get together with those guys we always have cigars and booze.  Is this OK?

NOTE: it’s not always a bachelor party.  Could be a golf outing, a camping weekend, a homecoming, etc.  Feel free to replace “bachelor party” with whatever fits for your get together.

The short answer to this question is, “No”.  The longer answer to this question is, “Fuck no… are you kidding me?”  And the even longer (and probably more appropriate answer) goes something like this.

Allow me to set up a scenario…

Your best friend is an alcoholic.  You’ve know him for years and for as long as you can remember, EVERY time you see him, he’s got Jack Daniels on the rocks in front of him.  It’s become part of who he is.  It’s become his persona.  You refer to him as “Jack” and you don’t really remember what his real name is.  He’s always the life of the party but you can’t help but notice that he’s always got his Jack Daniels with him.  Then one day he comes to you and tells you that he’s given up the sauce.  He realizes that he’s an alcoholic and he’s ready to make a change.  He’s quit.  And he’d like your support.

Would you toast him with a Miller Lite?

Absolutely not.  And it’s the same thing with cigars and dippers.  You know why?  Cause what we’re ADDICTED to is nicotine.  Period end of story.  All you’ve done is changed the delivery method.  The law of addiction states that when you reintroduce a substance it causes a reestablishment of dependence to that substance.  This is why we strive for 100% nicotine free.  Otherwise, you’re just not quit.

And please… I’m not going to get into a harm reduction discussion here.  That’s not my point.  Feel free to argue how much “safer” and “healthier” smokeless tobacco is than cigarettes and cigars elsewhere.  I’m not going to indulge you here.

Still don’t understand how having “just one” may lead you back to the can?  Here it is.  I’ve seen it play out hundreds of times.

“YEAH… I’m quit. This is AWESOME. Fuck nicotine… I’m never going back.”

A few weeks later…

“Ah… I’m going golfing/fishing/camping (insert activity here) with my buddies. I’ve always had a cigar in the past. But I quit dipping… but a cigar isn’t dipping. I was a DIP addict. One or two cigars a year means I wasn’t addicted to cigars… I’ll be just fine.”

A few weeks later…

“Man… that cigar was fucking awesome. But I was able to have just one and that didn’t turn into more than one. I’m sure I could just have one dip and be just fine.”

A few weeks, moths, years, later…

“Day #1 – Sorry guys… thought I could have just one.”

It’s unfortunately just that simple.  As a wise man has said, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering”.  Well, I can just as easily say, “Rationalization leads to craving, craving leads to cigar, cigar leads right back to addiction.”  We’ve been referred to as “Nic Nazis” and while I never like be associated with one of the worst parts of human history, to being called a Nic Nazi, I have to respond with an emphatic, “Heil Quitler!!!”

Opening Day is an unofficial holiday in Cleveland (St. Patrick’s Day being the other) and people tend to drink… a lot.  As such, the lines in the bathroom are longer than normal.  As I was standing there in line, I happened to glance over and see the guy next to me opening up a can of my old nemesis Kodiak.

And just like that… it hit me.  If I said 5 little words right now, my quit would be history.  Just 5 words and I’d throw away all I’d fought for over the last 6 years…

“Can I bum a dip?”

If I’d allowed those words to cross my lips, the drunk dude next to me in line would have gladly given me one.  After all, I’m a fellow Indians fan, we’ve got an instant comradeship as we’re standing in line next to one another at the pisser and as a former dipper I know one of the cardinal rules of the dipper is to never deny a fellow dipper a chew.

It’s times just like these where I thank God I’ve got the KillTheCan.org community in my life.  I often hear people say that they want to forget their addiction.  That they want to simply “move on” with their life without dip.  And while this sounds good in theory I’ve see NUMEROUS examples where the act of “forgetting” leads invariably to a relapse.  It’s situations just like this where NOT forgetting will save your quit.

So instead of “Can I bump a dip“, I said to myself, “I’m quit today”.  That’s a phrase that I’m happy to say!

And never fear… we’re not asking you to give us something for nothing.  The winning story will win a set of 500 custom poker chips courtesy of Mint Snuff!

Interested yet?  Keep on reading for all of the details.

How To Enter
It couldn’t be simpler to get in on this action.  Simply send your story (no more than 1,000 words) to stories@killthecan.org no later than Monday, April 30 2012.  That’s all you need to do!

Your Story
This contest will be for the “best” quit story.  It can be funny, educational, heart-wrenching, etc.  It’s YOUR story.  The only caveat is that it CANNOT be a reprint of your Hall Of Fame speech or a post you’ve taken from the forums.
New and unique content only.

The Voting
All entries will be posted and we’ll set up a poll on the forums for our members to vote on.  Highest number of votes wins!  Voting will end on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 and winner will be announced on Monday the 7th!

The Prize
If you’re a poker player you’ll love these.  500 custom chips in multiple denomination (200 x “5″ chips and 100 each of “25″, “100″ and “1,000″).  Each chip is printed with the Mint Snuff logo and let me tell you these are beautiful!  Set also comes with 2 decks of cards, 5 dice and dealer buttons.  Special thanks to Mint Snuff for providing us with this prize!

So if you want to share your quit, want to show your writing chops or you’re just a poker player who needs a new set of chips… this is for you!  Can’t wait to read your stuff.

Good luck!

We focus so much on the 100 day “Hall Of Fame” that many times people feel when they get there they should be “cured”.  I’m here to tell you this isn’t the case.  You’re simply not going to be cured after 3 months free from your addiction.  Any why would you be?  If you’re like me, you chewed for more than a decade.  Personally, I chewed for over 6,000 days…. why would I expect to be back to “normal” after 100?

Back to the question at hand.  How do I keep my quit fresh?  First off, I post roll daily.  It’s my daily reminder of my quit and the battle that I’m fighting.  Yes… I’m CONTINUING to fight.  Sure, I don’t crave any more, but I still deal with quit issues.  I still have dip dreams occasionally, and tobacco still crosses my mind from time to time.  I’ve been told many times by quite a few people, “But Chewie… the only time I think about dip is when I post roll.  Why would I want to continue doing something that makes me remember my addition?”  I’ll answer that question with another question.  ”Why would you want to forget?”  I NEVER want to forget my addiction.  I never want to forget what a strong hold dip had over me.  I never want to forget what an asshole I was when I was a dipper.  If posting roll and “remembering” it on a daily basis is all it takes to keep me quit… Well, in my mind that’s a very small price to pay for freedom.

In addition to posting roll, I set other quit goals.  The beauty of the 100 day Hall Of Fame is that it’s attainable.  The concept of “forever” is too large for an addict to comprehend, so we don’t bother.  100 days.  It’s a nice round number.  It’s not nearly as large as a year, and not nearly as daunting as forever.  So, I set and CELEBRATE milestones in my quit.  Every hundred days, every year, every anniversary of my entry into the Hall Of Fame (Halloween, for those who care).

If you’re looking for another token to celebrate your milestones check these out.  They’re priced at $5 a piece!  A small price to pay to show off your success!

• 200 Days - “Caving Is Not An Option… Do Something Else”
• 1 Year - “Never Again For Any Reason”
• 500 Days - “Close The Door”
• 2 Years - “Only You Are Accountable For Your Actions”
• 1,000 Days - “The Comma”
• 3 Years - “The Difference Between Success And Failure Is Measured In Willpower”
• 4 Years - “Nothing Is Impossible, The Word Itself Says, I’m Possible!”
• 5 Years - “Stay Close. Stay Strong. Stay Quit.”
• 2,000 Days - “Quitting… Everyone Is Doing It”
• 2,500 Days - “One Day At A Time”

Wait… what?

What did I just say?!?!??!

You see… that’s not me anymore.  I’ve been quit for over 5 years now.  Yet in that moment, the thought of driving 4 hours with a fatty in crossed my mind.  The thought of sitting in my hotel room with a lip full of Kodiak crossed my mind.  And honestly, it’s pissed me off.

This wasn’t a crave.  Far from it.  In fact I can honestly tell you it’s been years since I’ve had anything that I’d consider a real crave.  This was nothing more than a passing thought that I brushed aside.  But as I thought back on it, it really upset me because it once again reminded me that I will always be an addict.  And while I while there’s no chance that I’m going back to the can at this point in my life, it made me realize how people can do it.  It showed me how people can throw away hundreds and thousands of days quit… just like that.

It’s very easy.  When you start to romanticize your addiction in your mind it’s very easy to think back on the “good old days”.  Remember when you’d go on a road trip with your buddies and pack a log or 2 just to get you through?  Remember when you were sitting around the campfire drinking a few dozen beers and chewing the whole time?  Yep, I can see how it’d be very easy to fall back into those old routines.

But then I remember other things.  I remember the horror that I felt when I walked out of the house without my can.  I remember the sheer terror I felt on my wedding night when I realized I was leaving on my honeymoon the next morning and only had a half can of Kodiak left.  I remember just a few weeks back when I thought cancer had finally caught up with me.  I remember how shitty I felt when I held my son in my arms and started to cry thinking about someone else raising him.

Don’t be afraid of your addiction.  Face it head on.  Recognize what it is you’re dealing with and realize that you’re not alone.  Head over to our forums and start talking.  Post roll and remember why you quit.  Don’t forget.

As for my road trip?  I’m gonna go nail this interview.  I’m going to do it dip free and then I’m going to come home to my family.  Now THAT is a road trip worth making.

I also remember very vividly turning around about a mile down the road and returning to buy some Kodiak, but that’s cause I was an addict… not because of this product.  

From the website:

“MINT SNUFF™ Non-Tobacco Chew & Pouches. “We help people quit chewing tobacco & quit smoking.”  Mint Snuff is a non-tobacco, herbal chew made of mint instead of tobacco. Safe to eat, safe to swallow.  Non-addictive, healthy alternative to chewing tobacco and cigarettes.”

For more of the Mint Snuff story check out their history here.

Initial Impressions

Each plastic tin contains either 1.2 oz of product or 25 pouches.  Upon opening the product itself (not the pouches) it’s got a nice “sweet” smell to it, and the product itself has a “gummy” feel to it.  Each can is completely full so there’s no need to pack it.  Each can and pouch has a “Best If Used By” date on the bottom.  This is an outstanding touch that you don’t get with all smokeless alternatives on the market.  Not that this is all that important, but the spit in my spitter had a greenish tint to it.  I’m not sure why this surprised me being that this is a produce made from mint.  That “fresh” minty feel stayed in my mouth long after I took my chew(s) out.

From the product can:

“Mint Snuff Spit-Free All Mint Chew is a healthy alternative to smokeless tobacco and has helped many chewers and smokers quit tobacco!  Recommended by health professionals as an alternative.”

From the pouch can:

“Caution!  Pouches have an extremely strong mint flavor.  You may wish to allow time between pouches to avoid mint-discomfort.  To use: Place a Pouch between your cheek and gum to let the flavor crystals dissolve slowly.  When the flavor diminishes, gently bite the Pouch to release even more mint flavors!  The juices are meant to be swallowed, the Pouch itself is not.”

Original Mint Snuff –  As I said earlier, the product feels very “gummy” but it’s got a nice sweet smell that’s not too overpowering.  There’s no pack necessary as it really holds together like glue.  This is more of a “shredded” product (akin to the “cut” of Hawken).  I suppose this would almost be considered a long cut product but there were quite a few “bits”.  Luckily I didn’t get a whole lot of “throat float” which is a very good thing.  Got a great minty rush when I initially popped one in.  Product has good spitibility that produces quite a bit of brown color.  Ironically, when cleaning out my spitter, that brown took on a greenish (mint) tint.  Even though this is a gummy chew, it’s very soft in my mouth and not very harsh at all.  This is a nice long chew with a ton of flavor.  Honestly, I was surprised how little smell comes from a product with so much flavor.  That said, if I had to choose, I’d definitely pick flavor over smell.  I’ve said many times that this is a “gummy” chew but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Essentially what it means is that it simply DOES NOT fall apart in my mouth. This is a very good thing.

Original Mint Snuff Pouches – As I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m a big fan of pouches these days.  As you’d expect, this has the same great flavor as the product above without the gumminess.  I really thought I’d have to go with 2-3 pouches to get the flavor, but a single pouch definitely gave me the flavor I was looking for.  As the can says, biting the pouch does indeed release a new rush of flavor.  This is absolutely outstanding.  A+++

Cinnamon Flavor Mint Snuff – There was an outstanding smell upon opening this can.  MUCH more than the Original flavor.  It’s still gummy, but by this point I’m realizing that’s just how this product is… no big deal.  I’m not a big flavored dip guy, but this has an awesome flavor.  I took a nice big hoss of this one and really enjoyed it for quite a long time with very little flavor loss.

Spearmint Flavor Mint Snuff – This is listed as the “new” Spearmint flavor on the cans I’ve got.  Once again a great smell upon cracking the can.  This is a very “fresh” flavor with much more  of a “pop” than the Original flavor.  I really get the “burn” from this flavor – ouch!  If I’m looking for a real product to compare this to, it would be Spearmint Skoal.

Wintergreen Flavor Mint Snuff – Outstanding flavor here with the same texture as the other products.  Good longevity and spitibility with this one as well.  I have to say that I’m thinking the flavor profiles of Wintergreen & Spearmint are FAR superior to the Original flavor.  Keep in mind that I was a Kodiak Wintergreen guy so that may be why.

Wintergreen Flavor Mint Snuff Pouches – Love, love, love these.  Great wintergreen flavor that really reminds me of those little white Wintergreen Lifesavers that come packaged individually.  I typically don’t swallow my chews, but gutting this one isn’t bad at all.  That’s a very good thing in my book.  This would be a great product for when you can’t or don’t want to spit.  As I’d expected, there is no brown spit with the pouch products.  These are my new breath mints.  To steal a line from Charlie Sheen: epic winning.

Beaver Chew – Not really sure what to expect here as it’s marketed and packaged completely differently than the rest of the line: http://www.beaverchew.com.  This is essentially a blend of the Wintergreen & Spearmint flavors.  If I had to pick one that it’s closest to, I’d say the Spearmint.  Good flavor, but I’m not sure it’s different enough from either.  Actually, now that I think about it, if I had to choose one this is probably my favorite of the 3 as it gets a bit of the Wintergreen and a bit of the Spearmint.  Suppose that makes sense.

The Pros

• Cost – $2.50 per can for both the product itself and the pouches.
• Pouches – both pouch products are absolutely outstanding.  HUGE flavor profiles, no bits to float around and no need to spit.
• In-store availability – They’ve got a very large network of brick and mortar locations that carry Mint Snuff products.

The Cons

• Gummy Consistency - If you’re looking for something that’s similar to real tobacco this isn’t for you.
• This is a “mint” product.  As such, all of the flavors have that “minty” flavor to them (makes sense).

Overall

Mint Snuff is a nice smokeless alternative.  I’m not using many of these products these days but I’ll definitely go back to the pouches.  The regular product has a very gummy feel to it, but once you get past that there’s some really good flavors here.  If you’re looking for a spot on Spearmint Skoal substitute, the Spearmint Mint Snuff is the closest I’ve found on the market.  I’d like to offer a special thanks to Bill and Kim at Mint Snuff for providing me samples to try and review.  If you’d like to get some you can find stores that carry the product or order directly from the site at http://www.mintsnuff.com/

Have you tried Mint Snuff?  Send us your thoughts and we’ll add your review to the site!