1000 days nicotine free. I've been undecided about what to say on this milestone day. So, I'll try to explain the answer to a question that I don't think anybody has actually verbalized to me. Why did I quit? I figure nobody asked because most folks assume it was for my health or money. Nope, I wasn't strong enough to quit for either of those reasons. On September 15, 2010, one of my twins (2 years old then) spit by our feet and proudly said "like daddy". That was one of the worst moments of my life. After a flurry of scattered thoughts, I silently walked away in tears. I had dedicated my life to raising my children, and seemingly the only thing he had learned was that self-inflicting illness and disease must be cool because daddy does it. I had failed. There has not been any tobacco or nicotine in my body since that very minute, and hopefully my boys have better things to remember. I cannot control what my kids do with their life and health in the long run, but I can guarantee this: if they become addicts, it WILL NOT be because they are following an example that is being set by me. They know my story. They know how much hatred I harbor for everything related to tobacco. I will continue to explain things to them that I wish I new 25 years ago. It is a destructive drug, and my body has thanked me repeatedly for quitting. Hopefully one day my three sons will thank me as well. If they steer clear of the addiction themselves, that'll be thanks enough.
As a relativley new guy to the quit (23 days thank you very much) I look at the veterans on the site and think that 1000 days, 1 year, hell, even 100 days is amazing. When I first joined this site I started reading everything I could and I would think " why are these dudes still here after years of being quit"? I soon realized that for an addict, staying quit is a lifelong battle.
I look at my own boy and Im glad that Im quitting before he gets old enough to realize what it is that Im doing. He's only 2 but he spits like I do and that hurts. Thank you for posting that.
I've posted that about my son a few different places since I've been here. It's the absolute truth, and I can barely recall that day without getting emotional. I'm sort of a "tough country boy" type, and don't wear outward emotions very often, but that was a tough day for me. Still sucks to remember it.
Congrats on 3+ weeks quit, man. Enjoy every single milestone. Stick to the +1 theory, but savor the big milestones: 1 month, HOF, year, etc. It's tricky to not look too far ahead, but we gotta stick to that. The trap is that you'll hit a funk just after some of them. For instance, in the week or so after I hit HOF, I had a few tough days because of the "so...... what now?" thoughts in my head.
Lastly..... I remember wondering why the old farts hang around here. Yeah, I think I still need to +1 every day with
my GUARD brothers, but that's not the only reason we're here. I have made friends here. Never thought it would happen, but it did. I was skeptical of on-line relationships when I came here, but KTC folks share a brotherhood like no other I've experienced. I've met a couple dozen quitters face-to-face, and I come here to keep in touch with them. No different than any other social media site. Stay involved.... build the accountability. It works.
