My Quit Trip and Discoveries Made Along the Way

I’ve been dragging my feet about writing this because I still can’t get my head around the whole Hall of Fame thing and honestly I didn’t know what I could offer that hadn’t already been said. I won’t go into all of the history of my addiction because except for the longevity (since apx. 1977) and not spitting it reads about the same as so many others. I’ve told my wife I was going to quit more times than I can remember and I actually meant it a couple of those. But there were always excuses that got in the way or pulled me back in. I had even been doing the nicotine substitutes, which really were only a hold over between dips. Then I went to the local “stop” center to pick up a new supply of lozenges and the lady there told me about this web site she had heard about but all she had was the site name “killthecan”. So I checked out KTC. The best move I’ve ever made. I discovered that I didn’t have a “habit” but that I was an addict and would always be an addict (very sobering). I also learned that all of these “quit plans” were a bunch of BS and a sure fire way to dodge the bullet. If I developed my excuses and quit plans well enough I never had to quit, my wife would leave me alone because there was a plan after all. But not you SOB’s. I read on here experiences just like mine. People who knew what it was like and had been where I was. But they were now drawing the line in the sand, they knew all of the dodges (because they had used them) and it was right in my face “Quit now”, we don’t want your bull, we want you to save your own life, for you. That I think is the biggest factor in my getting to the HOF, this quit is for me. The tough love on this site will scare the pants off of you, but the camaraderie and support goes beyond anything I could ever envision. We are in a battle for our lives and each person here is ready to jump into the fight with you regardless of the time of day or night. They will bolster and give to you strength that you would never have on your own. How can I be more accountable to people I’ve never met than I chose to be to my family? Because they too are addicts just like me. It’s not that they care any more, but that they care enough to hold me accountable and expect me to hold them accountable.

I am a member of the December GUARD and as such I have a band of brothers and sister who have walked through the fire by my side and because of them I will forever be changed, for the better. Each of you has improved my quit in some significant way, thank you. Wake, Tarp, Matty, Blah and Bait each of you have especially helped either through a message or a post that I really needed at just the right time. I also want to thank Show, Signal and all you more experienced quitters for the role you’ve played this far in my success.

So if you’re reading this contemplating quitting I say “Quit Now”, join the fight and reclaim your life. It’ not going to be easy but it can be done. Take it one day at a time and you will discover things about yourself that you didn’t even know you had lost and things about the members of KTC that you were sure no longer existed in your fellow man.

Jim

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member jburrus4