Hi. I have been a user of smokeless tobacco most of my life. I started when I was 15 and was still using up to a week ago, (I'm 36 now). When I started using it was mostly because all my friends were doing it. Typical excuse, and not a bad one for a child. As an adult I have no excuse for continuing to use tobacco other than it was hard to quit.

Today, I am in the process of quitting. Thanks in a big way to your web site. I looked at the pictures of oral cancer, and decided that was not what I wanted to have. I am also using Nicotine patches and having very good success so far with them, although I worry about becomming hooked on the patches

I am posting here because I want you all to know that your site, posts, and pictures have swayed me to finally quit dipping. Every time I get an urge to dip I just come back to this site and read a little, or look at some pictures, and I am able to overcome the urge.

Thank you for providing this service and allowing others to benefit from what you have been through.

I am currently waiting on results from a health insurance physical. The insurance declined to cover me because of something that showed up in the lab work. They wouldn't tell me what it was over the phone, only that it wasn't life threatening. I pray that there was a mistake, as I had recently gotten approved for life insurance after going through a similar physical, but I am afraid the results will show some form of cancer or something.

In any event - Thanks you again for this site and the information you provide here. It has been a great help and motivator for me.

Ken

Thank you for the positive comments on the site, we had always hoped that besides helping those who have actually had to deal with oral cancer, that it could be an influence in prevention as well. And congratulations on beginning the battle to quit the tobacco habit. As you have no doubt read from some of the other posts here, for many, quitting isn't easy. But the first step in any great endeavor is making the decision to actually do it. We all wish you well in kicking this habit. You mentioned a fear of getting hooked on the patches. While nicotine addiction isn't a good thing, it isn

Ken,

Your tobacco use and age are similar to mine, your advantage is that you are trying to quit on the right side of cancer (i.e. before rather than after). Congratulations! I'm about three weeks out from reconstructive surgery and my bone graft in my mouth is still pretty raw and healing slowly. Keep trying, the pain of quiting beats the alternative.