A Letter To An 18 Year Old Man Named Chris

Hi Chris. I see you had your first dip last night with a bunch of new college friends. You got sick and wound up puking but I can tell you enjoyed the experience of doing something ‘cool’ with the guys. You enjoyed that feeling of acceptance didn’t you?

The problem is Chris you are predisposed to being a nicotine addict. Both your parents were smokers and although they quit when you were young, and you swore you would never smoke, that chew you’re putting in your lip is just as deadly and addictive.

You may not have the urge to dip right now but day by day that desire will get stronger. Pretty soon, you will actually buy your first tin (instead of bumming a dip from a drunk friend). You will take it with you to the library so you can dip and study at the same time. You might only do this a couple of times a week to start but within a month you will be dipping on a daily basis.

This may be hard to believe but by the end of your freshman year Chris, you will be dipping a tin every day and that buzz you love so much will be completely gone. You will have developed so many associations with dipping there will hardly be a minute that goes by where you don’t think about it – driving in the car, studying, watching TV, drinking, before bed, etc.

When you go back home next summer, you will learn the art of hiding your addiction from your parents and family. You will ‘ninja dip‘ any chance you can get and you will begin to make those moments more common. You will start to pull back socially because you need that alone time to hide your ugly addiction.

By your mid 20’s Chris, that social retreat manifests into full blown depression when you get your first job and begin living on your own. You will literally hole yourself up in a dark, dingy apartment for days at a time dipping non-stop. The fun-loving, successful, intelligent person you are now begins to actually self-destruct.

Your only glimmer of hope is a successful, beautiful intelligent woman you eventually marry but you will hide your addiction for years from her too. You will attempt repeatedly to quit. You swear you will quit when your son is born. You dip one hour before he’s born but you throw a fatty in by day’s end. You swear he will never know about your addiction until that day when he’s 5 and he finds you sleeping on the couch. He’s holding the empty tin in his little hand saying ‘what’s this Daddy?’ You lie to him.

The good news is Chris you will eventually quit at age 40 but you will have spent in excess of $20,000 on your addiction. You also will have established some behavioral patterns that will be impossible to break. Every couple of months, you will battle some sort of depression. You still live a ‘double life’ because it’s so normal. Your son will enjoy spending more time with his Mom because you were absent and dipping his first 6 years on earth. You will get lip and mouth sores on a regular basis and it will scare you. You will battle high blood pressure the rest of you life because of the damage done to your heart and blood vessels by the nicotine. You probably even have Alzheimer’s or dementia waiting for you down the road as well because of your addiction.

The really sad part Chris is that I would love to tell you this while you are 18 years old after having your first dip but I know you won’t listen. The simple fact is that you are not mature enough to accept what I say. Advice from adults is not wanted or needed. You feel indestructible and invincible don’t you? Quite simply Chris, you are a fool!

My hope is that this story scares the shit out of some of the younger people reading this on KTC. Someone mature enough to heed the warnings and accept the wisdom from those who want to help. It does not have to take life experiences to learn these lessons. You can learn from those who have made years of mistakes. It is absolutely possible to quit right now. You are at the site and talking with people who can dramatically change the course of your life. Follow the simple advice we preach and be a man of your word. We welcome you as a brother if you do and will do everything in our power to help you succeed.

Lochi21 – Day 142
(a.k.a. 40 year old Chris)

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member Lochi21