When I joined this site back in 2010, I never posted an official intro. I just got busy reading and posting roll and never looked back. Today I reached a milestone that has up until even yesterday seemed unreachable. As an addict that had repeatedly failed at quit attempts, I never thought this was possible. Without KTC and all my brothers and sisters here, it wasn't.
The following is actually copied from my post to a social media site. I intended to make a very basic post, but it evolved as I typed. After some thought, I decided to also post it here for safekeeping. It isn't really an official introduction, but it tells y'all eveything you need to know about my quit.
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.
