Mind Games, Cigars, and Acid Reflux

The Kill The Can Podcast – Episode 9
Recorded: Recorded February 17th, 2023

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Kill The Can Podcast. My name is Chewie and I’ll be your host this evening.

I hope everybody’s doing awesome out there in podcast land.

I’m really bummed that I didn’t get this episode out on Thursday this week. I was trying really hard to get these episodes out every Thursday, and just life happened. It was a busy week for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an opportunity to talk to a fellow quitter, which I really enjoy doing. I’m hoping that over the next couple weeks I can line up a couple quitters and have some conversations with them. I’ve talked with several who are interested — it’s just a matter of scheduling.

Tonight I’m going to go to the website and answer some frequently asked questions.

The beauty of the digital world that we live in is that these questions can always get answered by a quitter. We’ve got thousands of people on our Discord server now, and that server is literally 24 hours a day. There’s somebody in there who can answer your question. And if by some crazy chance you pop in and there’s nobody there, you can always come to the forums, the main website, the blog, or our social media channels and ask a question. In pretty short order, you’re going to get an answer.

I’m going to go back to some questions that have been answered on the website in the past and get them into podcast format here.

This first question comes from way back in 2008 from a quitter named Bucky24. He says:

“This is my first post outside of posting roll call so I may ramble a little bit. I’ve been quit for 26 days and used this website for numerous reasons — motivation, information, a meeting place, and to listen and give advice to others. At this point in my quit I feel as though I need this website simply because I miss stopping at the gas station at 7am every morning.”

Ultimately his question is this:

Can I ever go a whole day without thinking about dip?

The short answer is absolutely, you will.

You will absolutely, positively come to a day where you no longer think about dip.

I’ve been quit 16 years now, and I can honestly tell you that I haven’t had anything I would consider a crave in several years at this point.

That doesn’t mean I’ve never thought about dip. Ironically enough, I was standing in line at Walgreens today and, for the first time in quite a while, I looked at the wall behind the counter — the Wall of Death. What caught my eye first was the wall of Juul products, and then my eyes slid over to the Grizzly. What I was really looking for was the price. It’s been forever since I even paid attention to how expensive dip is.

That being said, I really don’t think about dip anymore. I don’t miss it. I don’t struggle with my daily decision.

I come into Discord and the forums and I post roll every single day. Even when I’m doing that, I’m not thinking about dip. At this point, my promise is almost abstract. Posting roll is my habit. I get up every morning, I post roll, and I make my promise.

But I’m not struggling. I’m not thinking about dip.

That’s a long way of answering the question, but yes — you will go days and weeks and months without thinking about dip. And it’s kind of an amazing place to be.

Another question I get often is this:

Is smoking cigars or cigarettes a good way to quit dipping?

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is absolutely not.

In today’s world, it’s not just cigars and cigarettes. It’s nicotine replacement therapy, patches, gum, vaping, nicotine pouches — we get this question a lot.

I wrote something back in 2012 that I still think holds up pretty well.

The founders of KillTheCan.org prefer and subscribe to the cold turkey method of cessation. That means we strive for 100% nicotine free, and that’s what we expect of our members.

Here’s how the 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. So here’s my question — I’m going to a buddy’s bachelor party this weekend and when we get together we always have cigars and booze. Is this okay?”

It’s not always a bachelor party. It might be a golf outing, a camping weekend, homecoming — fill in the blank.

Again, the short answer is no.

The longer answer is: are you kidding me?

Allow me to set up a scenario.

Your best friend is an alcoholic. Every time you’ve ever seen him, he’s had Jack Daniels on the rocks in front of him. It’s part of his persona. One day he tells you he’s given up the sauce. He realizes he’s an alcoholic and he wants your support.

Would you toast him with a Miller Lite?

Of course you wouldn’t.

It’s the same thing with cigars and dippers. 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 re-establishment of dependence to that substance.

That’s why we strive for 100% nicotine free.

Otherwise, you’re just not quit.

I’ve seen this play out a hundred times.

“I’m quit. This is awesome. I’m never going back.”

A few weeks later:

“I’m going golfing with my buddies. I’ve always had a cigar in the past. I quit dipping, but a cigar isn’t dipping. I was addicted to dip, not cigars. I’ll be fine.”

A few weeks later:

“That cigar was really good. I only had one. I’m sure I could have just one dip and be fine.”

A few weeks, months, or years later:

Day one. “Sorry guys. I thought I could have just one.”

It really is that simple.

Rationalization leads to craving. Craving leads to a cigar. A cigar leads right back to your addiction.

I was asked not too long ago if I thought I could have just one dip.

I probably could.

But I’ve seen too many people think they could have just one and end up right back where they started.

It’s not worth the risk.

The last question that came up recently is heartburn when quitting dip.

Let me start with a caveat.

If you’re dealing with legitimate chest pain — especially symptoms you’ve never felt before — talk to a doctor.

I can only speak to my personal experience.

Heartburn is a burning or tightening sensation in the chest just behind your breastbone. It can go up into your throat and jaw. It can be a symptom of GERD. And it can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack.

I can speak to that from personal experience.

I took myself to the emergency room twice within my first hundred days because I thought I was having a heart attack.

My chest was hurting. My left arm was numb. I had cold sweats. My heart rate was high.

If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn I was having a heart attack.

It was anxiety.

It was withdrawal.

It was stress.

Heartburn or GERD occurs when acid refluxes back up into your throat or esophagus. The acid that’s meant to stay in your stomach irritates areas where it doesn’t belong. It’s incredibly uncomfortable.

When I quit dipping, my acid reflux went off the charts. It was terrible. I had been dealing with reflux for a few years prior and was taking daily medication for it. When I quit, it got much worse for quite some time.

I vividly remember lying on the floor watching TV. My chest was on fire from reflux. My left arm was numb. I panicked. I went to the ER. They ran tests. Everything checked out fine. They gave me medication for the reflux and sent me home.

This goes against what medical findings often say — tobacco is supposed to make reflux worse. So why did mine get worse after I quit?

My guess is stress.

When you first quit, your body goes through serious withdrawal. You’re amped up. You’re worried. You’re thinking about every sensation in your body.

Stress can absolutely equate to heartburn.

Here’s the good news.

While my heartburn got worse when I quit, over time it got much, much better. To the point where I no longer take daily medication. Now I have acid reflux maybe a couple times a year, and all I take is an antacid.

Is heartburn normal when you quit dipping?

Yes.

Is it normal that it will go away with time?

Also yes.

Again, I’m not a doctor. If you’re dealing with scary symptoms, talk to your doctor. Go to your dentist. Let them know what’s going on. If nothing else, it will give you peace of mind.

Remember, when you quit, you’re making yourself healthier.

I’ve rambled on for a few minutes here, folks. I wanted to get something recorded for the podcast. I’m sorry I didn’t get it out on Thursday. Hopefully I’ll get back to a regular schedule over the next couple weeks.

My name is Chewie, and this has been the Kill The Can Podcast.

Thanks, folks. We’ll talk to you soon.