KillTheCan.org Accountability Forum

Community => Introductions => Topic started by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:52:19 AM

Title: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:52:19 AM
27 Jan 2018
Started when I was 13; to this day I don't know why I put the second chew in.
Was going to quit when I got out of the Navy
Made it over a year but broke my leg. Any excuse will do as you all know too well
Was going to quit Y2K
Was going to quit when I got married.
Absolutely gonna quit when my first little girl was born.
Definitely quitting after professional certifications obtained.
No kidding quitting when the second little girl came along.
No more excuses, no more tobacco after little girl number three.
I'm fifty years old now and flat out of excuses. I have decided I can no longer look in the mirror if I can't man up and put it behind me.
Title: The Most Epic of Quits
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:52:54 AM
24 Mar 2018
From JGromo. April '18, page 1044, post #15648.

*** THE MOST EPIC OF QUITS ***

"This has meaning to me, I thought I would share it here with my brothers to remind some of you that you need more than to post your name on some forum every morning. This isn't about promising a bunch of strangers that you wont do something. This is about building a brotherhood of people that know what you are going through and know how serious a light statement in a text can be.

This is my new day one.

I've failed April, my friends and myself.

I have to answer the three questions and quit again.

I've broken my promise.

That could be how this post would go if I didn't use the tools this site has given me for my quit last night. I honestly dont know if I'd have caved last night without Bryce's call. I do know I'd have started a count down to the above post. I do know that I'd be lying every time I posted roll to my brothers if I hadn't reached out and if I hadn't had a brother that would reach back and pull me from the cliffs edge.

Yesterday was an amazing day, I woke up at 4am with so much drive and willpower I felt fucking amazing. I put in 3 hours cleaning the house before I even went to work. At work I kicked ass I put away the load I set up a couple good sized accounts and I handled my shit well. When I got home I still had that drive and fire to get shit done so I started going through boxes in the attic, I've been putting this off for years and it felt fucking amazing working on them finally. Plus going through boxes of my grandfathers stuff brought up some awesome memories of the time I'd spent with him, hunting trips when I found his weird collection of spent shells, Football and baseball games when I found his box of plaques and trophies for all the records he held and all the important games he'd won, That picture of him with my varsity cheerleaders from my senior year game against his old high school. Great fucking memories. A cuban cigar! Oh I remembered how he loved the cuban's, smoking cigars, I could take it out and it was still pristine! It smelt just like I remember him in my youth. Man it was still fresh, this little tube did wonders at holding up its condition. What a great tribute when should I smoke this? Oh my god, me and dad could smoke this on Fathers day at the cemetery! I'll surprise him with it when we get there and we can stand in the family crypt and fill it with the smells of my grandfather and get one more strong bonding memory with him. A last gift, if you will, from beyond the grave.

The grave...

God those last years were rough on him, he had more good days than bad for the first few years. That scare when I was 10 and he almost died in the grand ol opry...But then he hung on to see me through high school. And he had a lot of good days, maybe not as many as the bad, but when he wasn't in the hospital he was pretty good still...not himself anymore, never really himself besides a handful of glimpses...but he wasn't begging for death...Until he was. Those last few years. My grandmother clinging him to life, afraid of being alone. All the scares, how many times did I stand over him in the hospital thinking that this was it? Dozens? Watching him somehow pull through again and again. Get worse and worse with each trip to the hospital. He died years before his body gave up. Ghost of the man he was in my youth and teens. Hearing him scream at the poor nurses and caregivers to "Fucking kill me already!" and then when it stopped being screaming and shouting. when I heard it switch from that fire and anger and that strength that stubborn man always had to begging it was crushing. No more yelling just a quiet whimper to "please...please kill me?" And then he passed...finally...he wasn't hurting anymore.

And there I am standing with this awesome tribute to him, his murderer in my hand. Already planning the smoke I'm going to have with it with my father, his youngest son. How I'm just going to give in and fail my quit, to give him "tribute" by letting myself become another victim to the devil that killed him, not killed him, killing him would be merciful compared to what nicotine did to him, he was fucking tortured. 15 years of fucking torture before his body finally broke and let him die.

I wish I could say I had those thoughts on my own, I wish I could say that I was strong enough to rip that fucking thing apart by myself...but those thoughts didn't come. I spent minutes romanticizing and imagining smoking the cigar, I didn't even think of the site, I didn't think of my quit I didn't think of my wife, my future kids, my brothers on here! I grabbed my phone excitedly about to text mom and tell her what I'd found that I had the best surprise for dad ever for fathers day!

My eyes fell on the group chat I've got going with mike, bryce and athan. It wasn't a strong pull. But I felt a slight tug at my conscience I'd made a promise to these guys. I'd told them I wouldn't. Well its not like I'm smoking it right now. I stare at the group chat and the tug gets slightly stronger. Its almost like I'm asking myself what the fuck am I doing? But in a quiet voice. Deffinitely 95% still happy go lucky holy shit I'm gonna smoke this cigar this will be awesome. But just a little 5%...just enough to send out an SOS...I honestly didn't mean to tell them, it wasn't a "Oh god what am I DOING!?" scream for help. Most of me was completely back to addict mindstate. But...that 5% was growing, not that I was going to destroy the cigar mind you. But I'm pretty sure I could have tricked myself into thinking that I could just give the cigar to my dad on my own, I mean he should at least get it.

Then that fathers day would have come and my dad would have handed me the cigar and I'd have toked on it regardless of what I had promised myself back in March. Because how could I refuse that when it was staring me in the face, I could barely refuse it when its still months out.

Again, thoughts I wish I'd have had the strength to have on my own. But I did have the strength to shoot out one quiet lonely plea for help. to a group of guys I was 90% sure were asleep. I didn't call...I just texted...I might have called if dad had offered me the cigar...I might have had the strength to refuse...but...We all know I wouldn't have. I'm weak...I am an addict. I didn't want to not smoke the cigar, I wanted to trick that 5% into shutting up, trick myself into thinking I had everything under control.

This wasn't a "HELP I'M GOING TO CAVE!" text...all I said was "I just found a cuban cigar in my grandfathers possessions in pristine condition..." For those of you that know me, you know cigars have and always will be my weakness, I don't want to not smoke cigars. I never viewed them on the same playing field as dip and cigarettes until coming to this site, and if we are being completely honest there is still a large portion of my brain that doesn't. So this, not just cigar...this Cuban... My weakest of weakest points...A portion of my addiction I already romanticize its importance to me. Add on to that one last strong memory of my grandfather. Probably the last I would ever have of such clarity. Add on top of that the bonding moment with my father to smoke his fathers last cigar ever...That 5% resistance had become 10% just long enough to shoot out that text is now gone with that thought.

Bryce is calling....
Ignore it...I can almost feel a fog coming over me. I can feel that resistance start to re-surge after seeing that someone cares about my quit enough to wake themselves up and call me in the middle of their night to make sure I'm quit, one of the few people on the planet that knows me well enough and knows the struggle well enough to know my mindset is gone there's no strength left in my quit its been bulldozed. Luckily that quiet call for help is answered, and as I bend my knees to leap from the cliff an arm shoots out to drag me away from failure.
Ignore the call you know what it will be...
Do I jump and rip myself from the help that is being offered or do I accept the support?
If I ignore this call I seal it...I'm gonna cave...I'm gonna cave?
I answer.

My brothers support is the only thing that kept me from diving off that cliff back into the waiting loving arms of my grandfathers murderer. Letting myself take one step closer to my own future grandsons having to watch that fucking Nicotine Bitch torture me until my body can't handle it anymore and I die slowly in front of them. Ruining their memory of me.

Skol talked me back from that cliff. Five minutes of mostly fog. The internal struggle with him in my corner. Until I fought through it. We fought through it. Finally it was 95% resistance and 5% desire to smoke. We got off the phone and before I could lose that will power I shredded it and flushed it down the toilet.

Once it was flushed the realization hit. Hard...How close I came to caving...had I? It felt like I had, I'd decided to. isn't that the same thing? It really showed me that I was weak. I couldn't do it on my own. I opened the tube, I smelt it and felt it and envisioned smoking it. I didn't immediately ask for help, I didn't even want help. I didn't even know I needed help for the first minutes.

If I can refuse this cigar...I can refuse any cigar, there will never be a more tempting cigar I can envision. Unless my father with his dying moments hand rolls a cigar out of tobacco he grew and asked me to smoke it in his memory...I can not picture any stronger temptation.
I need to remember that I nearly put an expiration date on my quit. I would have if that cigar wasn't in the sewer right now. I would have if a brother hadn't given me a call without hesitation.
Title: It's an addiction
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:53:31 AM
2/3/18
Had to get outside. She's driving me crazy. With the nicotine, any excuse will do and I've allowed her to be that excuse so many times in the past. Not today. Something inherently masculine about splitting wood with a wedge and a sledge. I could feel the blood of my Spartan ancestors coursing through my veins. No way the Spartan warrior was a slave to lusts of the flesh. The core of their ethos was mastery of self. Normally, I would have had a great big fatty in there while I went about the task. Went for a stick of cinnamon instead. Took the edge off of things for a bit. Been pondering the addiction thing lately. It's a lot bigger than I realized. I now know why previous quits have failed. In the past, it was just a can that I put down for a bit and took back up again; something I viewed rather myopically. The broader view and broader implications have become starkly clear since I joined KTC. It was always just a bad habit, like biting your nails or picking you nose; not an addiction. I've had to get honest and admit that - I'm a nicotine addict. Read somewhere on here that it doesn't define me (wise words) but does affect my decisions and behaviors. I'm liking the roll call and the commitment every morning, first thing. Liking the veterans who have stuck around and reach out periodically and open to requests for help. Hope to be there for another brother some day. Kind of therapeutic to sit down and write all this out. Hope you all don't mind the rambling. Was feeling a trigger earlier and posted, got some support and feedback and I'm still quit. Glad to be here.
Title: Dreams
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:54:23 AM
2/4/18
I actually dreamed about the shit last night. Dreamed I put a pinch in and savored it. Even there in my sleep I felt the shame. I can't believe it invades my sleep!
Title: TGIF
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:54:54 AM
2/9/18
Some say TGIF. But Fridays are the some of the hardest for me. The routine was a case of beer on the way home and two cans (I deluded myself that I only chewed two cans a week - I would buy at least one more before the next Friday)
Then there's Tuesdays, the relief of making it through another Monday calls out for a dip.
Thursdays usually saw me grab a case of beer if I had one of those rare Fridays off as the weekend started early, or maybe I was just out of beer. And hey, while I'm there, I might as well grab a can or two to go; wouldn't want to be inefficient with gas at $2+/gallon
Wednesdays weren't too bad but nothing like a fatty to settle in after dinner at church (course I had to hide it there, gotta gut it cause you can't spit and I'm sure no one noticed the bulge in my lip)
Saturdays and Sundays were always balls out weekend chew like there's no tomorrow and I usually went through both of Friday's cans. My lip was so raw and painful the love hate relationship was renewed in full every Sunday evening as I put that last painful wad in place even though I didn't enjoy it.
So Monday found me hating the weed and usually making it several hours before I succumbed to it's sweet lies, "hey this'll make you feel better".

Of course, all of that's by the wayside now. History, water under the bridge, yesterdays news, flushed away, etc.

Now I'm quit, quit with all of you!
Title: Above the sink
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:55:22 AM
2/10/18
Just above the kitchen sink, on your left as you look up is one of those little shelves for knick-knacks. On it sits this little wooden box containing recipes with a picture of my little Rachel when she was in the 4th grade. Just behind the box, out of plain view was where it sat. The can. I needed a convenient, readily accessible spot and that’s where I put it. It wasn’t hidden by any stretch of the imagination; my wife and my three girls all knew it was there. I couldn’t have it just sitting out on a coffee table or my desk. Leaving it in the truck was too inconvenient. No, I needed it close by but not obvious. I suppose out of respect or love for me the children didn’t ask about it or mention it. I would go outside or into the laundry room to put one in; shame forbade being blatant and open about it. I never spit so there was no spitter to be ashamed of but there was no hiding the big fat bulge in my lip; the addiction prohibited acknowledging something so obvious as that. Oh it was hidden in plain view as they say.

As I was cooking up the sausage this morning (right after posting roll), my glance fell on that empty spot behind that little box on the shelf over the sink. It gave me a quiet pleasure that it was empty; a solemn pride in spite of a small craving to have beaten it. Today. I hope there’s little reminders such as that from time to time to let me know that life without it is so much more valuable than life with it.

Think about that for a bit. Where was your can parked? Look at that empty spot and commend yourself - you don’t have to lie about an empty spot or pretend it’s not there; it can and should be acknowledged.

I quit with you today!
Title: Fortunate son
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 02:55:57 AM
2/11/18
....then there was the time we pulled into Halifax Nova Scotia. I was prolly 2 days into quit #4,173 when I chose to cave. Problem was, I was in the boonies in Canada. Wouldn'tcha know those good people of the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co saw to it that a hole in the wall convenience store way up yonder would have the cure to what ailed me for the low low price of just $11.95. And that was back in '93. And I was happy to pay it. Thought myself a fortunate son.
What I wouldn't give to have all the $$$$ back. I'd have me a huge 4x4 with double whip antenae....

Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Doofus on September 19, 2018, 08:27:23 AM
2/9/18
Some say TGIF. But Fridays are the some of the hardest for me. The routine was a case of beer on the way home and two cans (I deluded myself that I only chewed two cans a week - I would buy at least one more before the next Friday)
Then there's Tuesdays, the relief of making it through another Monday calls out for a dip.
Thursdays usually saw me grab a case of beer if I had one of those rare Fridays off as the weekend started early, or maybe I was just out of beer. And hey, while I'm there, I might as well grab a can or two to go; wouldn't want to be inefficient with gas at $2+/gallon
Wednesdays weren't too bad but nothing like a fatty to settle in after dinner at church (course I had to hide it there, gotta gut it cause you can't spit and I'm sure no one noticed the bulge in my lip)
Saturdays and Sundays were always balls out weekend chew like there's no tomorrow and I usually went through both of Friday's cans. My lip was so raw and painful the love hate relationship was renewed in full every Sunday evening as I put that last painful wad in place even though I didn't enjoy it.
So Monday found me hating the weed and usually making it several hours before I succumbed to it's sweet lies, "hey this'll make you feel better".

Of course, all of that's by the wayside now. History, water under the bridge, yesterdays news, flushed away, etc.

Now I'm quit, quit with all of you!

I read this and smile.....smile that you weren't as dumb as me.....you remember 3 tins a week......I remember 2-3 a day.....my life was all about the next tin.......next stop, what stage of recycle were the dozens of tins "hidden" around my house, my car, my fishing gear bag, my office, my garage, my basement........my hope is that while we enjoy our freedom one day at a time.....some other poor bastard is reading these thoughts and says, "I'll let KTC show me the way because I want the freedom these guys got going on"......maybe they'll reach out, hopefully they get involved.....involved to be the next total stranger whose life gets saved and helps save another life.

Cheers to you Athan , thanks for your notes, you help all by posting your thoughts!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:31:07 PM
2/9/18
Some say TGIF. But Fridays are the some of the hardest for me. The routine was a case of beer on the way home and two cans (I deluded myself that I only chewed two cans a week - I would buy at least one more before the next Friday)
Then there's Tuesdays, the relief of making it through another Monday calls out for a dip.
Thursdays usually saw me grab a case of beer if I had one of those rare Fridays off as the weekend started early, or maybe I was just out of beer. And hey, while I'm there, I might as well grab a can or two to go; wouldn't want to be inefficient with gas at $2+/gallon
Wednesdays weren't too bad but nothing like a fatty to settle in after dinner at church (course I had to hide it there, gotta gut it cause you can't spit and I'm sure no one noticed the bulge in my lip)
Saturdays and Sundays were always balls out weekend chew like there's no tomorrow and I usually went through both of Friday's cans. My lip was so raw and painful the love hate relationship was renewed in full every Sunday evening as I put that last painful wad in place even though I didn't enjoy it.
So Monday found me hating the weed and usually making it several hours before I succumbed to it's sweet lies, "hey this'll make you feel better".

Of course, all of that's by the wayside now. History, water under the bridge, yesterdays news, flushed away, etc.

Now I'm quit, quit with all of you!

I read this and smile.....smile that you weren't as dumb as me.....you remember 3 tins a week......I remember 2-3 a day.....my life was all about the next tin.......next stop, what stage of recycle were the dozens of tins "hidden" around my house, my car, my fishing gear bag, my office, my garage, my basement........my hope is that while we enjoy our freedom one day at a time.....some other poor bastard is reading these thoughts and says, "I'll let KTC show me the way because I want the freedom these guys got going on"......maybe they'll reach out, hopefully they get involved.....involved to be the next total stranger whose life gets saved and helps save another life.

Cheers to you Athan , thanks for your notes, you help all by posting your thoughts!
HEY! You've reclaimed things that bounce!!  good on ya mate!
Title: Can't change yesterday
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:32:58 PM
2/13/18
I've thought it so many times, why oh why did I ever put that second dip in?
Can't change it now. I can change TODAY.
TODAY, I don't chew.
Title: Pull the trigger
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:33:46 PM
2/14/18
Statistically speaking, the odds are in your favor when playing Russian roulette (statistical analyses assumes a revolver is used)
Statistics don't count for squat if it's you that craps out, gets cancer and screws your whole famdamly.
Yeah, that's right, you're shooting more than just yourself; everyone in your circle of influence is adversely affected.
It's not just cancer either, there are a whole host of other negative health effects from nicotine.

go ahead, pull the trigger.
Title: Last dollar
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:38:19 PM
2/15/18
(from the wikipedia) "U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (formerly United States Tobacco Company) manufactures smokeless tobacco products,...
Copenhagen and Skoal are the company's leading brands, and each represents more than $1 billion per year in retail sales."

Well they've gotten their last dollar from me.

How bout you?
Title: A real knee slapper
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:39:05 PM
2/16/18
Say, Didja hear the one about the guy who put his quit off until it was too late?

He died of esophageal cancer. But not before he put his family through hell, depleted his finances on medical bills, and left them destitute.

Yeah, it's a real knee slapper.
Title: The concession stand
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:39:40 PM
2/17/18
I'm working the concession stand at the high school basketball playoff. Cranking out french fries like a jedi master with a buddy. He happens to be an x-ray tech. I'm tellin' him about KTC and what it did (does) for me.

He starts telling me about a guy that he shot images for who was getting his face carved up because the nic bitch loved him so.

So I says to him I says, "how long ago was this?" "oh about six months ago" he replies. and he's still chew'n (my buddy, not the dude what got his face carved up)

So I'm looking at him incredulously, like, really, are you serious? You haven't quit yet? Walk out back with me and that 2x4?

And then he starts going on about the respiratory therapists who smoke!, you won't believe the shit they deal with, cleaning out trach tubes and whatnot.

So here's live testimony of the incredible power of the nic bitch and the horror and carnage it inflicts and you're still on the fence about whether or not you want to quit? Or maybe you're contemplating the John Wayne I'll do this on my own...

Well, when your testicles drop and you're ready, you just come on in and we'll do it together; together we are so much stronger than the bitch.

I'm waiting....
Title: What day is today?
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:40:16 PM
2/18/18
What day is today?
Is today the day you put it down?
Is today the day you feel obligated, nay compelled, to break the chains of your subservience and stand defiantly against it?
Is today your independence day?

I hope so, so does your family and those that truly love you.
Title: She lies
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:40:50 PM
2/19/18
She lies to you, ya know. Just put another dip in and it'll all be fine. But the truth is, she is insatiable. You can NEVER fill that hole, no matter how much minced weed you pack into your face you'll always crave one more.

Unless you kill it. It has to be starved to death, not appeased. Only in it's death is there victory.

I used cinnamon sticks for the first couple of weeks to overcome the oral fixation. I rolled into work this morning and man, I forgot to replace my stack of sticks. But that's OK. I don't have to have them.
But you, you know where that can is right now. Not only that but you know how much is left in it. Prolly got a spare out in the truck or the drawer of your desk.

Not me. I'm free. 50 days free today.

Funny thing is, it could be you celebrating 50 days. Ain't nothing like freedom!
Title: The Elusive Quit
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:41:35 PM
2/20/18
What is it about the quit that you find so elusive?
You’ve tried many times before; are you permitting fears and doubts built on past failures to dictate your future? Are you so crippled that you are no longer a man, capable of making conscious choices about your health and your life?

Or is it that you find the can so beguiling? The nausea of that first pinch has long since past and along with it the rush of the second pinch that you took so many years ago. Still you persist in chasing them. Why? To what end?

Do you hide cans? Do you grab a dip in secret? Do you make plans simply to avoid running out? Have you ever spurned an amorous advance from your spouse because you just put a fatty in and wanted to savor it? Do you have a nagging fear of cancer but have rationalized that the odds are in your favor; you’ll quit before that happens? Will you? Do these behaviors disgust you?

I hope I’ve struck a nerve. Because there are a couple of hundred MEN behind these doors who have embraced the suck of withdrawal victoriously and are waiting to stand strong with you should you commit to join their ranks. Husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons who loved their families more than nicotine are waiting to show you the way.

You only live once and time is not on your side.
Title: Ignorance and Stupidity
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:42:19 PM
2/21/18
Ignorance and stupidity are very different things but commonly confused and used interchangeably in todays lexicon.
One who is ignorant is merely lacking knowledge. You were ignorant of KTC; you now have knowledge of it and its availability to help you quit.
Stupid is where a person acquires knowledge but is not capable of applying it.
Well, You're here. You're at least reading this thread. We can reasonable assume you are aware of the hazards of continued nicotine use.
What shall we say then of your present circumstance?
Why don't you message me and we'll talk about it.
Title: The Fool
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:43:12 PM
2/22/18
Like a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Don't be a fool my brother, choose life, choose to quit!
Title: IQAOMOTAIDNYB
Post by: Athan on September 19, 2018, 07:44:01 PM
2/23/18
IQWYT is commonly included when folks post. It means "I quit with you today"

I have never seen anyone post IQAOMOTAIDNYB (I quit all on my own today and I don't need you basterds!)
Title: Excuses
Post by: Athan on September 20, 2018, 04:53:49 PM
2/24/18
Excuses.
What are some of the ones that you use?
After this can, just dropped $5 on it and I'm not gonna throw that out (um, that was 500 cans ago)
After this weekend (um, that was 100 weekends ago and counting)
She's driving me crazy (um, that's what they do)
I work with idiots! (um, don't we all? and that can will magically make the world smarter? Really?)
I broke my leg (sorry about the leg, um, and the can has bone healing medicinal properties?)
I have so much extra cash I don't know what else to do with it (um, please call me I can help you out)
Chicks dig it! (no, not really and can we talk about that mullet while we're on the subject?)
What's it to you, I'm only hurting myself (not while we're on a quasi socialized medical system but that's another class)
The tobacco companies are counting on me (just copenhagen alone is over a BILLION dollars a year)
Statistics are in my favor that I won't get cancer/diabetes/stomach ulcers/extremity circulatory damage/etc. (statistics are meaningless to the ones that do, and their families)
I do it in secret, she doesn't know (and lying to your spouse has always been a good foundation for a marriage/relationship?)
The fact is, there are as many excuses as there are cans of tobacco. I'm sure you can add to the list ad nauseum.
Winners have results. Losers have excuses. Your choice. Your life.
Choose life.
Title: all we are saying...
Post by: Athan on September 20, 2018, 04:54:28 PM
2/25/18
...all we are saying, is give quit a chance

...what if they gave a can and no one chewed.
Title: Know what makes my day?
Post by: Athan on September 20, 2018, 04:55:12 PM
2/26/18
Know what makes my day?
When a young father comes along. He's got a little girl he wants to be there for. He's got a little boy he wants to watch become a man. And he's made a decision that they are more important than the can.
I've heard it said that urgent things are seldom important while important things are seldom urgent.
Well that craving you feel for that next pinch is an urgent thing.
Watching your children grow up, well, I think you'll agree with me that that's important.
Yeah, if you came on in outa the cold and posted by the fire where all the quitters stand round and support each other, that'd make my day.
Title: ...only idiots do it needlessly
Post by: Athan on September 20, 2018, 04:56:40 PM
2/27/18
There was a slight chill in the air so I grabbed a light jacket on the way out. When I got there a buddy starts busting my balls about needing a coat.
"Yes it's true, a real man can endure the elements." I said. Then I added, "But only an idiot does it needlessly."
So it is with the quit. A real man can bear that burden alone.
But only an idiot would do it needlessly.
Title: Polonium
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:36:57 PM
2/28/18
xxxxxxxxx

Polonium-210 (Po-210) is a radioactive material that occurs naturally in the earths crust.

Similar to banana’s and their affinity for potassium-40, tobacco has an affinity for Polonium. That means that the plant will naturally absorb the nuclide whereas other plants won’t.

Now here is the interesting part, Po-210 emits alpha particles. Of all the radioactive particles, the alpha particle is the largest, has the highest charge, and does the most biological damage.
Because of its large mass and high charge, it is stopped by the clothes that you wear or even your skin. So it’s a radiation hazard only if it is taken into the body through breathing or eating.

Polonium has a half-life of 138 days. That means that after 138 days, you will still have half of what you just ingested.

Much of Po-210 is passed through feces, although the remaining amounts that enter the bloodstream can concentrate in organs such as the spleen, kidneys, and liver.

And you thought oral cancer was the only risk; think again. You can’t pull your spleen out and look at it to see if you’ve been chewing too much the way you can look at your lip or gums in the mirror.

Ready to spit that dip out and quit for real now?

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/polonium-210.htm
https://www3.epa.gov/radtown/tobacco.html
Title: All in
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:39:57 PM
3/1/18
You ready to be all in?
Because there's no point entering unless you are.
There's no such thing as half-quit.
I mean, you don't get half-syphilis.
The doctor isn't going to tell you, "I'm sorry, but you've got half cancer"
Your objective, should you choose to commit, is to quit every day.
You'll post roll with others promising to do just that, every day.
You'll notice some that post late, some that miss days.
They're not all in. They don't make it. They're on their way to getting half-herpes or half-diabetes.
What about you?
You ready to be all in?
Title: An Installment Plan From Hell
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:40:49 PM
3/2/18
Take that can out and look at it. Really, go ahead. Take it out and look at it. It’s not made of gold or anything.
What if I told you that you paid $50,000 for it.
What, you didn’t know it was an installment plan?
Didn’t know with the first can you were signing up for LIFE?
You weren’t planning on that were you?
If a slick salesman were sitting before your son with a legal contract and was pushing your kid to sign the dotted line that would obligate him for $5 a day for the REST OF HIS LIFE and you had a baseball bat, how would that all pan out?
What person in their right mind commits themselves to a financial contract in perpetuity that could cost them their life?
I wouldn’t even do that for a cool pickup truck.
And for a can? Really?
Title: Hard
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:41:16 PM
3/3/18
Hard.

It's a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort.
Title: Time
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:41:44 PM
3/4/18
Time is not on your side

How old were you when you started?

Time is not on your side
Title: 63 days
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:42:32 PM
3/5/18
So we had a guy cave yesterday. Said he was “half-assing” his quit.
Can’t begin to convey the sense of loss I felt.
Here was someone who made a conscious decision to stop using a dangerous substance but in the end was unable to resist the sirens call.
6 days into it.
I won’t sugar coat it; it’s a trial. The cravings are real. But so is freedom.
I’m 63 days free today because I didn’t cave yesterday.
I and most of the guys in our group communicate and actively lean on each other.
The guy that caved didn’t. He neither sought out nor offered help.
He tried alone and he died alone.
Title: You Might be it's Bitch if.....
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:43:31 PM
3/6/18
You might be its bitch if:
You've deferred sex for nicotine
You've been broke and paid for it with a credit card (you friggin financed your addiction you idiot, you actually paid interest on it!)
You've looked for the round silhouette on strangers in a crowd so you could bum a chew
You've lied about using
You've stashed cans to ensure your next fix was never out of reach
You've driven cross town because your normal stop was out
You've fallen asleep with a chew in
You've recycled a chew because you were running low
You've put a chew in and experienced pain because your lip is shredded
You've stolen from your kids piggy bank to finance your dirty deed
You've not only eaten with a chew in, you've actually gotten proficient at it

Aren't you tired of being it's bitch?
Title: The Nightmare
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:44:25 PM
3/7/18
You stare at the floor. You are alone in a crowded waiting room. You’re finding it hard to breathe; as if a weight were actually on your chest compressing it. Though it’s 65 degrees in there you are bathed in a cold sweat. Cancer. The word itself instills fear in just about everyone. “What is that stuff Daddy? That stuff you put in your mouth?” You remember his little words, spoken so long ago like they were yesterday. Your little man. Little nothing. He’s a strapping young man now. You’ve never been more proud of anything or anyone in your whole life. You were there at his graduation from boot camp. The pride on his face was nothing to what you held in your heart. One of your greatest joys is introducing him to acquaintances, “This is my son…”
“Sir?”, the doctors words shake you from your reverie. “Sir, your son is going to be fine. We had to take some 60% of his jaw and 30% of his tongue. But we think we got it all.”
True. He might have learned to chew from someone else.
But he didn’t.
He learned from you.
Title: Everest
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:47:18 PM
3/8/18
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest. Took them 7 weeks.
Know how they did it?
One step at a time.
Title: It's raining...
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:48:18 PM
3/9/18
Had a guy give up on his quit today. Wasn’t surprised really; he was late when and if he posted. He didn’t offer support.
So I had some issues yesterday with my little outburst in this forum. Within the hour I was contacted by no less than four people. They are as invested in my quit as I am in theirs. We support each other. I wasn’t on my way to the store and I shouldn’t even have intimated that; but these brothers of mine weren’t taking any chances. We don’t get to where we’re standing on the precipice of using again because we take action before that happens.

Noah built the ark BEFORE the flood; he didn't wait for it to start raining.

I’ve got my ark.

What are YOU going to do when it starts raining?
Title: Wake-up calls
Post by: Athan on September 21, 2018, 07:49:02 PM
3/10/18
Wake up calls.
You ever put one in at a hotel?
Maybe with your spouse or roommate?
Not sure if you’d get up on time for whatever reason and needed the extra kick in the pants to wake up.
Ran across a brother who needs gum grafts.
That’s gotta be some kinda wake up call.
For me it was waiting for the results of a biopsy after an endoscopy; that was one intense wake up call.
What about you? Can you wake up on your own?
Or are you waiting for the wake up call?

TIME IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE
Title: Time Travel
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 05:54:43 AM
3/11/18
Hello Time Traveler!
How would you like to go back just 5 years from now and start your quit. Imagine that. Looking back 5 years and having the satisfaction of having beaten it, of having successfully putting it down and doing some serious and advantageous changes for your health. Think of all the money you would have saved. We’ve covered all the stupid things you do in recent posts, well you could look back on the previous 5 years with a solemn pride that you are a free man. Wouldn’t that be amazing?! Cause I can do that for you. Really.
Flash forward with me 5 years and look back on yourself today, right now, reading this, and decide to quit.
BOOM.
There ya go. Just gave your future self 5 years of freedom to look back on!
Nice traveling with you, please check the seat back pocket in front of you and watch yer head as you exit.
As always, thanks for travelling with KTC!
Title: The Addict Mind
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 05:55:14 AM
3/12/18
The addict mind.
It can and will rationalize ANYTHING.
ANY reason to justify the next fix is valid to the addict mind.
The addict mind runs on auto pilot UNTIL is is refused that fix.

You need to make a decision.
Do you want to quit for a couple of days.....or would you rather nicotine no longer played a role in your life?
Your life.
Your call.
Title: cognizance
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 05:56:37 AM
3/12/18
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/linksaaddiction.html

I think a lot of people fail because they don't understand what, exactly, they are dealing with.
I know I didn't. I hope you take time to read this. It explains just how sinister the addiction is.
Title: Rawls HOF Speech
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 05:57:41 AM
3/12/18
Rawls HOF speech. 100 days in 100 words. One of the most powerful things I've ever read:
100 days. 100 Words.

Prayer
Conscience
Blind
Mislead
Lies
Chains
Spit Cups
Bad Breath
Expensive
Selfish
Stink
Stained
Withdrawals
Shakes
Excuses
Stopping
Failing
Self medicating
Pre Cancer
Decay
Guilty
Procrastination
Exaggeration
Running
Avoiding
Sores
Scared
Tired
Lost
Mirror
Truth
Decision
Flush
Cold Turkey
Scared
Fog
Confused
72 hours
Mental
Anxiety
Out-of-body
Suck
Unfocused
Frustrated
Tears
KTC
Morning Roll
Promise
My Word
Integrity
Bumped Roll
Education
Answers
Addicts
Common Ground
PM's
Strangers
Friends
Quit Groups
FFF
Experience
Wisdom
Venting
Understanding
Confession
Support
Water
Sweat
Knowledge
Nic Bitch
Pissed off
Dreams
Mods
100%
Success
EDD
Relationships
Craves
Triggers
Digits
Chat
Accountability
Introductions
Newbies
Supporting
Healthy
Clear
Prepared
Brotherhood
Respect
Paying it Forward
Smiles
Trust
New identity
Thankful
Humbled
Blessed
Quit
ODAAT
Free
Answered Prayer
Title: The Ability
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 05:59:19 AM
3/13/18
Comedian Ron White summed up a lot of us when he quipped, “…I had the right to remain silent, but I didn’t have the ability”
It’s funny because most if not all of us can relate to that directly or indirectly.
It generally conjures up a scene of someone not satisfied with just one foot in their mouth, they’re going for both legs up to the knee.
The gist of it though is the inability of someone who, although they recognize they are on a bad course, is either unwilling or unable to change direction. And that’s not funny. There’s nothing funny about nicotine addiction.
I’ve included some links in my signature from a friend on the site for your reading.
Prepare to have your eyes opened.
I hope you have the ability.
Title: Freedom
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 06:00:08 AM
3/15/18
Good morning, may you find a thousand reasons to quit today!

Is your lip shredded, does it hurt?
Mine doesn’t
Does it stick out like the big lipped dogs of the Serengeti?
Mine doesn’t
You still chasing the empty promise of the can?
I’m not
You planning when the next fix will be?
I’m not
You want to be free from dependency?
I AM.
Title: Good Health
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 06:00:36 AM
3/16/18
Are you enjoying good health today? Think about that for a second.
In a way, you’re like a fish that’s not cognizant that it’s wet. That’s all it’s ever known.
So it is for us who are born healthy; we tend to take it for granted.
To go on using with full knowledge of the risks involved is to squander the good health you’ve been blessed with.
I tell you the truth, right now this very day, there is someone in your community who would trade places with you in a second simply to have your health.
I’m willing to bet they wouldn’t squander it on tobacco.

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today.
Title: The Why
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 06:01:46 AM
3/17/18
We’ve discussed a few times the excuses for not quitting.
Today I’d like us to explore this from the angle of WHY you put one in.
Note that it’s singular, not plural like excuses.
I know, you’re saying, “geez Athan, there’s a million good reasons. Like how the steak is retroactively better if I throw a chew in after it. Or how I am really in the zone putting in that last 100 feet of fence or splitting that last cord of wood, etc. etc.”
I hear you. I was there not long ago.
What you are experiencing is the addict mind and its association with the many facets of your life that nicotine has attached itself to.
The only reason you put one in is because you are an addict.
I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way.
You weren’t born with a chew in; you enjoyed life before it.
You can enjoy life without it again.
All it takes is a decision.

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today!
Title: Time
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 06:05:30 AM
3/18/18
“…And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again…”

Get a piece of paper and a pencil. Really, go ahead and get it, I’ll wait.
There’s something profound in the tangible written word. Let’s play a little fill in the blank….

I have been dipping for ______________ years
Post that where you can see it DAILY.

If you join us, you’ll post your quit and how many days you’re quit DAILY.

There’s something profound in the tangible written word….

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today!

P.S. Time is not on your side
Title: Freedom is Peace
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 06:06:48 AM
3/19/18
Freedom.
It’s NOT fumbling with anxiety because your running low or out.
It’s a lip and gumline NOT shredded
It’s NOT dodging my wife or children to savor a fatty
It’s NOT waiting in line at the convenience store to get a can
It’s NOT driving across town to get a chew
It’s NOT making excuses to go out so I can stock up
It’s NOT sneaking a dip at work

Freedom IS peace

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today
Title: In the Shade
Post by: Athan on September 22, 2018, 06:07:49 AM
3/23/18
When told the volley of Persian arrows was so great that it blocked out the sun, Dienekes replied, “Good, we can have our fight in the shade!”
Men can utter such things in the face of such incomprehensible odds because they know that they are part of something greater than themselves.
So it is with the quit.
You can chew a whole sleeve tomorrow if it pleases you, but not today.
For today you gave me your word that you would not.
You are now bound to me and to your brothers in quit by your word.
In case no one told you, that’s a very big deal.
What is a man if he has no integrity? Do you not know that your words and deeds live longer than you do? Are you unaware that your successes and failures reverberate into the spheres of those around you?
Take heart then my brothers, for you stand shoulder to shoulder with champions.
Come, join us, let us quit in the shade!
Title: The Three Questions
Post by: Athan on September 23, 2018, 06:41:29 AM
From WildIrish317:
The Three Questions
Now that I've been here 33 days, I've noticed a few more cavers, and my understanding of caving has increased proportionally. (For those of you who are wondering, I'm not preparing my own cave, I'm digging my "quit hole" a bit deeper, and hoping to help some of the cavers understand why the wheels fell off their quit.)

So, after you cave, you come back here, and are presented with the demand to answer the "three questions". Before you do that, you should answer one question for yourself: "Why the fock are you here, knowing how much shite you are going to face for caving?" I can't help you answer this one. You know why you're here, and what you are going to face.

However, knowing that the general gist of your answer is that you need this place in order to quit, I suggest that you take an attitude of humble receptiveness in your re-assimilation into KTC. You are going to give answers to the "three questions". More likely than not, some of your answers will be questioned. Do not take offense at this (even when offense is intended). Most of us addicts can sniff out an addicts lie or misrepresentation, and we will be all over it. So consider the merits of each question. Search yourself for vulnerabilities, and shore them up.

Now that you have "humbled yourself up", here are some reflections that may help you answer the three questions:

1. What happened? This can be rephrased as "How did you set yourself up for failure?". When you cave, you build the scenario in which it is very easy to say "yes" to nicotine. The answer to this question sets up the answer to the next question.

2. Why did it happen? Depending on the addict, you can set yourself up for failure 10 times before you actually cave. The key word here is addict. The short answer is "I'm an addict, that's what addicts do." The long answer is much more complicated, and different for every cave. The answer to this question is the key to getting back on the quit. However, you can't get here without answering the first question first.

Being addicted to nicotine is like having a pipeline to your body, with a valve that is "normally open". Nicotine flows through this valve and into your body unless you consciously or unconsciously keep this valve shut. When you cave, you make a decision, at that particular moment, to let go of the valve.

So the answer to "why" is not "what made you do it?", it's "why did you let go of the valve?" "why did you decide, at that particular moment, not to be quit?" Don't look outside yourself for this answer. Shite happens to all of us. It's how we decide to react to this shite that makes us who we are.

We are addicts. We have to study addiction and addicts to know how to answer this question.

3. How are you going to keep it from happening again? Once you get past the second question, and understand your answer and your addiction, this one is pretty easy. Look at the tools you have at your disposal. Find out what other tools are out there that may be used. Figure out where you are most vulnerable, make plans not to make yourself vulnerable, and have an escape route when you find yourself vulnerable. That's the general answer. The specific answer for each cave must be tailored to each individual.

We are all just one bad, weak decision away from caving. This is addiction. This is serious.
Title: The Law of Addiction
Post by: Athan on September 23, 2018, 06:46:19 AM
From WildIrish317:
The Law of Addiction

...the discussion led to research. The research led to the law of addiction (https://whyquit.com/freedom/the-law-of-addiction/).

The Law is rather simple. It states, “Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

Mastering it requires acceptance of three fundamental principles:
(1) that dependency upon using nicotine is true chemical addiction, captivating the same brain dopamine reward pathways as alcoholism, cocaine or heroin addiction;
(2) that once established we cannot cure or kill an addiction but only arrest it; and
(3) that once arrested, regardless of how long we have remained nicotine free, that just one hit of nicotine will create a high degree of probability of a full relapse.

Once you have mastered the law of addiction, there is absolutely no legitimate excuse to put nicotine into your body in any form. As a nicotine addict, you have permanently altered the way your brain functions. This cannot be undone. The only way to stay quit is to stay quit.

There is a smoking cessation website named whyquit.com (https://whyquit.com/). They have zero tolerance for nicotine. You get one try per lifetime on this site. You have posting privileges as long as you remain nicotine free. If you ingest nicotine, your posting privileges are permanently revoked.

I've given this topic a lot of thought over the past two days. For now, I'm going to leave my comments brief. There is a lot to absorb in this post.
Title: The Road Called Recovery
Post by: Athan on September 23, 2018, 02:31:40 PM
The Road Called Recovery
From WildIrish317

Day 65. If I didn't know any better, I would say I'm "cured". However, I do know better. I am through withdrawal, and moving down the road they call recovery. The trick now is to stay on this road and not get sidetracked into relapse.

So, I've mastered the Law of Addiction. My addiction is arrested. I'm through the withdrawal, the suck. I'm on the road of recovery. Now what? How do I stay on this road?

The first rule to recovery is: You don't recover from an addiction by stopping using. You recover by creating a new life where it is easier to not use.
If you don't create a new life, the Nic bitch will lure you back into using her.

There are tools to help us create a new life. You can find them at www.addictionsandrecovery.org (https://addictionsandrecovery.org/). I want to discuss them briefly here because they are important.

The three tools are:

1. Avoid high risk situations.
2. Learn to relax.
3. Be honest.


Some common high risk situations are described by the acronym HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). You can't always avoid these situations, but learn to recognize them and be on guard for the Nic bitch, because she's watching and waiting.

We used nicotine to relax. We need to find something to replace that. Drugs and alcohol are not your best choice, as these are addictive substances as well. Meditation is a good tool for relaxation. KTC has a good thread on meditation: Meditation Group. (Athan unable to find link to group, lost in transition from tapatalk?  Will update when reestablished here) It has a good beginning, morphs into a roll post, and then has some more tips and tricks at the end. I also tie flies to relax. My mother played the piano to relax. (I used to think she just liked to play. Now I realize she would do it when she was upset.)

The following is a direct quote from linked web page. I can't think of a good way to summarize it, and there are a lot of important points about being honest.

An addiction requires lying. You have to lie about getting your drug, using it, hiding its consequences, and planning your next relapse. An addiction is full of lying. By the time you've developed an addiction, lying comes easily to you. After a while you get so good at lying that you end up lying to yourself. That's why addicts don't know who they are or what they believe in.

The other problem with lying is that you can't like yourself when you lie. You can't look yourself in the mirror. Lying traps you in your addiction. The more you lie, the less you like yourself, which makes you want to escape, which leads to more using and more lying.

Nothing changes, if nothing changes. Ask yourself this: will more lying, more isolating, and more of the same make you feel better? The expression in AA is - nothing changes if nothing changes. If you don't change your life, then why would this time be any different? You need to create a new life where it's easier to not use.

Recovery requires complete honesty. You must be one-hundred percent completely honest with the people who are your supports: your family, your doctor, your therapist, the people in your 12 step group, and your sponsor. If you can't be completely honest with them, you won't do well in recovery.

When you're completely honest you don't give your addiction room to hide. When you lie you leave the door open to relapse.

One mistake people make in the early stages of recovery is they think that honesty means being honest about other people. They think they should share what's "wrong" with other people. But recovery isn't about fixing other people. It's about fixing yourself. Stick with your own recovery. Focusing on what you don't like about others is easy because it deflects attention from yourself.

Honesty won't come naturally in the beginning. You've spent so much time learning how to lie that telling the truth, no matter how good it is for you, won't feel natural. You'll have to practice telling the truth a few hundred times before it comes a little easier. In the beginning, you'll have to stop yourself as you're telling a story, and say, "now that I think about it, it was more like this..."

Show common sense. Not everybody is your best friend. And not everybody will be glad to know that you have an addiction or that you're doing something about it. There may be some people who you don't want to tell about your recovery. But don't be reluctant to tell the people close to you about your recovery. You should never feel ashamed that you're doing something about your addiction.

Title: Take Your Meds
Post by: Athan on September 24, 2018, 08:46:59 AM
TAKE YOUR MEDS
As told by Samrs 09 Sep 18....

I used to work with a company that did educational materials for people dealing with schizophrenia and depression. I was just a software developer, but being the only software developer (small company) I got to learn a thing or two from the folks developing content for the CDs we put together.

It's been nearly 20 years, so a lot of what I learned has kind of faded, except one thing that was repeated over... and over... and over, in every possible format, in every possible way. Text, graphics, audio, visual, multimedia clips - you name it.

Take your medicine.

Take your meds.

People would come up with all sorts of crappy reasons why they shouldn't have to take their meds. The #1 reason, over and above everything else, was something like, "I feel fine now! I haven't heard any voices or thought about killing myself in weeks!"

Yeah, you know why, genius? It's because you've been taking your damn meds.

KTC doesn't give you a prescription for a drug. What it does give you is a prescription for how to beat your addiction: WUPP EDD.

That's it. That's your medicine. There's your meds. It's the reason you're quit.

Just... keep... doing it.

Take. Your. Damn. Meds.
•   You wake up feeling crappy? Post roll.
•   You wake up feeling great? Post roll.
•   You still think about nic all the time? Post roll.
•   You hardly ever think about nic anymore? Post roll.
•   Life is great? Post roll.
•   Life sucks? Post roll.
•   Your day is go-go-go from the minute you roll out of bed? Wow! You sure are busy! Now POST ROLL.
There's a half dozen ways to get on roll. USE ONE OF THEM. First thing in the morning, every damn day.

You want to stay quit? Take your meds. WUPP EDD. It's that simple.
Title: It's the Behavior I hate most...
Post by: Athan on September 24, 2018, 08:49:16 AM
3/24/18
In retrospect, I think I hate the addict behavior more than I hate the adverse health effects of nicotine.
I think it more worthy of contempt than the use itself.
It is with profound sadness and pity that I now look upon you who use.
It is as if your eyes are cloaked with scales and you cannot grasp that freedom is so close, so very close; only a decision away. You need only reach out and claim it.
I leave you with the words of a man 10 years free. I scarce have seen so much wisdom packed into so few words:

“Ready - Day 3,704
I've been quit on this site for over ten years. I've had the privilege and honor of being asked to serve as both a mod and an admin. I'm still baffled by how well this place works if you are ready to quit. This place works.
Be advised, there is no magic pill and there is no cure.
But there is freedom to be had here. If your word of honor means something, you too can quit.
Post roll giving your word for today that you will not use nicotine in any way, shape or form. Keep your word. Whatever it takes.
You will find the help here you need. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people that understand exactly what you are going through. Most of them will drop whatever they are doing to help you stay quit. All of this and it's free too!
The knowledge and insight on this site can not be equaled anywhere.
If you are reading this, you may be contemplating quitting. Just know that you are not alone. We know! We can help. But you must do the heavy lifting. We can't quit for you. We will quit with you.
I don't think you can imagine right now how great your quality of life can be. You probably do not realize how much nicotine has taken from you. You may not want to hear this, but you are a slave. And you as well as friends and loved ones are suffering for your addiction.
You can quit!
You will not regret it!
It will be one of the hardest things you have ever done. It will also be one of the most rewarding things you have ever done.
It's going to suck for awhile (you will pay the price) but your freedom is worth it!”
Title: The List
Post by: Athan on September 24, 2018, 08:50:54 AM
3/27/18
This is from the April ’18 quit group. These are the ones who tried and failed.
Check out the names. Some of them tell a story. It’s not just chatroom monikers.
Behind each name is a man devoured by an addiction; A human being tortured and afflicted but not willing or able to turn away.
Check out Gumzbleed. This one haunts me. Here’s a man unable to master himself or the addiction in spite of tremendous physical pain and visible precancerous symptoms.
How about Notreadytodie. Well he wasn’t able to quit either.
I watched some of these men cross the threshold to KTC. Welcomed them with digits and open arms.
Still they deserted. They loved the can more than their families.
This list is more deeply stirring to my blood than posting daily with my brothers.
This isn’t some kind of game. It really is a matter of life or death.
Do your gums bleed? Are you not ready to die?
What is it going to take? Really, what is it going to take?

April ‘18
12.7x99
MNcold
Notreadytodie
Kobeertx
Mhill22
Gumzbleed
GoJo914
Walkerm
Gunnernick
Mike T
Rheck4096
Jackn04
Brandon785
Keith B
BPM
73D
CDH0059
Pureblood
Hugh Jass
Randi
Bphillips013
ryanp41
Shawnatony
EOEO
pr0123
Angryamerican
Tider
Lmr2096
Marcabby
Tbrown
OX
Dcquitter
Hammer Hands
Thefaceless13
Rheleaf
Sox_Fan
StateGuy
Reegs
Laxdaddy27
Title: A habit vs addiction
Post by: Athan on September 24, 2018, 08:51:38 AM
3/30/18
".....in simplest terms, the primary difference between a habit and an addiction....
Is that a person is ultimately in control of a habit.While an addiction is in control of the person...."

I didn't pen that, wish I did.

A clarification if I may, for the slow, tobacco use isn't a habit.
Title: The Sean Marsee Story
Post by: Athan on September 24, 2018, 08:52:20 AM
3/30/18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aabBgNQLK3g
The Sean Marsee Story. Watch it with your children.
Title: We Don't Do Excuses
Post by: Athan on September 24, 2018, 08:53:54 AM
3/31/18
We are addicts.
We’re in the business of quitting here ladies and gentlemen.
We don’t do excuses.
Why?
Because with the addict any excuse will do.
Who will be the arbiter of excuses if we go down that road? You? Me? The man who fell?
No. That door would never close.
We don’t do excuses.
We’re in the business of quitting here.
Title: Perspectives
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:30:08 AM
4/2/18
Funny how two people can witness the same thing yet perceive different realities.
You see a habit you’re in control of
I see an addict controlled by a substance
You see a can
I see yet another iteration in an endless line
You see $5
I see thousands of dollars
You see tobacco
I see over 30 chemicals, some of them radioactive, among which is nicotine, guaranteed to keep you coming back
You see pleasure
I see pain
You see the individual experience
I see a father imparting death upon his son
You see reasons
I see excuses
The fact is you can’t see because you’re blinded by addiction.
You have to give up the can to see clearly.
You have to kill the can.
Title: Accountability
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:30:36 AM
4/3/18
Accountability.
It can be painful in the short term.
Lack of it will destroy a man in the long haul.
You will exercise it here, that and your honor and your integrity.
You will forge them in the fire of your quit and you will emerge a better man for it.
Title: Distortion
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:31:14 AM
4/4/18
If I had to distill it down to one descriptive word, it would be distortion.

The addiction distorts the user’s perception of reality; twists it into dependency.

The distortion is that nicotine enhances life experiences. But it doesn't, it detracts from them.

By effecting the release of dopamine in the brain, it becomes the central experience; the lens through which life is viewed, the context upon which other experiences are weighed.
And because this occurs in the brain; it is intrinsic to the mind.
It is for this reason I tell you that what you are dealing with is NOT mind over matter but LIFE over ADDICTION.

This is why accountability groups are so successful; an objective third party to counterbalance the addicts own brain when struggling with desire for the next fix.

Yes, it's true, a real man can quit on his own, but only a fool does it needlessly.

More often than not, the fool fails.
Title: My brothers quit
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:33:40 AM
4/6/18
Exerpt from the movie Blackhawk Down
"Hoot": When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a xxxword. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.

Until you invest in your brothers quit, until you ask him to invest in yours, you haven't scratched the surface of what happens here. If you can't do that, you're short changing yourself.

Nothing strengthens my quit like helping my brother out. Nothing.
Title: SRains
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:34:36 AM
10 Apr 18
From SRains HOF speech:
An addict fell in a hole and couldn't get out. A businessman went by. The addict called out for help. The businessman threw him some money and told him to buy a ladder, but the addict could not find a ladder in this hole he was in. A doctor walked by. The addict said, "Help, I can't get out." The doctor gave him some drugs and said, "Take this, it will relieve the pain." The addict said thanks, but when the pills ran out he was still in the hole. A renowned psychiatrist rode by and heard the addict's cries for help. He stopped and said, "How did you get in there? Were you born there? Did your parents put you there? Tell me about yourself, it will alleviate your sense of loneliness." So the addict talked with him for an hour, then the psychiatrist had to leave, but he said he'd be back next week. The addict thanked him, but was still in his hole. A priest came by and heard the addict calling for help. The priest gave him a Bible and said, "I'll pray for you." The priest got down on his knees and prayed for the addict, then left. The addict was very grateful and he read the whole Bible, but he was still stuck in that hole. A recovering addict happened to be passing by. The addict cried out, "Hey, help me, I'm stuck in this hole." Right away, the recovering addict jumped in the hole with him. The addict said, "What are you doing? Now we're both stuck here!" But the recovering addict said, "It's okay. I've been here before. I know the way out."
- Anonymous
Title: The trees...
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:35:12 AM
JGromo 4/18/18:
"...The tree's have thinned slightly in the forest of quit, the fog has lifted and its become more of a nice relaxing stroll through the woods than a treck through the muck, fog and jungle of quit..."
Title: Quitting
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:35:58 AM
From Wildirish317:

Quitting is a word that tugs at emotion. By definition it associates itself with departing, leaving, forsaking and abandonment. But the real abandonment took place on the day nicotine dependent pathways suppressed all remaining memory of the beauty of life without nicotine, when no longer able to recall how fantastic we functioned without it.

The word "quitting" tends to paint nicotine cessation in gray and black, in the doom and gloom of bad and horrible. It breeds anticipatory fears, inner demons, needless anxieties, external enemies and visions of suffering. It fosters a natural sense of self-deprivation, of leaving something valuable behind.

Now, contrast quitting with recovery. Recovery doesn't run or hide from our addiction. Instead, it boldly embraces who we became, and every aspect of this temporary journey of re-adjustment. When knowledge based, we're looking for recovery symptoms, emotions, conditioning and junkie thinking, and view each encounter as an opportunity to reclaim another piece of a nicotine-free life.

Nicotine dependency recovery presents an opportunity to experience what may be our richest period of repair and self-discovery ever. Tissues are allowed to heal. Senses awaken and brain's neuro-chemicals again flow in response to life not nicotine.

It's a period where each challenge overcome awards us another piece of our puzzle, a puzzle that once complete reflects a life reclaimed.

You don't know me. I quit on 2/25/2016.
Title: Kid Riot's epic quit
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:38:28 AM
From Kid Riot (June 4/22/18), an epic quit:

I just want to tell everyone here, that i went through a tough weekend of tests and challenges. and i made through to the other side. and i want to share with you all how i did it. first off, i had to take a solo road trip friday night in horrible traffic to get to my destination. it was the first of such solo road trips to take since my quit. my first solo road trip without the crutch. then, saturday morning, up at 5am, with as little as 3hrs sleep, to head to our boat. and from 6am till 2 pm, on the water the entire time, fishing, drinking beers, and totally isolated with 3 other guys. and the only thing that kept me straight, from the start of the road trip, where i was PISSED, and i mean PISSED, that i had to do this without dip, and onto the boat for the rest of the saturday, was this mantra. and this mantra i had picked up from here, from one of the veterans. and i am sorry i dont remember who said it, but it was a veteran. and i remembered it. they said (in so many words), no matter where you are or what you are doing, if you cave, you will regret it later. but no matter how miserable you are resisting the crave, if you make it to the next day, you will have NO regrets. you will always regret a cave. you will never regret suffering while resisting a crave. when i started the road trip friday night, i was so pissed off that i promised not to use cuz i wanted to. i told myself, i could just be a lying asshole and lie to all of you, lie to my gf, lie to my friends who knew i was quit, lie to the world, and even lie to myself and just use in the privacy of my car. not be so pissed off. fuck everyone. it would be my secret and it would help me get through this clogged highway traveling though the night before i would get only a few hours sleep before the fishing trip.... but then what? use again while fishing? use again while grilling the fish? use again while drinking saturday night? use again while driving back on sunday????? when the fuck would it end???!! and even if i had said screw it all... i would have had regret. maybe not on saturday. maybe not even on sunday. but monday? tuesday? eventually, it would become a new day 1. and sdo much fucking regret and self worthlessness. as a veteran here said, and it stuck with me. YOU WILL ALWAYS REGRET A CAVE. BUT NEVER REGRET STAYING STRONG! Be strong brothers of quit! have NO REGRETS! i feel fucking AWESOME tonight! cause, when i was tested the hardest so far, i can tell you with full honesty, I HAVE NO FUCKING REGRETS! I AM QUIT! with all of you bad asses of june! you can do everything in life without that dead weed. no matter how hard it gets. remember. NO REGRETS!
hooyah!
Title: The Four Horsemen of my Quitocalypse
Post by: Athan on September 25, 2018, 09:42:50 AM
27 Apr 18
The four horsemen of my Quitacalypse:

Skolvikings
If actions speak louder than words,
in the annals of quit we shall see,
that you thundered from the mountains
and burst forth from the sea.
Those you helped were in the hundreds,
the mighty bitch was slain
We broke the chains she held us with
and the cans fell down like rain.
What a marvelous gift to give
to our quitting posterity
For those still held in bondage,
for victory’s theirs to see
And they’ll ask who went before them,
Who carved the path in stone
Behold there goes SkolVikings,
a greater quitter was never known!

Mack213
Do you know of my brother, Mack213?
In the halls of quit is where he is seen.
Of his exploits wondrous tales are told,
And he’ll strengthen your quit a thousand fold.
Oh his slain are a mighty throng,
providing poets with ballad and song
O’er the bitch will he cast a dark pall,
For my brother Mack is 10 feet tall!
He spins her legions off into chaos,
and lays waste to the can on a daily basis.
She flees before him, at the very sound of his voice,
as he informs all the addicts that they have a choice.
He takes them by the hand, he looks into their eyes,
“Come follow me brothers, just give it a try!”
I’ve gone before you, I’ve blazed the trail,
Don’t let her beguile you, for that ship has sailed.
And so here he toils, day after day,
Finding new quitters to show them the way.
You’ll need his wise counsel when you’re at wits end
And when you find him, you’ve found a friend!

JGromo
Every now and then a man comes along,
Who works in your life, who moves you to song.
It happened to me when I met JGromo
Ain’t talking bout love, (not like that you homo)
I was stumbling about like a fool in the dark,
I was lost and confused in the nic bitches park.
I wanted to have it, just one more tin,
Then I heard his voice, all calm in the din
I was thrashing about all anxious and scared
And so I cried out and my soul was bared:
James I’m in anguish, I’m drowning here man!
He just replied softly, Athan put down the can.
I need it I stammered, this stuff is my life,
Don’t be a fool he explained, It’s the source of your strife.
But I’ve got to have it, you don’t understand!
You’re an addict he said, and stretched out his hand.
I remember that day early on in my quit
When James came along, pulled me off of her tit
Then I stood on his shoulders and I scraped the sky,
And he let me taste freedom, now I can fly.

Chris2alaska
Have you heard of Chris2alaska, of the stories old men tell?
Then lend me your ear, for I tell it well.
He hails from up yonder, with the cold Eskimo
Where the snow’s miles deep and the Northern lights glow.
The wolf and the fox, the bear in her den
Won’t venture outside when he’s round the bend.
He’s eight feet tall and four hundred pounds,
and it’s said his wangdoodle still drags the ground.
A man among men, born a true warrior
but my brother Chris had a chink in his armor.
A harmless vice started so long ago
Was now thirty years of smokeless tobacco.
THREE cans of the weed for his daily consumption
But deep inside did burn his compunction
Chis was a slave, the nic bitches whore.
Of this I assure you, he wanted no more.
He confronted that bitch, he’d an axe to grind
Truth be told the man’s scary (he takes moose from behind!)
He fought his battle and emerged victorious,
One day at a time his story grew glorious.
He didn’t rest on his laurels, not one to sit idle
He got a wagon, and a moose with a bridle.
And he roamed the halls of this here KTC
Looking for quitters like just you and me
And lo he found me stumbling around
In a nic induced stupor like some silly ass clown
Oh the bitch had me, firm in her grasp
Cloaked in anxiety, lock and hasp
But Chris wouldn’t have it, no he climbed down
And grabbed this here addict and flung off her crown
He offered his hand and helped me stand up
I learned to taste freedom from the abstinence cup
So I tell his story, regale it with cheer
For had he not done so I wouldn’t be here
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:15:56 AM
Cbird, as quoted by September '18 HOF Conductors JMedic and Evillen:

Stopper: A stopper uses words like hope & try & want & can't. A stopper thinks he or she is a special butterfly. A stopper really does not understand or believe that they are an addict. A stopper feels sorry for themselves. A stopper thinks life is not fair. A stopper knows deep down inside that they will dip again even before they “attempt” to stop. A stopper is a slave.

Quitter: A quitter eliminates the option of dipping from their life. A quitters heart is filled with hate and disgust for nicotine and Big Tobacco; there is no room for self-pity. A quitter is willing to suffer through every second for the next 24 hours because he or she has too much integrity to break their word. A quitter knows that they are an addict and will do everything in their power to avoid ever putting that cancer-causing poison in their mouth again. A quitter is a free man or woman.
Title: Ain't nothing like FREEDOM
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:30:38 AM
28 Apr 18
So I'm at the Tractor Supply and the guy in front of me has to tilt his head back to speak to this cute little checkout girl so as to avoid dumping a mouthful of chew slobber all over her counter.

It is absolutely staggering to view the insanity of this addiction from the outside.

Ain't nothing like FREEDOM!
Title: TWO DOGS
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:32:20 AM
29 Apr 18
Wisdom and eloquence in one laconic package (From SuperDave9000 intro 4/29/18):

"...there are two dogs in the fight, which one are you feeding? When I come on here and write this stuff and post roll and text these guys on here that have been texting with me, I am feeding the right dog..."
Title: The Numbers
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:33:20 AM
30 Apr 18
From Kybo (April '18)

I am a bit of a numbers nerd myself. It is kind of funny you brought this up because I was thinking about it last week and pulled a few numbers from the Members tab. I can't remember what day I did it, but I think it was Thursday or Friday last week. I pulled some easy stuff and didn't put a lot of work into it. But, here is what I pulled.

1) There are a little over 32,000 members that have registered at KTC.
2) About 3,200 of those registered members show zero activity.
3) On the day I pulled the numbers I found approximately 1000 unique members had been active over a 36 hour period.
4) Of those 1000 active members, approximately 650 had been a member for at least one year.
5) Of those 650 active members, 197 had been a member for at least 5 years.

I have no idea how accurate the info on the member tab might be. And I went through the stuff pretty quick. I know my numbers aren't 100% accurate, but they are close based on the info available on the member tab.
Title: An American Fighting Man
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:34:36 AM
03 May 18
"I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America"

Part of the code of conduct for American military personnel. Learned it in boot camp a long long time ago. Don't know why but that one has always resonated with me (had to look up which one it was just now, it's article VI).

The part that resonates with the quitter is right there in the middle, "responsible for my actions". Once comprehended and embraced, It is an epiphany to an addict:

It means no excuses, I am responsible.
No one puts words in my mouth, I am responsible.
No one makes me chew, I am responsible.
No one makes me get drunk, I am responsible.

It really simplifies things, don't you think?
Title: The Truth
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:35:18 AM
06 May 18
Off to church this morning. I teach the adult Bible class. My routine is usually up at 0500 and start preparing for the lesson. I'm a morning person so it's always been a nice time for me, my coffee, the quiet, the solitude, alone with my thoughts, and a big fat chew while I went about preparing a bible lesson. I know right? Wallowing in sin a slave to the lusts of the flesh whilst preparing a study in the life of Christ about not doing just that very thing. Such is the dichotomy of addiction.
I was starkly aware of it this morning on day 126 of freedom as I went about my preparation without nicotine. It was there all along. I just see it now that the veil of addiction has dropped; John 8:32 "...Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free".
Blessings to you all with success in your quit!
Title: The New Normal
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2018, 08:35:58 AM
08 May 18
From BlueManChew, posting 5/8/18 in August '18:

For as strange as we all are, we seem to conform to a norm. That norm is quit.

That norm is sleepless nights and dip dreams early on. That norm is anxiety and uncaused and intense anger, and slamming doors and breaking windows (me), and without any real provocation, chucking a griddle with half-cooked Sunday morning pancakes into the kitchen sink (me again.)

The norm is depression, worry, fog, and staring at a task for 30 minutes and not having lifted a finger. The norm is seeking just a moment of reprieve, and being painfully aware of the bitch who lurks just beyond the periphery.

The norm is feeling frustration after 30, 60, and a 100 days wondering why the fuck I still crave, or why is it still so goddamn hard? Or will it ever end?

The norm is the grind, e.d.d., a.d.d, and brotherhood.

The norm is peace of mind and health, of self-confidence, better sleep, calm, personal advancement, opportunity, and more productivity.

The norm now is winning.

Whether on day 1,000 or day 1, the norm is QUIT.

In QUIT, there are no strangers.

PTBQWY - BMC day 213
Title: Watching a cave
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:23:07 AM
11 May 2018
I grow frustrated watching the cave come. You can almost predict who will fall next. The posts get later and later, a day missed and the guy vanishes or reappears after a 5 day hiatus.
I love what Ready says about can't quit for you but it's still so damn hard to watch it happen in front of you.
I really have cultivated my hatred for the addiction and the addict behavior into a palpable thing. I look upon the guys that do it with disdain and disgust when I see it at work or in town. Can't believe I was one of their cadre for so long.
I honestly don't know how guys can pass through these halls and use again. blows me away....

Title: Quit tactics
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:24:37 AM
From BubbaM (a righteous brother, nay WARRIOR of quit):

...When this is happening I am functioning out of the butt of my brain or the brain stem. This is the brains fight or flight area or mode. In order to get out of this mode or area of the brain you need to access your relationships. That is by either talking to someone face to face, relating to someone on the phone, looking at pictures on your phone of family. If you do this then you will stop functioning out of the butt of the brain and you will move your thought process up to the top of the brain. Your relationship area.....

Now I have something useful to say to someone instead of, "...quit obsessing about it!"
Title: What Nicotine Can't Do
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:25:19 AM
From Scooners, June 27, 2011:

What nicotine can't do:

It cannot cripple love; it cannot shatter hope; it cannot disolve faith; it cannot destroy peace; it cannot kill friendships; it cannot suppress memories; it cannot silence courage; it cannot invade the soul; it cannot steal eternal life; it cannot conquer the spirit - IF YOU ARE QUIT.


Good night quitters, see ya in the morning.
Title: Sleep
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:26:05 AM
15 May 2018
Early in the quit, I had trouble falling asleep. Had quite a few sleepless nights even, you know where you never quite reach that state of sleep but toss and turn and get pissed off because you can't sleep which in turn impedes actually falling asleep and you turn into a zombie and contemplate eating brains. Was reading Kybo's intro recently about the evening chew with a good book; it's was something I indulged in ritually. I probably read two to three books a month (mostly history, religion, politics, and economics. I don't have time for fiction). The lady at the library knew my name. Haven't been there since I quit. I don't toss and turn to fall asleep anymore either. I'm out within 5 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. But I'm up a lot earlier now though. 0200 today. That's all she wrote, my eyes failed open. So I get up and post roll in all of my groups and head out to the gym (squats this morning w/Mack213 - we've exchanges work out tracks!). I'll prolly be tired at 7pm this evening and be sound asleep by 8pm tonight. I'm still getting a solid 6 hours of sleep a night, my clock has just shifted. Just wanted to share with guys who maybe struggling with sleep issues. I still do benedryl but am looking to wean off of that soon. I'm 135 days free today and loving it.

Title: Goody's Victory
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:26:43 AM
From Goody 5/20/18 on freedom:

We where booking in fisherman yesterday when I saw someone who has been fishing here for over 30 years. He had a mouth full of leaf in and saw I had a can of fake. He asked me if I quit and with shouldered back and head high I said your dam right I quit. He told me he could not quit the snuff but could quit the leaf when ever be wanted. I thought that used to be me. The words of an addict. He asked if it was hard to quit I said yes. But he new that. I told him of the KTC site. Didn't really want to hear it. I felt bad for him but God dam proud of myself. I will never be that person again. Just something interesting to pass on. It was nice to see the work was paying off in me brain to be around others chewing and it was OK. Now let's go fishing.

Title: digging ditches
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:28:04 AM
22 May 2018
Today is one of those days where I wish I was a ditch digger. Just me and a shovel mindlessly making progress. The very man tasking me with digging my ditch not actively working against me with corporate protocols, procedures, checklists, etc etc. today I wish I was just a ditch digger.
Then again, They prolly don't have a dental plan.
Title: Embrace the Suck
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:28:40 AM
5/30/18
From ThegreatwhiteF250 HOF speech (got goosebumps reading it!):

"...We just have to embrace the mental hell that is withdrawal and choke it the fuck out, gouge out the eyes of that nic bitch and hope one day she can no longer see us."
Title: A ballad
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:29:20 AM
6/18/18
From my friend Voldex, a ballad about....me!
There once was a lad by the name of Athan.
He strut 'round the town boasting of glory,
Stories of battle and killing with no hesitation.
The enemies lived to tell no story.

Years went by, Athan found no match
Twas as if his power knew no bounds!
Word got 'round that there was a catch
Athan only had might when his mistress was around

This mistress, a sorceress was she
gripping Athan with her cold death grasp
Struggled he did, but bound was he
To this sorceress with iron clad clasp

Hopeless it seemed to Athan to break free
till through the window he caught glimpse of some hope
The lads of KTC marching together did he see!
Together they put the bitch down, no longer must they cope!
Title: Attitude and Gratitude
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:31:15 AM
19 Jun 2018
From 30 yr Addict:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes." - Chuck Swindoll

21 Jun 2018 (from Wildirish317)
^ I would add to this - Gratitude.

Be grateful, when you wake in the morning, for the air you breathe as you take that first breath.
Be grateful, for the person who lies next to you, if there is one, for they choose to be with you to start this day.
Be grateful, for the place that anticipates you to come and help solve their problems and help them thrive as a business.
Be grateful, for your chance to live this life in your body.
And, most of all, be grateful, for the freedom from the grasp of nicotine, from which you escaped, with the help of KTC.

Title: Reflections
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:32:02 AM
26 June 2018
From Eric71, reflections on 6 years:
"...Time and opportunity will not pause to wait on us to get our shit in order. The world is not that patient. Don't be hesitant in your quit. Don't be passive in your endeavors. Don't let your fire burn out. This is your here and now, every day, every moment, we have the chance to make life better for ourselves and those we allow in our world. Do we want to look back and wish for time long since past, or do we want to remember the instances we chose to show our fire, passion, and love for our life? "
Title: 2,000
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:33:12 AM
26 Jun 2018
From Worktowin on 2,000:
"2,000 days. Wow. I remember seeing day counts like this and thinking... no fucking way dude. I don't believe it. Not possible. Well, it is possible. It really isn't even that hard after you push through the start and learn how this place works. Make connections. Make friends. Build a network. POST ROLL EVERY DAY. No exceptions. HONOR YOUR WORD. Quit as a team. Brotherhood + Accountability."
Title: Winning!
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:34:04 AM
17 Jul 2018
A big win! Scrolling through the medical form when I got to the part regarding nicotine usage - I got to write "oh hell no!"

Title: Why We Quit
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2018, 08:35:22 AM
18 Jul 2018
Why we quit
It has been said that Hell is seeing the man God created you to be standing before the man that you are. I think for a lot of addicts, that is the tipping point. The addict behavior in and of itself is repugnant to men for it is the epitome of weakness. All that it entails, the lying to self and others, the financial loss, the health risks, the willfully subservient attitude, is no different than that of a maggot mindlessly crawling in the dust in search of its next fix. For many of us, we could no longer reconcile what we had become with that which we wished to be as fathers, as husbands, as men.

Fatherhood is a responsibility all its own, unequalled in that which is bestowed upon men. There’s not a man among us who would purchase tobacco products for our children, yet we used in front of them. For many, that was a dichotomy no longer bearable. To be sure evil will enter this world, but woe to him through whom it comes; better a millstone were hung about his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Clearly our children will learn the vices of this world, but it doesn’t have to come about of our own volition. We now exhibit behavior worthy of emulation.

A husband also has responsibilities to his wife, among which are fidelity, honesty, and acting in a manner worthy of respect. For many addicts, all three of these suffered and eroded under the weight of addiction. Many a man has lied to his spouse about tobacco, has been deceitful in its acquisition and use, and about the money spent on it. All too often, for too many men, what should have been our first love has gone to bed alone playing second fiddle to a can while we stayed up late for just one more. This is not how many of us envisioned our marriages to be. We are now respectable men our wives are proud of, no longer ducking away from our family or hiding a lipper at social gatherings or functions.

Lastly, there is something intrinsic in manhood that demands a man be honest with himself. For many of us, when the quit is set upon, the nicotine addiction is but the first stone overturned. Having now sharpened the focus of the lens of introspection, other cracks and flaws come into view as other stones are overturned. We begin to see with clarity and introspective honesty the contradictions and compromises that we have made at the expense of our integrity, at the very essence of what it means for us to be men. The view for many of us is not pretty: alcohol and/or drug abuse, financial mismanagement, gluttony, laziness, pornography, gambling addiction, profanity, adultery, etc. etc. The process by which we’ve arrived here serves us well in this respect: we are now able to acknowledge and deal with these shortcomings. These flaws of character constitute the gaps to the men that we were created by God to be. Unlike lesser men, we have consciously altered our course, we have changed our trajectory and are now headed towards that which we are destined to become. We are destined to become better fathers, better husbands, better MEN.

Title: 100 days of sobriety
Post by: Athan on September 28, 2018, 09:39:44 AM
08 Aug 2018 – From my friend JGromo on the occasion of me reaching 100 days of sobriety
100 days sober...Brother I can't put into words how proud I am of you. You are a completely different man than you were this time last year. You are on the right path to living well into your future grandchildren's lives. Your family must be honored to count themselves as blood relatives to the legend that is Athan. I'll raise my glass of arnold palmer to you brother, to one more day of living nic free, one more day of staying clear of the booze and one more day of healthy eating. You've given me the strength to continue on countless times and I hope that I can do the same for you one day!
Title: She STILL invades my sleep
Post by: Athan on September 28, 2018, 09:40:34 AM
10 Aug 18
222 days and a dip dream last night. Staggering that they still invade my sleep. I can't remember the context but a quit brother was with me though I couldn't see his face. We dove into the can packing our lips full of it.
The pleasure lasted seconds before the wave of shame and humiliation swept over me and I couldn't spit it out fast enough. The dip barnacles were clinging to my lip and I couldn't get them off. I was close to retching when I finally came to. Jeez I hate those. Still, it's a good reminder of why I'm on the path that I'm on.
Title: Post HOF caves
Post by: Athan on September 28, 2018, 09:41:15 AM
31 Aug 2018
So I'm well past the HOF now (from my perspective). I'm realizing that there are distinct stages of the quit. Each one like some new plateau or vista that I just could not see from where I started. The post HOF funk was real, and there have actually been one or two 'craves'. I'd call them periods of intense frustration or anxiety. Lately though I'm seeing in the post HOF groups some people fading away. And the stage that I'm seeing now is the returning cavers. Had two guys text me just this week about that very thing. While I cannot condone the early caves; it is absolutely staggering to me that someone would use post HOF. I just can't wrap my head around it. That's like graduating High School and FORGETTING how to read. Un-friggin-believable.

Title: QuitNWinay's victory
Post by: Athan on September 28, 2018, 09:42:49 AM
From QuitNWinay 9/4/18:
...I met this cousin who's a champion dipper. As the coversation went, he blamed the high school bunch for his dipping addiction. Some people just don't get it - I am not an addict because of bad parenting. Or because of a sport, or the kids I hung out with at school. It is not because of my occupation, neither because life found a way of kicking me in the nuts every now and then. Or because of the way dip is marketed and sold at gas stations. The can never ever jumped off the shelf, into my pocket or into my mouth. I made that decision of buying the can every damn day. Paid with my hard earned money to keep the addiction going. I was an addict because I loved tobacco. Because, I thought I could remain functional only with that bitch in my mouth. I fuelled my addiction by not ever seriously giving up on tobacco - till 48 days ago!

It is important to understand and acknowledge that it is only me that is to blame for my addiction - OWN UP!!! I think that's the first step towards a new life!
Title: June
Post by: Athan on September 28, 2018, 09:43:51 AM
05 Sep 2018
I'm not a smart man but I know what Quit is
Forrest Quit

“I quit, therefore I am”
Desquittes

“Hard. It’s a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort”

You’ll never regret quitting. You will ALWAYS regret a cave.

“If quitting is wrong I don’t wanna be right”

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep quitting.”
¯ Martin Luther Quit Jr.

I set out one day to find enemies, and I found no friends.
I set out one day to find friends, and I found no enemies.
You will find that which you truly seek. Set your heart therefore on being quit.

“To quit or not to quit, that is the question.”
William Quitsphere

"Life is God's gift to a man. Integrity is a mans gift to himself."

The devil is roaming devouring souls like a lion EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. Fight. Fight. Fight.”
Swimdad

Vini Vidi Quiti
(we came, we saw, we quit)
Julius Quitter, or was it Quiteus Caesar?

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just have to take the first step.” –Martin Luther Quit

“That’s one small quit for man, one giant quit for mankind!”
Neil Quitstrong

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by someone doing it”
Quitbert Hubbard

"Quit ain't a destination, it's a journey"
Thanassi Quitopoulos

"I'd swim the English channel just to stay quit"
Mark Quitz

"Quit 101 now in session! Offering online classes to a quit group near you"
SoccerMan91 on HOF+1

“I’ll be quit”
Arnold Quitzenegger

“I thought it an impossible task, until I did it”
Quitonymous

“What happens to us is largely out of our hands,
How we respond to things will always be within our grasp.”
Quitosaurus Rex

"If I had a dime for each can, dontcha know I'd be a rich man?!"
Quit D. Rockefeller

"how do I quit thee, let me count the days"
Quitsphere

“I labored through a valley of tears for a treasure I wanted to see.
Lo and behold when my journey was through, the treasure I found was me!”
KTC June ’18

Title: a round silhouette, a slave
Post by: Athan on September 29, 2018, 04:44:56 AM
07 Sep 2018
I'm in line at the store and what do I see but a round silhouette on the jeans before me.
I shook my head there in disbelief, of the life in front of me given in to the thief.
I whipped out my phone and captured the scene, to pass to quit brothers the folly I'd seen.
The man before me a slave, although willing, for what lay before him indeed was chilling:
A life of bondage, a life in chains, of looking to spit, of tobacco stains;
Of wondering if he had enough of it left, Oh the anxiety of a life bereft.
Such men I pity, how they wander alone, all while addiction eats them to the bone.
But not Athan, oh not I! I've DONE IT man, I didn't just try!
I'm sailing new waters, but not alone and frail,
I have my quit brothers, they're the wind in my sails.
I've changed my course, I've conquered new ground,
I've heard freedoms song and I love the sound.

Title: Planes, trains, and automobiles
Post by: Athan on September 29, 2018, 04:45:44 AM
09 Sep 2018
252. Planes, trains, and automobiles all without nicotine. Called my good friend UncleRico and let him know I'd be in the neighborhood. So he puts the word on the street and Kdip rolls in with Gregor as well. We had over 5000 days of quit at the table, and single handedly raised the sex appeal of the establishment and quite possibly the city of Katy,Texas! Yessireebob it was an impromptu quitter meetup of epic proportions. Wish y'all coulda been there!
Title: ODAAT
Post by: Athan on September 29, 2018, 04:46:13 AM
09/11/2018
From Mambo (June '18)
"...Every day is a struggle which is why we say ODDAT. Addiction has no term limit."
Title: The Battle
Post by: Athan on September 29, 2018, 04:46:59 AM
There once was a young quitter..
Named Chris87
While stumbling through hell...
He caught sight of heaven...
HELP ME! he cried
Is there anyone there?
but all he heard
Was the sound of despair
But then he heard, faint as a whisper
A young quitter named wang, caught in the same shitter
But it wasn't Wang, it was a quitter named Voldex
Whose hogg was so large, twas said he had two necks
so they got together
they called the bitch out
and they did their battle, those two trouser trout
She tried to assail them
She played with their brains
she planted fond memories
of tobacco stains
But she couldn't divide them
These brothers of quit
They'd bonded together
Weren't taking her shit
They shared their digits
And they posted roll
when sunlight descended
They commanded their knoll
The lesson learned here
pay attention lads
When you stand together
She'll kiss your nads!
Title: It came outa nowhere...
Post by: Athan on October 15, 2018, 05:10:44 PM
Had a crazy crave this weekend.  Cooking 2000 chickens for the high school fundraiser.  Started at 0430.  Four fire pits, me, and 15 or so good ol boys.  I was talking to this one feller when he pulled his can out and got a knuckle deep three finger wad and packed his lip so tight it was shiny.  I stood there salivating and before I knew it I was itching for one, lip all twitching.  I texted the boys in my regular group.  Then, I called a brother in for reinforcement. Needed a verbal, audible, not gonna chew today statement.  And my brother took the call and heard me out and talked me back from the ledge. The big difference between me now and 288 days ago is that I would have succumbed to the "well, just one won't hurt" temptation. Not now.  Not today. Not for any reason. I hope all you out there have a quit brother in your back pocket who'll take a call at an inconvenient hour. I'm glad I did.
Title: Re: It came outa nowhere...
Post by: Aumegrad on October 15, 2018, 08:52:46 PM
Had a crazy crave this weekend.  Cooking 2000 chickens for the high school fundraiser.  Started at 0430.  Four fire pits, me, and 15 or so good ol boys.  I was talking to this one feller when he pulled his can out and got a knuckle deep three finger wad and packed his lip so tight it was shiny.  I stood there salivating and before I knew it I was itching for one, lip all twitching.  I texted the boys in my regular group.  Then, I called a brother in for reinforcement. Needed a verbal, audible, not gonna chew today statement.  And my brother took the call and heard me out and talked me back from the ledge. The big difference between me now and 288 days ago is that I would have succumbed to the "well, just one won't hurt" temptation. Not now.  Not today. Not for any reason. I hope all you out there have a quit brother in your back pocket who'll take a call at an inconvenient hour. I'm glad I did.

I thank you for posting this Athan.  I know I have said this before, but seeing these posts as a youngster in my quit remind me to never let my guard down.  Sitting here on day 85, I appreciate you typing this out and strengthening my quit not only today, but down the road as well.
Title: Planes, trains, and automobiles (take 2)
Post by: Athan on October 22, 2018, 08:38:58 AM
295 days free and so ends a whirlwind trip to the Big Apple for my daughters sixteenth birthday.  Amazing what you can afford when you stop throwing away $5++/day!
Was looking for and found a slave, in the airport again.  You can always count on air transit to expose the slaves.  They're there, with their spit bottles ambling about with the rest of us. Was going to show him the site but he was gone before I got out of line for my half double half caf decaf (with a twist).  Poor bastard.  I hope he finds freedom with the rest of us.
Title: Re: Planes, trains, and automobiles (take 2)
Post by: kybo on October 22, 2018, 02:09:05 PM
295 days free and so ends a whirlwind trip to the Big Apple for my daughters sixteenth birthday.  Amazing what you can afford when you stop throwing away $5++/day!
Was looking for and found a slave, in the airport again.  You can always count on air transit to expose the slaves.  They're there, with their spit bottles ambling about with the rest of us. Was going to show him the site but he was gone before I got out of line for my half double half caf decaf (with a twist).  Poor bastard.  I hope he finds freedom with the rest of us.

I never used to notice the slaves too much.  I guess I was probably too concerned with making sure I got most of the spit in the bottle and didn't take the time to look around.  Now, I see those poor bastards everywhere. 
Title: 300
Post by: Athan on October 27, 2018, 12:29:08 AM
Here I am at three hunert.  Now what?
Guess I’ll have to come back and post a three hunert one (much sexier than three hunert). Wouldn’t be right to not acknowledge those who without whom yesterday would not have been possible. Today is built on yesterday. This whole thing is one big web of accountability, one big wall of quit, a mountain of resolve, built on promises and help and interaction in a context that is enriched with each and every quitter I’ve had the pleasure to interact with.
Samr – the first quitter I directly interacted with via phone, who gave me 20 minutes and changed my life.  Paying it forward brother.  Your time wasn’t wasted
Skol, JGromo, Chris, Mack – you boys continue to be the bedrock of my quit.
Worktowin, UncleRico, 69Franx, Broccoli-saurus your daily support is the shizzle.
McDave – you are the spice of life. Everyone should have a McDave (getcher own – this one is mine)
Others who have shared trust and digits with me, by month simply to minimize the chance of overlooking someone…

May
Boovie, MavRik

June
Kid Riot, Kodiakdeath, Locrius, SoccerMan91, JPT, SwimDAd

July
Chris87,Cyman, Dwierick, Jperkins109, SuperDave9000

August
S412, AddictArchitect, Koba, Arrakisdq

September
USMC Ham, PeterGibbons, and DocPetey

October
QuitNWinay, Croakenhagen, BBQChips, and Copequits!

November
Jedi1991, Aumegrad

And, of extra special mention are the vets who have stayed well beyond the HOF to pay it forward, nay, to show what it means to pay it forward:

Candoit, FishFlorida, Gottadoit, BlueManChew, Sooverit, Batdad, Bomber, BrianG, Johnsmallberries, Brick, Cbird, Cmark, Cocheese, DanoJeno, Dbh68stang, Drbottux, E&C’sDad, Gregor, Greekg91, JB65, JE, Kdip, KyleJW, Law1358, Mike2017a, Miker0351, Miles, Mlotter, Parputt, Questgame, Rawls, Rewire, Robraveena, Srains918, T Putney, Trex, & Walterwhite.

Indebted to you all!  Let’s quit today!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: AddictArchitect on October 27, 2018, 08:05:25 AM
WAY TO GO!!  Third floor buddy!!  Congrats!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: 69franx on October 27, 2018, 09:25:00 AM
Congrats on that sexy 300 and that zexy new moniker
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on October 27, 2018, 01:40:33 PM
You sir are one of the greatest men I have yet to meet, we will change that one day my friend.

Love ya to the moon and back, 300 looks good on ya.

Love you.... BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: selfish acts
Post by: Athan on October 30, 2018, 02:48:04 AM
So we had a man cave in August yesterday.  I sat pondering it for a bit. It really is a selfish act, the cave.  Here was a man who had promised with a group of men similar to himself to not use nicotine for well over 100 days. He was not ignorant of nicotine and it being an addiction and all; you can't post a hundred days and still think this is like picking your nose or biting your nails. This guy knew full well what he was doing and CHOSE to do it anyway.  CHOSE to turn his back on those who supported him. In the beginning I felt sorry for the cavers and didn't understand why the vets were so hard on them.  My attitude has changed to one of contempt; of righteous indignation. I struggle to find the line between help and condemnation.  When do you write someone off? One cave? Two caves? At what point is it enabling? At what point is the caver redeemed?
I don't have a black and white answer to any of these questions. I do know that it is better to not find oneself in that condition. I've experienced enough dip dreams to know that I don't ever want to be in that position of having let my brothers down.
Title: Re: selfish acts
Post by: cbird65 on October 30, 2018, 11:24:11 AM
So we had a man cave in August yesterday.  I sat pondering it for a bit. It really is a selfish act, the cave.  Here was a man who had promised with a group of men similar to himself to not use nicotine for well over 100 days. He was not ignorant of nicotine and it being an addiction and all; you can't post a hundred days and still think this is like picking your nose or biting your nails. This guy knew full well what he was doing and CHOSE to do it anyway.  CHOSE to turn his back on those who supported him. In the beginning I felt sorry for the cavers and didn't understand why the vets were so hard on them.  My attitude has changed to one of contempt; of righteous indignation. I struggle to find the line between help and condemnation.  When do you write someone off? One cave? Two caves? At what point is it enabling? At what point is the caver redeemed?
I don't have a black and white answer to any of these questions. I do know that it is better to not find oneself in that condition. I've experienced enough dip dreams to know that I don't ever want to be in that position of having let my brothers down.
$64,000 Question right there... despise the action not the brother... 7 x 70????
Title: Quit Gold
Post by: Athan on November 04, 2018, 07:34:24 AM
(Some quit gold brought forth from PeterGibbons & DocPetey as Novembers HOF Conductors.  I don't have the original date of Zam's post)

Zam wrote:
Here's what I don't like about bsarno's post: he's not describing tough situations. He's describing life. That's what many of your will not "get". And that's why a fair number of you WILL cave and come back (some 3 or 4 times) with a story of woe....which will be told in response to "what happened?". Don't give us the fucking "woe was me" story. That aint' why you caved. I actually think some cavers come back and assume that quitters (real quitters, not pausers) live some sort of charmed life.

Here's some news for you...

---over half of you WILL go through SERIOUS spousal issues and get divorced. Unless you live in that town were all the kids are above average.
---your parents WILL die. Some of them will go through a lot of pain before they pass. You will feel a lot of that pain.
---You WILL get sick and have some serious health scares.
---32,000+ people WILL die in auto wrecks. You WILL know one of them.
---You WILL get laid off, fired, demoted, or pressured to do shit you'd rather not do.
---800,000 people will end up filing bankruptcy this year. You WILL be one or know one or have one asked to crash on your couch.
---You WILL lose a spouse/partner. Half of you will be alive when it happens.
---A growing number of you WILL outlive your children (primarily to to obesity)
---That asshole with the checkbook WILL be in front of you at the grocery store, and they WILL refuse to write one fucking letter on that check until the last bottle of Ensure is rung up and they've determined that the 2-for-1 coupon does, in fact, cover the large can of SpaghettiOs.
---You WILL go through the same kind of shit everyone throughout history has ever had to go through..not using nicotine does NOT change the laws of "life".


All these things WILL happen, so do yourself a favor and realize it right now. Bitch about it...sure. But KNOW that quitting every day means that eventually you'll have to quit on the day Lassie kicks the bucket, the day you your grand baby is diagnosed, the day you lose the big account, whatever. Know it now....today...accept that you will have some dark-ass days ahead. Pray that they pass quickly. Hope that you live a charmed life. But PLAN on having to deal with the shit every one of us has dealt with, or will deal with. Life expectancy is 79 years...how realistic is it to think you'll not have some seriously damn stressful days ahead?


This is all Quitting 101, and I'm not surprised when the same shit comes up in every new group. But I am always surprised with the number of people that seem to assume that everyone else DOES NOT have issues like they do, and thus need an explanation of what "life" is like. Quitting nicotine does not give you a pass from shitty life choices or shitty luck.
I'm not picking on Sarno...well yes...I am picking on him. No one here owes him a first shot much less a fourth. It is a privilege to be here, and he's thus far taken advantage of that privilege. I don't give a shit about his fourth opportunity to fuck us over. I'm not writing this for him. I'm writing this for you, the desperate one who has just realized that this nicotine thing has got them by the nads, and that they want help, and that they are desperate enough to actually put in some effort to make this thing stick. I writing this for the foggy bastard who just may read bsarno's load of boo-hoo and conclude that we aren't serious about really quitting, that it can not really be done. To you I say this...it can be done. It IS being done. YOU can do it. REGARDLESS of what comes at you. And when you "get" that...nicotine will be but a joke to you.
Title: For her dad
Post by: Athan on November 06, 2018, 06:55:39 PM
A car on the side of the road on the way home. In a bit of a rush to end an endless day but the hood was up so I figured I'd stop and see what was up.  As I walked up the driver side window rolled down and what was once a pretty face peered out from behind bruises and a large black eye.  My countenance changed instantly from inquisitive to shock and simmering anger. "What seems to be the trouble?" I asked her after an awkward pause. "It just stopped" she said.  I got my cables out of the truck and proceeded to jump start the old and rattling Ford Fiesta. I asked her if she knew where the O'Reilly's was and she said that she did. I told her to head there and I would follow her.  I had the guys there check out the alternator and battery.  While we were waiting I asked her out of the blue, "you know you can't stay with him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  "I'm not" she said. "I'm leaving him.  I'm going home. Everything I own is in the car." From what I could see that consisted of a carton of cigarettes and some trash bags presumably full of clothes. I asked her where home was and she said Idaho (all this is taking place in Georgia on the eastern border with South Carolina). The tech comes out from under the hood and tells us it's the battery.  "I don't have any money" she says.  I told her not to worry about it and told the tech to get us one.   I figured it's the least I could do for her father, out there somewhere wishing his little girl was OK. I asked her how she planned on getting to Idaho, that it was more than a single tank of gas.  She said she didn't know.
That's how I left her. I wish I would have offered her a bus ticket instead of the battery. The whole thing left me with a profound sadness and a sense of the surreal. Wanted to help more but I just didn't feel comfortable giving her cash so she could buy cigarettes or meth or who knows what.  It's still hard to believe.
Title: Re: For her dad
Post by: Skolvikings on November 07, 2018, 11:40:46 AM
A car on the side of the road on the way home. In a bit of a rush to end an endless day but the hood was up so I figured I'd stop and see what was up.  As I walked up the driver side window rolled down and what was once a pretty face peered out from behind bruises and a large black eye.  My countenance changed instantly from inquisitive to shock and simmering anger. "What seems to be the trouble?" I asked her after an awkward pause. "It just stopped" she said.  I got my cables out of the truck and proceeded to jump start the old and rattling Ford Fiesta. I asked her if she knew where the O'Reilly's was and she said that she did. I told her to head there and I would follow her.  I had the guys there check out the alternator and battery.  While we were waiting I asked her out of the blue, "you know you can't stay with him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  "I'm not" she said. "I'm leaving him.  I'm going home. Everything I own is in the car." From what I could see that consisted of a carton of cigarettes and some trash bags presumably full of clothes. I asked her where home was and she said Idaho (all this is taking place in Georgia on the eastern border with South Carolina). The tech comes out from under the hood and tells us it's the battery.  "I don't have any money" she says.  I told her not to worry about it and told the tech to get us one.   I figured it's the least I could do for her father, out there somewhere wishing his little girl was OK. I asked her how she planned on getting to Idaho, that it was more than a single tank of gas.  She said she didn't know.
That's how I left her. I wish I would have offered her a bus ticket instead of the battery. The whole thing left me with a profound sadness and a sense of the surreal. Wanted to help more but I just didn't feel comfortable giving her cash so she could buy cigarettes or meth or who knows what.  It's still hard to believe.

You're a great man Athan, a great man.

I have always raised my children (my own and my employees that I reference to as my kids) that no matter what, the person you are dealing with is someone's child.  And you should treat them how you would want your children treated.  If my son needed help with his car I would hope someone would be there.  If he needed money to buy cancer sticks I hope someone is not there.

Well done my friend, now all we can do is pray she gets home safe, Love you brother.
Title: Re: For her dad
Post by: Athan on November 07, 2018, 05:45:12 PM
A car on the side of the road on the way home. In a bit of a rush to end an endless day but the hood was up so I figured I'd stop and see what was up.  As I walked up the driver side window rolled down and what was once a pretty face peered out from behind bruises and a large black eye.  My countenance changed instantly from inquisitive to shock and simmering anger. "What seems to be the trouble?" I asked her after an awkward pause. "It just stopped" she said.  I got my cables out of the truck and proceeded to jump start the old and rattling Ford Fiesta. I asked her if she knew where the O'Reilly's was and she said that she did. I told her to head there and I would follow her.  I had the guys there check out the alternator and battery.  While we were waiting I asked her out of the blue, "you know you can't stay with him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  "I'm not" she said. "I'm leaving him.  I'm going home. Everything I own is in the car." From what I could see that consisted of a carton of cigarettes and some trash bags presumably full of clothes. I asked her where home was and she said Idaho (all this is taking place in Georgia on the eastern border with South Carolina). The tech comes out from under the hood and tells us it's the battery.  "I don't have any money" she says.  I told her not to worry about it and told the tech to get us one.   I figured it's the least I could do for her father, out there somewhere wishing his little girl was OK. I asked her how she planned on getting to Idaho, that it was more than a single tank of gas.  She said she didn't know.
That's how I left her. I wish I would have offered her a bus ticket instead of the battery. The whole thing left me with a profound sadness and a sense of the surreal. Wanted to help more but I just didn't feel comfortable giving her cash so she could buy cigarettes or meth or who knows what.  It's still hard to believe.

You're a great man Athan, a great man.

I have always raised my children (my own and my employees that I reference to as my kids) that no matter what, the person you are dealing with is someone's child.  And you should treat them how you would want your children treated.  If my son needed help with his car I would hope someone would be there.  If he needed money to buy cancer sticks I hope someone is not there.

Well done my friend, now all we can do is pray she gets home safe, Love you brother.
I know right?  That was going through my head the whole time - What if this was one of my girls?  I pray the one whose paths they cross is decent. Sending the oldest out of state to college next year (Texas A&M).  I'm not looking forward to it.
Title: Re: For her dad
Post by: chris2alaska on November 07, 2018, 08:14:55 PM
A car on the side of the road on the way home. In a bit of a rush to end an endless day but the hood was up so I figured I'd stop and see what was up.  As I walked up the driver side window rolled down and what was once a pretty face peered out from behind bruises and a large black eye.  My countenance changed instantly from inquisitive to shock and simmering anger. "What seems to be the trouble?" I asked her after an awkward pause. "It just stopped" she said.  I got my cables out of the truck and proceeded to jump start the old and rattling Ford Fiesta. I asked her if she knew where the O'Reilly's was and she said that she did. I told her to head there and I would follow her.  I had the guys there check out the alternator and battery.  While we were waiting I asked her out of the blue, "you know you can't stay with him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  "I'm not" she said. "I'm leaving him.  I'm going home. Everything I own is in the car." From what I could see that consisted of a carton of cigarettes and some trash bags presumably full of clothes. I asked her where home was and she said Idaho (all this is taking place in Georgia on the eastern border with South Carolina). The tech comes out from under the hood and tells us it's the battery.  "I don't have any money" she says.  I told her not to worry about it and told the tech to get us one.   I figured it's the least I could do for her father, out there somewhere wishing his little girl was OK. I asked her how she planned on getting to Idaho, that it was more than a single tank of gas.  She said she didn't know.
That's how I left her. I wish I would have offered her a bus ticket instead of the battery. The whole thing left me with a profound sadness and a sense of the surreal. Wanted to help more but I just didn't feel comfortable giving her cash so she could buy cigarettes or meth or who knows what.  It's still hard to believe.

You're a great man Athan, a great man.

I have always raised my children (my own and my employees that I reference to as my kids) that no matter what, the person you are dealing with is someone's child.  And you should treat them how you would want your children treated.  If my son needed help with his car I would hope someone would be there.  If he needed money to buy cancer sticks I hope someone is not there.

Well done my friend, now all we can do is pray she gets home safe, Love you brother.
I know right?  That was going through my head the whole time - What if this was one of my girls?  I pray the one whose paths they cross is decent. Sending the oldest out of state to college next year (Texas A&M).  I'm not looking forward to it.

Make sure your daughter has a new battery and full tank of gas   ;D :P

You are an awesome man.  I want to be just like you when I grow up.

Love you
Title: Re: For her dad
Post by: kybo on November 08, 2018, 08:06:29 AM
A car on the side of the road on the way home. In a bit of a rush to end an endless day but the hood was up so I figured I'd stop and see what was up.  As I walked up the driver side window rolled down and what was once a pretty face peered out from behind bruises and a large black eye.  My countenance changed instantly from inquisitive to shock and simmering anger. "What seems to be the trouble?" I asked her after an awkward pause. "It just stopped" she said.  I got my cables out of the truck and proceeded to jump start the old and rattling Ford Fiesta. I asked her if she knew where the O'Reilly's was and she said that she did. I told her to head there and I would follow her.  I had the guys there check out the alternator and battery.  While we were waiting I asked her out of the blue, "you know you can't stay with him, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  "I'm not" she said. "I'm leaving him.  I'm going home. Everything I own is in the car." From what I could see that consisted of a carton of cigarettes and some trash bags presumably full of clothes. I asked her where home was and she said Idaho (all this is taking place in Georgia on the eastern border with South Carolina). The tech comes out from under the hood and tells us it's the battery.  "I don't have any money" she says.  I told her not to worry about it and told the tech to get us one.   I figured it's the least I could do for her father, out there somewhere wishing his little girl was OK. I asked her how she planned on getting to Idaho, that it was more than a single tank of gas.  She said she didn't know.
That's how I left her. I wish I would have offered her a bus ticket instead of the battery. The whole thing left me with a profound sadness and a sense of the surreal. Wanted to help more but I just didn't feel comfortable giving her cash so she could buy cigarettes or meth or who knows what.  It's still hard to believe.

You're a great man Athan, a great man.

I have always raised my children (my own and my employees that I reference to as my kids) that no matter what, the person you are dealing with is someone's child.  And you should treat them how you would want your children treated.  If my son needed help with his car I would hope someone would be there.  If he needed money to buy cancer sticks I hope someone is not there.

Well done my friend, now all we can do is pray she gets home safe, Love you brother.
I know right?  That was going through my head the whole time - What if this was one of my girls?  I pray the one whose paths they cross is decent. Sending the oldest out of state to college next year (Texas A&M).  I'm not looking forward to it.

Make sure your daughter has a new battery and full tank of gas   ;D :P

You are an awesome man.  I want to be just like you when I grow up.

Love you


Don't beat yourself up.  You did your part to get Fiesta girl away from the immediate danger.  She is somebody else's problem now.  The cities, towns, highways and back roads of this country are still full of good hearted people.  And the road from Georgia to Idaho is heavily populated with dads of daughters that come in all colors, shapes and sizes.  We are a unique club that has an unspoken agreement with other dads (that we will probably never meet) to always try to do our best to help someone else's daughter out of trouble if we can.  So, on behalf of all the other dads with daughters members all over the world I would like to say, "thank you," for getting this young lady on her way.  It wasn't my daughter this time, but if my daughter ever needs assistance when I am not around I hope she has the good fortune to find a dad like you.

Sending them off to college can be tough.  I have one that is a sophomore in college right now.   
Title: Pythagorus
Post by: Athan on November 10, 2018, 07:41:37 AM
A math joke, to celebrate the occasion of my pi quit!

A great Indian chief was fond of his many squaws and was renowned for his prolific offspring.  One day, one of his fine squaws went into labor.  As was his custom, he attended the birthing teepee with the midsquaw to witness the delivery.  He emerged shortly thereafter, beaming with pride, and commanded that she be constructed a new teepee of deer hide for she had born unto him another boy, a fine young brave.
That very day yet another squaw went into labor.  All day she labored and well into the night.  The great chief emerged, beaming with pride, and commanded that she be constructed a new teepee of elk hide for she had born unto him another boy, a fine young brave.
Yet a third squaw went into labor.  All day, into the night, and on into the next day she labored.
The great chief finally emerged, bathed in sweat and commanded that a huge teepee of hippopotamus hide be constructed for this squaw.  The tribe gasped, ooed and ahhhed, “what great chief, what has she born you?!”
“She gave him twin boys!” proclaimed a young bespectacled brave named Pythagorus (it was an obscure tribe of Greek Indians from Queens, on the upper west side).
“You are correct – how did you know that?” asked the great chief.
“It’s simple” explained Pythagorus “the value of the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.”
Title: tending the garden
Post by: Athan on November 14, 2018, 06:01:06 AM
Quote from: Steve624 on November 13, 2018, 08:07:25 AM

    ....Being quit is the same as growing vegetables because when your start you have nothing but a seed of hope that you will one day not need dip, you  continue to pour energy into and help it grow, but if left unattended it will die.
Title: excuses
Post by: Athan on November 17, 2018, 08:00:47 AM
Woke up to these this morning:

“I apologize for the absence as of late I work an hour from home and I'm working 70 hours a week my brain is fried and posting is the last thing on my mind….”

And from another individual…

“Well my uncle died so that’s a little bit more important than posting every single day… “

Two different people, one common thread.  You see it?  Excuses. Preludes to caves.
I hate excuses.  I hate addict speak. I hate addict behavior.
It steals. It lies. It rationalizes. It distorts. It undermines. It deceives.
It destroys lives.
Title: Re: excuses
Post by: Aumegrad on November 17, 2018, 10:12:58 AM
... I hate excuses.  I hate addict speak. I hate addict behavior. ...

Preach on brother!  We are quit or we are not, we are devoted or we are not.  These type excuses amuse me.  No one is being asked to disregard your normal life to quit, but one must rationalize this as an addiction.  And being so, we must remain cognizant of it and fight it with all we have.  I don’t post my promise because everyone else is doing it or because someone told me to.  I post my promise because I am tired of being a slave, because I am aware of the chains that once bound me and I am as determined as ever to never be bound again.  I post because I am quit and I post because I am on the front lines with my brothers in quit.  Posting roll is not an inconvienece, posting roll is simply now my way of life!
Title: I'm not that guy
Post by: Athan on November 22, 2018, 08:06:59 AM
Someone buried a child yesterday.  I’m not that guy.
Someone else doesn’t know where his wife is, who she’s with, or when she’s coming home. I’m not that guy.
Someone else is unable to set the table this fine Thanksgiving day. I’m not that guy.
Yet another man cannot even provide a house for his family. I’m not that guy.
And then there’s the man who is helplessly addicted to nicotine.  I’m not that guy either.
Thankful?  I tell you the truth, if ever I complain I should be soundly beaten and that which I have been blessed with taken from me and given to someone who appreciates it. I figure 9 out of 10 people in this world would love to have my problems.  I truly am a blessed man and my cup runneth over.
….And I am thankful to the vets who started this site and stuck around to provide a context within which I could cast off the chains of the addiction that bound me.
I am a free man today.  I'm that guy. And for that I am truly thankful.
Title: Forty Days
Post by: Athan on November 29, 2018, 08:46:16 AM
Storing it here to preserve it because it's just that cool....

Just Passing Through- Day 40....kinda Biblical. Sure, it didn't rain for 40 days straight, and I didn't have to wonder the desert for 40 years, or fast for 40 days as Jesus did; but in the context of the trials caused by/ during of all those things, it's a cool little milestone.
Title: The Thyroid
Post by: Athan on December 08, 2018, 02:00:00 PM
A multitude of us jump on this train for fear of cancer.  But nicotine affects the body in a multitude of ways, among which is altering thyroid function.

The thyroid is a gland in your neck and is part of your endocrine system.  It functions to create certain hormones essential to the regulation of bodily functions. An excess or deficiency of these hormones can cause:

•   Anxiety
•   Irritability or moodiness
•   Nervousness, hyperactivity
•   Trouble sleeping
•   Tiredness and fatigue
•   Difficulty concentrating

Sound familiar? I’ve experienced all of these to varying degrees thus far. Got a text from a stranger this morning 244 days into the quit. He wanted to know if I could help him with advice.  All I can offer is related to successful nicotine cessation; WUPP EDD

For all of you starting out in the quit or still experiencing serious issues late in the game, I suggest seeing your physician. Let them know of your nicotine cessation and ask about thyroid monitoring and possible treatment options. 

REMEMBER: nicotine got you here, it is the source of the problem, not the solution.

Knowledge is power.  Ignorance is terribly expensive.

Sources:
 Study of the effects of nicotine on the thyroid (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4481724/)
 Thyroid Overview  (https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid-nodules/thyroid-gland-controls-bodys-metabolism-how-it-works-symptoms-hyperthyroi)
Title: A coffee to go
Post by: Athan on December 11, 2018, 10:30:36 AM
Running late for my daughters ortho appointment this morning and sprinted out of the house without my coffee. Got her there on time so I strolled across the street to the CircleK to get some joe.  So I'm in line there and notice the deals and offerings of savings for cans of death that I was slave to not so very long ago.  Today I'm NOT giving the U.S. Tobacco company my hard earned dollars.  I decided on a whim to pick up the tab for the next two folks behind me - they just had their morning coffees, doughnuts, etc.  Total bill - $5.89.  For less than the price of a can of copenhagen I got to spread joy to two strangers, the cashier, and myself. Feel pretty good about that. IQWYT.
Title: What's in a year?
Post by: Athan on January 03, 2019, 04:27:55 PM
What’s in a year?

Well, in 2018, of the estimated 9 million smokeless tobacco users in the United States, just shy of 600 of them decided to quit here on KTC.  I am one of them

Around 185 of those who started out remain. I am one of them.

Just shy of 400 who started wouldn’t see it through. That’s about a 70 per cent attrition rate which, unfortunately, isn’t far off concerning addicts and recovery.
So you see, we really are a very special but remarkably small group to have beaten it, today.

In my introduction in my first post here I mention that I made it a year before once but the truth is I don’t really know.  I think I did but I never documented it day by day. I know for sure now because my journey has not just been documented but it has been witnessed by all of those who post with me.  It is incontrovertible proof that I have dropped the chains of addiction in the dustbin of history.

And so, I will continue to build that wall of quit, brick by brick, day by day, witness by witness.  And by doing so, I will remain  in that tragically small percentage of those who are free.
Title: Re: What's in a year?
Post by: worktowin on January 04, 2019, 09:15:34 AM
What’s in a year?

Well, in 2018, of the estimated 9 million smokeless tobacco users in the United States, just shy of 600 of them decided to quit here on KTC.  I am one of them

Around 185 of those who started out remain. I am one of them.

Just shy of 400 who started wouldn’t see it through. That’s about a 70 per cent attrition rate which, unfortunately, isn’t far off concerning addicts and recovery.
So you see, we really are a very special but remarkably small group to have beaten it, today.

In my introduction in my first post here I mention that I made it a year before once but the truth is I don’t really know.  I think I did but I never documented it day by day. I know for sure now because my journey has not just been documented but it has been witnessed by all of those who post with me.  It is incontrovertible proof that I have dropped the chains of addition in the dustbin of history.

And so, I will continue to build that wall of quit, brick by brick, day by day, witness by witness.  And by doing so, I will remain  in that tragically small percentage of those who are free.

Athan, you are the real deal.  You've seen challenges this year, and have stayed resolute in your commitment.  It is an honor to quit with you.

Thank you for being an inspiration.
Title: Sean Fiske
Post by: Athan on January 13, 2019, 05:31:07 AM
From Sean Fiske on 200 days:

Quitting saves, preserves, extends, creates and promotes the most important thing in our lives: life itself. Quitting is the journey towards a new you and a new life. It occurs one day at a time. It is difficult but rewarding. Every day you climb a little mountain of your new Quit life and you get a different perspective. The old anxieties of the old you eventually fall away. It is not easy at all but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's not something you want to put off either. It's something you just have to jump off the deep end to do and never look back. You gotta just do it one day, and then do it again the next day and keep going in that new direction. New things open up in your life. Your mind, body, soul, psyche - starts to heal. And the thing is: you can quit. Anybody can quit, no matter how long they've been dipping and no matter what else is going on in their life. Nicotine doesn't solve any problems. It isn't a solution for anything. The solution is not to feed an addiction. The solution is something else, and it starts with you. Do not wait. Quit today. Right now. I will quit with you.
Title: Tomorrow never comes
Post by: Athan on January 22, 2019, 05:36:12 PM
Home for Christmas vacation I discovered that two of my brothers were back in the bitches pocket leaving me the only one of 7 who's no longer a slave.
Ran into a buddy after getting back as I was getting gas at the Cstore, he was packing a can and said he made it four days before succumbing to the vileness.
Then a friend was over last week and had given up the can for vaping.  It dawned on me how remarkable it is to finally be free, and how so very many wish they were but aren't.
I wish I had started the quit years ago.  There's a quote on a KTC brochure that I hand out at corporate health fairs that's profound...
"The best time to quit was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now because tomorrow never comes"
Too true.
Title: Re: Tomorrow never comes
Post by: BrianG on January 22, 2019, 07:50:40 PM
Home for Christmas vacation I discovered that two of my brothers were back in the bitches pocket leaving me the only one of 7 who's no longer a slave.
Ran into a buddy after getting back as I was getting gas at the Cstore, he was packing a can and said he made it four days before succumbing to the vileness.
Then a friend was over last week and had given up the can for vaping.  It dawned on me how remarkable it is to finally be free, and how so very many wish they were but aren't.
I wish I had started the quit years ago.  There's a quote on a KTC brochure that I hand out at corporate health fairs that's profound...
"The best time to quit was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now because tomorrow never comes"
Too true.
I agree Athan.  How many times have we seen a guy post an intro talking about quitting tomorrow and we never see them again...   'facepalm''
Title: Re: Tomorrow never comes
Post by: Kdip on January 22, 2019, 09:04:37 PM
Home for Christmas vacation I discovered that two of my brothers were back in the bitches pocket leaving me the only one of 7 who's no longer a slave.
Ran into a buddy after getting back as I was getting gas at the Cstore, he was packing a can and said he made it four days before succumbing to the vileness.
Then a friend was over last week and had given up the can for vaping.  It dawned on me how remarkable it is to finally be free, and how so very many wish they were but aren't.
I wish I had started the quit years ago.  There's a quote on a KTC brochure that I hand out at corporate health fairs that's profound...
"The best time to quit was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now because tomorrow never comes"
Too true.
I agree Athan.  How many times have we seen a guy post an intro talking about quitting tomorrow and we never see them again...   'facepalm''
We are definately in the minority quitting and STAYING quit!!!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on February 04, 2019, 10:59:45 AM
400..... WOW..... You ever thought this type of Freedom was possible?

I sure as hell didn't... then I stumbled on KTC.... and after that my life changed.

Then this big Greek God with clanging balls of bronze stumbled upon KTC on day 27 of his quit, (I believe) and changed my life forever.

Forever humbled and blessed to call you my brother, and true friend.

I will always be one day behind you and following your path, my brother and friend... always.


Bryce
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on February 04, 2019, 05:36:39 PM
400..... WOW..... You ever thought this type of Freedom was possible?

I sure as hell didn't... then I stumbled on KTC.... and after that my life changed.

Then this big Greek God with clanging balls of bronze stumbled upon KTC on day 27 of his quit, (I believe) and changed my life forever.

Forever humbled and blessed to call you my brother, and true friend.

I will always be one day behind you and following your path, my brother and friend... always.


Bryce
And the next milestone was upon them before they knew it.  Blades of spanish steel, their gaze wilted challenges before them.  Their resolve the stuff of legends, they surmounted obstacle after bloody obstacle, always surging forward, never looking back. The next hill but a speedbump and the sun shone on their faces as they crested it, shield to shield locked in step. They never knew failure, only challenges and brotherhood as they shouted encouragement to their kinsman, always sharing the burden. The mere thought of defeat loathsome, welling up like bile in their throats, the brothers had no time for the weak and timid for integrity was their ethos, honor was their blood, courage their bone and sinew, their very breath perseverance...for today and today alone.

And that's why I post roll every day ChrisF, so I can stand tall with men like that and call myself their brother. Because 400 days happens one day at a time. Hooah.

Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on February 04, 2019, 07:28:30 PM
So my phone just blew up.  Terrible thing about living in the sticks, your signal is weak at best. Usually I get texts on the way out to the truck. This time it happened at home as I'm getting ready for tomorrow - it just lit up vibrating and bleeping like R2D2, all of these messages from quitters across this great land.  It's the coolest thing.  Many thanks folks for thinking of me on the HOFx4.  Hope I got all of you on the return - my wife is still laughing at me.
xoxoxo
I love you
bye
Title: 405
Post by: Athan on February 09, 2019, 06:43:11 AM
405 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpx6o4gvmXE)
Title: Re: 405
Post by: Broccoli-saurus on February 13, 2019, 06:24:33 PM
405 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpx6o4gvmXE)

Keep slaying brother!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on February 21, 2019, 02:54:18 PM
So my phone just blew up.  Terrible thing about living in the sticks, your signal is weak at best. Usually I get texts on the way out to the truck. This time it happened at home as I'm getting ready for tomorrow - it just lit up vibrating and bleeping like R2D2, all of these messages from quitters across this great land.  It's the coolest thing.  Many thanks folks for thinking of me on the HOFx4.  Hope I got all of you on the return - my wife is still laughing at me.
xoxoxo
I love you
bye

Sorry I missed your 4th Floor day.  I would have been one of those blowing up your phone if I had been in the country.  Congrats to you my brother and friend.

Chris
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on February 23, 2019, 06:21:52 AM
Nineteen hour round trip yesterday.  A scant 400 days ago that would have been a balls out chew like there's no tomorrow my lip is falling off it hurts so bad put another one in drive. Not yesterday.  Had my trusty cinnamon stix though I only needed one for the whole day. 
The cool thing is, I only posted in the home room yesterday and was out the door at 0230 as I knew I'd be pressed for time.  I knew also that I could trust people to give me pick ups while I was on the road and unable to text.  And everyone got me without fail - and that was really cool.  After yesterday, I can't imagine rolling alone.  I don't know why folks do.
And while I'm on the road contemplating this I get a text from my beloved Skolvikings about a dude that left and went solo and is now posting a day 1 in June instead of crossing the year finish line with his brothers. 
Tragic. I roll and support a few groups so my morning routine takes me about thirty minutes. To post and ghost though, it can't take five minutes.  Five little minutes a day is such a small price to pay to stay clean and free.  Hope he gets it right this time.
In a different story, there's the guy I picked up late in the trip.  Prolly two hours before dark and there he is, on the side of the road, thumb out.  Meet George.  52 years old. clean shaven, clean clothes, close cropped hair. Had been walking all day when I picked him up.  A little coy about where he was coming from, made me a little uneasy but I was packing so I wasn't too worried.  He didn't seem sure about where he was headed.  He showed me the corner of an envelope with an address in a ladies pink handwriting, though he didn't know where it was.  So I gave him my phone to  plug it in.  He fumbled about with it for a few seconds and said he couldn't figure these new things out. I glanced at what he had entered into the address and it was random letters and numbers.  So I pulled over and looked at the address and entered it in. He was on his way to visit his niece he told me. Going to stay with them for a little bit. Wasn't but another 15 miles though off the path I was headed.  I sure wanted to get home but this dude was on foot and there was no way he was going to make it by dark.  20 minutes later, way out in the country in the backwoods of Georgia we turned off onto a dirt road that really looked like a logging trail. Random mailboxes jutted out from dirt paths to dwellings along the 'road'. Now there's trailer parks and then there's trailers in the woods, you know the ones - 'lawn furniture' consisting of various junk yard items and old home appliances, the old dog living under the porch, the random individual giving me uncomfortable flashbacks of the movie 'Deliverance'. George is calling out the numbers and names on the mailboxes but they don't match what I can clearly see when it occurs to me - George can't read.  In this day and age, he can't read.  He hands me the letter from the envelope and asks me to call - there's two numbers circled in the body of the letter.  I oblige him and then he gets out and starts walking down one of the trails towards a trailer with a hillbilly outside to query the gentlemen about his kin.  I looked further into the letter he handed me, dated from December of last year. The words 'released' and 'when you get out' kinda leapt off the page. I chamber a round. George came back and hopped back in.  The esquire in question knew not his relatives.  We continued on down this dirt road looking around for another 20 minutes before we headed back to the paved road.  I had to leave him there. I couldn't really do anything else if they weren't answering the phone. He was phoneless, had only the clothes on his back, just got out of prison, and not really sure where he was going to sleep for the night or what or when he was going to eat next.  I gave him $20 and had to go. 
Yeah man.  There's a lot of folks out there that wish they had our problems.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Dundippin on February 25, 2019, 07:19:02 AM
Athan,

That is one moving story about the gentleman out of prison with no place to go.

It helps to keep life in perspective and helps us understand how lucky we are in our circumstances.

I also like your info on the thyroid and quitting nicotine.

Good stuff.

Keep posting.

I quit with you today.

Dundippin day 1260
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: kybo on February 25, 2019, 07:24:06 AM
Nineteen hour round trip yesterday.  A scant 400 days ago that would have been a balls out chew like there's no tomorrow my lip is falling off it hurts so bad put another one in drive. Not yesterday.  Had my trusty cinnamon stix though I only needed one for the whole day. 
The cool thing is, I only posted in the home room yesterday and was out the door at 0230 as I knew I'd be pressed for time.  I knew also that I could trust people to give me pick ups while I was on the road and unable to text.  And everyone got me without fail - and that was really cool.  After yesterday, I can't imagine rolling alone.  I don't know why folks do.
And while I'm on the road contemplating this I get a text from my beloved Skolvikings about a dude that left and went solo and is now posting a day 1 in June instead of crossing the year finish line with his brothers. 
Tragic. I roll and support a few groups so my morning routine takes me about thirty minutes. To post and ghost though, it can't take five minutes.  Five little minutes a day is such a small price to pay to stay clean and free.  Hope he gets it right this time.
In a different story, there's the guy I picked up late in the trip.  Prolly two hours before dark and there he is, on the side of the road, thumb out.  Meet George.  52 years old. clean shaven, clean clothes, close cropped hair. Had been walking all day when I picked him up.  A little coy about where he was coming from, made me a little uneasy but I was packing so I wasn't too worried.  He didn't seem sure about where he was headed.  He showed me the corner of an envelope with an address in a ladies pink handwriting, though he didn't know where it was.  So I gave him my phone to  plug it in.  He fumbled about with it for a few seconds and said he couldn't figure these new things out. I glanced at what he had entered into the address and it was random letters and numbers.  So I pulled over and looked at the address and entered it in. He was on his way to visit his niece he told me. Going to stay with them for a little bit. Wasn't but another 15 miles though off the path I was headed.  I sure wanted to get home but this dude was on foot and there was no way he was going to make it by dark.  20 minutes later, way out in the country in the backwoods of Georgia we turned off onto a dirt road that really looked like a logging trail. Random mailboxes jutted out from dirt paths to dwellings along the 'road'. Now there's trailer parks and then there's trailers in the woods, you know the ones - 'lawn furniture' consisting of various junk yard items and old home appliances, the old dog living under the porch, the random individual giving me uncomfortable flashbacks of the movie 'Deliverance'. George is calling out the numbers and names on the mailboxes but they don't match what I can clearly see when it occurs to me - George can't read.  In this day and age, he can't read.  He hands me the letter from the envelope and asks me to call - there's two numbers circled in the body of the letter.  I oblige him and then he gets out and starts walking down one of the trails towards a trailer with a hillbilly outside to query the gentlemen about his kin.  I looked further into the letter he handed me, dated from December of last year. The words 'released' and 'when you get out' kinda leapt off the page. I chamber a round. George came back and hopped back in.  The esquire in question knew not his relatives.  We continued on down this dirt road looking around for another 20 minutes before we headed back to the paved road.  I had to leave him there. I couldn't really do anything else if they weren't answering the phone. He was phoneless, had only the clothes on his back, just got out of prison, and not really sure where he was going to sleep for the night or what or when he was going to eat next.  I gave him $20 and had to go. 
Yeah man.  There's a lot of folks out there that wish they had our problems.


"If every man were to bring his troubles to the marketplace and assemble them all in a great pile, each man, upon seeing the rest, would be content to take his own and return home."   

Herodotus
Title: Athan
Post by: Athan on January 27, 2018, 01:29:00 PM
Started when I was 13; to this day I don't know why I put the second chew in.
Was going to quit when I got out of the Navy
Made it over a year but broke my leg. Any excuse will do as you all know too well
Was going to quit Y2K
Was going to quit when I got married.
Absolutely gonna quit when my first little girl was born.
Definitely quitting after professional certifications obtained.
No kidding quitting when the second little girl came along.
No more excuses, no more tobacco after little girl number three.
I'm fifty years old now and flat out of excuses. I have decided I can no longer look in the mirror if I can't man up and put it behind me.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Skolvikings on January 27, 2018, 03:48:00 PM
Welcome to the KINGS fellow quitter, I am proud to quit with you today. Lots of cool shit on this site, it changed my life and it will change yours if you let it. I sent you my digits hit me up if you need anything.

Rock On!!!!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: JMckay on January 28, 2018, 06:49:00 PM
You made it most of a month without anyone good job. April group is large should be able to get a few numbers. Better to quit now than later we all know how easy it is to put off then 5 years pass than put it off some more.

Jmckay 290 I quit with you
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: wildirish317 on January 28, 2018, 08:20:00 PM
A lot of us get into our 50s and realize that we've been using tobacco products for more years than we weren't using tobacco products. Seems like a good time to correct that. You wake up and think, "I don't want to do this any more." I did this almost two years ago, when I was 55.

Welcome to KTC. In my signature you'll find many links to helpful information. Start with "Advice for Newbies". Although you are not really new in your quit, you are new to KTC. Learn as much as you can about quitting. The only way to quit is to stay quit.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 24, 2018, 05:14:00 PM
From JGromo. April '18, page 1044, post #15648.

*** THE MOST EPIC OF QUITS ***

"This has meaning to me, I thought I would share it here with my brothers to remind some of you that you need more than to post your name on some forum every morning. This isn't about promising a bunch of strangers that you wont do something. This is about building a brotherhood of people that know what you are going through and know how serious a light statement in a text can be.

This is my new day one.

I've failed April, my friends and myself.

I have to answer the three questions and quit again.

I've broken my promise.

That could be how this post would go if I didn't use the tools this site has given me for my quit last night. I honestly dont know if I'd have caved last night without Bryce's call. I do know I'd have started a count down to the above post. I do know that I'd be lying every time I posted roll to my brothers if I hadn't reached out and if I hadn't had a brother that would reach back and pull me from the cliffs edge.

Yesterday was an amazing day, I woke up at 4am with so much drive and willpower I felt fucking amazing. I put in 3 hours cleaning the house before I even went to work. At work I kicked ass I put away the load I set up a couple good sized accounts and I handled my shit well. When I got home I still had that drive and fire to get shit done so I started going through boxes in the attic, I've been putting this off for years and it felt fucking amazing working on them finally. Plus going through boxes of my grandfathers stuff brought up some awesome memories of the time I'd spent with him, hunting trips when I found his weird collection of spent shells, Football and baseball games when I found his box of plaques and trophies for all the records he held and all the important games he'd won, That picture of him with my varsity cheerleaders from my senior year game against his old high school. Great fucking memories. A cuban cigar! Oh I remembered how he loved the cuban's, smoking cigars, I could take it out and it was still pristine! It smelt just like I remember him in my youth. Man it was still fresh, this little tube did wonders at holding up its condition. What a great tribute when should I smoke this? Oh my god, me and dad could smoke this on Fathers day at the cemetery! I'll surprise him with it when we get there and we can stand in the family crypt and fill it with the smells of my grandfather and get one more strong bonding memory with him. A last gift, if you will, from beyond the grave.

The grave...

God those last years were rough on him, he had more good days than bad for the first few years. That scare when I was 10 and he almost died in the grand ol opry...But then he hung on to see me through high school. And he had a lot of good days, maybe not as many as the bad, but when he wasn't in the hospital he was pretty good still...not himself anymore, never really himself besides a handful of glimpses...but he wasn't begging for death...Until he was. Those last few years. My grandmother clinging him to life, afraid of being alone. All the scares, how many times did I stand over him in the hospital thinking that this was it? Dozens? Watching him somehow pull through again and again. Get worse and worse with each trip to the hospital. He died years before his body gave up. Ghost of the man he was in my youth and teens. Hearing him scream at the poor nurses and caregivers to "Fucking kill me already!" and then when it stopped being screaming and shouting. when I heard it switch from that fire and anger and that strength that stubborn man always had to begging it was crushing. No more yelling just a quiet whimper to "please...please kill me?" And then he passed...finally...he wasn't hurting anymore.

And there I am standing with this awesome tribute to him, his murderer in my hand. Already planning the smoke I'm going to have with it with my father, his youngest son. How I'm just going to give in and fail my quit, to give him "tribute" by letting myself become another victim to the devil that killed him, not killed him, killing him would be merciful compared to what nicotine did to him, he was fucking tortured. 15 years of fucking torture before his body finally broke and let him die.

I wish I could say I had those thoughts on my own, I wish I could say that I was strong enough to rip that fucking thing apart by myself...but those thoughts didn't come. I spent minutes romanticizing and imagining smoking the cigar, I didn't even think of the site, I didn't think of my quit I didn't think of my wife, my future kids, my brothers on here! I grabbed my phone excitedly about to text mom and tell her what I'd found that I had the best surprise for dad ever for fathers day!

My eyes fell on the group chat I've got going with mike, bryce and athan. It wasn't a strong pull. But I felt a slight tug at my conscience I'd made a promise to these guys. I'd told them I wouldn't. Well its not like I'm smoking it right now. I stare at the group chat and the tug gets slightly stronger. Its almost like I'm asking myself what the fuck am I doing? But in a quiet voice. Deffinitely 95% still happy go lucky holy shit I'm gonna smoke this cigar this will be awesome. But just a little 5%...just enough to send out an SOS...I honestly didn't mean to tell them, it wasn't a "Oh god what am I DOING!?" scream for help. Most of me was completely back to addict mindstate. But...that 5% was growing, not that I was going to destroy the cigar mind you. But I'm pretty sure I could have tricked myself into thinking that I could just give the cigar to my dad on my own, I mean he should at least get it.

Then that fathers day would have come and my dad would have handed me the cigar and I'd have toked on it regardless of what I had promised myself back in March. Because how could I refuse that when it was staring me in the face, I could barely refuse it when its still months out.

Again, thoughts I wish I'd have had the strength to have on my own. But I did have the strength to shoot out one quiet lonely plea for help. to a group of guys I was 90% sure were asleep. I didn't call...I just texted...I might have called if dad had offered me the cigar...I might have had the strength to refuse...but...We all know I wouldn't have. I'm weak...I am an addict. I didn't want to not smoke the cigar, I wanted to trick that 5% into shutting up, trick myself into thinking I had everything under control.

This wasn't a "HELP I'M GOING TO CAVE!" text...all I said was "I just found a cuban cigar in my grandfathers possessions in pristine condition..." For those of you that know me, you know cigars have and always will be my weakness, I don't want to not smoke cigars. I never viewed them on the same playing field as dip and cigarettes until coming to this site, and if we are being completely honest there is still a large portion of my brain that doesn't. So this, not just cigar...this Cuban... My weakest of weakest points...A portion of my addiction I already romanticize its importance to me. Add on to that one last strong memory of my grandfather. Probably the last I would ever have of such clarity. Add on top of that the bonding moment with my father to smoke his fathers last cigar ever...That 5% resistance had become 10% just long enough to shoot out that text is now gone with that thought.

Bryce is calling....
Ignore it...I can almost feel a fog coming over me. I can feel that resistance start to re-surge after seeing that someone cares about my quit enough to wake themselves up and call me in the middle of their night to make sure I'm quit, one of the few people on the planet that knows me well enough and knows the struggle well enough to know my mindset is gone there's no strength left in my quit its been bulldozed. Luckily that quiet call for help is answered, and as I bend my knees to leap from the cliff an arm shoots out to drag me away from failure.
Ignore the call you know what it will be...
Do I jump and rip myself from the help that is being offered or do I accept the support?
If I ignore this call I seal it...I'm gonna cave...I'm gonna cave?
I answer.

My brothers support is the only thing that kept me from diving off that cliff back into the waiting loving arms of my grandfathers murderer. Letting myself take one step closer to my own future grandsons having to watch that fucking Nicotine Bitch torture me until my body can't handle it anymore and I die slowly in front of them. Ruining their memory of me.

Skol talked me back from that cliff. Five minutes of mostly fog. The internal struggle with him in my corner. Until I fought through it. We fought through it. Finally it was 95% resistance and 5% desire to smoke. We got off the phone and before I could lose that will power I shredded it and flushed it down the toilet.

Once it was flushed the realization hit. Hard...How close I came to caving...had I? It felt like I had, I'd decided to. isn't that the same thing? It really showed me that I was weak. I couldn't do it on my own. I opened the tube, I smelt it and felt it and envisioned smoking it. I didn't immediately ask for help, I didn't even want help. I didn't even know I needed help for the first minutes.

If I can refuse this cigar...I can refuse any cigar, there will never be a more tempting cigar I can envision. Unless my father with his dying moments hand rolls a cigar out of tobacco he grew and asked me to smoke it in his memory...I can not picture any stronger temptation.
I need to remember that I nearly put an expiration date on my quit. I would have if that cigar wasn't in the sewer right now. I would have if a brother hadn't given me a call without hesitation. "
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:31:00 PM
Putting my posts from the welcome center here for ready reference. Should have been posting here all along.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:32:00 PM
2/3/18
Had to get outside. She's driving me crazy. With the nicotine, any excuse will do and I've allowed her to be that excuse so many times in the past. Not today. Something inherently masculine about splitting wood with a wedge and a sledge. I could feel the blood of my Spartan ancestors coursing through my veins. No way the Spartan warrior was a slave to lusts of the flesh. The core of their ethos was mastery of self. Normally, I would have had a great big fatty in there while I went about the task. Went for a stick of cinnamon instead. Took the edge off of things for a bit. Been pondering the addiction thing lately. It's a lot bigger than I realized. I now know why previous quits have failed. In the past, it was just a can that I put down for a bit and took back up again; something I viewed rather myopically. The broader view and broader implications have become starkly clear since I joined KTC. It was always just a bad habit, like biting your nails or picking you nose; not an addiction. I've had to get honest and admit that - I'm a nicotine addict. Read somewhere on here that it doesn't define me (wise words) but does affect my decisions and behaviors. I'm liking the roll call and the commitment every morning, first thing. Liking the veterans who have stuck around and reach out periodically and open to requests for help. Hope to be there for another brother some day. Kind of therapeutic to sit down and write all this out. Hope you all don't mind the rambling. Was feeling a trigger earlier and posted, got some support and feedback and I'm still quit. Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:33:00 PM
2/4/18
I actually dreamed about the shit last night. Dreamed I put a pinch in and savored it. Even there in my sleep I felt the shame. I can't believe it invades my sleep!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:34:00 PM
2/9/18
Some say TGIF. But Fridays are the some of the hardest for me. The routine was a case of beer on the way home and two cans (I deluded myself that I only chewed two cans a week - I would buy at least one more before the next Friday)
Then there's Tuesdays, the relief of making it through another Monday calls out for a dip.
Thursdays usually saw me grab a case of beer if I had one of those rare Fridays off as the weekend started early, or maybe I was just out of beer. And hey, while I'm there, I might as well grab a can or two to go; wouldn't want to be inefficient with gas at $2+/gallon
Wednesdays weren't too bad but nothing like a fatty to settle in after dinner at church (course I had to hide it there, gotta gut it cause you can't spit and I'm sure no one noticed the bulge in my lip)
Saturdays and Sundays were always balls out weekend chew like there's no tomorrow and I usually went through both of Friday's cans. My lip was so raw and painful the love hate relationship was renewed in full every Sunday evening as I put that last painful wad in place even though I didn't enjoy it.
So Monday found me hating the weed and usually making it several hours before I succumbed to it's sweet lies, "hey this'll make you feel better".

Of course, all of that's by the wayside now. History, water under the bridge, yesterdays news, flushed away, etc.

Now I'm quit, quit with all of you!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:34:00 PM
2/10/18
Just above the kitchen sink, on your left as you look up is one of those little shelves for knick-knacks. On it sits this little wooden box containing recipes with a picture of my little Rachel when she was in the 4th grade. Just behind the box, out of plain view was where it sat. The can. I needed a convenient, readily accessible spot and thatÂ’s where I put it. It wasnÂ’t hidden by any stretch of the imagination; my wife and my three girls all knew it was there. I couldnÂ’t have it just sitting out on a coffee table or my desk. Leaving it in the truck was too inconvenient. No, I needed it close by but not obvious. I suppose out of respect or love for me the children didnÂ’t ask about it or mention it. I would go outside or into the laundry room to put one in; shame forbade being blatant and open about it. I never spit so there was no spitter to be ashamed of but there was no hiding the big fat bulge in my lip; the addiction prohibited acknowledging something so obvious as that. Oh it was hidden in plain view as they say.

As I was cooking up the sausage this morning (right after posting roll), my glance fell on that empty spot behind that little box on the shelf over the sink. It gave me a quiet pleasure that it was empty; a solemn pride in spite of a small craving to have beaten it. Today. I hope thereÂ’s little reminders such as that from time to time to let me know that life without it is so much more valuable than life with it.

Think about that for a bit. Where was your can parked? Look at that empty spot and commend yourself - you donÂ’t have to lie about an empty spot or pretend itÂ’s not there; it can and should be acknowledged.

I quit with you today!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:35:00 PM
2/11/18
....then there was the time we pulled into Halifax Nova Scotia. I was prolly 2 days into quit #4,173 when I chose to cave. Problem was, I was in the boonies in Canada. Wouldn'tcha know those good people of the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co saw to it that a hole in the wall convenience store way up yonder would have the cure to what ailed me for the low low price of just $11.95. And that was back in '93. And I was happy to pay it. Thought myself a fortunate son.
What I wouldn't give to have all the $$$$ back. I'd have me a huge 4x4 with double whip antenae....
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:36:00 PM
2/13/18
I've thought it so many times, why oh why did I ever put that second dip in?
Can't change it now. I can change TODAY.
TODAY, I don't chew.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:37:00 PM
2/14/18
Statistically speaking, the odds are in your favor when playing Russian roulette (statistical analyses assumes a revolver is used)
Statistics don't count for squat if it's you that craps out, gets cancer and screws your whole famdamly.
Yeah, that's right, you're shooting more than just yourself; everyone in your circle of influence is adversely affected.
It's not just cancer either, there are a whole host of other negative health effects from nicotine.

go ahead, pull the trigger.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:37:00 PM
2/15/18
(from the wikipedia) "U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (formerly United States Tobacco Company) manufactures smokeless tobacco products,...
Copenhagen and Skoal are the company's leading brands, and each represents more than $1 billion per year in retail sales."

Well they've gotten their last dollar from me.

How bout you?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:38:00 PM
2/16/18
Say, Didja hear the one about the guy who put his quit off until it was too late?

He died of esophageal cancer. But not before he put his family through hell, depleted his finances on medical bills, and left them destitute.

Yeah, it's a real knee slapper.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:40:00 PM
2/17/18
I'm working the concession stand at the high school basketball playoff. Cranking out french fries like a jedi master with a buddy. He happens to be an x-ray tech. I'm tellin' him about KTC and what it did (does) for me.

He starts telling me about a guy that he shot images for who was getting his face carved up because the nic bitch loved him so.

So I says to him I says, "how long ago was this?" "oh about six months ago" he replies. and he's still chew'n (my buddy, not the dude what got his face carved up)

So I'm looking at him incredulously, like, really, are you serious? You haven't quit yet? Walk out back with me and that 2x4?

And then he starts going on about the respiratory therapists who smoke!, you won't believe the shit they deal with, cleaning out trach tubes and whatnot.

So here's live testimony of the incredible power of the nic bitch and the horror and carnage it inflicts and you're still on the fence about whether or not you want to quit? Or maybe you're contemplating the John Wayne I'll do this on my own...

Well, when your testicles drop and you're ready, you just come on in and we'll do it together; together we are so much stronger than the bitch.

I'm waiting....
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:40:00 PM
2/18/18
What day is today?
Is today the day you put it down?
Is today the day you feel obligated, nay compelled, to break the chains of your subservience and stand defiantly against it?
Is today your independence day?

I hope so, so does your family and those that truly love you.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:41:00 PM
2/19/18
She lies to you, ya know. Just put another dip in and it'll all be fine. But the truth is, she is insatiable. You can NEVER fill that hole, no matter how much minced weed you pack into your face you'll always crave one more.

Unless you kill it. It has to be starved to death, not appeased. Only in it's death is there victory.

I used cinnamon sticks for the first couple of weeks to overcome the oral fixation. I rolled into work this morning and man, I forgot to replace my stack of sticks. But that's OK. I don't have to have them.
But you, you know where that can is right now. Not only that but you know how much is left in it. Prolly got a spare out in the truck or the drawer of your desk.

Not me. I'm free. 50 days free today.

Funny thing is, it could be you celebrating 50 days. Ain't nothing like freedom!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:42:00 PM
2/20/18
What is it about the quit that you find so elusive?
YouÂ’ve tried many times before; are you permitting fears and doubts built on past failures to dictate your future? Are you so crippled that you are no longer a man, capable of making conscious choices about your health and your life?

Or is it that you find the can so beguiling? The nausea of that first pinch has long since past and along with it the rush of the second pinch that you took so many years ago. Still you persist in chasing them. Why? To what end?

Do you hide cans? Do you grab a dip in secret? Do you make plans simply to avoid running out? Have you ever spurned an amorous advance from your spouse because you just put a fatty in and wanted to savor it? Do you have a nagging fear of cancer but have rationalized that the odds are in your favor; youÂ’ll quit before that happens? Will you? Do these behaviors disgust you?

I hope IÂ’ve struck a nerve. Because there are a couple of hundred MEN behind these doors who have embraced the suck of withdrawal victoriously and are waiting to stand strong with you should you commit to join their ranks. Husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons who loved their families more than nicotine are waiting to show you the way.

You only live once and time is not on your side.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:43:00 PM
2/21/18
Ignorance and stupidity are very different things but commonly confused and used interchangeably in todays lexicon.
One who is ignorant is merely lacking knowledge. You were ignorant of KTC; you now have knowledge of it and its availability to help you quit.
Stupid is where a person acquires knowledge but is not capable of applying it.
Well, You're here. You're at least reading this thread. We can reasonable assume you are aware of the hazards of continued nicotine use.
What shall we say then of your present circumstance?
Why don't you message me and we'll talk about it.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:43:00 PM
2/22/18
Like a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Don't be a fool my brother, choose life, choose to quit!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:44:00 PM
2/23/18
IQWYT is commonly included when folks post. It means "I quit with you today"

I have never seen anyone post IQAOMOTAIDNYB (I quit all on my own today and I don't need you basterds!)
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:45:00 PM
2/24/18
Excuses.
What are some of the ones that you use?
After this can, just dropped $5 on it and I'm not gonna throw that out (um, that was 500 cans ago)
After this weekend (um, that was 100 weekends ago and counting)
She's driving me crazy (um, that's what they do)
I work with idiots! (um, don't we all? and that can will magically make the world smarter? Really?)
I broke my leg (sorry about the leg, um, and the can has bone healing medicinal properties?)
I have so much extra cash I don't know what else to do with it (um, please call me I can help you out)
Chicks dig it! (no, not really and can we talk about that mullet while we're on the subject?)
What's it to you, I'm only hurting myself (not while we're on a quasi socialized medical system but that's another class)
The tobacco companies are counting on me (just copenhagen alone is over a BILLION dollars a year)
Statistics are in my favor that I won't get cancer/diabetes/stomach ulcers/extremity circulatory damage/etc. (statistics are meaningless to the ones that do, and their families)
I do it in secret, she doesn't know (and lying to your spouse has always been a good foundation for a marriage/relationship?)
The fact is, there are as many excuses as there are cans of tobacco. I'm sure you can add to the list ad nauseum.
Winners have results. Losers have excuses. Your choice. Your life.
Choose life.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:47:00 PM
2/25/18
...all we are saying, is give quit a chance

...what if they gave a can and no one chewed.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:48:00 PM
2/26/18
Know what makes my day?
When a young father comes along. He's got a little girl he wants to be there for. He's got a little boy he wants to watch become a man. And he's made a decision that they are more important than the can.
I've heard it said that urgent things are seldom important while important things are seldom urgent.
Well that craving you feel for that next pinch is an urgent thing.
Watching your children grow up, well, I think you'll agree with me that that's important.
Yeah, if you came on in outa the cold and posted by the fire where all the quitters stand round and support each other, that'd make my day.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:49:00 PM
2/27/18
There was a slight chill in the air so I grabbed a light jacket on the way out. When I got there a buddy starts busting my balls about needing a coat.
"Yes it's true, a real man can endure the elements." I said. Then I added, "But only an idiot does it needlessly."
So it is with the quit. A real man can bear that burden alone.
But only an idiot would do it needlessly.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:49:00 PM
2/28/18
xxxxxxxxx

Polonium-210 (Po-210) is a radioactive material that occurs naturally in the earthÂ’s crust.

Similar to bananaÂ’s and their affinity for potassium-40, tobacco has an affinity for Polonium. That means that the plant will naturally absorb the nuclide whereas other plants wonÂ’t.

Now here is the interesting part, Po-210 emits alpha particles. Of all the radioactive particles, the alpha particle is the largest, has the highest charge, and does the most biological damage.
Because of its large mass and high charge, it is stopped by the clothes that you wear or even your skin. So itÂ’s a radiation hazard only if it is taken into the body through breathing or eating.

Polonium has a half-life of 138 days. That means that after 138 days, you will still have half of what you just ingested.

Much of Po-210 is passed through feces, although the remaining amounts that enter the bloodstream can concentrate in organs such as the spleen, kidneys, and liver.

And you thought oral cancer was the only risk; think again. You canÂ’t pull your spleen out and look at it to see if youÂ’ve been chewing too much the way you can look at your lip or gums in the mirror.

Ready to spit that dip out and quit for real now?

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/polonium-210.htm (https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/polonium-210.htm)
https://www3.epa.gov/radtown/tobacco.html (https://www3.epa.gov/radtown/tobacco.html)
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:51:00 PM
3/1/18
You ready to be all in?
Because there's no point entering unless you are.
There's no such thing as half-quit.
I mean, you don't get half-syphilis.
The doctor isn't going to tell you, "I'm sorry, but you've got half cancer"
Your objective, should you choose to commit, is to quit every day.
You'll post roll with others promising to do just that, every day.
You'll notice some that post late, some that miss days.
They're not all in. They don't make it. They're on their way to getting half-herpes or half-diabetes.
What about you?
You ready to be all in?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:51:00 PM
3/2/18
Take that can out and look at it. Really, go ahead. Take it out and look at it. ItÂ’s not made of gold or anything.
What if I told you that you paid $50,000 for it.
What, you didnÂ’t know it was an installment plan?
DidnÂ’t know with the first can you were signing up for LIFE?
You werenÂ’t planning on that were you?
If a slick salesman were sitting before your son with a legal contract and was pushing your kid to sign the dotted line that would obligate him for $5 a day for the REST OF HIS LIFE and you had a baseball bat, how would that all pan out?
What person in their right mind commits themselves to a financial contract in perpetuity that could cost them their life?
I wouldnÂ’t even do that for a cool pickup truck.
And for a can? Really?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:52:00 PM
3/3/18
Hard.

It's a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:53:00 PM
3/4/18
Time is not on your side

How old were you when you started?

Time is not on your side
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:53:00 PM
3/5/18
So we had a guy cave yesterday. Said he was “half-assing” his quit.
CanÂ’t begin to convey the sense of loss I felt.
Here was someone who made a conscious decision to stop using a dangerous substance but in the end was unable to resist the sirens call.
6 days into it.
I wonÂ’t sugar coat it; itÂ’s a trial. The cravings are real. But so is freedom.
IÂ’m 63 days free today because I didnÂ’t cave yesterday.
I and most of the guys in our group communicate and actively lean on each other.
The guy that caved didnÂ’t. He neither sought out nor offered help.
He tried alone and he died alone.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:54:00 PM
3/6/18
You might be its bitch if:
You've deferred sex for nicotine
You've been broke and paid for it with a credit card (you friggin financed your addiction you idiot, you actually paid interest on it!)
You've looked for the round silhouette on strangers in a crowd so you could bum a chew
You've lied about using
You've stashed cans to ensure your next fix was never out of reach
You've driven cross town because your normal stop was out
You've fallen asleep with a chew in
You've recycled a chew because you were running low
You've put a chew in and experienced pain because your lip is shredded
You've stolen from your kids piggy bank to finance your dirty deed
You've not only eaten with a chew in, you've actually gotten proficient at it

Aren't you tired of being it's bitch?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:54:00 PM
3/7/18
You stare at the floor. You are alone in a crowded waiting room. You’re finding it hard to breathe; as if a weight were actually on your chest compressing it. Though it’s 65 degrees in there you are bathed in a cold sweat. Cancer. The word itself instills fear in just about everyone. “What is that stuff Daddy? That stuff you put in your mouth?” You remember his little words, spoken so long ago like they were yesterday. Your little man. Little nothing. He’s a strapping young man now. You’ve never been more proud of anything or anyone in your whole life. You were there at his graduation from boot camp. The pride on his face was nothing to what you held in your heart. One of your greatest joys is introducing him to acquaintances, “This is my son…”
“Sir?”, the doctors words shake you from your reverie. “Sir, your son is going to be fine. We had to take some 60% of his jaw and 30% of his tongue. But we think we got it all.”
True. He might have learned to chew from someone else.
But he didnÂ’t.
He learned from you.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:55:00 PM
3/8/18
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest. Took them 7 weeks.
Know how they did it?
One step at a time.

WhatÂ’s your Everest?
Give me 7 weeks.
Together, weÂ’ll mount that summit.
One day at a time.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:56:00 PM
3/9/18
Had a guy give up on his quit today. WasnÂ’t surprised really; he was late when and if he posted. He didnÂ’t offer support.
So I had some issues yesterday with my little outburst in this forum. Within the hour I was contacted by no less than four people. They are as invested in my quit as I am in theirs. We support each other. I wasnÂ’t on my way to the store and I shouldnÂ’t even have intimated that; but these brothers of mine werenÂ’t taking any chances. We donÂ’t get to where weÂ’re standing on the precipice of using again because we take action before that happens.

Noah built the ark BEFORE the flood; he didn't wait for it to start raining.

IÂ’ve got my ark.

What are YOU going to do when it starts raining?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:57:00 PM
3/10/18
Wake up calls.
You ever put one in at a hotel?
Maybe with your spouse or roommate?
Not sure if youÂ’d get up on time for whatever reason and needed the extra kick in the pants to wake up.
Ran across a brother who needs gum grafts.
ThatÂ’s gotta be some kinda wake up call.
For me it was waiting for the results of a biopsy after an endoscopy; that was one intense wake up call.
What about you? Can you wake up on your own?
Or are you waiting for the wake up call?

TIME IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:57:00 PM
3/11/18
Hello Time Traveler!
How would you like to go back just 5 years from now and start your quit. Imagine that. Looking back 5 years and having the satisfaction of having beaten it, of having successfully putting it down and doing some serious and advantageous changes for your health. Think of all the money you would have saved. WeÂ’ve covered all the stupid things you do in recent posts, well you could look back on the previous 5 years with a solemn pride that you are a free man. WouldnÂ’t that be amazing?! Cause I can do that for you. Really.
Flash forward with me 5 years and look back on yourself today, right now, reading this, and decide to quit.
BOOM.
There ya go. Just gave your future self 5 years of freedom to look back on!
Nice traveling with you, please check the seat back pocket in front of you and watch yer head as you exit.
As always, thanks for travelling with KTC!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:58:00 PM
3/12/18
The addict mind.
It can and will rationalize ANYTHING.
ANY reason to justify the next fix is valid to the addict mind.
The addict mind runs on auto pilot UNTIL is is refused that fix.

You need to make a decision.
Do you want to quit for a couple of days.....or would you rather nicotine no longer played a role in your life?
Your life.
Your call.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 04:59:00 PM
3/12/18
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/linksaaddiction.html (http://whyquit.com/whyquit/linksaaddiction.html)

I think a lot of people fail because they don't understand what, exactly, they are dealing with.
I know I didn't. I hope you take time to read this. It explains just how sinister the addiction is.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:02:00 PM
Rawls HOF speech. 100 days in 100 words. One of the most powerful things I've ever read:
topic/11489413/1/#new (http://forum.killthecan.org/topic/11489413/1/#new)
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:03:00 PM
3/13/18
Comedian Ron White summed up a lot of us when he quipped, “…I had the right to remain silent, but I didn’t have the ability”
ItÂ’s funny because most if not all of us can relate to that directly or indirectly.
It generally conjures up a scene of someone not satisfied with just one foot in their mouth, theyÂ’re going for both legs up to the knee.
The gist of it though is the inability of someone who, although they recognize they are on a bad course, is either unwilling or unable to change direction. And thatÂ’s not funny. ThereÂ’s nothing funny about nicotine addiction.
IÂ’ve included some links in my signature from a friend on the site for your reading.
Prepare to have your eyes opened.
I hope you have the ability.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:04:00 PM
3/15/18
Good morning, may you find a thousand reasons to quit today!

Is your lip shredded, does it hurt?
Mine doesnÂ’t
Does it stick out like the big lipped dogs of the Serengeti?
Mine doesnÂ’t
You still chasing the empty promise of the can?
IÂ’m not
You planning when the next fix will be?
IÂ’m not
You want to be free from dependency?
I AM.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:04:00 PM
3/16/18
Are you enjoying good health today? Think about that for a second.
In a way, youÂ’re like a fish thatÂ’s not cognizant that itÂ’s wet. ThatÂ’s all itÂ’s ever known.
So it is for us who are born healthy; we tend to take it for granted.
To go on using with full knowledge of the risks involved is to squander the good health youÂ’ve been blessed with.
I tell you the truth, right now this very day, there is someone in your community who would trade places with you in a second simply to have your health.
IÂ’m willing to bet they wouldnÂ’t squander it on tobacco.

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:05:00 PM
3/17/18
WeÂ’ve discussed a few times the excuses for not quitting.
Today IÂ’d like us to explore this from the angle of WHY you put one in.
Note that itÂ’s singular, not plural like excuses.
I know, you’re saying, “geez Athan, there’s a million good reasons. Like how the steak is retroactively better if I throw a chew in after it. Or how I am really in the zone putting in that last 100 feet of fence or splitting that last cord of wood, etc. etc.”
I hear you. I was there not long ago.
What you are experiencing is the addict mind and its association with the many facets of your life that nicotine has attached itself to.
The only reason you put one in is because youÂ’re an addict.
IÂ’m here to tell you that it doesnÂ’t have to be that way.
You werenÂ’t born with a chew in; you enjoyed life before it.
You can enjoy life without it again.
All it takes is a decision.

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:05:00 PM
3/18/18
“…And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again…”

Get a piece of paper and a pencil. Really, go ahead and get it, IÂ’ll wait.
ThereÂ’s something profound in the tangible written word. LetÂ’s play a little fill in the blankÂ….

I have been dipping for ______________ years
Post that where you can see it DAILY.

If you join us, youÂ’ll post your quit and how many days youÂ’re quit DAILY.

ThereÂ’s something profound in the tangible written wordÂ….

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today!

P.S. Time is not on your side
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:06:00 PM
3/19/18
Freedom.
ItÂ’s NOT fumbling with anxiety because your running low or out.
ItÂ’s a lip and gumline NOT shredded
ItÂ’s NOT dodging my wife or children to savor a fatty
ItÂ’s NOT waiting in line at the convenience store to get a can
ItÂ’s NOT driving across town to get a chew
ItÂ’s NOT making excuses to go out so I can stock up
ItÂ’s NOT sneaking a dip at work

Freedom IS peace

I hope you find a thousand reasons to quit today
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:07:00 PM
3/23/18
When told the volley of Persian arrows was so great that it blocked out the sun, Dienekes replied, “good, we can have our fight in the shade!”
Men can utter such things in the face of such incomprehensible odds because they know that they are part of something greater than themselves.
So it is with the quit.
You can chew a whole sleeve tomorrow if it pleases you, but not today.
For today you gave me your word that you would not.
You are now bound to me and to your brothers in quit by your word.
In case no one told you, thatÂ’s a very big deal.
What is a man if he has no integrity? Do you not know that your words and deeds live longer than you do? Are you unaware that your successes and failures reverberate into the spheres of those around you?
Take heart then my brothers, for you stand shoulder to shoulder with champions.
Come, join us, let us quit in the shade!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:08:00 PM
3/24/18
In retrospect, I think I hate the addict behavior more than I hate the adverse health effects of nicotine.
I think it more worthy of contempt than the use itself.
It is with profound sadness and pity that I now look upon you who use.
It is as if your eyes are cloaked with scales and you cannot grasp that freedom is so close, so very close; only a decision away. You need only reach out and claim it.
I leave you with the words of a man 10 years free. I scarce have seen so much wisdom packed into so few words:

“Ready - Day 3,704
I've been quit on this site for over ten years. I've had the privilege and honor of being asked to serve as both a mod and an admin. I'm still baffled by how well this place works if you are ready to quit. This place works.
Be advised, there is no magic pill and there is no cure.
But there is freedom to be had here. If your word of honor means something, you too can quit.
Post roll giving your word for today that you will not use nicotine in any way, shape or form. Keep your word. Whatever it takes.
You will find the help here you need. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people that understand exactly what you are going through. Most of them will drop whatever they are doing to help you stay quit. All of this and it's free too!
The knowledge and insight on this site can not be equaled anywhere.
If you are reading this, you may be contemplating quitting. Just know that you are not alone. We know! We can help. But you must do the heavy lifting. We can't quit for you. We will quit with you.
I don't think you can imagine right now how great your quality of life can be. You probably do not realize how much nicotine has taken from you. You may not want to hear this, but you are a slave. And you as well as friends and loved ones are suffering for your addiction.
You can quit!
You will not regret it!
It will be one of the hardest things you have ever done. It will also be one of the most rewarding things you have ever done.
It's going to suck for awhile (you will pay the price) but your freedom is worth it!”
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:09:00 PM
3/27/18
This is from the April Â’18 quit group. These are the ones who tried and failed.
Check out the names. Some of them tell a story. ItÂ’s not just chatroom monikers.
Behind each name is a man devoured by an addiction; A human being tortured and afflicted but not willing or able to turn away.
Check out Gumzbleed. This one haunts me. HereÂ’s a man unable to master himself or the addiction in spite of tremendous physical pain and visible precancerous symptoms.
How about Notreadytodie. He wasnÂ’t able to quit either.
I watched some of these men cross the threshold to KTC. Welcomed them with digits and open arms.
Still they deserted. They loved the can more than their families.
This list is more deeply stirring to my blood than posting daily with my brothers.
This isnÂ’t some kind of game. It really is a matter of life or death.
Do your gums bleed? Are you not ready to die?
What is it going to take? Really, what is it going to take?

April ‘18
12.7x99
MNcold
Notreadytodie
Kobeertx
Mhill22
Gumzbleed
GoJo914
Walkerm
Gunnernick
Mike T
Rheck4096
Jackn04
Brandon785
Keith B
BPM
73D
CDH0059
Pureblood
Hugh Jass
Randi
Bphillips013
ryanp41
Shawnatony
EOEO
pr0123
Angryamerican
Tider
Lmr2096
Marcabby
Tbrown
OX
Dcquitter
Hammer Hands
Thefaceless13
Rheleaf
Sox_Fan
StateGuy
Reegs
Laxdaddy27
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 05:10:00 PM
3/30/18
".....in simplest terms, the primary difference between a habit and an addiction....
Is that a person is ultimately in control of a habit.While an addiction is in control of the person...."

I didn't pen that, wish I did.

A clarification if I may, for the slow, tobacco use isn't a habit.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 07:06:00 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aabBgNQLK3g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aabBgNQLK3g)
The Sean Marsee Story. Watch it with your children.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Mack213 on March 30, 2018, 10:12:00 PM
I just needa leave this here.....

Thank you brother. For reaching out when I need it, when you need it.

I'm so proud to quit with you man.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2018, 10:53:00 PM
We are addicts.
WeÂ’re in the business of quitting here ladies and gentlemen.
We donÂ’t do excuses.
Why?
Because with the addict any excuse will do.
Who will be the arbiter of excuses if we go down that road? You? Me? The man who fell?
No. That door would never close.
We donÂ’t do excuses.
WeÂ’re in the business of quitting here.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 02, 2018, 03:08:00 AM
Funny how two people can witness the same thing yet perceive different realities.
You see a habit youÂ’re in control of
I see an addict controlled by a substance
You see a can
I see yet another iteration in an endless line
You see $5
I see thousands of dollars
You see tobacco
I see over 30 chemicals, some of them radioactive, among which is nicotine, guaranteed to keep you coming back
You see pleasure
I see pain
You see the individual experience
I see a father imparting death upon his son
You see reasons
I see excuses
The fact is you canÂ’t see because youÂ’re blinded by addiction.
You have to give up the can to see clearly.
You have to kill the can.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 04, 2018, 05:07:00 PM
4/3/18
Accountability.
It can be painful in the short term.
Lack of it will destroy a man in the long haul.
You will exercise it here, that and your honor and your integrity.
You will forge them in the fire of your quit and you will emerge a better man for it.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 04, 2018, 05:09:00 PM
If I had to distill it down to one descriptive word, it would be distortion.

The addiction distorts the userÂ’s perception of reality; twists it into dependency.

The distortion is that nicotine enhances life experiences. But it doesn't, it detracts from them.

By effecting the release of dopamine in the brain, it becomes the central experience; the lens through which life is viewed, the context upon which other experiences are weighed.
And because this occurs in the brain; it is intrinsic to the mind.
It is for this reason I tell you that what you are dealing with is NOT mind over matter but LIFE over ADDICTION.

This is why accountability groups are so successful; an objective third party to counterbalance the addicts own brain when struggling with desire for the next fix.

Yes, it's true, a real man can quit on his own, but only a fool does it needlessly.

More often than not, the fool fails.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 06, 2018, 09:44:00 AM
Storing it here to preserve it because it's just that cool....

Just Passing Through- Day 40....kinda Biblical. Sure, it didn't rain for 40 days straight, and I didn't have to wonder the desert for 40 years, or fast for 40 days as Jesus did; but in the context of the trials caused by/ during of all those things, it's a cool little milestone.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: chris2alaska on April 06, 2018, 11:26:00 AM
My thoughts on Athan.

Athan, is he a man? Is he a myth? Is he a freakish force of nature that will do anything to keep one of his brothers from caving to nicotine?

I think the latter to be the truest of all. In the very short time I have gotten to know Athan, he has shown me that he is a man of complete honor. I have only spoken to him on the phone a few times, texted back and forth a few times and emailed back and forth a few times but in all of those encounters with Athan, we have grown closer as friends and brothers. I can honestly say that I would take a bullet for Athan (in the leg or arm perhaps or maybe a rock or stick, something non-lethal or well let's just not go there right now (shameless humor) had to get it in).

Seriously though, If he called and said he needed me in Georgia tomorrow, I would do whatever it took to be there because I know he would be on the next flight to Alaska if I needed him.

So to anyone reading this, if you want a superior human being backing you up on your quit, I highly suggest you get in contact with Athan and be sure to tell him that I sent you.

Cheers my Brother, It is my honor to quit with you today.

Chris aka chris2alaska
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 06, 2018, 04:43:00 PM
Quote from: chris2alaska
My thoughts on Athan.

Athan, is he a man? Is he a myth? Is he a freakish force of nature that will do anything to keep one of his brothers from caving to nicotine?

I think the latter to be the truest of all. In the very short time I have gotten to know Athan, he has shown me that he is a man of complete honor. I have only spoken to him on the phone a few times, texted back and forth a few times and emailed back and forth a few times but in all of those encounters with Athan, we have grown closer as friends and brothers. I can honestly say that I would take a bullet for Athan (in the leg or arm perhaps or maybe a rock or stick, something non-lethal or well let's just not go there right now (shameless humor) had to get it in).

Seriously though, If he called and said he needed me in Georgia tomorrow, I would do whatever it took to be there because I know he would be on the next flight to Alaska if I needed him.

So to anyone reading this, if you want a superior human being backing you up on your quit, I highly suggest you get in contact with Athan and be sure to tell him that I sent you.

Cheers my Brother, It is my honor to quit with you today.

Chris aka chris2alaska
Exerpt from the movie Blackhawk Down
"Hoot": When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a xxxword. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.

Until you invest in your brothers quit, until you ask him to invest in yours, you haven't scratched the surface of what happens here. If you can't do that, you're short changing yourself.

Nothing strengthens your quit like helping your brother out.

Nothing.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: eric71 on April 07, 2018, 08:23:00 AM
Quote from: Athan
Quote from: chris2alaska
My thoughts on Athan.

Athan, is he a man? Is he a myth? Is he a freakish force of nature that will do anything to keep one of his brothers from caving to nicotine?

I think the latter to be the truest of all. In the very short time I have gotten to know Athan, he has shown me that he is a man of complete honor. I have only spoken to him on the phone a few times, texted back and forth a few times and emailed back and forth a few times but in all of those encounters with Athan, we have grown closer as friends and brothers. I can honestly say that I would take a bullet for Athan (in the leg or arm perhaps or maybe a rock or stick, something non-lethal or well let's just not go there right now (shameless humor) had to get it in).

Seriously though, If he called and said he needed me in Georgia tomorrow, I would do whatever it took to be there because I know he would be on the next flight to Alaska if I needed him.

So to anyone reading this, if you want a superior human being backing you up on your quit, I highly suggest you get in contact with Athan and be sure to tell him that I sent you.

Cheers my Brother, It is my honor to quit with you today.

Chris aka chris2alaska
"Hoot": When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a xxxword. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.

Until you invest in your brothers quit, until you ask him to invest in yours, you haven't scratched the surface of what happens here. If you can't do that, you're short changing yourself.

Nothing strengthens your quit like helping your brother out.

Nothing.
Sounds and reads like your contingent of quitters really understand the brotherhood here. Great stuff. Never become complacent in building the walls of your quit. Iron sharpens iron.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 08, 2018, 06:47:00 AM
Gotta park this here for future reference just cause it's badass (from USMC Ham 07 Apr 18):

So to those that support me... I thank you.
and those who have quit before me... I salute you.

Everybody else has a choice to make....
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on April 09, 2018, 09:17:00 PM
Wait, it's about the brothers???......what about a good tea bagging or a well executed upper decker? It's not about THAT?
'nutkick'
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: chris2alaska on April 10, 2018, 01:23:00 AM
Quote from: Doofus
Wait, it's about the brothers???......what about a good tea bagging or a well executed upper decker? It's not about THAT?
'nutkick'
Well Doofus,

It can be for you?. IÂ’m sure we can find a nice person that would like to tea bag you or upper deck you. Yeah, we can find that person for you.

SECURITYYYYYY
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 10, 2018, 08:15:00 AM
From Srains918 HOF speech. Powerful.

An addict fell in a hole and couldn't get out. A businessman went by. The addict called out for help. The businessman threw him some money and told him to buy a ladder, but the addict could not find a ladder in this hole he was in. A doctor walked by. The addict said, "Help, I can't get out." The doctor gave him some drugs and said, "Take this, it will relieve the pain." The addict said thanks, but when the pills ran out he was still in the hole. A renowned psychiatrist rode by and heard the addict's cries for help. He stopped and said, "How did you get in there? Were you born there? Did your parents put you there? Tell me about yourself, it will alleviate your sense of loneliness." So the addict talked with him for an hour, then the psychiatrist had to leave, but he said he'd be back next week. The addict thanked him, but was still in his hole. A priest came by and heard the addict calling for help. The priest gave him a Bible and said, "I'll pray for you." The priest got down on his knees and prayed for the addict, then left. The addict was very grateful and he read the whole Bible, but he was still stuck in that hole. A recovering addict happened to be passing by. The addict cried out, "Hey, help me, I'm stuck in this hole." Right away, the recovering addict jumped in the hole with him. The addict said, "What are you doing? Now we're both stuck here!" But the recovering addict said, "It's okay. I've been here before. I know the way out."
- Anonymous
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: worktowin on April 10, 2018, 01:24:00 PM
Athan, brother, today is your HOF day. You should feel 10' tall. Every once in a while, a dude comes into KTC and from the outset it is apparent that they are the real deal - a quitter - but a quitter with the brass balls to go the distance, one day at a time. You are one of those unicorns.

Congratulations on a huge milestone today. The journey isn't over. There will be bumps, even some hard ones, ahead. But you've come a long way and helped a lot of people along the way. It is an honor to quit with you today.

Opa!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: BrianG on April 10, 2018, 03:41:00 PM
Congrats on 100 days quit. I want to leave this here for you. This is a message that skoal monster left for DeanTheCoot on his HOF day. If you read DeanTheCoot's introduction, a lot of the references will make sense. Also, you will laugh your ass off if you read it. If you do not read his intro, then this master piece still rings true.

********************
Ah the coot, yes yes you are feeling some pain, a sense of loss perhaps? You quit for 100 days it was almost fun, a challenge, the community and the brotherhood were exciting and new. But now the first kiss is over and your quit is not so novel eh? Slowly reality sets in that you are really quit and your not going back THIS MY FRIEND IS A GOOD THING. However, Sally Rotten Crotch nic bitch isnt done with you yet, she's starting to whisper in your ear..... "Dean baby enough of these games, you know you can't leave me forever so why don't you just give up?" "Don't you love me anymore?"

I too hit a post Hof funk that was harder than the first two weeks of my quit. Its a gut check boy o .

There is nothing wrong with you a dip could fix, Chew does not fill a void in your life but creates one. You have lost nothing by giving it up. You say you still love it? What did you love you don't have now? Did it enhance your enjoyment of life? I doubt it. Perhaps your spouse found you more attractive, she always liked the pics in National Geographic of the dudes with a plate in their lower lip. Were you a better dad ? constantly hiding from your family or holding your baby in one hand and a spitter in the other? It helps you relax?, yes yes, but medically you know that's bullshit, it raised your bp and heart rate. the relaxation you felt was just getting back to normal because you fed the addiction and removed the withdrawl. Maybe you are secretly in love with Ahmed the gas station attendant, you miss going in and saying. " no not that can the other one,no to your left, no not the fucking peach god dammit the Copenhagen you fucker" All the while wanting to jump behind the counter and kill him cause your fiending.
There is nothing to miss Dean, its a scam.

The nic bitch is the mental version of the Sham Wow fag, you need to turn the fucking channel or put in some ear plugs. Honestly what helped me is finding some other poor deluded addict on his day one and watching him struggle like hell. It was almost sadistic at first. I felt satiatied when they hit the fog and the funk and the headaches and first no sleep then can't sleep enough, and the mouth sores and the fear of cancer. Watching them helped me stay quit because I hated that and won't do it again. I remember being desperate to stop and each night laying in bed thinking tomorrow tomorrow I wont dip. Watching guys cave forces me to remember that and not become complacent with my quit. Then it turned from love of dip and a sense of loss to a militant hatred. You have to cultivate that hate. Watching people struggle today pisses me off, not at them, but at the addiction. It is crazy the toll nic takes on us both mentally and physically. Find some strugglers in the new group and try to shepard them thru to the Hof. Don't get discouraged with yourself if they cave, many will. It will only remind you how far you have come and what you left behind. This will strengthen your quit. If they do make it, sharing the struggle with them will strengthen your quit as well.

Good luck Dean The Quitter

Good +1

SM
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: ChickDip on April 10, 2018, 06:21:00 PM
Congrats on your HOF day!
Keep it up odaat!
It's not 1Hun  Dun, stay the course, stay connected, stay strong, Quit Hard!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Rawls on April 11, 2018, 10:03:00 AM
Quote from: ChickDip
Congrats on your HOF day!
Keep it up odaat!
It's not 1Hun  Dun, stay the course, stay connected, stay strong, Quit Hard!
Well done brother on the hundy!
Just another great day of freedom.
Enjoy.......
Rawls 1240
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: USMC_Ham on April 11, 2018, 10:13:00 AM
Congrats on the HOF.

Hope to join you in about 88 all day every days.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 18, 2018, 05:23:00 PM
JGromo 4/18/18:
"...The tree's have thinned slightly in the forest of quit, the fog has lifted and its become more of a nice relaxing stroll through the woods than a treck through the muck, fog and jungle of quit..."
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 22, 2018, 05:25:00 AM
From Wildirish317:

Quitting is a word that tugs at emotion. By definition it associates itself with departing, leaving,
forsaking and abandonment. But the real abandonment took place on the day nicotine dependent
pathways suppressed all remaining memory of the beauty of life without nicotine, when no longer
able to recall how fantastic we functioned without it.

The word "quitting" tends to paint nicotine cessation in gray and black, in the doom and gloom of
bad and horrible. It breeds anticipatory fears, inner demons, needless anxieties, external enemies
and visions of suffering. It fosters a natural sense of self-deprivation, of leaving something
valuable behind.

Now, contrast quitting with recovery. Recovery doesn't run or hide from our addiction. Instead, it
boldly embraces who we became, and every aspect of this temporary journey of re-adjustment.
When knowledge based, we're looking for recovery symptoms, emotions, conditioning and junkie
thinking, and view each encounter as an opportunity to reclaim another piece of a nicotine-free life.

Nicotine dependency recovery presents an opportunity to experience what may be our richest
period of repair and self-discovery ever. Tissues are allowed to heal. Senses awaken and brain's
neuro-chemicals again flow in response to life not nicotine.

It's a period where each challenge overcome awards us another piece of our puzzle, a puzzle that
once complete reflects a life reclaimed.

You don't know me. I quit on 2/25/2016. This is my story. (http://forum.killthecan.org/topic/11541810/1/?x=90)
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 23, 2018, 05:45:00 AM
From Kid Riot (June 4/22/18), an epic quit:

I just want to tell everyone here, that i went through a tough weekend of tests and challenges. and i made through to the other side. and i want to share with you all how i did it. first off, i had to take a solo road trip friday night in horrible traffic to get to my destination. it was the first of such solo road trips to take since my quit. my first solo road trip without the crutch. then, saturday morning, up at 5am, with as little as 3hrs sleep, to head to our boat. and from 6am till 2 pm, on the water the entire time, fishing, drinking beers, and totally isolated with 3 other guys. and the only thing that kept me straight, from the start of the road trip, where i was PISSED, and i mean PISSED, that i had to do this without dip, and onto the boat for the rest of the saturday, was this mantra. and this mantra i had picked up from here, from one of the veterans. and i am sorry i dont remember who said it, but it was a veteran. and i remembered it. they said (in so many words), no matter where you are or what you are doing, if you cave, you will regret it later. but no matter how miserable you are resisting the crave, if you make it to the next day, you will have NO regrets. you will always regret a cave. you will never regret suffering while resisting a crave. when i started the road trip friday night, i was so pissed off that i promised not to use cuz i wanted to. i told myself, i could just be a lying asshole and lie to all of you, lie to my gf, lie to my friends who knew i was quit, lie to the world, and even lie to myself and just use in the privacy of my car. not be so pissed off. fuck everyone. it would be my secret and it would help me get through this clogged highway traveling though the night before i would get only a few hours sleep before the fishing trip.... but then what? use again while fishing? use again while grilling the fish? use again while drinking saturday night? use again while driving back on sunday????? when the fuck would it end???!! and even if i had said screw it all... i would have had regret. maybe not on saturday. maybe not even on sunday. but monday? tuesday? eventually, it would become a new day 1. and sdo much fucking regret and self worthlessness. as a veteran here said, and it stuck with me. YOU WILL ALWAYS REGRET A CAVE. BUT NEVER REGRET STAYING STRONG! Be strong brothers of quit! have NO REGRETS! i feel fucking AWESOME tonight! cause, when i was tested the hardest so far, i can tell you with full honesty, I HAVE NO FUCKING REGRETS! I AM QUIT! with all of you bad asses of june! you can do everything in life without that dead weed. no matter how hard it gets. remember. NO REGRETS!
hooyah!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on April 23, 2018, 08:42:00 AM
Thanks.... powerful bro, thanks for sharing that

Its sounds awful similar to some of my numerous caves over the years.....its the "I can have just one mantra, no one will know"

Funny how words stick.

Man in the mirror fellas, that guy has to live with his decisions. That guy is all of us when we stare into the mirror.
Stay quit, ODAAT!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 27, 2018, 04:34:00 AM
The four horsemen of my Quitacalypse:

Skolvikings
If actions speak louder than words,
in the annals of quit we shall see,
that you thundered from the mountains
and burst forth from the sea.
Those you helped were in the hundreds,
the mighty bitch was slain
We broke the chains she held us with
and the cans fell down like rain.
What a marvelous gift to give
to our quitting posterity
For those still held in bondage,
for victoryÂ’s theirs to see
And theyÂ’ll ask who went before them,
Who carved the path in stone
Behold there goes SkolVikings,
a greater quitter was never known!

Mack213
Do you know of my brother, Mack213?
In the halls of quit is where he is seen.
Of his exploits wondrous tales are told,
And heÂ’ll strengthen your quit a thousand fold.
Oh his slain are a mighty throng,
providing poets with ballad and song
OÂ’er the bitch will he cast a dark pall,
For my brother Mack is 10 feet tall!
He spins her legions off into chaos,
and lays waste to the can on a daily basis.
She flees before him, at the very sound of his voice,
as he informs all the addicts that they have a choice.
He takes them by the hand, he looks into their eyes,
“Come follow me brothers, just give it a try!”
IÂ’ve gone before you, IÂ’ve blazed the trail,
DonÂ’t let her beguile you, for that ship has sailed.
And so here he toils, day after day,
Finding new quitters to show them the way.
YouÂ’ll need his wise counsel when youÂ’re at wits end
And when you find him, youÂ’ve found a friend!

JGromo
Every now and then a man comes along,
Who works in your life, who moves you to song.
It happened to me when I met JGromo
AinÂ’t talking bout love, (not like that you homo)
I was stumbling about like a fool in the dark,
I was lost and confused in the nic bitches park.
I wanted to have it, just one more tin,
Then I heard his voice, all calm in the din
I was thrashing about all anxious and scared
And so I cried out and my soul was bared:
James IÂ’m in anguish, IÂ’m drowning here man!
He just replied softly, Athan put down the can.
I need it I stammered, this stuff is my life,
DonÂ’t be a fool he explained, ItÂ’s the source of your strife.
But IÂ’ve got to have it, you donÂ’t understand!
YouÂ’re an addict he said, and stretched out his hand.
I remember that day early on in my quit
When James came along, pulled me off of her tit
Then I stood on his shoulders and I scraped the sky,
And he let me taste freedom, now I can fly.

Chris2alaska
Have you heard of Chris2alaska, of the stories old men tell?
Then lend me your ear, for I tell it well.
He hails from up yonder, with the cold Eskimo
Where the snowÂ’s miles deep and the Northern lights glow.
The wolf and the fox, the bear in her den
WonÂ’t venture outside when heÂ’s round the bend.
HeÂ’s eight feet tall and four hundred pounds,
and itÂ’s said his wangdoodle still drags the ground.
A man among men, born a true warrior
but my brother Chris had a chink in his armor.
A harmless vice started so long ago
Was now thirty years of smokeless tobacco.
THREE cans of the weed for his daily consumption
But deep inside did burn his compunction
Chis was a slave, the nic bitches whore.
Of this I assure you, he wanted no more.
He confronted that bitch, heÂ’d an axe to grind
Truth be told the manÂ’s scary (he takes moose from behind!)
He fought his battle and emerged victorious,
One day at a time his story grew glorious.
He didnÂ’t rest on his laurels, not one to sit idle
He got a wagon, and a moose with a bridle.
And he roamed the halls of this here KTC
Looking for quitters like just you and me
And lo he found me stumbling around
In a nic induced stupor like some silly ass clown
Oh the bitch had me, firm in her grasp
Cloaked in anxiety, lock and hasp
But Chris wouldnÂ’t have it, no he climbed down
And grabbed this here addict and flung off her crown
He offered his hand and helped me stand up
I learned to taste freedom from the abstinence cup
So I tell his story, regale it with cheer
For had he not done so I wouldnÂ’t be here
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 28, 2018, 12:27:00 PM
So I'm at the Tractor Supply and the guy in front of me has to tilt his head back to speak to this cute little checkout girl so as to avoid dumping a mouthful of chew slobber all over her counter.

It is absolutely staggering to view the insanity of this addiction from the outside.

Ain't nothing like FREEDOM!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 29, 2018, 01:14:00 PM
Wisdom and eloquence in one laconic package (From SuperDave9000 intro 4/29/18):

"...there are two dogs in the fight, which one are you feeding? When I come on here and write this stuff and post roll and text these guys on here that have been texting with me, I am feeding the right dog..."
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on April 30, 2018, 05:16:00 PM
From Kybo (April '18)

I am a bit of a numbers nerd myself. It is kind of funny you brought this up because I was thinking about it last week and pulled a few numbers from the Members tab. I can't remember what day I did it, but I think it was Thursday or Friday last week. I pulled some easy stuff and didn't put a lot of work into it. But, here is what I pulled.

1) There are a little over 32,000 members that have registered at KTC.
2) About 3,200 of those registered members show zero activity.
3) On the day I pulled the numbers I found approximately 1000 unique members had been active over a 36 hour period.
4) Of those 1000 active members, approximately 650 had been a member for at least one year.
5) Of those 650 active members, 197 had been a member for at least 5 years.

I have no idea how accurate the info on the member tab might be. And I went through the stuff pretty quick. I know my numbers aren't 100% accurate, but they are close based on the info available on the member tab.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 03, 2018, 07:02:00 PM
"I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America"

Part of the code of conduct for American military personnel. Learned it in boot camp a long long time ago. Don't know why but that one has always resonated with me (had to look up which one it was just now, it's article VI).

The part that resonates with the quitter is right there in the middle, "responsible for my actions". Once comprehended and embraced, It is an epiphany to an addict:

It means no excuses, I am responsible.
No one puts words in my mouth, I am responsible.
No one makes me chew, I am responsible.
No one makes me get drunk, I am responsible.

It really simplifies things, don't you think?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on May 04, 2018, 08:58:00 AM
Quote from: Athan
"I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America"

Part of the code of conduct for American military personnel. Learned it in boot camp a long long time ago. Don't know why but that one has always resonated with me (had to look up which one it was just now, it's article VI).

The part that resonates with the quitter is right there in the middle, "responsible for my actions". Once comprehended and embraced, It is an epiphany to an addict:

It means no excuses, I am responsible.
No one puts words in my mouth, I am responsible.
No one makes me chew, I am responsible.
No one makes me get drunk, I am responsible.

It really simplifies things, don't you think?
Failure is a choice, we own our choices, it's that simple.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 06, 2018, 09:15:00 AM
Off to church this morning. I teach the adult Bible class. My routine is usually up at 0500 and start preparing for the lesson. I'm a morning person so it's always been a nice time for me, my coffee, the quiet, the solitude, alone with my thoughts, and a big fat chew while I went about preparing a bible lesson. I know right? Wallowing in sin a slave to the lusts of the flesh whilst preparing a study in the life of Christ about not doing just that very thing. Such is the dichotomy of addiction.
I was starkly aware of it this morning on day 126 of freedom as I went about my preparation without nicotine. It was there all along. I just see it now that the veil of addiction has dropped; John 8:32 "...Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free".
Blessings to you all with success in your quit!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Rawls on May 06, 2018, 09:25:00 AM
Quote from: Athan
Off to church this morning. I teach the adult Bible class. My routine is usually up at 0500 and start preparing for the lesson. I'm a morning person so it's always been a nice time for me, my coffee, the quiet, the solitude, alone with my thoughts, and a big fat chew while I went about preparing a bible lesson. I know right? Wallowing in sin a slave to the lusts of the flesh whilst preparing a study in the life of Christ about not doing just that very thing. Such is the dichotomy of addiction.
I was starkly aware of it this morning on day 126 of freedom as I went about my preparation without nicotine. It was there all along. I just see it now that the veil of addiction has dropped; John 8:32 "...Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free".
Blessings to you all with success in your quit!
Praise.......
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 08, 2018, 06:36:00 PM
From BlueManChew, posting 5/8/18 in August '18:

For as strange as we all are, we seem to conform to a norm. That norm is quit.

That norm is sleepless nights and dip dreams early on. That norm is anxiety and uncaused and intense anger, and slamming doors and breaking windows (me), and without any real provocation, chucking a griddle with half-cooked Sunday morning pancakes into the kitchen sink (me again.)

The norm is depression, worry, fog, and staring at a task for 30 minutes and not having lifted a finger. The norm is seeking just a moment of reprieve, and being painfully aware of the bitch who lurks just beyond the periphery.

The norm is feeling frustration after 30, 60, and a 100 days wondering why the fuck I still crave, or why is it still so goddamn hard? Or will it ever end?

The norm is the grind, e.d.d., a.d.d, and brotherhood.

The norm is peace of mind and health, of self-confidence, better sleep, calm, personal advancement, opportunity, and more productivity.

The norm now is winning.

Whether on day 1,000 or day 1, the norm is QUIT.

In QUIT, there are no strangers.

PTBQWY - BMC day 213
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on May 11, 2018, 08:12:00 AM
I like these quotes
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 11, 2018, 08:22:00 PM
I grow frustrated watching the cave come. You can almost predict who will fall next. The posts get later and later, a day missed and the guy vanishes or reappears after a 5 day hiatus.
I love what Ready says about can't quit for you but it's still so damn hard to watch it happen in front of you.
I really have cultivated my hatred for the addiction and the addict behavior into a palpable thing. I look upon the guys that do it with disdain and disgust when I see it at work or in town. Can't believe I was one of their cadre for so long.
I honestly don't know how guys can pass through these halls and use again. blows me away....
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: BubbaM on May 11, 2018, 08:56:00 PM
I just want to say...I wouldnÂ’t be where I am today if I didnÂ’t have your help...I appreciate the support everyday...I know some days, watching my story can make you cringe and wonder why I type what I type. But I wear everything on my sleeves. All my emotions. Everything I feel. Maybe someday I will look back and laugh. Or cry. Or yell! But until someday comes I need to take ODAAT!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: wildirish317 on May 11, 2018, 11:04:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
I grow frustrated watching the cave come. You can almost predict who will fall next. The posts get later and later, a day missed and the guy vanishes or reappears after a 5 day hiatus.
I love what Ready says about can't quit for you but it's still so damn hard to watch it happen in front of you.
I really have cultivated my hatred for the addiction and the addict behavior into a palpable thing. I look upon the guys that do it with disdain and disgust when I see it at work or in town. Can't believe I was one of their cadre for so long.
I honestly don't know how guys can pass through these halls and use again. blows me away....
You do what you can. It is enough. :wub:
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 12, 2018, 09:36:00 AM
From BubbaM (a righteous brother, nay WARRIOR of quit):

...When this is happening I am functioning out of the butt of my brain or the brain stem. This is the brains fight or flight area or mode. In order to get out of this mode or area of the brain you need to access your relationships. That is by either talking to someone face to face, relating to someone on the phone, looking at pictures on your phone of family. If you do this then you will stop functioning out of the butt of the brain and you will move your thought process up to the top of the brain. Your relationship area.....

Now I have something useful to say to someone instead of, "...quit obsessing about it!"
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 13, 2018, 05:56:00 PM
From Scooners, June 27, 2011:

What nicotine can't do:

It cannot cripple love; it cannot shatter hope; it cannot disolve faith; it cannot destroy peace; it cannot kill friendships; it cannot suppress memories; it cannot silence courage; it cannot invade the soul; it cannot steal eternal life; it cannot conquer the spirit - IF YOU ARE QUIT.


Good night quitters, see ya in the morning.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on May 14, 2018, 10:42:00 AM
Quote from: Athan
From Scooners, June 27, 2011:

What nicotine can't do:

It cannot cripple love; it cannot shatter hope; it cannot disolve faith; it cannot destroy peace; it cannot kill friendships; it cannot suppress memories; it cannot silence courage; it cannot invade the soul; it cannot steal eternal life; it cannot conquer the spirit - IF YOU ARE QUIT.


Good night quitters, see ya in the morning.
Good one, thanks for that
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 15, 2018, 04:58:00 AM
Early in the quit, I had trouble falling asleep. Had quite a few sleepless nights even, you know where you never quite reach that state of sleep but toss and turn and get pissed off because you can't sleep which in turn impedes actually falling asleep and you turn into a zombie and contemplate eating brains. Was reading Kybo's intro recently about the evening chew with a good book; it's was something I indulged in ritually. I probably read two to three books a month (mostly history, religion, politics, and economics. I don't have time for fiction). The lady at the library knew my name. Haven't been there since I quit. I don't toss and turn to fall asleep anymore either. I'm out within 5 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. But I'm up a lot earlier now though. 0200 today. That's all she wrote, my eyes failed open. So I get up and post roll in all of my groups and head out to the gym (squats this morning w/Mack213 - we've exchanges work out tracks!). I'll prolly be tired at 7pm this evening and be sound asleep by 8pm tonight. I'm still getting a solid 6 hours of sleep a night, my clock has just shifted. Just wanted to share with guys who maybe struggling with sleep issues. I still do benedryl but am looking to wean off of that soon. I'm 135 days free today and loving it.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 20, 2018, 10:37:00 AM
From Goody 5/20/18 on freedom:

We where booking in fisherman yesterday when I saw someone who has been fishing here for over 30 years. He had a mouth full of leaf in and saw I had a can of fake. He asked me if I quit and with shouldered back and head high I said your dam right I quit. He told me he could not quit the snuff but could quit the leaf when ever be wanted. I thought that used to be me. The words of an addict. He asked if it was hard to quit I said yes. But he new that. I told him of the KTC site. Didn't really want to hear it. I felt bad for him but God dam proud of myself. I will never be that person again. Just something interesting to pass on. It was nice to see the work was paying off in me brain to be around others chewing and it was OK. Now let's go fishing.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 22, 2018, 10:24:00 AM
Today is one of those days where I wish I was a ditch digger. Just me and a shovel mindlessly making progress. The very man tasking me with digging my ditch not actively working against me with corporate protocols, procedures, checklists, etc etc. today I wish I was just a ditch digger.
Then again, They prolly don't have a dental plan.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on May 31, 2018, 05:01:00 PM
From ThegreatwhiteF250 HOF speech (got goosebumps reading it!):

"...We just have to embrace the mental hell that is withdrawal and choke it the fuck out, gouge out the eyes of that nic bitch and hope one day she can no longer see us."
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on June 18, 2018, 08:38:00 PM
From my friend Voldex, a ballad about....me!
There once was a lad by the name of Athan.
He strut 'round the town boasting of glory,
Stories of battle and killing with no hesitation.
The enemies lived to tell no story.

Years went by, Athan found no match
Twas as if his power knew no bounds!
Word got 'round that there was a catch
Athan only had might when his mistress was around

This mistress, a sorceress was she
gripping Athan with her cold death grasp
Struggled he did, but bound was he
To this sorceress with iron clad clasp

Hopeless it seemed to Athan to break free
till through the window he caught glimpse of some hope
The lads of KTC marching together did he see!
Together they put the bitch down, no longer must they cope!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on June 19, 2018, 02:31:00 AM
From 30 yr Addict:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes." - Chuck Swindoll
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: wildirish317 on June 21, 2018, 11:01:00 PM
^ I would add to this - Gratitude.

Be grateful, when you wake in the morning, for the air you breathe as you take that first breath.
Be grateful, for the person who lies next to you, if there is one, for they choose to be with you to start this day.
Be grateful, for the place that anticipates you to come and help solve their problems and help them thrive as a business.
Be grateful, for your chance to live this life in your body.
And, most of all, be grateful, for the freedom from the grasp of nicotine, from which you escaped, with the help of KTC.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on June 24, 2018, 09:22:00 PM
The longer I live the more I focus on things I can control, ignoring things I cannot control
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on June 26, 2018, 09:59:00 AM
From Eric71, reflections on 6 years:
"...Time and opportunity will not pause to wait on us to get our shit in order. The world is not that patient. Don't be hesitant in your quit. Don't be passive in your endeavors. Don't let your fire burn out. This is your here and now, every day, every moment, we have the chance to make life better for ourselves and those we allow in our world. Do we want to look back and wish for time long since past, or do we want to remember the instances we chose to show our fire, passion, and love for our life? "
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on June 26, 2018, 10:04:00 AM
From Worktowin on 2,000:
"2,000 days. Wow. I remember seeing day counts like this and thinking... no fucking way dude. I don't believe it. Not possible. Well, it is possible. It really isn't even that hard after you push through the start and learn how this place works. Make connections. Make friends. Build a network. POST ROLL EVERY DAY. No exceptions. HONOR YOUR WORD. Quit as a team. Brotherhood + Accountability."
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on July 17, 2018, 06:09:00 PM
A big win! Scrolling through the medical form when I got to the part regarding nicotine usage - I got to write "oh hell no!"
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: kybo on July 17, 2018, 11:13:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
A big win! Scrolling through the medical form when I got to the part regarding nicotine usage - I got to write "oh hell no!"
A big win, indeed! I got to experience the same thing a few weeks ago. It made me feel ten feet tall and it put an ear to ear smile on my face! Celebrating the "little things" like getting the thermostat set just right on the fridge in the barn to get the perfect coldness of beer every time, or being able to honestly check the "no" box next to the tobacco question for the first time in 35 years. They might be little things to most people, but those are both big wins in my book.

Congratulations!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: ChickDip on July 18, 2018, 01:26:00 AM
Quote from: Kybo
Quote from: Athan
A big win! Scrolling through the medical form when I got to the part regarding nicotine usage - I got to write "oh hell no!"
A big win, indeed! I got to experience the same thing a few weeks ago. It made me feel ten feet tall and it put an ear to ear smile on my face! Celebrating the "little things" like getting the thermostat set just right on the fridge in the barn to get the perfect coldness of beer every time, or being able to honestly check the "no" box next to the tobacco question for the first time in 35 years. They might be little things to most people, but those are both big wins in my book.

Congratulations!




Awesome!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on July 18, 2018, 09:31:00 AM
I'm looking forward to filling out forms and honestly stating NO to the nicotine question....this is a good one
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on July 18, 2018, 04:59:00 PM
Why we quit
It has been said that Hell is seeing the man God created you to be standing before the man that you are. I think for a lot of addicts, that is the tipping point. The addict behavior in and of itself is repugnant to men for it is the epitome of weakness. All that it entails, the lying to self and others, the financial loss, the health risks, the willfully subservient attitude, is no different than that of a maggot mindlessly crawling in the dust in search of its next fix. For many of us, we could no longer reconcile what we had become with that which we wished to be as fathers, as husbands, as men.

Fatherhood is a responsibility all its own, unequalled in that which is bestowed upon men. ThereÂ’s not a man among us who would purchase tobacco products for our children, yet we used in front of them. For many, that was a dichotomy no longer bearable. To be sure evil will enter this world, but woe to him through whom it comes; better a millstone were hung about his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Clearly our children will learn the vices of this world, but it doesnÂ’t have to come about of our own volition. We now exhibit behavior worthy of emulation.

A husband also has responsibilities to his wife, among which are fidelity, honesty, and acting in a manner worthy of respect. For many addicts, all three of these suffered and eroded under the weight of addiction. Many a man has lied to his spouse about tobacco, has been deceitful in its acquisition and use, and about the money spent on it. All too often, for too many men, what should have been our first love has gone to bed alone playing second fiddle to a can while we stayed up late for just one more. This is not how many of us envisioned our marriages to be. We are now respectable men our wives are proud of, no longer ducking away from our family or hiding a lipper at social gatherings or functions.

Lastly, there is something intrinsic in manhood that demands a man be honest with himself. For many of us, when the quit is set upon, the nicotine addiction is but the first stone overturned. Having now sharpened the focus of the lens of introspection, other cracks and flaws come into view as other stones are overturned. We begin to see with clarity and introspective honesty the contradictions and compromises that we have made at the expense of our integrity, at the very essence of what it means for us to be men. The view for many of us is not pretty: alcohol and/or drug abuse, financial mismanagement, gluttony, laziness, pornography, gambling addiction, profanity, adultery, etc. etc. The process by which weÂ’ve arrived here serves us well in this respect: we are now able to acknowledge and deal with these shortcomings. These flaws of character constitute the gaps to the men that we were created by God to be. Unlike lesser men, we have consciously altered our course, we have changed our trajectory and are now headed towards that which we are destined to become. We are destined to become better fathers, better husbands, better MEN.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: worktowin on July 19, 2018, 08:37:00 AM
Quote from: Athan
Why we quit
It has been said that Hell is seeing the man God created you to be standing before the man that you are. I think for a lot of addicts, that is the tipping point. The addict behavior in and of itself is repugnant to men for it is the epitome of weakness. All that it entails, the lying to self and others, the financial loss, the health risks, the willfully subservient attitude, is no different than that of a maggot mindlessly crawling in the dust in search of its next fix. For many of us, we could no longer reconcile what we had become with that which we wished to be as fathers, as husbands, as men.

Fatherhood is a responsibility all its own, unequalled in that which is bestowed upon men. ThereÂ’s not a man among us who would purchase tobacco products for our children, yet we used in front of them. For many, that was a dichotomy no longer bearable. To be sure evil will enter this world, but woe to him through whom it comes; better a millstone were hung about his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Clearly our children will learn the vices of this world, but it doesnÂ’t have to come about of our own volition. We now exhibit behavior worthy of emulation.

A husband also has responsibilities to his wife, among which are fidelity, honesty, and acting in a manner worthy of respect. For many addicts, all three of these suffered and eroded under the weight of addiction. Many a man has lied to his spouse about tobacco, has been deceitful in its acquisition and use, and about the money spent on it. All too often, for too many men, what should have been our first love has gone to bed alone playing second fiddle to a can while we stayed up late for just one more. This is not how many of us envisioned our marriages to be. We are now respectable men our wives are proud of, no longer ducking away from our family or hiding a lipper at social gatherings or functions.

Lastly, there is something intrinsic in manhood that demands a man be honest with himself. For many of us, when the quit is set upon, the nicotine addiction is but the first stone overturned. Having now sharpened the focus of the lens of introspection, other cracks and flaws come into view as other stones are overturned. We begin to see with clarity and introspective honesty the contradictions and compromises that we have made at the expense of our integrity, at the very essence of what it means for us to be men. The view for many of us is not pretty: alcohol and/or drug abuse, financial mismanagement, gluttony, laziness, pornography, gambling addiction, profanity, adultery, etc. etc. The process by which weÂ’ve arrived here serves us well in this respect: we are now able to acknowledge and deal with these shortcomings. These flaws of character constitute the gaps to the men that we were created by God to be. Unlike lesser men, we have consciously altered our course, we have changed our trajectory and are now headed towards that which we are destined to become. We are destined to become better fathers, better husbands, better MEN.
Congratulations on 200 days of greatness!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Rawls on July 19, 2018, 09:10:00 AM
Quote from: worktowin
Quote from: Athan
Why we quit
It has been said that Hell is seeing the man God created you to be standing before the man that you are. I think for a lot of addicts, that is the tipping point. The addict behavior in and of itself is repugnant to men for it is the epitome of weakness. All that it entails, the lying to self and others, the financial loss, the health risks, the willfully subservient attitude, is no different than that of a maggot mindlessly crawling in the dust in search of its next fix. For many of us, we could no longer reconcile what we had become with that which we wished to be as fathers, as husbands, as men.

Fatherhood is a responsibility all its own, unequalled in that which is bestowed upon men. ThereÂ’s not a man among us who would purchase tobacco products for our children, yet we used in front of them. For many, that was a dichotomy no longer bearable. To be sure evil will enter this world, but woe to him through whom it comes; better a millstone were hung about his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Clearly our children will learn the vices of this world, but it doesnÂ’t have to come about of our own volition. We now exhibit behavior worthy of emulation.

A husband also has responsibilities to his wife, among which are fidelity, honesty, and acting in a manner worthy of respect. For many addicts, all three of these suffered and eroded under the weight of addiction. Many a man has lied to his spouse about tobacco, has been deceitful in its acquisition and use, and about the money spent on it. All too often, for too many men, what should have been our first love has gone to bed alone playing second fiddle to a can while we stayed up late for just one more. This is not how many of us envisioned our marriages to be. We are now respectable men our wives are proud of, no longer ducking away from our family or hiding a lipper at social gatherings or functions.

Lastly, there is something intrinsic in manhood that demands a man be honest with himself. For many of us, when the quit is set upon, the nicotine addiction is but the first stone overturned. Having now sharpened the focus of the lens of introspection, other cracks and flaws come into view as other stones are overturned. We begin to see with clarity and introspective honesty the contradictions and compromises that we have made at the expense of our integrity, at the very essence of what it means for us to be men. The view for many of us is not pretty: alcohol and/or drug abuse, financial mismanagement, gluttony, laziness, pornography, gambling addiction, profanity, adultery, etc. etc. The process by which weÂ’ve arrived here serves us well in this respect: we are now able to acknowledge and deal with these shortcomings. These flaws of character constitute the gaps to the men that we were created by God to be. Unlike lesser men, we have consciously altered our course, we have changed our trajectory and are now headed towards that which we are destined to become. We are destined to become better fathers, better husbands, better MEN.
Congratulations on 200 days of greatness!
Congrats brother on 200...
The Quit is Salty Strong through these pages.
Appreciate your intro... Your Time....
I quit with you today.
Rawls 1340
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Batdad on July 19, 2018, 09:25:00 AM
Quote from: Rawls
Quote from: worktowin
Quote from: Athan
Why we quit
It has been said that Hell is seeing the man God created you to be standing before the man that you are. I think for a lot of addicts, that is the tipping point. The addict behavior in and of itself is repugnant to men for it is the epitome of weakness. All that it entails, the lying to self and others, the financial loss, the health risks, the willfully subservient attitude, is no different than that of a maggot mindlessly crawling in the dust in search of its next fix. For many of us, we could no longer reconcile what we had become with that which we wished to be as fathers, as husbands, as men.

Fatherhood is a responsibility all its own, unequalled in that which is bestowed upon men. ThereÂ’s not a man among us who would purchase tobacco products for our children, yet we used in front of them. For many, that was a dichotomy no longer bearable. To be sure evil will enter this world, but woe to him through whom it comes; better a millstone were hung about his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Clearly our children will learn the vices of this world, but it doesnÂ’t have to come about of our own volition. We now exhibit behavior worthy of emulation.

A husband also has responsibilities to his wife, among which are fidelity, honesty, and acting in a manner worthy of respect. For many addicts, all three of these suffered and eroded under the weight of addiction. Many a man has lied to his spouse about tobacco, has been deceitful in its acquisition and use, and about the money spent on it. All too often, for too many men, what should have been our first love has gone to bed alone playing second fiddle to a can while we stayed up late for just one more. This is not how many of us envisioned our marriages to be. We are now respectable men our wives are proud of, no longer ducking away from our family or hiding a lipper at social gatherings or functions.

Lastly, there is something intrinsic in manhood that demands a man be honest with himself. For many of us, when the quit is set upon, the nicotine addiction is but the first stone overturned. Having now sharpened the focus of the lens of introspection, other cracks and flaws come into view as other stones are overturned. We begin to see with clarity and introspective honesty the contradictions and compromises that we have made at the expense of our integrity, at the very essence of what it means for us to be men. The view for many of us is not pretty: alcohol and/or drug abuse, financial mismanagement, gluttony, laziness, pornography, gambling addiction, profanity, adultery, etc. etc. The process by which weÂ’ve arrived here serves us well in this respect: we are now able to acknowledge and deal with these shortcomings. These flaws of character constitute the gaps to the men that we were created by God to be. Unlike lesser men, we have consciously altered our course, we have changed our trajectory and are now headed towards that which we are destined to become. We are destined to become better fathers, better husbands, better MEN.
Congratulations on 200 days of greatness!
Congrats brother on 200...
The Quit is Salty Strong through these pages.
Appreciate your intro... Your Time....
I quit with you today.
Rawls 1340
Congrats on 200, and thank you for sharing your quit with others!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Skolvikings on July 19, 2018, 01:41:00 PM
Much love brother Athan, we are beyond blessed you came into April, you are an inspiration to many and loved by most.

Thank you for your wonderful friendship and quit ethic.

Much love my brother.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on July 19, 2018, 09:02:00 PM
LUQITSOILYB!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on July 31, 2018, 07:04:00 PM
Double WUPP time for 200, proud to be quit wit u
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Gromo on August 08, 2018, 10:11:00 AM
100 days sober...Brother I can't put into words how proud I am of you. You are a completely different man than you were this time last year. You are on the right path to living well into your future grandchildren's lives. Your family must be honored to count themselves as blood relatives to the legend that is Athan. I'll raise my glass of arnold palmer to you brother, to one more day of living nic free, one more day of staying clear of the booze and one more day of healthy eating. You've given me the strength to continue on countless times and I hope that I can do the same for you one day!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on August 08, 2018, 06:16:00 PM
Quote from: JGromo
...You've given me the strength to continue on countless times and I hope that I can do the same for you one day!
SILLY MAN!
I wouldn't be here were it not for you, helping me to give up the chew, and then the brew, always with a call or two, for the quit to renew and lift me when I'm blue, because your friendship rings true and turns my grey skies to blue, because you've walked in my shoe (s), when I was lost with no view you tossed me a clue, I grabbed the tew and trailed your crew, we're now quit like the sioux.
Dear Gromo my man, I'm indebted to you!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on August 09, 2018, 04:25:00 PM
DUMONEÂ’S HOF SPEECH (http://forum.killthecan.org/topic/30669304/1/#new)

It's the shizzle!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Hutch18 on August 09, 2018, 09:45:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
DUMONEÂ’S HOF SPEECH (http://forum.killthecan.org/topic/30669304/1/#new)

It's the shizzle!
That HOF speech is worth the read. Thanks for posting it.
This site has some truly inspirational quitters!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on August 10, 2018, 05:51:00 AM
222 days and a dip dream last night. Staggering that they still invade my sleep. I can't remember the context but a quit brother was with me though I couldn't see his face. We dove into the can packing our lips full of it.
The pleasure lasted seconds before the wave of shame and humiliation swept over me and I couldn't spit it out fast enough. The dip barnacles were clinging to my lip and I couldn't get them off. I was close to retching when I finally came to. Jeez I hate those. Still, it's a good reminder of why I'm on the path that I'm on.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on August 15, 2018, 11:58:00 AM
Weird, I have not really ever had a dip dream
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on August 15, 2018, 05:09:00 PM
Quote from: Doofus
Weird, I have not really ever had a dip dream
you suck and deserve an elephant upper decker
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Rawls on August 15, 2018, 10:05:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
Quote from: Doofus
Weird, I have not really ever had a dip dream
you suck and deserve an elephant upper decker
Athan = Quit

Keep typing Sir....
Rawls 1367
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on August 23, 2018, 10:47:00 AM
Getting close to un chartered quit waters.....never been past 7 months in 30 years....222 qlf
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on August 31, 2018, 12:15:00 PM
So I'm well past the HOF now (from my perspective). I'm realizing that there are distinct stages of the quit. Each one like some new plateau or vista that I just could not see from where I started. The post HOF funk was real, and there have actually been one or two 'craves'. I'd call them periods of intense frustration or anxiety. Lately though I'm seeing in the post HOF groups some people fading away. And the stage that I'm seeing now is the returning cavers. Had two guys text me just this week about that very thing. While I cannot condone the early caves; it is absolutely staggering to me that someone would use post HOF. I just can't wrap my head around it. That's like graduating High School and FORGETTING how to read. Un-friggin-believable.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: chris2alaska on August 31, 2018, 05:05:00 PM
chris2alaska's Dick Pic (http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/821599/530wm/C0339380-Elk_Mating_Season-SPL.jpg)

Enjoy 'Remshot'
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 03, 2018, 06:29:00 PM
Quote from: chris2alaska
chris2alaska's Dick Pic (http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/821599/530wm/C0339380-Elk_Mating_Season-SPL.jpg)

Enjoy 'Remshot'
well now, that's, well, wow. Points for technique. Points for form. Points for finesse. Points all around!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 04, 2018, 07:11:00 PM
From QuitNWinay 9/4/18:
...I met this cousin who's a champion dipper. As the coversation went, he blamed the high school bunch for his dipping addiction. Some people just don't get it - I am not an addict because of bad parenting. Or because of a sport, or the kids I hung out with at school. It is not because of my occupation, neither because life found a way of kicking me in the nuts every now and then. Or because of the way dip is marketed and sold at gas stations. The can never ever jumped off the shelf, into my pocket or into my mouth. I made that decision of buying the can every damn day. Paid with my hard earned money to keep the addiction going. I was an addict because I loved tobacco. Because, I thought I could remain functional only with that bitch in my mouth. I fuelled my addiction by not ever seriously giving up on tobacco - till 48 days ago!

It is important to understand and acknowledge that it is only me that is to blame for my addiction - OWN UP!!! I think that's the first step towards a new life!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 05, 2018, 08:07:00 PM
"I'm not a smart man but I know what Quit is"
Forrest Quit

“I quit, therefore I am”
Desquittes

“Hard. It’s a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort”

You'll never regret quitting. You will ALWAYS regret a cave.

“If quitting is wrong I don’t wanna be right”

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep quitting.”
¯ Martin Luther Quit Jr.

I set out one day to find enemies, and I found no friends.
I set out one day to find friends, and I found no enemies.
You will find that which you truly seek. Set your heart therefore on being quit.

“To quit or not to quit, that is the question.”
William Quitsphere

"Life is God's gift to a man. Integrity is a mans gift to himself."

"The devil is roaming devouring souls like a lion EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. Fight. Fight. Fight.”
Swimdad

Vini Vidi Quiti
(we came, we saw, we quit)
Julius Quitter, or was it Quiteus Caesar?

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just have to take the first step.” –Martin Luther Quit

“That’s one small quit for man, one giant quit for mankind!”
Neil Quitstrong

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by someone doing it”
Quitbert Hubbard

"Quit ain't a destination, it's a journey"
Thanassi Quitopoulos

"I'd swim the English channel just to stay quit"
Mark Quitz

"Quit 101 now in session! Offering online classes to a quit group near you"
SoccerMan91 on HOF+1

“I'll be quit"
Arnold Quitzenegger

“I thought it an impossible task, until I did it”
Quitonymous

“What happens to us is largely out of our hands,
How we respond to things will always be within our grasp.”
Quitosaurus Rex

"If I had a dime for each can, dontcha know I'd be a rich man?!"
Quit D. Rockefeller

"how do I quit thee, let me count the days"
Quitsphere

“I labored through a valley of tears for a treasure I wanted to see.
Lo and behold when my journey was through, the treasure I found was me!”
KTC June ’18
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Skolvikings on September 05, 2018, 09:40:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
I'm not a smart man but I know what Quit is
Forrest Quit

“I quit, therefore I am”
Desquittes

“Hard. It’s a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort”

YouÂ’ll never regret quitting. You will ALWAYS regret a cave.

“If quitting is wrong I don’t wanna be right”

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep quitting.”
¯ Martin Luther Quit Jr.

I set out one day to find enemies, and I found no friends.
I set out one day to find friends, and I found no enemies.
You will find that which you truly seek. Set your heart therefore on being quit.

“To quit or not to quit, that is the question.”
William Quitsphere

"Life is God's gift to a man. Integrity is a mans gift to himself."

The devil is roaming devouring souls like a lion EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. Fight. Fight. Fight.”
Swimdad

Vini Vidi Quiti
(we came, we saw, we quit)
Julius Quitter, or was it Quiteus Caesar?

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just have to take the first step.” –Martin Luther Quit

“That’s one small quit for man, one giant quit for mankind!”
Neil Quitstrong

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by someone doing it”
Quitbert Hubbard

"Quit ain't a destination, it's a journey"
Thanassi Quitopoulos

"I'd swim the English channel just to stay quit"
Mark Quitz

"Quit 101 now in session! Offering online classes to a quit group near you"
SoccerMan91 on HOF+1

“I’ll be quit”
Arnold Quitzenegger

“I thought it an impossible task, until I did it”
Quitonymous

“What happens to us is largely out of our hands,
How we respond to things will always be within our grasp.”
Quitosaurus Rex

"If I had a dime for each can, dontcha know I'd be a rich man?!"
Quit D. Rockefeller

"how do I quit thee, let me count the days"
Quitsphere

“I labored through a valley of tears for a treasure I wanted to see.
Lo and behold when my journey was through, the treasure I found was me!”
KTC June Â’18
So freaking awesome. So much fun. Lots of smiles putting those on roll.

V 2.0 starts again in a few days.

The mark spitz will forever be my favorite ?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Candoit on September 05, 2018, 10:13:00 PM
Quote from: skolvikings
Quote from: Athan
I'm not a smart man but I know what Quit is
Forrest Quit

“I quit, therefore I am”
Desquittes

“Hard. It’s a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort”

YouÂ’ll never regret quitting. You will ALWAYS regret a cave.

“If quitting is wrong I don’t wanna be right”

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep quitting.”
¯ Martin Luther Quit Jr.

I set out one day to find enemies, and I found no friends.
I set out one day to find friends, and I found no enemies.
You will find that which you truly seek. Set your heart therefore on being quit.

“To quit or not to quit, that is the question.”
William Quitsphere

"Life is God's gift to a man. Integrity is a mans gift to himself."

The devil is roaming devouring souls like a lion EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. Fight. Fight. Fight.”
Swimdad

Vini Vidi Quiti
(we came, we saw, we quit)
Julius Quitter, or was it Quiteus Caesar?

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just have to take the first step.” –Martin Luther Quit

“That’s one small quit for man, one giant quit for mankind!”
Neil Quitstrong

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by someone doing it”
Quitbert Hubbard

"Quit ain't a destination, it's a journey"
Thanassi Quitopoulos

"I'd swim the English channel just to stay quit"
Mark Quitz

"Quit 101 now in session! Offering online classes to a quit group near you"
SoccerMan91 on HOF+1

“I’ll be quit”
Arnold Quitzenegger

“I thought it an impossible task, until I did it”
Quitonymous

“What happens to us is largely out of our hands,
How we respond to things will always be within our grasp.”
Quitosaurus Rex

"If I had a dime for each can, dontcha know I'd be a rich man?!"
Quit D. Rockefeller

"how do I quit thee, let me count the days"
Quitsphere

“I labored through a valley of tears for a treasure I wanted to see.
Lo and behold when my journey was through, the treasure I found was me!”
KTC June Â’18
So freaking awesome. So much fun. Lots of smiles putting those on roll.

V 2.0 starts again in a few days.

The mark spitz will forever be my favorite ?
the Wikipedia of quit adds another page. I will validate the authenticity of these references ADD!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Skolvikings on September 06, 2018, 12:42:00 AM
Quote from: skolvikings
Quote from: Athan
I'm not a smart man but I know what Quit is
Forrest Quit

“I quit, therefore I am”
Desquittes

“Hard. It’s a word used by the weak to describe that which requires effort”

YouÂ’ll never regret quitting. You will ALWAYS regret a cave.

“If quitting is wrong I don’t wanna be right”

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep quitting.”
¯ Martin Luther Quit Jr.

I set out one day to find enemies, and I found no friends.
I set out one day to find friends, and I found no enemies.
You will find that which you truly seek. Set your heart therefore on being quit.

“To quit or not to quit, that is the question.”
William Quitsphere

"Life is God's gift to a man. Integrity is a mans gift to himself."

The devil is roaming devouring souls like a lion EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. Fight. Fight. Fight.”
Swimdad

Vini Vidi Quiti
(we came, we saw, we quit)
Julius Quitter, or was it Quiteus Caesar?

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, you just have to take the first step.” –Martin Luther Quit

“That’s one small quit for man, one giant quit for mankind!”
Neil Quitstrong

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by someone doing it”
Quitbert Hubbard

"Quit ain't a destination, it's a journey"
Thanassi Quitopoulos

"I'd swim the English channel just to stay quit"
Mark Quitz

"Quit 101 now in session! Offering online classes to a quit group near you"
SoccerMan91 on HOF+1

“I’ll be quit”
Arnold Quitzenegger

“I thought it an impossible task, until I did it”
Quitonymous

“What happens to us is largely out of our hands,
How we respond to things will always be within our grasp.”
Quitosaurus Rex

"If I had a dime for each can, dontcha know I'd be a rich man?!"
Quit D. Rockefeller

"how do I quit thee, let me count the days"
Quitsphere

“I labored through a valley of tears for a treasure I wanted to see.
Lo and behold when my journey was through, the treasure I found was me!”
KTC June Â’18
So freaking awesome. So much fun. Lots of smiles putting those on roll.

V 2.0 starts again in a few days.

The mark spitz will forever be my favorite ?
Love you brother Athan.

I will fight with you in the annals of Quit.

Let us forever quit in the shade.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on September 07, 2018, 06:51:00 PM
DAY 237

Officially now into unchartered quit waters. Never been quit this long, never felt this strong in my quit. KTC works people, I continue to feel gratitude and honor towards a complete set of strangers who help save my life one day at a time. Thanks KTC

PS....dont talk about anal here:) IN the shade boys, in the shade
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 07, 2018, 07:21:00 PM
Quote from: Doofus
DAY 237

Officially now into unchartered quit waters. Never been quit this long, never felt this strong in my quit. KTC works people, I continue to feel gratitude and honor towards a complete set of strangers who help save my life one day at a time. Thanks KTC

PS....dont talk about anal here:) IN the shade boys, in the shade
250 for me Doofus!
I'm in line at the store and what do I see but a round silhouette on the jeans before me.
I shook my head there in disbelief, of the life in front of me given in to the thief.
I whipped out my phone and captured the scene, to pass to quit brothers the folly I'd seen.
The man before me a slave, although willing, for what lay before him indeed was chilling:
A life of bondage, a life in chains, of looking to spit, of tobacco stains;
Of wondering if he had enough of it left, Oh the anxiety of a life bereft.
Such men I pity, how they wander alone, all while addiction eats them to the bone.
But not Athan, oh not I! I've DONE IT man, I didn't just try!
I'm sailing new waters, but not alone and frail,
I have my quit brothers, they're the wind in my sails.
I've changed my course, I've conquered new ground,
I've heard freedoms song and I love the sound.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on September 08, 2018, 05:23:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
Quote from: Doofus
DAY 237

Officially now into unchartered quit waters. Never been quit this long, never felt this strong in my quit. KTC works people, I continue to feel gratitude and honor towards a complete set of strangers who help save my life one day at a time. Thanks KTC

PS....dont talk about anal here:) IN the shade boys, in the shade
250 for me Doofus!
I'm in line at the store and what do I see but a round silhouette on the jeans before me.
I shook my head there in disbelief, of the life in front of me given in to the thief.
I whipped out my phone and captured the scene, to pass to quit brothers the folly I'd seen.
The man before me a slave, although willing, for what lay before him indeed was chilling:
A life of bondage, a life in chains, of looking to spit, of tobacco stains;
Of wondering if he had enough of it left, Oh the anxiety of a life bereft.
Such men I pity, how they wander alone, all while addiction eats them to the bone.
But not Athan, oh not I! I've DONE IT man, I didn't just try!
I'm sailing new waters, but not alone and frail,
I have my quit brothers, they're the wind in my sails.
I've changed my course, I've conquered new ground,
I've heard freedoms song and I love the sound.
I like this, you are quite a poet, is this poem based on actual experience?
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Doofus on September 08, 2018, 05:30:00 PM
Quote from: Doofus
Quote from: Athan
Quote from: Doofus
DAY 237

Officially now into unchartered quit waters. Never been quit this long, never felt this strong in my quit. KTC works people, I continue to feel gratitude and honor towards a complete set of strangers who help save my life one day at a time. Thanks KTC

PS....dont talk about anal here:) IN the shade boys, in the shade
250 for me Doofus!
I'm in line at the store and what do I see but a round silhouette on the jeans before me.
I shook my head there in disbelief, of the life in front of me given in to the thief.
I whipped out my phone and captured the scene, to pass to quit brothers the folly I'd seen.
The man before me a slave, although willing, for what lay before him indeed was chilling:
A life of bondage, a life in chains, of looking to spit, of tobacco stains;
Of wondering if he had enough of it left, Oh the anxiety of a life bereft.
Such men I pity, how they wander alone, all while addiction eats them to the bone.
But not Athan, oh not I! I've DONE IT man, I didn't just try!
I'm sailing new waters, but not alone and frail,
I have my quit brothers, they're the wind in my sails.
I've changed my course, I've conquered new ground,
I've heard freedoms song and I love the sound.
I like this, you are quite a poet, is this poem based on actual experience?
Ps- I am sorry for my unchartered post to your intro. Apparently, my posts, mainly because I posted to like 30 people is considered spam. "Someone elseÂ’s intro is not the place to post your own personal reflections."

I did not realize I was over stepping boundaries, some folks do not like it. Sorry, I assume you and Skol and some of my other quit brothers aren't upset with me, but I'm going to stay away from Intro from now on. I got a official warning from admin and mods to cease and desist. It was meant as a thank you but taken as an invasion of private space. Totally unintended consequence on my part, I fucked up, sorry man
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 08, 2018, 06:51:00 PM
Quote from: Doofus
Quote from: Athan
Quote from: Doofus
DAY 237

Officially now into unchartered quit waters. Never been quit this long, never felt this strong in my quit. KTC works people, I continue to feel gratitude and honor towards a complete set of strangers who help save my life one day at a time. Thanks KTC

PS....dont talk about anal here:) IN the shade boys, in the shade
250 for me Doofus!
I'm in line at the store and what do I see but a round silhouette on the jeans before me.
I shook my head there in disbelief, of the life in front of me given in to the thief.
I whipped out my phone and captured the scene, to pass to quit brothers the folly I'd seen.
The man before me a slave, although willing, for what lay before him indeed was chilling:
A life of bondage, a life in chains, of looking to spit, of tobacco stains;
Of wondering if he had enough of it left, Oh the anxiety of a life bereft.
Such men I pity, how they wander alone, all while addiction eats them to the bone.
But not Athan, oh not I! I've DONE IT man, I didn't just try!
I'm sailing new waters, but not alone and frail,
I have my quit brothers, they're the wind in my sails.
I've changed my course, I've conquered new ground,
I've heard freedoms song and I love the sound.
I like this, you are quite a poet, is this poem based on actual experience?
Yeah man. I was on the way back from the dentist (great way to celebrate 250!). Stopped to get some stuff and saw that tragic silhouette
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: quitNWinay on September 09, 2018, 01:10:00 PM
Congratulations on the fine number, brother... Keep up the quit EDD ODAAT!!!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 09, 2018, 05:34:00 PM
252. Planes, trains, and automobiles all without nicotine. Called my good friend UncleRico and let him know I'd be in the neighborhood. So he puts the word on the street and Kdip rolls in with Gregor as well. We had over 5000 days of quit at the table, and single handedly raised the sex appeal of the establishment and quite possibly the city of Katy,Texas! Yessireebob it was an impromptu quitter meetup of epic proportions. Wish y'all coulda been there!
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: worktowin on September 09, 2018, 08:47:00 PM
Quote from: Athan
252. Planes, trains, and automobiles all without nicotine. Called my good friend UncleRico and let him know I'd be in the neighborhood. So he puts the word on the street and Kdip rolls in with Gregor as well. We had over 5000 days of quit at the table, and single handedly raised the sex appeal of the establishment and quite possibly the city of Katy,Texas! Yessireebob it was an impromptu quitter meetup of epic proportions. Wish y'all coulda been there!
Bad ass!

These meetings are really pivotal in the process. Honored to quit with you.
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Athan on September 11, 2018, 09:11:00 PM
From Mambo (June '18)
"...Every day is a struggle which is why we say ODDAT. Addiction has no term limit."
Title: Re: Athan
Post by: Kdip on September 14, 2018, 08:58:00 PM
It was great meeting you Athan and you helped strengthen my quit as well.  I still need a good reminder of why I quit once in a while from folks earlier in their quits.  Congrats on your 250!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and here's to the next 250!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on February 28, 2019, 09:36:27 PM
Just rounding off an EIGHTEEN HOUR day.  That's why I WUPP.  If I didn't the day would crowd it out.  Get my prayers in, get my post in, get my workout in THEN I start my day.  Whatever else may come, I've got those covered, they can't get crowded out! Quitting with you all today!
Title: Hilltop - on being a man
Post by: Athan on March 10, 2019, 07:20:17 AM
From Hilltop (April '19)
I keep seeing that this site is my place to be grumpy, lash out, be sad, or whatever....well I’ve got something on my mind since yesterday that I want to share. Sorry, not sorry, if it’s long.
  As a few of you know, I have been attending the funeral, and family get together for my Aunt the last couple of days. First thing, this is the first funeral I can remember as an adult being nic free. To boot, it was a catholic ceremony today, so super long for this guy.
  Really what spurred this entry is where I stayed last night. My wife grabbed a hotel for us close to the family get together, in downtown Phoenix. It happens to be very near a cluster of hospitals, one of which is Phoenix Children’s Hospital. This is important because I have spent a lot of time there.
  When my youngest baby girl was barely three she got sick. Super stressful, but we eventually found our way to Phx Children’s where she began IV infusions twice a month. This went on for 18 months.... we’d drive two hours to Phx, stay at the Ronald McDonald house (rooms for families dealing with sick kids) get up early, and sit in the infusion center for 8 hours. Intermixed with Infusions were MRI’s and Dr. Visits.
 Point being, take a wild guess as to who the fucking retard in the room was ninja dipping. Yep......ME!
 Top lip it on the drive down, take a long time to get luggage at the car, be in the bathroom a little extra......top lip to the hospital, get up pre-lunch try and hide it in the trash can..... go to the car after lunch, top lip till the afternoon. Big o hidden top lipper in while my baby laid there hooked to an IV pump......Try and grab a top lipper for the drive home while I grabbed the car to pick my baby girl and wife up at the outpatient exit.
  What a piece of shit I was. I couldn’t toughen up and be the man I should have been without nic in my lip. I revolved my schedule around having nic in my lip. I was surrounded by a sick daughter and lots of other sick kids with nic in my lip. I was supporting a distraught wife and mother with nic in my lip. I was hiding nic in the bathroom of a place that fights cancer. Again, I was sneaking nic for at-least 16 hours a month at a place that fought for the health of kiddos. Let that settle.....it’s taken a while for it to settle with me.
  I was an addict, full blown using. A self centered,  weak man. Today, I’m an addict, but I’m not self centered, and I’m not using. I’ve grown to be the man that I need to be, that I want to be. I owe that success to the support I have from brothers that I’ve met on KTC.
  Thank you for letting me share this part of my life. I wish it wasn’t true, but hopefully it strengthens another’s quit. And, it helps strengthen mine by putting my story into text.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on March 24, 2019, 05:33:19 PM
So I'm getting some Diesel for the tractor at the Burke Corner Store.  In walks Bubba.  I used to pack one in but this guy....his lip stuck out so far you could have set a typewriter on it.  It was amazing.  I bet he had the whole can in there.  I see stuff like that from time to time and it blows me away that I was bubba for so long.  Owa tafool Iam chanted the tribe. In a related story, Athan splits and stacks six cords of wood over the marvelous weekend and all with out nicotine.  Of course, it hurts to move now.  Even my earlobes are in pain.  Youth, it's wasted on the young!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: worktowin on March 26, 2019, 05:03:41 PM
So I'm getting some Diesel for the tractor at the Burke Corner Store.  In walks Bubba.  I used to pack one in but this guy....his lip stuck out so far you could have set a typewriter on it.  It was amazing.  I bet he had the whole can in there.  I see stuff like that from time to time and it blows me away that I was bubba for so long.  Owa tafool Iam chanted the tribe. In a related story, Athan splits and stacks six cords of wood over the marvelous weekend and all with out nicotine.  Of course, it hurts to move now.  Even my earlobes are in pain.  Youth, it's wasted on the young!

Do you wear a toga when cutting wood?  Skol asked me to ask that question.  And he would like photo evidence.

Typewriter lip is a real thing.  Never again.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on March 26, 2019, 06:36:46 PM
Toga's are for girly men.  Spartans roll into battle with a red cape, spear, shield, .......and a thong.
Title: Mayfly lays it out
Post by: Athan on March 29, 2019, 08:19:25 AM
From Mayfly, April '19

...Someone asked me the other day if I could think of any reason to ever use again. Here's my response..

I'm only as quit as my current day.  The fragile balance of being quit or not compels me to show up everyday to sign my promise to stay quit for that day.  It really means that much to me now.  I can say that I am a changed man from this process, ktc, and the brothers that have my back everyday in our endless fight.

That right there is why I'm here. I'm here to fight the ever livin' shit outta nic and do it for myself and with my brothers here in April.

 You think what we do here is dumb as shit, or you think you have better odds to do this on your own, fine get on down the road and do it.  I myself, will take my chances with my brothers here in April and throughout ktc.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on April 05, 2019, 01:39:26 PM
My oldest daughter, my pride and joy, all dolled up and beautiful for the prom.  I feel a crave coming on. Strangely it will coincide with his arrival to pick her up.  I shall satiate it by perforating paper at a hundred yards with some well placed rounds ....within ear shot of the house....
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on April 05, 2019, 01:48:55 PM
My oldest daughter, my pride and joy, all dolled up and beautiful for the prom.  I feel a crave coming on. Strangely it will coincide with his arrival to pick her up.  I shall satiate it by perforating paper at a hundred yards with some well placed rounds ....within ear shot of the house....

Daughters are fun roflmao roflmao roflmao

I think and archery target right in the front yard would be a nice touch.  You, out there with that compound flexing those arms while drawing that string back and sending a broadhead through the center of the target just as he is walking up the front path.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: worktowin on April 05, 2019, 02:36:10 PM
My oldest daughter, my pride and joy, all dolled up and beautiful for the prom.  I feel a crave coming on. Strangely it will coincide with his arrival to pick her up.  I shall satiate it by perforating paper at a hundred yards with some well placed rounds ....within ear shot of the house....

Daughters are fun roflmao roflmao roflmao

I think and archery target right in the front yard would be a nice touch.  You, out there with that compound flexing those arms while drawing that string back and sending a broadhead through the center of the target just as he is walking up the front path.

Will you be wearing a toga while target shooting? 
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on April 05, 2019, 03:58:31 PM

My oldest daughter, my pride and joy, all dolled up and beautiful for the prom.  I feel a crave coming on. Strangely it will coincide with his arrival to pick her up.  I shall satiate it by perforating paper at a hundred yards with some well placed rounds ....within ear shot of the house....

Daughters are fun roflmao roflmao roflmao

I think and archery target right in the front yard would be a nice touch.  You, out there with that compound flexing those arms while drawing that string back and sending a broadhead through the center of the target just as he is walking up the front path.

Will you be wearing a togathong while target shooting?
Title: Observations
Post by: Athan on April 14, 2019, 08:46:41 AM
Planes, trains, and automobiles.  In the airport in Amsterdam yesterday when I saw the slave.  He was packing a sleeve.  A whole sleeve.  I know it all too well.
Some observations:

Our nemesis nicotine does not distinguish between nationalities, races, cultures, or languages.  Like satan, she hates us all, equally and undiminished. If only our love for one another were so pure...

In general, the Scandinavian peoples seem to have found a life work balance.  They don't seem to operate with the stress level so prevalent in the states.  Not sure what drives us so but it was remarkably evident.

Yoga pants...they were made for the Norwegians and the Swedes.
Title: mylilsecret
Post by: Athan on April 17, 2019, 03:20:36 AM
mylilsecret shares the beauty of life
(As shared by April '19 HOF Conductors Epistrophius & Bags)

Every coin has two sides.
Every action causes a reaction.
And like every positive there comes a negative.
We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t have one without the other.
If we were to never endured pain then we’d never experience the meaning of sweet pleasure. To never falter at weakness; we’d never see how strong our strength would be to rise above an obstacle. To never again feel hurtfulness; we’d never be able to show the desire to care. And the ultimate ... without heartache; we’d have the absence of the greatest gift, love.
Every one of our moments would be taken for granted.
Imagine inhaling to whisper, I love you softly to someone you adore yet only for them to never understand how deep and heartfelt it truly was meant. Or the very simplicity of touching your child’s hand absolutely would have no value or merit.
Who would want to live in such a world?
We all must tolerate the negative in order to be blessed with some positive.
This leads me back to the coin, the HOF coin, that is.
At 100 days I really didn’t see why I would need a coin to show those 100 days of my quit. I mean I had been through hell both physically and mentally and buying a coin really didn’t seem to have any significance. But around 600 days, I was looking at it on the site and honestly I’m clueless as to why but I wanted to have it as a symbol, as a reminder I had succeeded in what I and those around me never thought I’d be able to accomplish.
I understand now the meaning of the HOF coin. I suppose it didn‘t matter if I had waited another 500 days before getting it because I wouldn’t have known the true value of it. I’ve never been so proud until I ran my fingertips over that precious metal. After enduring 22 years of imprisonment to tobacco and 600 some days of being quit I had this tremendous invigorating feeling of triumph and freedom.
It’s true every coin has two sides but you see my coin doesn’t.
It only has one side and the best side of all .. that I’m quit.
-mylilsecret
Day 769
Title: Easter Sunday
Post by: Athan on April 21, 2019, 05:45:56 AM
It's Easter Sunday.  I won't be sneaking off today to pop a dip there in my lip.  That my friends is freedom.  Contemplate that for a bit.
Holidays and family get togethers were challenging for a lot of us who had to ninja it in.  Even where all of the adults knew I used I never put on in in front of my nieces and nephews.  I don't have to sneak off any more and neither do you.
While you contemplate that, consider this:  It has never been contested that Christ's tomb was empty.  Why is that?
Title: Re: Easter Sunday
Post by: Rick Jr on April 22, 2019, 09:09:50 PM
It's Easter Sunday.  I won't be sneaking off today to pop a dip there in my lip.  That my friends is freedom.  Contemplate that for a bit.
Holidays and family get togethers were challenging for a lot of us who had to ninja it in.  Even where all of the adults knew I used I never put on in in front of my nieces and nephews.  I don't have to sneak off any more and neither do you.
While you contemplate that, consider this:  It has never been contested that Christ's tomb was empty.  Why is that?

He has risen!!

Glad you had a great Easter Brother, and yes it was nice to be at 89 Days Free, No worries of putting in a dip and spiting on the lawn where the kids were hunting for eggs, of them finding the "Turd" on the lawn from when the Bunny Hid the eggs. You were one of the first to reach out to me, one of the first to set me straight. Thank you for all you have done, for me, My Masters of Mayhem Brothers, and all the other Quitters on this site! May God Bless you Brother, thank you for your support. I am honored to be quit with you today and EDD!
Title: management fads
Post by: Athan on April 30, 2019, 05:05:35 PM
I'm waiting for the study from the Harvard School of Business declaring management fads sanctimonious posturing and pontification used by the weak, incompetent, and inept as a substitute for leadership in a failed attempt at motivating people that results in mass contempt, frustration, and demoralization.
There.
Now can I have my certificate?
Title: Re: management fads
Post by: Broccoli-saurus on May 01, 2019, 10:18:19 AM
I'm waiting for the study from the Harvard School of Business declaring management fads sanctimonious posturing and pontification used by the weak, incompetent, and inept as a substitute for leadership in a failed attempt at motivating people that results in mass contempt, frustration, and demoralization.
There.
Now can I have my certificate?

my brain hurts
Title: The Dentist - again
Post by: Athan on May 03, 2019, 08:27:41 PM
Got a new dentist.  Got to fill out the new patient form again.  Smokeless tobacco user?  OH HELL NO! I think I laughed out loud!
In a different story, rewired to pool pump today.  I figured, I'm doing well, I'm making good coin, I'll call an electrician, I'll have some one else do it, a professional for once. So I call the dude and he comes out and says, "man, you need a new pool.  This one was put in before all the new codes.  I can't touch it.  Too much liability". So, I rewired the thing myself. Actually pulled new wire from the pool house and redid the panel box in the pool house too while I was at it. 
Would have been a whole can job, easily. Not today. Never again. For any reason.
OK.  There might be some code violations but it's running and I prolly saved my wallet a couple a hunert bucks too. All in all a pretty good day!
Title: Re: The Dentist - again
Post by: Rick Jr on May 04, 2019, 12:49:37 PM
Got a new dentist.  Got to fill out the new patient form again.  Smokeless tobacco user?  OH HELL NO! I think I laughed out loud!
In a different story, rewired to pool pump today.  I figured, I'm doing well, I'm making good coin, I'll call an electrician, I'll have some one else do it, a professional for once. So I call the dude and he comes out and says, "man, you need a new pool.  This one was put in before all the new codes.  I can't touch it.  Too much liability". So, I rewired the thing myself. Actually pulled new wire from the pool house and redid the panel box in the pool house too while I was at it. 
Would have been a whole can job, easily. Not today. Never again. For any reason.
OK.  There might be some code violations but it's running and I prolly saved my wallet a couple a hunert bucks too. All in all a pretty good day!

You got a couple solid wins there Brother! Same thing for me when I went back to my Dentist last Tuesday, they had me fill out the form again. I got to that check box and proudly checked NO. Dentist talked to me about it as the exam was going on, Said he was proud of me for doing so. We was so kind he asked me how many days quit I was, in away I was ashamed to say "Just 98 Days"  He told me he was Proud and gave me a $98 discount!

Keep up the great work Brother, I'm proud to quit with you today!
Title: Re: The Dentist - again
Post by: Skolvikings on May 04, 2019, 02:21:53 PM
Got a new dentist.  Got to fill out the new patient form again.  Smokeless tobacco user?  OH HELL NO! I think I laughed out loud!
In a different story, rewired to pool pump today.  I figured, I'm doing well, I'm making good coin, I'll call an electrician, I'll have some one else do it, a professional for once. So I call the dude and he comes out and says, "man, you need a new pool.  This one was put in before all the new codes.  I can't touch it.  Too much liability". So, I rewired the thing myself. Actually pulled new wire from the pool house and redid the panel box in the pool house too while I was at it. 
Would have been a whole can job, easily. Not today. Never again. For any reason.
OK.  There might be some code violations but it's running and I prolly saved my wallet a couple a hunert bucks too. All in all a pretty good day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq-EpR-8R0w
Title: Re: The Dentist - again
Post by: Athan on May 05, 2019, 07:26:02 AM
Got a new dentist.  Got to fill out the new patient form again.  Smokeless tobacco user?  OH HELL NO! I think I laughed out loud!
In a different story, rewired to pool pump today.  I figured, I'm doing well, I'm making good coin, I'll call an electrician, I'll have some one else do it, a professional for once. So I call the dude and he comes out and says, "man, you need a new pool.  This one was put in before all the new codes.  I can't touch it.  Too much liability". So, I rewired the thing myself. Actually pulled new wire from the pool house and redid the panel box in the pool house too while I was at it. 
Would have been a whole can job, easily. Not today. Never again. For any reason.
OK.  There might be some code violations but it's running and I prolly saved my wallet a couple a hunert bucks too. All in all a pretty good day!

You got a couple solid wins there Brother! Same thing for me when I went back to my Dentist last Tuesday, they had me fill out the form again. I got to that check box and proudly checked NO. Dentist talked to me about it as the exam was going on, Said he was proud of me for doing so. We was so kind he asked me how many days quit I was, in away I was ashamed to say "Just 98 Days"  He told me he was Proud and gave me a $98 discount!

Keep up the great work Brother, I'm proud to quit with you today!
Loving your dentist!
Title: 500
Post by: Athan on May 15, 2019, 03:18:03 AM
500 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-tyV3DVx0Q)
Title: Re: The Dentist - again
Post by: worktowin on May 15, 2019, 09:18:39 AM
Got a new dentist.  Got to fill out the new patient form again.  Smokeless tobacco user?  OH HELL NO! I think I laughed out loud!
In a different story, rewired to pool pump today.  I figured, I'm doing well, I'm making good coin, I'll call an electrician, I'll have some one else do it, a professional for once. So I call the dude and he comes out and says, "man, you need a new pool.  This one was put in before all the new codes.  I can't touch it.  Too much liability". So, I rewired the thing myself. Actually pulled new wire from the pool house and redid the panel box in the pool house too while I was at it. 
Would have been a whole can job, easily. Not today. Never again. For any reason.
OK.  There might be some code violations but it's running and I prolly saved my wallet a couple a hunert bucks too. All in all a pretty good day!

You got a couple solid wins there Brother! Same thing for me when I went back to my Dentist last Tuesday, they had me fill out the form again. I got to that check box and proudly checked NO. Dentist talked to me about it as the exam was going on, Said he was proud of me for doing so. We was so kind he asked me how many days quit I was, in away I was ashamed to say "Just 98 Days"  He told me he was Proud and gave me a $98 discount!

Keep up the great work Brother, I'm proud to quit with you today!
Loving your dentist!

Like a boss!  Congratulations, my toga wearing brother! 
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: copequits on May 15, 2019, 10:12:47 AM
Congrats on that half comma today Athan.  You are a testament to the power of what KTC can do.  Thank you for making a difference in my quit from the early stages until now.  Proud to quit with you each day!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on May 15, 2019, 12:43:56 PM
500 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnwJj5k5JMk)

We Quit.....

For our Sons.....

For our Daughters.....

For Sparta......

Much love my brother, thank you for everything.

We are blessed.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Leonidas on May 15, 2019, 12:49:22 PM
Congratulations! Nice work Brother!!!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: kybo on May 16, 2019, 08:10:21 AM
500

 :)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Gunnar on May 19, 2019, 08:00:57 PM
I’m your huckleberry.....congratulations, and thank you for your support!
Title: engine troubles & excuses
Post by: Athan on May 25, 2019, 04:50:34 PM
So I'm working, I'm in a bind cause I'm behind when the phone rings.  It's my daughter.  "daddy, my truck is smoking"  Geez.  I need this like a hole in the head. She wasn't too far outa town.  I dropped what I was doing and raced home to get the trailer and then on to go get her and see how bad it was.  The water hose had blown off the heater coil. Thankfully she had the sense to stop before blowing the engine.  I trailered it back to the house and researched the issue (thank heaven for youtube).  GMC trucks got this quick disconnect for the hoses to the heater coil inlet and outlet nipples (why they didn't just have a metal threaded nipple instead of cheap plastic is anyone's guess). So you need a special tool to pop this old nipple off.  Easy enough it seemed.  Two hours under the hot sun into it and I could have gone for a lipper. No doubt about it I'd have called a timeout and gone for a can.  Hey, it's just one.  This is a great excuse if there ever was one. But I've been down that road before, I know how that plays out.  The pattern was well established. But I disrupted it. Ya see, I joined this site.  And I post a promise every day. And it takes nicotine off of the table as an option for dealing with life. Had I thrown a chew in, it wouldn't have miracled that busted nipple off; it would have led to another can and another and it would never end. So I attacked it from another angle and got it fixed and remained nicotine free another day. And tomorrow, I'll post 511 instead of 1. Hooah.
Title: Re: engine troubles & excuses
Post by: Skolvikings on May 26, 2019, 12:53:53 AM
So I'm working, I'm in a bind cause I'm behind when the phone rings.  It's my daughter.  "daddy, my truck is smoking"  Geez.  I need this like a hole in the head. She wasn't too far outa town.  I dropped what I was doing and raced home to get the trailer and then on to go get her and see how bad it was.  The water hose had blown off the heater coil. Thankfully she had the sense to stop before blowing the engine.  I trailered it back to the house and researched the issue (thank heaven for youtube).  GMC trucks got this quick disconnect for the hoses to the heater coil inlet and outlet nipples (why they didn't just have a metal threaded nipple instead of cheap plastic is anyone's guess). So you need a special tool to pop this old nipple off.  Easy enough it seemed.  Two hours under the hot sun into it and I could have gone for a lipper. No doubt about it I'd have called a timeout and gone for a can.  Hey, it's just one.  This is a great excuse if there ever was one. But I've been down that road before, I know how that plays out.  The pattern was well established. But I disrupted it. Ya see, I joined this site.  And I post a promise every day. And it takes nicotine off of the table as an option for dealing with life. Had I thrown a chew in, it wouldn't have miracled that busted nipple off; it would have led to another can and another and it would never end. So I attacked it from another angle and got it fixed and remained nicotine free another day. And tomorrow, I'll post 511 instead of 1. Hooah.

AND..... I love you my brother.

You are the aphrodisiac of quit.
Title: Coolest pickup ever
Post by: Athan on May 26, 2019, 12:37:13 PM
From Swimdad (June '19) the coolest pickup ever...
Swimdad - 449 I quit Copenhagen in Copenhagen (He's in Denmark.) I mean, can ya thumb yer nose at US tobacco any harder?!
That's right on up there with me and Boovie doing the bankshot quit off the moon!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on June 05, 2019, 05:00:13 PM
Was lamenting just yesterday that there weren't enough hours in a day.
It struck me like a hammer on the way home today - If there were more hours in a day we'd probably waste them working.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Aumegrad on June 05, 2019, 07:03:59 PM
Was lamenting just yesterday that there weren't enough hours in a day.
It struck me like a hammer on the way home today - If there were more hours in a day we'd probably waste them working.

Funny you say that Athan as there appears to be a contingent of the US that would rather lean on our ever reliable government, but I digress ...

I would be happy with additional hours.  Perhaps get those back that were taken by my shameful addiction.  Hmmm maybe spend that time setting up a shooting range with Skoal cans .... there I go digressing again.  ;D

Appreciate you brother!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on June 16, 2019, 04:44:32 PM
Just got done under the house running a new water line after re-doing the floor in the kitchen.  Could not for the life of me to get that #@$% 1/4" line to the ice maker to stop leaking.  What is it with these ferrels?!  I could no kidding go for a lipper.  If I weren't still posting roll I'd be knuckles keep into a can ever trip under the house.  I HATE being under the house!  I didn't have to worry about rats or snakes or spiders on that stanky submarine.  I'd much rather be back breathing recycled farts again than go back under the house. Gives me the heebie jeebies even thinking about it. At any rate another day of freedom earned and I'll be happy tomorrow that I didn't cave today!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: wildirish317 on June 16, 2019, 07:20:00 PM
Just got done under the house running a new water line after re-doing the floor in the kitchen.  Could not for the life of me to get that #@$% 1/4" line to the ice maker to stop leaking.  What is it with these ferrels?!  I could no kidding go for a lipper.  If I weren't still posting roll I'd be knuckles keep into a can ever trip under the house.  I HATE being under the house!  I didn't have to worry about rats or snakes or spiders on that stanky submarine.  I'd much rather be back breathing recycled farts again than go back under the house. Gives me the heebie jeebies even thinking about it. At any rate another day of freedom earned and I'll be happy tomorrow that I didn't cave today!
Next house, get a basement.  Hands down better than a crawl space.  Ask anyone who's had both.  Basements have many uses, like storage, man cave, kid's playhouse, etc.  Crawlspaces are simply caves where your imagination creates all of the creatures you fear.  (Like the bedroom closet, only real.)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on July 09, 2019, 06:10:02 PM
disclaimer - turn away now if shameless it's all about me posts offend you but
TRIPLE NICKELS WAS A LONG TIME COMING AND WAY TOO COOL! Ever since I got the three nickel pic from UncleRico I knew It was my density! Woohoo! Athan takes a moment to himself.  Ok turn down the volume now, the regular programming will resume after a short intermission. move along.
Title: Planes, Trains, and automobiles
Post by: Athan on July 22, 2019, 10:00:26 PM
Just in from a 5 day whirlwhind roundtrip trip to Texas and back.  Did my cousins wedding and dropped my oldest off at college. The drive down was uneventful, my trusty cinnamon sticks by my side but didn't need 'em.  A 900 mile road trip was unthinkable without lipper after painful lipper not too long ago. Not any more.  Gone are the days of thinking I could ninja throw a chew in while driving with my ladies.
Of my 6 brothers, all are slaves to nicotine.  Spit bottles at the wedding even. And it was a classy affair, a ballroom at the Anatole hotel in Dallas. I so wish they could enjoy life without it.   I flew back just this evening.  The slave was there on the plane.  I never saw him but I smelled him sure enough when he popped that copenhagen lid.  There was no mistaking it.  I felt for those flying next to him and hoped he was man enough to gut it and not spit his chew slobber within sight and smell of the old grandmother next to him. IT SURE IS GOOD TO BE FREE unlike those poor slobs in the smoking room at the Atlanta airport. If that's not a cry for help or a warning flag I don't know what is.
I need to take a moment to thank all a you's for the pickups while I was on the road.  This here KTC is one remarkable organization. I wouldn't be free without it; not without my daily promise.  "just one" would have happened a multitude of times since the HOF, most probably at that wedding with all of my brothers packing it in.  Life happens - quitters stay quit.
Title: Re: Planes, Trains, and automobiles
Post by: chris2alaska on July 23, 2019, 11:02:11 AM
Just in from a 5 day whirlwhind roundtrip trip to Texas and back.  Did my cousins wedding and dropped my oldest off at college. The drive down was uneventful, my trusty cinnamon sticks by my side but didn't need 'em.  A 900 mile road trip was unthinkable without lipper after painful lipper not too long ago. Not any more.  Gone are the days of thinking I could ninja throw a chew in while driving with my ladies.
Of my 6 brothers, all are slaves to nicotine.  Spit bottles at the wedding even. And it was a classy affair, a ballroom at the Anatole hotel in Dallas. I so wish they could enjoy life without it.   I flew back just this evening.  The slave was there on the plane.  I never saw him but I smelled him sure enough when he popped that copenhagen lid.  There was no mistaking it.  I felt for those flying next to him and hoped he was man enough to gut it and not spit his chew slobber within sight and smell of the old grandmother next to him. IT SURE IS GOOD TO BE FREE unlike those poor slobs in the smoking room at the Atlanta airport. If that's not a cry for help or a warning flag I don't know what is.
I need to take a moment to thank all a you's for the pickups while I was on the road.  This here KTC is one remarkable organization. I wouldn't be free without it; not without my daily promise.  "just one" would have happened a multitude of times since the HOF, most probably at that wedding with all of my brothers packing it in.  Life happens - quitters stay quit.

@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)  Welcome home, now get to work you lazy bastard  roflmao
okay, love you, byee
Title: Are your nuts swollen?
Post by: Athan on August 03, 2019, 09:34:21 AM
Are your nuts swollen? (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=swollen+lug+nut)

We take a break from our regularly scheduled Quit programming to bring you this important public service announcement: Do you have chrome lug nuts on your vehicle?
Recently, as my wife and daughters were on their way back to Georgia from a family visit in Texas, they suffered a flat tire somewhere in Alabama.  Not to worry, my 16 year old Rachel thought, Dad made sure I knew how to change a tire (I had her and her sisters jack my truck and rotate the tires as a practical exercise in changing tires).  To their frustration, the lug wrench supplied with their Toyota did not fit the lug nuts on the vehicle.  They called me near tears and were trying to explain to me that it didn’t fit.  I was exasperated; surely they were doing it wrong. We punted and called for a wrecker as they waited it out in a hotel room, night quickly descending upon them and the tire store not open until the following morning.
When they returned home I got that lug wrench and tried it myself.  Sure enough, that thing did not fit the lug nuts.  I went to the Toyota dealership, checking my anger, I explained to the parts dealer that the wrench that they supplied was the wrong size and their ineptitude left my wife and children stranded on the side of the road out of state.  His answer only stoked the flames of my wrath.  They knew about the swollen lug nut issue.  He even explained to me the ‘swelling phenomenon’. They were altogether willing to sell me a complete replacement set for ~$120.
All that to tell you:
Check your vehicles for the chrome lug nuts (the condition is not isolated to Toyota, there was actually a class action lawsuit against Ford for this very issue). If they are installed, see if the lug wrench supplied still fits them.  Your actions now could save you from having your family stranded on the side of the road at a future date.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on August 17, 2019, 06:39:12 AM
Quit gold from  BalorGrad19  (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14762) on his 26th day:
"...you need to treat your quit as an illness, you feel sick and dip will not make you feel better, staying away from it will make you feel better and consider roll-call your daily prescription medication."
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on August 23, 2019, 12:22:50 AM
6th floor... who would have thunk… right?

Love you brother.... and I truly mean that.

The stars aligned for all of our crew to decide to quit.

You are one of the most amazing men I've had the privledge to cross my path, and I will forever be grateful.

Many more to help, many more milestones to celebrate, thank you for bringing me along for the ride.

Dry off, you are wet and panting. ;)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: 69franx on August 23, 2019, 07:22:50 AM
6th floor... who would have thunk… right?

Love you brother.... and I truly mean that.

The stars aligned for all of our crew to decide to quit.

You are one of the most amazing men I've had the privledge to cross my path, and I will forever be grateful.

Many more to help, many more milestones to celebrate, thank you for bringing me along for the ride.

Dry off, you are wet and panting. ;)
Congrats on the 6th floor my brother! You are a beacon of quit in my quit universe!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on August 23, 2019, 11:45:47 AM
WHERE'S THE 6TH FLOOR DIC PIC??

Huuuuuuuge CONGRATS my brother.  Love you lots.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on August 23, 2019, 02:30:39 PM
WHERE'S THE 6TH FLOOR DIC PIC??

Huuuuuuuge CONGRATS my brother.  Love you lots.
Right here boys! (https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+richard&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKl6zZz5nkAhWBup4KHXT3BiUQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1920&bih=890)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on August 23, 2019, 02:44:41 PM
WHERE'S THE 6TH FLOOR DIC PIC??

Huuuuuuuge CONGRATS my brother.  Love you lots.
Right here boys! (https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+richard&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKl6zZz5nkAhWBup4KHXT3BiUQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1920&bih=890)

 roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on August 23, 2019, 03:15:04 PM
WHERE'S THE 6TH FLOOR DIC PIC??

Huuuuuuuge CONGRATS my brother.  Love you lots.
Right here boys! (https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+richard&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKl6zZz5nkAhWBup4KHXT3BiUQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1920&bih=890)

 roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao

roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: FLLipOut on August 23, 2019, 07:03:09 PM
WHERE'S THE 6TH FLOOR DIC PIC??

Huuuuuuuge CONGRATS my brother.  Love you lots.
Right here boys! (https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+richard&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKl6zZz5nkAhWBup4KHXT3BiUQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1920&bih=890)

 roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao

roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao
I was actually really afraid of clicking on the link.  Heh.

Awesome job, Athan!!  And thanks for all you do here - you have had such a HUGE impact on so many people here. 
Title: a limmerick for you
Post by: Athan on September 01, 2019, 09:07:04 AM
There once was a man from Nantucket,
Who used to dip snuff by the bucket,
He said with a grin,
As he tossed his last tin,
I'm not the nic bitches puppet!
Title: Re: a limmerick for you
Post by: wildirish317 on September 01, 2019, 09:05:29 PM
There once was a man from Nantucket,
Who used to dip snuff by the bucket,
He said with a grin,
As he tossed his last tin,
I'm not the nic bitches puppet!

I limmerick eh?
How about a Haiku then?
The quit is still strong!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on September 02, 2019, 02:34:23 PM
Athan is a Greek god
Blinding us with his stunning bod
Can I get an amen from a mod?
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: AppleJack on September 02, 2019, 08:37:02 PM
Athan is a Greek god
Blinding us with his stunning bod
Can I get an amen from a mod?
^
Haiku?
Don’t quite get it, eh?
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on September 02, 2019, 11:59:36 PM
Athan is a Greek god
Blinding us with his stunning bod
Can I get an amen from a mod?
^
Haiku?
Don’t quite get it, eh?

I didn’t know the rules.  Go check Skolvikings intro for som good Haiku action.

roflmao
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on September 03, 2019, 01:06:06 AM
Athan is a Greek god
Blinding us with his stunning bod
Can I get an amen from a mod?
^
Haiku?
Don’t quite get it, eh?

I didn’t know the rules.  Go check Skolvikings intro for som good Haiku action.

roflmao

Good Haiku Action ???

Sick Fuks.

 'sos'
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on September 17, 2019, 06:19:24 PM
Quit gold from @GlockTherapy (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1709) Dec '19

My identity was trying to quit.  I would say, "I'm trying to quit." When I changed my mind to say, "No thanks, I don't chew" my identity changed.   I am not a tobacco chewer.
Title: Squirrels
Post by: Athan on October 04, 2019, 06:20:49 PM
The pool skimmer basket was making that familiar gurgling noise so I went to dump it out.  As I pulled the cover off I wasn’t immediately sure what I was looking at but it wasn’t leaves.  The instant that my brain registered that a squirrel had gotten sucked into the skimmer and was clinging to the basket handle, the squirrel’s brain registered daylight and an escape from its predicament. This caused it to execute an extreme vertical maneuver. Time stood still and I could make out the scene in slow motion in 360 degrees like some kind of sci-fi footage. We were locked eye to eye about 10 feet off the ground; I had also executed my own form of vertical maneuver although mine was a twisting, flailing sort of excrement propulsion. I lost sight of the beast as I reentered the atmosphere and entered the splashdown phase. My heart beat has yet to return to normal. That no shit just happened.
Title: Re: Squirrels
Post by: Skolvikings on October 04, 2019, 06:39:54 PM
The pool skimmer basket was making that familiar gurgling noise so I went to dump it out.  As I pulled the cover off I wasn’t immediately sure what I was looking at but it wasn’t leaves.  The instant that my brain registered that a squirrel had gotten sucked into the skimmer and was clinging to the basket handle, the squirrel’s brain registered daylight and an escape from its predicament. This caused it to execute an extreme vertical maneuver. Time stood still and I could make out the scene in slow motion in 360 degrees like some kind of sci-fi footage. We were locked eye to eye about 10 feet off the ground; I had also executed my own form of vertical maneuver although mine was a twisting, flailing sort of excrement propulsion. I lost sight of the beast as I reentered the atmosphere and entered the splashdown phase. My heart beat has yet to return to normal. That no shit just happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW3jB3fFq4M&t=170s
Title: SRains feeds the Quit
Post by: Athan on October 11, 2019, 04:51:07 PM
Quit gold from the indefatigable master of Quit, the one and only Quintessential Quitter - SRains918

"What you feed, will grow...

You feed your quit with WUPP
You feed your quit EDD
You feed your quit with brotherhood via texts and calls
You feed your quit with accountability

You feed your addiction with complacency
You feed your addiction by avoiding your commitment to quit
You feed your addiction by skipping out on accountability

You are responsible for feeding one or the other. Choose wisely because the one you neglect will wither and die over time."
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Broccoli-saurus on October 11, 2019, 05:39:27 PM
I'm glad you're here too man. 
Title: Srains knocks it outa the park
Post by: Athan on October 14, 2019, 04:27:52 PM
Srains knocks it outa the park ...

Dipping is an incredibly selfish act. This horrid addiction turns each and every one of us into someone that we are not, all while telling our addict riddled minds that this is how we're "supposed" to feel. That our addiction somehow gives balance to our lives or our moods. This is a lie.

In reality we're stealing time from our families, either to get our fix or when we die prematurely from heart disease or cancer...
In reality we're stealing money from ourselves and our families, by spending it on a poisonous plant chemically designed to hook you and kill you...
In reality we're putting ourselves and our families through major mood swings when we don't have our fix fast enough...

There's quite a bit more to it than that, but you get the idea...


Caving after you've found this place is all on you. You were a selfish lying piece of shit that chose to make a decision. No more. No less.


KTC works only when YOU make a decision to quit, each and every moment. YOU have to be more selfish in your quit than you ever have been in your addiction. YOU have to develop the tools that YOU need in order to quit. No one on this site can quit for you.


There is never a reason to cave. Never. There is no circumstance that is going to be improved by adding poison to your body. Ever.


What YOU have to figure out is what is going to keep YOU quit. We can provide all the tools in the world, but if you don't use them they're not worth a damn thing:
Wake up, piss, post
Every damn day
Get digits for everyone in your group
Get digits for a bunch of vets
Be active on the forums
Chase the late and the missing
Take charge of the SSOA
Start figuring out how to format posts and take charge of your header
Reach out and help newer quitters (at two weeks you know how to get through the first few days)
Post roll in other groups (yeah, the old folk like seeing fresh quit post with them)
Read words of wisdom
Read intros
Read other older groups. May '17, Jan '18, and May '18 in the archives can be fun if you like a good shitshow...
Branch out and post in Wildcard
Call other quitters
Meet other quitters
Etc, etc, etc...


Which tools are YOU using???

If you're a retread - what tools were you previously lacking that would have helped you stay quit?

If you don't know anyone here well enough to call them 24/7 when you're ready to cave then you're just flat doing this wrong. If you're not willing to answer that call 24/7 to help save your brother or sisters quit then why the fuck are you even here?

Find your people. Whoever they are. Those people are your lifeline. Use them. They'll keep you quit.

I know who mine are. Do you?
Title: Srains does it....again
Post by: Athan on October 16, 2019, 04:25:15 PM
So, I'm becoming that hoarder of righteous quitness as you may have noticed.  Started innocently enough, a quote here or there, a righteous testimony or two, next thing you know, I'm strung out on the proverbial statement, the laconic summary, the articulate expressions of freedom raining like pearls of wisdom pitter pattering in my garden of quit, fertilizing it and making it grow.  And so, the remarkable Srains unwittingly adds to it yet again. Read on quitters, water your gardens and bear much fruit...

I can tell you that the view from 748 is a hell of a lot different than the view from day 20-50 like you guys are in.

I'd say that generally speaking people want to take the easy way out. That's not a knock on anyone. Why would you work any harder than necessary to accomplish a task? If I want to fly from Phoenix to New York I don't go from Phx to LA to Tokyo to Berlin to London to New York. I fly directly from Phoenix to New York. That's not a shortcut, that's taking the most direct path to my intended destination. If there is a screaming baby next to me on the entire flight? It sucks, but it's still the most direct path.

Quitting nicotine is like that. If you're looking for the easy way out, you're already screwed. If you want to skip all the difficulties associated with quitting, you're not going to make it.

You fundamentally, chemically, and permanently altered the way your brain functions. YOU WILL NEVER NOT BE A NICOTINE ADDICT NOW.


That doesn't mean you can't quit, it simply means that the most direct path to do that is a bit painful. You're going to have to listen to that baby cry, for the duration of the flight.


The good news is that you can do some things to make it a bit easier. Getting digits and communicating with your brothers and sisters in quit. Talking about your struggles here and reading about the struggles others have conquered. Finding alternatives (nic free subs). Each and every win you accumulate along the way continues to build until one day you'll look back and realize you don't really remember the last time you felt like shit. You don't remember your last serious crave.

When you get there? Keep posting. If you do nothing else, keep posting. The day you forget that you're an addict is the day you cave, whether you throw one in at that point or not.
Title: Halloween
Post by: Athan on October 28, 2019, 04:00:31 PM
Come hither all ye and listen
   And upon this ghoulish scene
Cast thy gaze there yonder
   Where the moon doth glow serene

What shapes unfold in moonlit mist
   What draws thee like a slave
But rows and rows upon endless rows
   Of shallow empty graves

The addict stood there pondering
   His demons beckoned still
He struggled long into the night
   To resist the crave to fill

He tried again and failed again
   a defiant yet futile stance
half of what he struggled against
   was but his own ignorance

No one could tell him better
   No pastor, friend, or bride
He alone could master this
   Be damned his stubborn pride

He wondered who could help him
   Did he have to quit alone
All along did craves assail him
   With the witch upon her throne

The loner stumbled to and fro
   And did waver his conviction
Alas my brother he failed again
   Twas blinded by addiction

Our stranger was in anguish
   He longed so to be free
He thought it still a habit
   The truth he could not see

I tried to share it with him
        How we wake up every day
And make a promise to a brother
   And promise just today

He offered up excuses
        Of nicotine did he reek
Although his lips flapped promises
        All he spoke was addict speak

And he tried his halls patience
    So they called him out
And then he got defensive
   That insolent trouser trout

He told them how the site should work
   The way the quit should be
If they would not be supportive
   Leave them he would said he

And so he took his ball and left
   While she cackled on her throne
And claimed another life she tho’t
   And counted his fate sewn

But the seed of quit was planted
   That witch she knew it not
For our addict had tasted freedom
   Though just an aliquot

Still that’s all he needed
   A prick to his compunction
To resist the sirens fatal call
   To belabor freedoms function

He shuddered knowing what he faced
        If he should remain a slave
Forsooth his name would there be placed
        Where once stood empty grave

Title: Re: Halloween
Post by: chris2alaska on October 28, 2019, 04:10:24 PM
Come hither all ye and listen
   And upon this ghoulish scene
Cast thy gaze there yonder
   Where the moon doth glow serene

What shapes unfold in moonlit mist
   What draws thee like a slave
But rows and rows upon endless rows
   Of shallow empty graves

The addict stood there pondering
   His demons beckoned still
He struggled long into the night
   To resist the crave to fill

He tried again and failed again
   a defiant yet futile stance
half of what he struggled against
   was but his own ignorance

No one could tell him better
   No pastor, friend, or bride
He alone could master this
   Be damned his stubborn pride

He wondered who could help him
   Did he have to quit alone
All along did craves assail him
   With the witch upon her throne

The loner stumbled to and fro
   And did waver his conviction
Alas my brother he failed again
   Twas blinded by addiction

Our stranger was in anguish
   He longed so to be free
He thought it still a habit
   The truth he could not see

I tried to share it with him
        How we wake up every day
And make a promise to a brother
   And promise just today

He offered up excuses
        Of nicotine did he reek
Although his lips flapped promises
        All he spoke was addict speak

And he tried his halls patience
    So they called him out
And then he got defensive
   That insolent trouser trout

He told them how the site should work
   The way the quit should be
If they would not be supportive
   Leave them he would said he

And so he took his ball and left
   While she cackled on her throne
And claimed another life she tho’t
   And counted his fate sewn

But the seed of quit was planted
   That witch she knew it not
For our addict had tasted freedom
   Though just an aliquot

Still that’s all he needed
   A prick to his compunction
To resist the sirens fatal call
   To belabor freedoms function

He shuddered knowing what he faced
        If he should remain a slave
Forsooth his name would there be placed
        Where once stood empty grave




BRAVO, BRAVO...ENCORE (FAST CLAP)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Dawgs on October 29, 2019, 01:50:13 PM
Just got done under the house running a new water line after re-doing the floor in the kitchen.  Could not for the life of me to get that #@$% 1/4" line to the ice maker to stop leaking.  What is it with these ferrels?!  I could no kidding go for a lipper.  If I weren't still posting roll I'd be knuckles keep into a can ever trip under the house.  I HATE being under the house!  I didn't have to worry about rats or snakes or spiders on that stanky submarine.  I'd much rather be back breathing recycled farts again than go back under the house. Gives me the heebie jeebies even thinking about it. At any rate another day of freedom earned and I'll be happy tomorrow that I didn't cave today!
@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) ....I know this is a post you put up a while back, but I reading through a lot of them today. This one hit me. I did that exact same thing yesterday. I just bought a really nice, but older home on a crawl space. I’ve been having a sewer like smell from my daughters bathroom. Only from there and no where else. I’ve ruled out everything else and was putting off going down there. I spent a couple of days working myself up to do it. I bought a chemical like suite, extra flashlights, breathing masks....the whole 9 yards. Looked pretty rediculous actually. But I got under there....waaaayyy under there. I was terrified. That would have been, this time last year, when I would have packed in a half a can. Just to get the perceived courage from it. Luckily, there was nothing apparently wrong with the plumbing and all I saw was one mouse running around. That didn’t bother me, it was more the thought of what could be in there. But....all of that to say....I did it and I did it nicotine free. That was a huge win for me. Thanks for sharing yours too. It helps.
Title: Copequits nails it
Post by: Athan on November 09, 2019, 07:33:59 AM
From @copequits (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=30)  at the Rawktoberfest, on posting every day:

"I certainly don't ever want to go back to the beginning again and I don't want anyone in here to either.  It's such a cheap insurance policy, don't ever think for a minute that any of us are cured."

For those of us past the HOF, where the posting of roll becomes a mundane thing and relegated to the perfunctory check mark in the box to start the day - an insurance policy is exactly what it is.  The premium is as cheap as it gets.  The day you let the policy lapse is the day you walk down the path to slavery where she's waiting with open arms to suckle you once more.
Title: The MOAG hits 600!
Post by: Athan on November 10, 2019, 09:21:20 AM
From Missouri Air Gunner (moairgunner - June '18 JackHammers) on 600:

MoAirGunner - Day 600. This is the new normal...I like the new normal...New normal finds the old normal very weird and wonders why we thought that was normal...Old Normal and New Normal now realize that the Nic Bitch is a witch...Keep melting that witch ODAAT just like Dorthy!!!
Title: ankape rumbles!
Post by: Athan on November 24, 2019, 09:38:16 AM
From ankape four weeks into it.  Every now and then you witness a fighting spirit that lifts you off the couch and into the air with a thunderous war cry. It is the stuff epic poems are written about; reverberating into the soul and enabling the ordinary to conquer the extraordinary. This is one of those:

Day 28
This morning I knew I would be facing triggers on a drive...I had myself psyched enough I almost took a different route. Then I thought, “that’s so stupid, (rolled up sleeves) NiC Bitch- let’s rumble!!” I realized that I’m really not scared to fight her face on- and if I proactively kick her ass every day she will know better than to try to jump me in a dark alley.

“Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship” ~ Denzel Washington
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on December 01, 2019, 03:07:41 PM
Seven hundy ya big stud.

Lucky you are not is AZ today or you would be showered with my affection until ya choke.

Proud to be one day behind, forever, one day at a time.

Ok love you bye!!!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on December 01, 2019, 03:34:48 PM
Seven hundy ya big stud.

Lucky you are not is AZ today or you would be showered with my affection until ya choke.

Proud to be one day behind, forever, one day at a time.

Ok love you bye!!!
Skol, you're such a doosh, I can't believe I quit with you!
LUQITSOILYB!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: ChickDip on December 01, 2019, 04:17:55 PM
Seven hundy ya big stud.

Lucky you are not is AZ today or you would be showered with my affection until ya choke.

Proud to be one day behind, forever, one day at a time.

Ok love you bye!!!
Skol, you're such a doosh, I can't believe I quit with you!
LUQITSOILYB!
Huge congrats Athan on that big 7!!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: kybo on December 02, 2019, 01:17:18 PM
Congrats on 700, brother! 

And thank you for helping to keep KTC interesting/entertaining for the rest of us.   
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: oldschool on December 02, 2019, 07:01:20 PM
Seven hundy ya big stud.

Lucky you are not is AZ today or you would be showered with my affection until ya choke.

Proud to be one day behind, forever, one day at a time.

Ok love you bye!!!
Skol, you're such a doosh, I can't believe I quit with you!
LUQITSOILYB!
Huge congrats Athan on that big 7!!
Congrats Athan on 7 floors of quit!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: jsjohnson on December 02, 2019, 08:27:33 PM
@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) Please brother do not ever go anywhere.   I would be freaking lost without your insight and wisdom!  From the first week of getting buried in information following your signature to day 63 soaking up insight on your quit attitude.  Thank you for being here. 
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on December 03, 2019, 01:06:33 AM
@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) Please brother do not ever go anywhere.   I would be freaking lost without your insight and wisdom!  From the first week of getting buried in information following your signature to day 63 soaking up insight on your quit attitude.  Thank you for being here.
Not going anywhere brother. Life is much sweeter shared!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: worktowin on December 03, 2019, 10:56:50 AM
@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) Please brother do not ever go anywhere.   I would be freaking lost without your insight and wisdom!  From the first week of getting buried in information following your signature to day 63 soaking up insight on your quit attitude.  Thank you for being here.
Not going anywhere brother. Life is much sweeter shared!
This is absolutely awesome, and is a testament to why this place works when nothing else does.  We win together here.

Title: BMC on Freedom
Post by: Athan on December 06, 2019, 12:10:36 PM
BluManChew on FREEDOM
~~It used to be that my eyes would pop open first thing, and I'd be gasping for a dip, as I if had surfaced from the water after having gone deeper than my lung capacity would allow.

That dip is the breath that keeps the addict alive.  The addict "needs" it otherwise it suffocates.  It feels the same fear I would if I knew I were drowning.

While still an addict, it literally had been years since I stuffed tobacco into my face

Now, instead of breathing in Poison first thing, I breath In clean air, and freedom from dip.  With that freedom comes life, and with life opportunity.

Stay quit, fuckers.  Keep your heads above the water.

790 ODAAT - 12/06/19 ~~
Title: Three strangers
Post by: Athan on December 14, 2019, 06:15:30 AM
A 17 hour day.  New gig coordinating testing for the startup of a power station.  I got tight a few times but crunching cinnamon sticks still does it for me. Couldn’t wait to get home and see my ladies.  It’s raining pretty hard, has been all day. Up ahead I see tail lights and they’re not on the road – they’re in the ditch. I groan and let out a sigh as I pass the dude and decide to pull over. There ain’t much shoulder to begin with and traffic is light but far from not a factor. He’s down in there – water up to the door sill. It’s an old battered sedan and the driver is doing the back and forth futility dance going deeper into the muck and mire. I had a logging chain and a tow strap and offered to pull him out.  He agreed and waded to the front of the car to attach it.  I swear I thought we were going to have to call in divers. He got it hooked up and I pulled forward when another good ol boy showed up and stopped traffic while I pulled him to a higher elevation. It wasn’t going well. I was getting forward progress but the guy was just sliding along down in this ditch. I needed to go hard left ACROSS traffic. So another good ol boy stopped his truck and got out and stopped the cross traffic lane. By now cars were starting to back up – we were ten minutes into the ordeal. But going cross traffic was the ticket and he popped up outa the ditch and stable along the shoulder and my good ol boy strangers let traffic resume. I was unhooking the tow strap and chain and this fella is beside himself. He offers me 5 dollars, says it’s all he has. I was looking at his bedraggled appearance and his old battered car and wondered how he was going to celebrate Christmas.   At least he won’t have to pay a wrecker an exorbitant fee for pulling him outa the ditch. I sent him on his way and waited my turn to pull into the traffic. The second good ol boy who had stopped traffic coming the other way rolled down his window as he drove off – “Merry Christmas!!” he hollered.  Made me feel like Santa Claus!
Title: Chester give up the ghost
Post by: Athan on December 27, 2019, 01:49:27 PM
Lost one of my horses yesterday.  He was old, way old as horses go and had been moving a lot slower as of late.  Yesterday he gave up the ghost. I went and rented one of those mini excavators as my tractor doesn’t have a bucket (you can’t just flush them down the toilet like you do goldfish). I dug a deep hole then me and my girls dragged Ol’ Chester off into it. We filled it back up and there to my surprise, his back hooves were just above grade, jutting up above the dirt. I know it’s not funny but I sat there laughing at it, the indignity of it all. This would have been a whole can job not so long ago, if I’d have stopped posting roll past the HOF. This was an excellent excuse if ever there was one. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason. No horsing around with nicotine addiction.  And if you got any ideas for a funny meme for the pic of two hooves sticking up out of the ground, well, go ahead and lets hear ‘em!
Title: Re: Chester give up the ghost
Post by: Athan on December 27, 2019, 03:04:53 PM
Lost one of my horses yesterday.  He was old, way old as horses go and had been moving a lot slower as of late.  Yesterday he gave up the ghost. I went and rented one of those mini excavators as my tractor doesn’t have a bucket (you can’t just flush them down the toilet like you do goldfish). I dug a deep hole then me and my girls dragged Ol’ Chester off into it. We filled it back up and there to my surprise, his back hooves were just above grade, jutting up above the dirt. I know it’s not funny but I sat there laughing at it, the indignity of it all. This would have been a whole can job not so long ago, if I’d have stopped posting roll past the HOF. This was an excellent excuse if ever there was one. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason. No horsing around with nicotine addiction.  And if you got any ideas for a funny meme for the pic of two hooves sticking up out of the ground, well, go ahead and lets hear ‘em!
I'm the only male in my household so I am, by default, the head guy around here.  It just hit me, I'm the horseless head man.
Title: koba does the research
Post by: Athan on December 29, 2019, 08:37:13 PM
From @koba (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=156) (August 2018). Been looking for this for a while in the archives and finally found it:

"It takes a lot of quit for your brain to get its shit together. This STUDY (https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/89/8/572/2526887) surveyed people who had quit smoking, and re-interviewed them a year or two later to see how they are doing. For people who had been quit less than 3 months at the time of the first interview, only ~ 18% were still quit (without having caved in the meantime). Once they looked at people who had been quit for 3-6 months (note that 3 months is pretty damn close to 100 days, ie., HOF here) the chances of them not having caved went up to 50%. It's not until you get to the people that had already been quit for 3+ years that the chances of staying nic-free until the next interview passed 90%. So if you think you don't need this place anymore after 20 days, or 100 days, or 365 days, well... the science disagrees."
Title: My favorite Burger
Post by: Athan on January 03, 2020, 03:00:24 PM
From @BURGER78 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14787) HOF Speech (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16198.msg0#new):
You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself
Standing in the hall of fame
Title: Docpac's revelation
Post by: Athan on January 13, 2020, 03:14:18 AM
From @Docpac (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16473) in April '20:

 "If it does not serve you, it does not deserve to hold space in your life."

Love that one.  The slavery and servitude of addiction had that flipped 180 degrees.
Title: Just one
Post by: Athan on February 02, 2020, 09:43:50 AM
Started back on shift for the first time in 5 years. The third night in with but 12 hours sleep since I started when I hit the wall. There's no doubt in my mind that I'd have succumbed to "just one" were it not for my brothers in quit. No question at all. It was on the table in front of me in six different locations in 5 different flavors, all there for the taking. It wasn't so much an urge to chew as it was to do something, anything, to chase the fog from lack of sleep from my mind. Never cured is right. ODAAT is right. Never Again For Any Reason. Skol, Gromo, Worktowin, S412 - indebted to you.
Title: Re: Just one
Post by: olcpo on February 02, 2020, 09:59:47 AM
Started back on shift for the first time in 5 years. The third night in with but 12 hours sleep since I started when I hit the wall. There's no doubt in my mind that I'd have succumbed to "just one" were it not for my brothers in quit. No question at all. It was on the table in front of me in six different locations in 5 different flavors, all there for the taking. It wasn't so much an urge to chew as it was to do something, anything, to chase the fog from lack of sleep from my mind. Never cured is right. ODAAT is right. Never Again For Any Reason. Skol, Gromo, Worktowin, S412 - indebted to you.

Way to Go, BROTHER!! Stare'em down, Laugh in their face, Then walk the Walk of the Quit, Head high, not looking back! PTQWYT
Title: Broccoli-saurus on accountability...
Post by: Athan on February 11, 2020, 04:34:23 PM
Broccoli-saurus on accountability (2-11-20 from May '20):
An accountability partner is able to perceive what you can't see when blind spots and weaknesses block your vision. Such a person serves a a tool in God's hand to promote spirtual growth, and he or she watches out for your best interest. Charles Stanley

Blaming, whining, deflecting accountability, risk aversion, and resistance to change are but a handful of symptoms of the adversity-beaten individual and organization. Paul G. Stoltz PhD,

Neither age nor experience matters when it comes to being personally accountable for any and all outcomes- no excuses whatsoever- be they positive or negative, nor shifting blame to other people or to external factors. Kory Livingstone

Creating a culture of integrity and accountability not only improves effectiveness, it also generates a respectful, enjoyable and life-giving setting in which to work. Tom Hanson, Ph.D.; Birgit Zacher Hanson, M.S.

The benefits and possibilities that are created created by being personally accountable are countless. Jay Fiset

Accountability, is the state or condition of being accountable or responsible. That is right. We are responsible for what goes on in our heads. John Vaulkner

Jesus understood the value of relationships, teamwork, and accountability. Effective ministry often erupts from small teams. Beth Beutler

Be accountable for doing the right things. This means ethical execution of the activities that will actually support the goals you have chosen for yourself. Sam Silverstein

People are more inclined to pass the buck than they are to take responsibility. The fact is, though, passing the buck doesn't build your character or give you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes. Marshall Goldsmith

Accountability is - first and foremost - about being reliable. To get a good picture of your personal accountability, you may want to periodically ask yourself, "Can people count on me to do what I say I'll do, as I said I would do it?" Henry J. Evans

Or if you want to get really real, this should be enough inspiration for you:
http://caringbridgeclassic.org/mn/tomkern/history.htm

Many thanks to Broc for sharing these. This comes up in every new month without fail. The new foggy quitter cannot understand the hard line (myself included) taken by the mods/admins/vets. In the final analyses, no one wants to hear that their baby is ugly but burying ones head in the sand doesn't open up any new vistas. Quite the contrary. The ability to extract from dialogue valuable feedback and apply it to ones own life is a game changer. There cannot be growth, personally, professionally, spiritually etc. without the ability for honest introspection. For addicts, the difference really is life or death. As human beings, you need only look around you to see people stuck in a rut their entire life, 'victims' of circumstances. The difference isn't a subtle nuance or small change; the realization that you really are in charge of your life and your responses to stimuli whatever they may be. The difference is that of a log floating aimlessly down a river and a cabin constructed of logs in a pristine spot of one's choosing that commands a view of the valley. Nicotine/substance abuse is but a symptom. Addiction is the behavior. Personal accountability is the cure.
I marvel that a concept so simple is so difficult to convey, so hard to be grasped and understood. Perhaps it must first be lived.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on March 09, 2020, 07:57:31 PM
Anyone seen Hundy?  I heard Athan ate him.  That's right, Athan ate hundy!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on March 09, 2020, 09:51:07 PM
Anyone seen Hundy?  I heard Athan ate him.  That's right, Athan ate hundy!
Ahhhhhhaaa!! roflmao roflmao roflmao roflmao Loving you Skol! You beat me to it
xoxoxo
I love you
bye
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: kybo on March 11, 2020, 12:34:44 PM
Congrats on 800 and thanks for being you! 

I could go on and on about the inspiration and the humor, etc, etc, etc that you have provided over the last 800 days.  Or, I could just say, "thanks for always being Athan!"  Whether you realize it, or not.  You ARE the capstone in the archway of quit for a whole lot of people.

Job well done, my friend.  Thank you.   

Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: ChickDip on March 11, 2020, 03:54:06 PM
Congrats on 800 and thanks for being you! 

I could go on and on about the inspiration and the humor, etc, etc, etc that you have provided over the last 800 days.  Or, I could just say, "thanks for always being Athan!"  Whether you realize it, or not.  You ARE the capstone in the archway of quit for a whole lot of people.

Job well done, my friend.  Thank you.   

Congrats to you on the big 8 Athan. proud to quit with you!
Title: Planes, trains, and automobiles
Post by: Athan on March 14, 2020, 06:28:00 AM
Planes, trains, and automobiles - Just ended a trip to DC with my daughter. The city is a must see, a bucket list item if you get the chance. The changing of the guard at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier  (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier) is a moving experience if there ever was one, as is the  U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial  (https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/usmcwarmemorial.htm). Made it to the National Archive and saw  the Constitution,  (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution)Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights (paid special attention to the Second Amendment). I must admit though, the highlight of the trip was breaking bread with none other than June '18's Kodiakdeath & August '18's Arrakisdq. I'd post a photo if it were possible. Amazing to roll, call, text, write to folks for two years and never see them and then out of the blue they emerge in 3-D and you see the smile of recognition from someone you've known but never seen before. It was cool beyond words.
I did see my old nemesis while there. Some inconsiderate prick dropped his wad right smack in the sidewalk at Vernon Square. Couldn't even make it 4' to the bushes on the side. Addiction is such a self centered narcissistic thing. So very pleased to be free and I think of it EVERY time I fly.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on March 20, 2020, 08:42:33 AM
I thought this corona virus was all hype at first. Given that the flu killed 35,000 Americans last year (and an equivalent number for motor vehicle accidents). That’s roughly 1 American per 1,000 or 0.1%.
Globally, the corona virus has a much higher rate; 40 people per 1,000 infected or 4%. Thus far, the transmission rate is showing to be twice that of the flu.
To put it in perspective, I don’t personally know anyone who’s died from the flu. Before this is over, I’m fairly certain that I will know someone who’s died from covid19.

Sources:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/18/21184992/coronavirus-covid-19-flu-comparison-chart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chipper on March 21, 2020, 11:06:40 PM
I thought this corona virus was all hype at first. Given that the flu killed 35,000 Americans last year (and an equivalent number for motor vehicle accidents). That’s roughly 1 American per 1,000 or 0.1%.
Globally, the corona virus has a much higher rate; 40 people per 1,000 infected or 4%. Thus far, the transmission rate is showing to be twice that of the flu.
To put it in perspective, I don’t personally know anyone who’s died from the flu. Before this is over, I’m fairly certain that I will know someone who’s died from covid19.

Sources:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/18/21184992/coronavirus-covid-19-flu-comparison-chart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) I think that ratio is off though, because if you take Italy, they had 68,000 deaths from the flu over a 2 year season. So roughly 34K died from the flu  each year. Similar to the US. Currently they have 4,825 deaths. They still have a long way to meet the number and with the inability to “test” everyone unlike the flu, it’s hard to get the “real” numbers. Currently,and let’s take last year, everyone and anyone that didn’t feel “well” during the flu season and saw a practitioner, got a flu swap. Since we don’t have the ability to do that with corona, only the very sick that meet the criteria to be tested, receive the test, which then bumps up that ration to the 4% that was published. Just my 2 cents, what do you think? Also it’s not “more contagious” then the flu, like the Vox article stated, it’s just that no one has antibodies for this corona strain so Everyone essentially gets it... then next year we will get our flu shot and corona shot and you will either get antibodies  from the shot or from getting sick... very similar to when the H1N1 hit us hard...
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on March 22, 2020, 12:45:57 AM
... So roughly 34K died from the flu  each year. Similar to the US. Currently they have 4,825 deaths. They still have a long way to meet the number and with the inability to “test” everyone unlike the flu, it’s hard to get the “real” numbers.......
That's true and a variable I hadn't considered. It is NOT known how many undetected cases there are as they may be very mild/moderate and medical attention therefore not sought out. Let's hope that's the case. The societal effects are starting to exceed that of the virus itself. Would hate to see the country descend into anarchy.
Title: Olcpo shares wisdom
Post by: Athan on March 27, 2020, 04:39:38 PM
Quit gold from Olcpo's HOF speech:

“If you are reading this and still sucking on DEATH...THINK, Please! You can be rid of IT. Spit it out, look at it, wait for one minute, now go for five minutes. Yeah? An hour...another hour? You are going to feel like crap, but you feel like crap now because you know you are killing yourself one dip at a time. Go rinse your mouth out, brush your teeth, get busy occupy your brain. Think about a chew? Look at the time, how long has it been? Wait another 5 minutes...A day? Read about what to expect on this site, be ready for it, know and celebrate each symptom, Nicotine will throw it all at you, but you are beating it or nic wouldn't be throwing craves, fogs, shakes, rage, _______ at you. You got it beat at this point. You used to reward yourself with a mouthful of Cancer Death, Take a break, you deserve it, have another shot of Death. Now you can reward yourself with another day of Quit/Freedom/Life.

Post your word to KTC at the start, Day one. One Day At A Time. Give your Word, Be accountable to Brother and Sister Addicts, propping each other up against Nicotine, Standing tall together. Rant and Rave here. Learn. Read. Be QUIT"

You can read the whole thing here (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16421.0)
Title: HOPE
Post by: Athan on March 30, 2020, 07:41:44 AM
From Chickdip on five years. The whole thing left me misty eyed. You can read it here (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=486.msg7618022#new).

I hope I helped someone gain a few extra years.
I hope, when I did the right things, it helped someone.
I hope when I did the wrong things, it helped someone.
I hope I said the right things and used the right words, all at the right time to bring someone into their own quit.
I hope I was there for that one person at the very time it was crucial for them to hear what I had to say.
I hope I supported someone just enough so they could stand on their own quit in a strong way.
I hope, I really hope I saved a life, because coming to KTC and the people here did that for me.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Bug Guy on March 31, 2020, 09:37:39 PM
Hey Athan, love you brother. Haven't gotten any D pics for a while, so not sure what's up with that. I'll keep checking my PMs  ;)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on April 01, 2020, 12:02:29 AM
Hey Athan, love you brother. Haven't gotten amd D pics for a while, so not sure what's up with that. I'll keep checking my PMs  ;)

Cuming in hot, just got the spring edition from GQ photo spread, the "face mask" one made me puke in my mouth a bit... check your Messages @Bug Guy (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1866)  'puking'

I still don't know how to unsubscribe.
Title: some folks...
Post by: Athan on April 26, 2020, 12:39:51 PM
Every now and then I'll speak to a fellow quitter here and learn of a horrific story. When it happens I'm blown away by the unbelievable burden the man next to me is carrying. Someone's loved one is dying of cancer, another is burying a beloved pet, or going through a trough in a marriage, or any of a million horrific thing that enter our nightmares. The turmoil is going on all around us and yet, the quitter doggedly posts a simple promise every day. Today, I find tremendous comfort in that. I may be in a snowglobe, crushed and taking my breaths one at a time but this I got. I can chose to remain nicotine free today. I do have control over that.
Title: Re: some folks...
Post by: chris2alaska on April 27, 2020, 12:59:48 PM
Every now and then I'll speak to a fellow quitter here and learn of a horrific story. When it happens I'm blown away by the unbelievable burden the man next to me is carrying. Someone's loved one is dying of cancer, another is burying a beloved pet, or going through a trough in a marriage, or any of a million horrific thing that enter our nightmares. The turmoil is going on all around us and yet, the quitter doggedly posts a simple promise every day. Today, I find tremendous comfort in that. I may be in a snowglobe, crushed and taking my breaths one at a time but this I got. I can chose to remain nicotine free today. I do have control over that.

...and today you are carrying that burden, yet you still came in here and posted your promise.  I am forever grateful to have you in my life.

Prayers to you my friend.
Title: Re: some folks...
Post by: 69franx on April 27, 2020, 02:35:44 PM
Every now and then I'll speak to a fellow quitter here and learn of a horrific story. When it happens I'm blown away by the unbelievable burden the man next to me is carrying. Someone's loved one is dying of cancer, another is burying a beloved pet, or going through a trough in a marriage, or any of a million horrific thing that enter our nightmares. The turmoil is going on all around us and yet, the quitter doggedly posts a simple promise every day. Today, I find tremendous comfort in that. I may be in a snowglobe, crushed and taking my breaths one at a time but this I got. I can chose to remain nicotine free today. I do have control over that.

...and today you are carrying that burden, yet you still came in here and posted your promise.  I am forever grateful to have you in my life.

Prayers to you my friend.
Exactly what this guy ^^^ said. Whatever you need brother
Title: Re: some folks...
Post by: worktowin on April 27, 2020, 03:33:32 PM
Every now and then I'll speak to a fellow quitter here and learn of a horrific story. When it happens I'm blown away by the unbelievable burden the man next to me is carrying. Someone's loved one is dying of cancer, another is burying a beloved pet, or going through a trough in a marriage, or any of a million horrific thing that enter our nightmares. The turmoil is going on all around us and yet, the quitter doggedly posts a simple promise every day. Today, I find tremendous comfort in that. I may be in a snowglobe, crushed and taking my breaths one at a time but this I got. I can chose to remain nicotine free today. I do have control over that.

...and today you are carrying that burden, yet you still came in here and posted your promise.  I am forever grateful to have you in my life.

Prayers to you my friend.
Exactly what this guy ^^^ said. Whatever you need brother
Love you brother.  We are all here to support you in this incredibly difficult time.  You aren't alone.
Title: ODAAT
Post by: Athan on June 13, 2020, 07:14:07 AM
A month or so ago we had a nuclear bomb hit our family. Stole my breath, rocked me back on my heels, and ripped my heart out of my chest in one fell swoop. There are levels of anguish that cannot be explained. Things that cannot be undone. Life happened. I continued to get up every day and to breathe in and out. I pulled back like a turtle in a shell and focused only on our immediate household. I still posted in my home room every day but that was it. A thought hit me yesterday as I was working a pasture that a lipper would have been nice. Not a crave. Just a thought. It then occurred to me that had I used the trauma as an excuse to leave I would have popped 'just one' yesterday. Instead, I remained nicotine free another day. Life, good or bad, only happens one day at a time. Each day, good or bad, is a gift. We don't get to choose what befalls us; our choice is how to respond. Stay clean. Work the problem. Continue living. One Day At A Time.
 for fathers of little girls (http://www.ilmpsychtesting.com/Images/ilmpsychtesting/resources/documents/Rape-parentsguide.pdf)
Title: Re: ODAAT
Post by: 69franx on June 13, 2020, 09:14:04 AM
A month or so ago we had a nuclear bomb hit our family. Stole my breath, rocked me back on my heels, and ripped my heart out of my chest in one fell swoop. There are levels of anguish that cannot be explained. Things that cannot be undone. Life happened. I continued to get up every day and to breathe in and out. I pulled back like a turtle in a shell and focused only on our immediate household. I still posted in my home room every day but that was it. A thought hit me yesterday as I was working a pasture that a lipper would have been nice. Not a crave. Just a thought. It then occurred to me that had I used the trauma as an excuse to leave I would have popped 'just one' yesterday. Instead, I remained nicotine free another day. Life, good or bad, only happens one day at a time. Each day, good or bad, is a gift. We don't get to choose what befalls us; our choice is how to respond. Stay clean. Work the problem. Continue living. One Day At A Time.
 for fathers of little girls (http://www.ilmpsychtesting.com/Images/ilmpsychtesting/resources/documents/Rape-parentsguide.pdf)
Preach it brother. Damn glad you're still here and still quit!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on June 18, 2020, 01:23:47 PM
900 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnvPt_a7iOQ)

We can move mountains if we put our minds to it.

Damn proud to be one step behind you for eternity.

Much love brother - NAFAR
Title: Re: ODAAT
Post by: EXBEARHAG on June 18, 2020, 08:03:45 PM
A month or so ago we had a nuclear bomb hit our family. Stole my breath, rocked me back on my heels, and ripped my heart out of my chest in one fell swoop. There are levels of anguish that cannot be explained. Things that cannot be undone. Life happened. I continued to get up every day and to breathe in and out. I pulled back like a turtle in a shell and focused only on our immediate household. I still posted in my home room every day but that was it. A thought hit me yesterday as I was working a pasture that a lipper would have been nice. Not a crave. Just a thought. It then occurred to me that had I used the trauma as an excuse to leave I would have popped 'just one' yesterday. Instead, I remained nicotine free another day. Life, good or bad, only happens one day at a time. Each day, good or bad, is a gift. We don't get to choose what befalls us; our choice is how to respond. Stay clean. Work the problem. Continue living. One Day At A Time.
 for fathers of little girls (http://www.ilmpsychtesting.com/Images/ilmpsychtesting/resources/documents/Rape-parentsguide.pdf)
Preach it brother. Damn glad you're still here and still quit!

@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)

You are a pillar here my friend.  Folks come to this site when they are at the lowest of lows...scared, vulnerable, fogged out, enraged, etc.  Most run into your posts without too much searching; a testament to your heroic involvement.  Speaking for myself, once I read one of your posts, I actively searched you out and read everything I could get my hands on.  You are a clear and concise writer and your posts are well thought out, often witty, and always on point with the best interest of the individual or group in mind.

Reading the post above put some things in perspective for me.  I've been fairly active on the site describing my struggles over the last 339 days...especially early on.  I could have written much more.  As recently as this morning, I awoke for work about an hour early, sweats and rapid heart rate.  Stressful tours = more craves and the unwavering thought in my brain that everything I do would be easier and more manageable with a wedge in my lip.  The depth of my dependance on nicotine continues to amaze me.

Yet I'm here at 339 days quit...a number I never came close to in the past.  Like you I believe that without this place and the connections I've made here, I would have caved by now in the same way you described above.  Posts like yours above "reset" me.  They ensure me that I am not alone...not unique.  They also prove that I've got a long road ahead...but so did you and you are still here and quit. 

I'm the father of a daughter also.  If you can make it through the last several weeks and remain unincarcerated, never mind free of nicotine, then I can make it another day.  Thank you for your involvement on this site and, on a personal level, thank you for sharing your story...I'm stronger in my quit than I was before reading it.  Hold the line my friend.

~HAG
Title: Re: Goody's Victory
Post by: Skolvikings on June 18, 2020, 10:06:43 PM
From Goody 5/20/18 on freedom:

We where booking in fisherman yesterday when I saw someone who has been fishing here for over 30 years. He had a mouth full of leaf in and saw I had a can of fake. He asked me if I quit and with shouldered back and head high I said your dam right I quit. He told me he could not quit the snuff but could quit the leaf when ever be wanted. I thought that used to be me. The words of an addict. He asked if it was hard to quit I said yes. But he new that. I told him of the KTC site. Didn't really want to hear it. I felt bad for him but God dam proud of myself. I will never be that person again. Just something interesting to pass on. It was nice to see the work was paying off in me brain to be around others chewing and it was OK. Now let's go fishing.

Dang I miss my friend Hank..... RIP Goody, I hope they are biting good on that glistening pond in the ultimate North.

Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: chris2alaska on June 18, 2020, 10:12:24 PM
900 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnvPt_a7iOQ)

We can move mountains if we put our minds to it.

Damn proud to be one step behind you for eternity.

Much love brother - NAFAR

Waiting for the day when the three of us are at the same table together.

Until then, Proud as hell to quit with you.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on June 26, 2020, 05:52:27 PM
Thanks boys. The sentiments are mutual I assure you. Crossed the nine hundy on the beach. Sure do appreciate all of the pickups. Even had a brother at his camp in Alaska pick me up from the beach in Florida. Woulda reached out all the way to India to QuitNWinay in Oct '18 if I'd had his number. Woulnd'tcha know it my brothers are all there packing lipper after lipper. I sat there as my younger brother packed a three finger wad in place, you know the one, stretches the lip out till it's smooth and shiny. There he was spitting in the sand at our feet. As disgusted as I was, way back in the recesses of my brain, way down in the hippopotamus, I felt an urge. I had a 'just one' moment. I imagined it there in my lip, all fat and juicy. I gave him a sideways glance and wondered if he knew what it's like to be free. I do. I ain't never going back there neither. A simple promise every day is such a small price to pay to keep slavery at bay.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on July 12, 2020, 05:53:16 AM
Wife and girls gone for a whole week. This would have been balls out chew like there's no tomorrow time. Especially when the front yard developed a geyser. Powered through that with narry a crave although cognizant all the while that I was doing it without a lipper. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason.

Had the pleasure, nay honor and privilege of hosting a steak dinner for a young man joining the Marine Corps.  Every now and then you run into a young man who gives you hope for the future. I left him with these immutable truths: Jesus Christ is Lord, nicotine and alcohol are not your friend, that stripper doesn't love you, statistically three out of three people will die, contentment is the greatest wealth, and all real men wish they were United States Marines. Hooah.

I digress, the real reason I stopped by this morning is to capture this textual chocolate from BluManChew:
"Understanding the addiction and understanding that the reptilian desire and slobbering crave we have for nicotine is in direct conflict with what our higher sense of reason instructs us.  That's the mind fuckery."
Title: Quitness my old friend
Post by: Athan on July 15, 2020, 07:11:41 AM
From my quit brother @stillbrewing (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=16240) , as BluManChew likes to say, a textual chocolate:

"Hello quitness my old friend
I've come to quit today again
Because addiction softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was dipping
And the vision of quit that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of quitness"

Adapted from Simon & Quitfunkle
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on July 24, 2020, 11:45:13 AM
from @Badmoona (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=25) on 2 years (much respect Don Quitlioni):

badmoona - 2 years.  feels good.  Remember folks, I would have been at 8 years if i didn't cave back in 2014.  I left my group (October 2012 ironically) and caved months later.  I really don't plan on leaving ever. thanks everyone.

Ain't never cured boys. Like Exbearhag says, you read stuff like that and get a 'reset'. We're only as quit as yesterday. Quit on brotha's!
Title: Skolvikings
Post by: Athan on August 07, 2020, 10:26:15 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: Skolvikings on August 07, 2020, 01:07:16 PM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: Athan on August 07, 2020, 04:47:18 PM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)
Hey you, yeah you! If you're just starting out and reading this....this is how life is meant to be. Celebrated. Not enslaved and groveling for the next fix. It does get better. All you gotta do is make the choice. Freedom is just lying in wait and oh how sweet it is!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on August 12, 2020, 06:11:52 PM
@GS9502 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17011) breaks it down....

Quit, Quit Baby – Quitnilla Ice

All right stop, expectorate and listen
GS is down with the KTC mission;
Nicotine had a hold of me tightly,
Poisoning my body daily and nightly.
Did I wanna stop, yo I sure did,
For me, for my wife, and for my two great kids.
Stone cold turkey I threw that shit down,
Opened myself like a hospital gown;
Quit, felt my head start to boom,
Nic killin’ my brain, make me think that I was doomed,
Deadly, nic was slowly killin’ me,
Addicted to it like a bee to honey.
Lovin’ that I left it, every damn day
WUPP is word, the KTC way
And if I start cravin’, I call on my crew,
We quit that shit, we’re down and we’re through!

Quit, quit, baby Oh yeah, I’m
Quit, quit, baby No longer
spit, spit, baby Oh yeah, I’m
Quit, quit, baby!
Title: She's always right
Post by: Athan on August 16, 2020, 08:33:45 AM
Experienced an incongruity of thought with the Mrs. while shopping. Decided to walk home lest I utter something worthy of sleeping on the couch for a week. Not a long trek as the crow flies as it’s through the woods and avoiding the roundabout path of the highway. A light drizzly rain adds to the poor choice yet serves only to augment my stubborn bent. I was a few miles into it when I encounter the railroad tracks. I’d forgotten I’d have to traverse the railroad tracks. The embankment is steep on either side stretching for miles north and south, I’m headed east. I attack it at an angle but to no avail. I soon find myself slipping head long down the incline and picking up speed. At the last moment I decide to jump, opting to land vertical instead of headfirst into the gravel and ties. I felt it immediately – the ruptured tendon in the right foot. You know that moment when you realize that the course that you’ve set upon has become untenable? I had one of those. I’m still a few miles from home and no longer ambulatory. The rain is picking up. I consider my options. Traversing up the opposite side and then miles through the forest is looking less and less likely as my foot begins to swell and throb. I decide to follow the railroad tracks into town where they cross the highway. I’m going to have to swallow my intractable pride; I’m going to have to call her, apologize for my intransigence and ask for help. Damn it all. I make my way painfully along, hobbling from tie to tie, a cacophony of frogs and crows mocking me as I slink along.

Fast forward 4 hours. I’m now home on the couch having been released from the ER and sitting with my foot elevated per doctors orders when my phone rings. It’s my daughter. All college students are required to be tested for CoVid prior to attending fall classes. She’s positive (no symptoms whatsoever). We are all now quarantined for two weeks.

If there were ever a ‘just one’ moment this is it, the quitionary says look right here when you look it up. There’s just no end to them. This wouldn’t have been a just one event; it would have been a balls out chew like there’s no tomorrow honey go by me a sleeve. So that’s why I posted my promise yesterday and why I’m posting it today and why I’ll post it tomorrow. Because ‘just one’ is out there, with my name on it, waiting for me.
Title: Zombo Funk's profound epiphany
Post by: Athan on September 04, 2020, 10:24:41 AM
From @Zombo Funk (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=17535) in alcohol quit:
"....To borrow a phrase it's like casting a vote for the person you want to be. Every time I tell someone that I've quit, it reinforces the decision and makes it easier to be quit."

Casting a vote for the man I want to be. Geez I like that, it sure does ring true. Gonna get mileage out of it; voting early and often! Join me as we 'stuff the ballot box of Quit'!
Title: Re: She's always right
Post by: Candoit on September 12, 2020, 07:26:40 AM
Experienced an incongruity of thought with the Mrs. while shopping. Decided to walk home lest I utter something worthy of sleeping on the couch for a week. Not a long trek as the crow flies as it’s through the woods and avoiding the roundabout path of the highway. A light drizzly rain adds to the poor choice yet serves only to augment my stubborn bent. I was a few miles into it when I encounter the railroad tracks. I’d forgotten I’d have to traverse the railroad tracks. The embankment is steep on either side stretching for miles north and south, I’m headed east. I attack it at an angle but to no avail. I soon find myself slipping head long down the incline and picking up speed. At the last moment I decide to jump, opting to land vertical instead of headfirst into the gravel and ties. I felt it immediately – the ruptured tendon in the right foot. You know that moment when you realize that the course that you’ve set upon has become untenable? I had one of those. I’m still a few miles from home and no longer ambulatory. The rain is picking up. I consider my options. Traversing up the opposite side and then miles through the forest is looking less and less likely as my foot begins to swell and throb. I decide to follow the railroad tracks into town where they cross the highway. I’m going to have to swallow my intractable pride; I’m going to have to call her, apologize for my intransigence and ask for help. Damn it all. I make my way painfully along, hobbling from tie to tie, a cacophony of frogs and crows mocking me as I slink along.

Fast forward 4 hours. I’m now home on the couch having been released from the ER and sitting with my foot elevated per doctors orders when my phone rings. It’s my daughter. All college students are required to be tested for CoVid prior to attending fall classes. She’s positive (no symptoms whatsoever). We are all now quarantined for two weeks.

If there were ever a ‘just one’ moment this is it, the quitionary says look right here when you look it up. There’s just no end to them. This wouldn’t have been a just one event; it would have been a balls out chew like there’s no tomorrow honey go by me a sleeve. So that’s why I posted my promise yesterday and why I’m posting it today and why I’ll post it tomorrow. Because ‘just one’ is out there, with my name on it, waiting for me.

Just read both of these this morning.
https://utmost.org/gQ/
We always talk about the fog, we experienced when quitting. I have been experiencing the fog,  spiritually. But I knew something that at some point we will come out the other side. I tell new quit “it sucks until it doesn’t. Don’t set a clock to it otherwise you will be frustrated and disappointed.” Shoot that’s been the past week spiritually. But this morning it doesn’t suck and the fog is lifting. Keep pressing further into the fog and know at some point it will clear. With you EED
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: Skolvikings on September 26, 2020, 12:52:34 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)

So this happens in a few hours, I sure hope you got your beauty sleep.  The feast is prepped and just waiting on the guest of honor.  Nice dangle my brother, see you soon.
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: Athan on September 26, 2020, 05:11:35 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)

So this happens in a few hours, I sure hope you got your beauty sleep.  The feast is prepped and just waiting on the guest of honor.  Nice dangle my brother, see you soon.
can't sleep. the anticipation is more than I can bear. Athan waits 1,000 days to fly out to Azirona only to pass out on Skol's couch!
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: 69franx on September 26, 2020, 09:15:59 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)

So this happens in a few hours, I sure hope you got your beauty sleep.  The feast is prepped and just waiting on the guest of honor.  Nice dangle my brother, see you soon.
can't sleep. the anticipation is more than I can bear. Athan waits 1,000 days to fly out to Azirona only to pass out on Skol's couch!
Congrats brother. Keep doing what you've always done here. You are an awesome, inspiring rock star of quit
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: Keith0617 on September 26, 2020, 10:31:36 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)

So this happens in a few hours, I sure hope you got your beauty sleep.  The feast is prepped and just waiting on the guest of honor.  Nice dangle my brother, see you soon.
can't sleep. the anticipation is more than I can bear. Athan waits 1,000 days to fly out to Azirona only to pass out on Skol's couch!
Congrats brother. Keep doing what you've always done here. You are an awesome, inspiring rock star of quit
Congrats on 1K. Thank you for all you do.
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: worktowin on September 27, 2020, 09:23:29 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)

So this happens in a few hours, I sure hope you got your beauty sleep.  The feast is prepped and just waiting on the guest of honor.  Nice dangle my brother, see you soon.
can't sleep. the anticipation is more than I can bear. Athan waits 1,000 days to fly out to Azirona only to pass out on Skol's couch!
Congrats brother. Keep doing what you've always done here. You are an awesome, inspiring rock star of quit
Congrats on 1K. Thank you for all you do.
1,000 is the mark of greatness bro. Congratulations and thanks for inviting me to the party!
Title: Re: Skolvikings
Post by: oldschool on September 27, 2020, 09:46:15 AM
Just booked a flight & car to see my brother Skolvikings. I'll arrive on my day 1000, stay the night, and wake up with my hands between two pillows on his day 1000.
The countdown begins!!
This much is certain - photos will absolutely not be permitted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yALoRFbCHzU)

I just got a new LED light for the Ole' hot tub, it changes colors.  I'm thinking Chateaubriand, Béarnaise Sauce, Goat Cheese Smoked Taters, Prosciutto Green Beans and a Key Lime Pie.  Can't wait to celebrate with you brother.  I'll make sure I wash the PILLOWS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYvcuQSP-U)

So this happens in a few hours, I sure hope you got your beauty sleep.  The feast is prepped and just waiting on the guest of honor.  Nice dangle my brother, see you soon.
can't sleep. the anticipation is more than I can bear. Athan waits 1,000 days to fly out to Azirona only to pass out on Skol's couch!
Congrats brother. Keep doing what you've always done here. You are an awesome, inspiring rock star of quit
Congrats on 1K. Thank you for all you do.
1,000 is the mark of greatness bro. Congratulations and thanks for inviting me to the party!
Congrats on that comma!  I really appreciate what you do for all of us addicts.
Title: Planes, trains, & automobiles
Post by: Athan on September 27, 2020, 08:41:03 PM
Just in from the airport after a whirlwind trip to see Skol pick up his comma. One of the coolest trips I've ever done. The folks that post and ghost sure are missing out.
As I pulled in to return the rental car,  a family was in front of me doing the same. Dad hopped out and was getting luggage out of the vehicle with his wife and children. He had to stop and put a fatty in. I sat there dumbfounded for a second. How appropriate that I should be shown a slave whilst celebrating 1,000 days. Really drove it home. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason.
Good night quitters - I'm off to bed.
Title: A dissertation on nicotine addiction
Post by: Athan on October 17, 2020, 07:08:43 PM
From  WishedIQuitSooner  (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=16188.msg8187625#msg8187625) in the General Discussion thread. This dude has a clue. I've told a lot of folks that knowledge is power, well....this is nuclear. Read on quitters....

LOOOOONG but good read, kinda helped me along so far.
I am big tobacco's worst enemy. Why? Because I am an ex-nicotine user and I can show you how to quit. I wasn't just a casual smoker or someone who tried a chew of tobacco. I was a hard-core 3-pack-a-day chain-smoker for a decade and then a 2-can-a-day snuff-dipper for another decade. I know as well as anyone else what it means to be addicted to tobacco. More importantly, I quit nicotine forever, and I am willing to share with you, no strings attached, everything you need to quit too.
You're a smart person. Most tobacco users are quite intelligent. You're so intelligent in fact, that what I'm about to say may insult you because it's something that's obvious and you already know this.. If you regularly smoke cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe, or use smokeless tobacco products, you are an addict. You are a user. You are a nicotine junkie.

You know you're addicted because you've tried to quit at some point and you always end back where you started using tobacco again. However, you don't understand why you are an addict. Sometimes you fool yourself into thinking you like what you've become. But there is a small voice inside your head that isn't so happy that you're an addict. You've never stopped to consider why you can't control your own mind and body. But you are not in control and it's quite obvious to you and those around you.

You know that your health is being adversely affected, but you are powerless to do anything about it. Quite the opposite; you are gladly destroying your own body in exchange for the fleeting effects of nicotine on your mind. But how can this be? You are, after all, a very intelligent person!

Have you wondered why it is that you can't control yourself? Why you literally just lose control of your own mind when you're craving nicotine? Have you ever wondered how addiction works? What's going on inside your brain, the complicated organ that does the thinking and controls your body? What is your brain doing when you're craving nicotine? What is happening when you get it? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you weren't addicted? How would your brain and decision-making processed work without the burden of constantly keeping the nicotine levels up?

An interesting fact is that you weren't always an addict. You remember that first drag, puff, chew, or dip? Well just before that coughing, choking, gagging, dizzying first experience with tobacco and nicotine, you weren't addicted. You were not an addict. You were a normal, healthy, human being who was in control of his or her body and mind.

But somehow you surrendered. You surrendered to something like peer pressure or social expectations or family tradition or maybe just curiosity. But you did surrender. You gave up your control and your freedom and you stepped into the mind and body trap that is nicotine addiction. You didn't realize you were stepping into this trap because you'd never been addicted to anything before, so you literally had no clue. But now, after living in the trap for so long, you understand what addiction is. You are the very definition of addict.

What's sad about this trap is that you don't even know who YOU are any more. What I mean is, the only "you" that you now know is the smoker-you, or dipper-you: the user-you. This version of your personality, the one that rationalizes the use of tobacco to itself and who is self-destructive, isn't who you were before you fell into the trap. And, more importantly, it really isn't who you want to be. There is a small voice of your former self who is standing on the sidelines of your mind either whispering or screaming for you to snap out of this chemically-driven mind-trap you've gotten yourself into. This small voice in your head wants you to stop being an addict, forever.

What you need to realize is that you don't have to be an addict. You don't have to be trapped. You don't have to continue damaging your body in order to put a chemical in your brain that makes you feel "normal". Actually you don't even remember what normal is anymore. Your day consists of peaks and valleys of emotional ups and downs tied directly to the level of nicotine in your blood. That's not normal, that's a drug-addict.

So now you have a choice to make:

Option 1: You want to get out of this trap, retake control of your mind, your body and your health.
Option 2: You want to go have a cigarette or a dip or a chew and continue to convince yourself that what you're doing is something you have to do to feel normal, that non-addicts just don't understand and that you're willing to live with the consequences.
If you take Option 2, you might as well stop reading now. There is no hope for you. The part of you that wants out of the jail tobacco has you in gave up a long time ago. Perhaps that voice will come back to life someday. If it does, I encourage you to come back and learn how to get out of the nicotine jail.
I'll assume you really want Option 1. You want to be free of nicotine. That's all you need to get started: a desire to be free. Let's get started!

To free yourself of nicotine the most important thing you can do is fully understand the relationship between your brain and nicotine. Nicotine throws a nasty wrench into the machinery of your mind. But your mind is now altered in such a way that it can't figure out what's going on. It is now impossible for you figure this out on your own. Let me explain it to you.

Your brain is composed of billions of cells called neurons. These special cells gather and transmit electrochemical signals (similar to transistors in a computer). In layman's terms, neurons "fire", like a spark plug in a motor, and transmit signals to other neurons. This firing of neurons happens all the time and it happens a lot: if the average human brain were executing instructions like a computer, it would perform more than 20 quadrillion operations in one second. The firing "patterns" and connections between neurons in your brain are what define everything about your state of mind: your emotions, your personality, your intellect, and your decision-making processes.

The key thing to note about neuron signals is that they are electrochemical. This means they are based on electricity and chemicals, sort of like a battery. There is only one kind of electricity, but there are many kinds of chemicals. The chemicals involved in neuron signal transmission are called neurotransmitters. Chemicals like acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters. The amounts of these neurotransmitters in your brain at any given time determine how your neurons fire.

In much the same way your car needs certain amounts of oil, coolant, and brake fluid for normal operation, your brain needs the proper amounts of each neurotransmitter. To achieve the proper function, the brain actively regulates neurotransmitter levels for optimal neuron operation. For example, if serotonin levels are too high for too long, which would result in someone being overly happy or hyper, the brain reduces production of serotonin. If serotonin levels are too low, which would result in someone being overly sad or depressed, the brain increases serotonin production. Normal levels of neurotransmitters in the brain result in someone being 'normal'. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters cause all sorts of mental illness.

This is extremely important: the brain's natural adjustment of neurotransmitter base levels happens very slowly, usually over a period of weeks. There is no "dip-stick" in your brain. Your brain senses neurotransmitter levels by complex chemical reactions that are not instantaneous. It simply takes a few weeks for these base levels to be adjusted. You might think of the brain as mainly managing the 'trend' of the levels, not micro-managing each fluctuation.

When you put nicotine into your body several things happen:

Nicotine, because of it's chemical structure, binds to the fast-acting acetylcholine receptors of the organs controlled by your sympathetic nervous system. This includes the heart, blood vessels, and adrenal glands. This "fools" these organs into thinking they have been triggered by acetylecholine, the mechanism your brain uses in "fight-or-flight" situations to tell your body to get ready for action.
Your organs all go on alert: your heart beats faster, your blood vessels constrict, and your adrenal glands dump norepinephrine into the bloodstream.
The norepinephrine, which is a neurotransmitter (as well as a hormone), arrives at your brain and starts immediately making changes to your brain chemistry.
So, in essence, you have artificially put your body into fight-or-flight mode. Your brain didn't start this mode of operation on it's own accord. It was artificially stimulated by nicotine. The result is an overabundance of norepinephrine in your brain.
So what does having too much norepinephrine in your brain do? Well, it's basically an anti-depressant because it causes an increase of another neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the prefrontal cortex. In essence, it makes you feel "good". This is why when you smoked your first cigarette or had your first chew of tobacco, you may have gotten a "buzz". But now that you're an addict, you never experience the buzz any more. The buzz is now gone, and you may not even remember it. So why can't you feel the buzz? Here's why: if you continue to artificially stimulate norepinephrine levels by ingesting nicotine, your brain starts to think there is a problem. It's like your brain says "Hmmm, the levels of dopamine and serotonin seem to be too high. I will slightly decrease production of the these neurotransmitters to see if that fixes the problem." This happens slowly, over a period of weeks. You won't even notice. It is during this time, that you, without even realizing it, are becoming an addict and the buzz is being diminished.

After a while, if you've been regularly using nicotine, your brain has now lowered normal production of several neurotransmitters to counteract the artificial stimulation you're creating. This is the point at which you don't "feel normal" unless you're taking nicotine. In addition, you no longer get a buzz. And this is the point at which you start becoming an addict. Because if you don't take nicotine, you feel like crap and start to experience withdrawal, both physical and mental, and you develop a craving for nicotine that takes control of your mind.

Why do you start to feel bad? If you don't get nicotine at regular intervals you feel like crap because your dopamine and serotonin levels are down. These are very important neurotransmitters that greatly affect your overall mood. When they're levels are down, you're irritable, grumpy, grouchy, maybe even irrational and depressed. You may even experience "nicotine fits" where you find you'll do almost anything to get some nicotine into your body. Because when you finally do smoke another cigarette or dip some tobacco, all of a sudden your dopamine and serotonin levels come back up and you start to feel better. Not normal, just better than you did.

Congratulations, you are now hooked on nicotine! You're trapped in a neverending usage cycle trying to feel normal again but only feeling marginally better than you feel while craving nicotine.

Keep in mind, this process isn't something that happens overnight. Depending on your body and brain chemistry it takes anywhere from two to six weeks to get solidly hooked on nicotine. But after you're hooked, it's very difficult to stop. Very difficult indeed. It's why you haven't been able to stop despite having tried a few times.

Why is it so difficult to stop nicotine? That's a good question, and the answer is as simple as it is obvious. The reason it is so difficult to stop nicotine is because the very thing that you make decisions with, your brain, is now crippled by your mucking around with it's chemistry. Your thoughts, emotions, personality, and decision-making processes all "run" in your brain. Now you have tossed a giant wrench into this machine. Do you really expect it work properly? Do you really expect that you can control your own mind now? In order for you to approach feeling normal, you have to take nicotine. Without it, you become irate, mentally handicapped, and depressed. You don't feel good, and your decision-making machine, your brain, is all out of whack.

The most important thing you can do right now is just stop and ponder what you have learned. This is how your addiction works: Using nicotine, you've fooled your brain into under-producing a vital set of neurotransmitters that it needs to operate normally. Now when you take away the stimulation of nicotine, your brain doesn't have the neurotransmitters it needs to function properly and you feel like crap. To escape feeling like crap, you take more nicotine.

This is your never-ending mind-trap. This is why continue stimulation with nicotine. This is why when you first wake up in the morning you need nicotine. This is why, repeatedly, throughout your day, you have to take breaks to ingest nicotine. This is why when you walk into a convenience store, you have to buy nicotine. This is why before you go to bed at night, you take nicotine. You must constantly resupply your level of nicotine to stimulate your body to 'be normal'.

The negative health consequences of the nicotine delivery, whether it be a cigarette, a pipe, a cigar, or a big wad of tobacco in your now-stretched cheek don't matter to you any more. They are easily rationalized and overlooked by the very machine, your brain, which is now in desperate need of dopamine and serotonin. This affects you in many ways, none of them good.

You will now willingly accept your heightened risk of cancers, heart disease, lung disease, stinking breath, and social disgrace in exchange for getting your "fix". You will lobby for the right to continue to fuel your addiction in public places, in front of children, and to poison the air of the "fools" around you who just "don't get it." You will likely die of a tobacco related illness, and you're proud of it. Simply because your brain is craving to be normal. But it doesn't have to be this way, and you know it.

When you're ready to commit to quit, you have to decide which path to take to becoming nicotine free:

Path 1: You can quit cold-turkey. That means you just simply quit. Right now.
Path 2: You can quite by reducing consumption over a period of time and then finally stopping altogether at some point in the future.
If you choose Path 1, you're going to have to face a very difficult challenge. It will be the most difficult challenge you have ever faced in your entire life. Most who try quitting cold turkey do not succeed on the first attempt because they are unable to get past the point in time at which their brain begins its natural re-balancing of neurotransmitters. But the good news is, if you do ultimately succeed, you are much less likely to relapse because the sheer torture you've endured while quitting earns you a certain self-respect you won't easily throw away.

If you choose Path 2 it's going to be a little easier, at least physically, but there are still challenges to overcome. There are many products on the market to help ease withdrawal symptoms and/or to provide nicotine during your transition. It might be best to consult with your doctor to determine a plan for you. I won't cover this path here, mostly because I never tried it for 2 reasons:

Nicotine replacement products didn't come in a high enough dosage to satisfy my cravings
I had friends who were able to decrease usage but never completely kick the addiction
But I will talk about how I finally did quit nicotine forever: cold-turkey. Quitting cold-turkey is difficult for 2 major reasons involving timing. The first has to do with nicotine's short half-life and second has do with with the brains relatively long neurotransmitter adjustment cycle.

Nicotine has a short half-life in the body, about 60 minutes. That means one hour after a cigarette, half the nicotine you got from it has been broken down by your liver or filtered by your kidneys. In another hour only half of that half remains, and so on. In as little as two hours you will start to feel the effects of not having enough nicotine.

Contrast nicotine's short half-life with how slow your brain responds to changes and you begin to see the dilemma you're facing. The brain's mechanism of regulating neurotransmitters takes a long time to effect change, several weeks at least. This has to do with a lot of complex chemistry, but is easily seen clinically with anti-depressants which require several weeks of administration before they produce a therapeutic effect. It is believed that it is not the immediate effects on neurotransmitters that is producing the anti-depressive effect, but the long-term effects on modification of neurotransmitter receptors.

What is important to understand is you have to get through several weeks of nicotine withdrawal before your brain starts normalizing. During this time, you will be essentially mentally impaired. Quite literally, you're brain is not going to be firing on all cylinders (neurons). So what you have to do is develop a strategy that works for you during this time of mental impairment to keep you off nicotine.

Keep in mind that during the first week you'll be much more mentally impaired than the sixth week. This is why the cold-turkey approach often fails the first time you try, because you simply don't realize just how mentally impaired you're going to be. It's challenging, but no impossible.

You're also going to have physical symptoms. All this time you've been dumping fight-or-flight hormones into your body, constricting your blood vessels, making your heart race and your kidneys work overtime. You're going to feel sort of 'weird' without all this over-clocking. You may have headaches, nausea, and insomnia while those systems re-balance and return to normal operation. Add this to the emotional anguish you're going to face and you start to see why cold-turkey is difficult. But, remember, it's not impossible.

But aren't curious who you really are? The person you used to be before you became addicted to this simple chemical? Aren't you curious how your life will change in ways that you can't even comprehend now as an addict? Aren't you ready to stop rationalizing your addiction and quit kidding yourself about what's going on with your mind and your body? You know, that the answer to all of these questions is yes. You know it through and through. And yet nicotine's influence, at this very moment, is working against you, starting some bizarre rationalization process in your mind.

You have to realize that stopping the addiction is like a giant mind-game you're going to play against yourself. You have to carve out a compartment of rationalization in your mind that can't be overcome by the trauma of withdrawal. You essentially have to outsmart yourself. You have to develop a strategy and execute on it just as if you're playing a sophisticated game of chess. Only this time, what's at stake is the control of your mind, your body, you health and your future.

Here are the 5 major pieces of the strategy that ultimately worked for me:

Thoroughly educate myself on how my addiction was controlling me. Meditate on it every day so during the withdrawal phase I could actually remember it and try to rationalize in my mind what is happening.
Plan to have 2 solid weeks off work and away from my 'normal' environment (which for me is in front of a computer) where I had the strongest associations with nicotine use.
A large bottle of Ibuprofen.
Telling all my friends and my family that for the next 2 weeks they would not see me and that for the next 6 weeks I'd be going through nicotine withdrawal and I could say things I didn't' mean or could be irrational.
Completely disassociating myself with people who used nicotine and the environments in which they lurk, even if that meant terminating long friendships.
The most important part of my personal strategy was just the knowledge of how the nicotine addiction was controlling me. It's something that many people don't realize. I became determined not to let a simple chemical control my entire life. The knowledge of how this addiction works was the key to having the strength to get through the withdrawal because I knew if I could hang on for 2 to 4 weeks it would get a lot easier and at 6 weeks I'd be on easy street.
The second most important part of my personal strategy was planning to be practically incapacitated for those first 2 weeks and to remove myself from my normal environment. Normal day-to-day stresses are amplified a thousand-fold by someone in nicotine withdrawal and they become triggers for relapse. So you have to remove yourself from the stress equation altogether. Isn't the rest of your life worth dedicating 2 weeks of vacation to? Your friends and family will understand and support you.

The Ibuprofen was just to numb any physical discomfort. I'd had massive headaches on earlier cessation attempts. And of course, I knew how irritable I would be from those attempts as well, hence the warning to friends and family.

Disassociating myself from nicotine using friends was perhaps the hardest, but turned out to be a smart decision for me. Too many times in the past when I had tried to quit, I'd be in the middle of a craving and see a friend light up and the temptation overtook me. The thing about nicotine users is that they don't like to do it alone. It makes them feel more normal to be using with friends and others. Just visit a smoking area outside any public building that prohibits smoking or go to a bar. You can literally watch the chain reaction: one smoker pulls out a cigarette and it triggers several others to do the same. They don't even realize what they're doing. I had to completely avoid these situations.

You should come up with a strategy that works for you. And if you fail, adjust your strategy and try again. It's not easy. But you can do it and you have to stop making excuses. You have to stop rationalizing your addiction.

So what can you expect when you quit cold-turkey? When I quit, the first three days were utter hell for me. I locked myself in a room and forced myself to stay. And there in that room, I personally explored the edge of personal psychosis. I felt like Jack Nicholson from "The Shining". My emotions just went awry: I was angry one moment, sad the next. I cried and talked to myself. I kept rationalizing nicotine use, telling myself this wasn't going to work and I was stupid for trying and that dying from cancer wouldn't be as bad as this. It was insane!

Then I would try to sleep. While sleeping I would have nightmares and awake sweating and feeling nauseous. My head was pounding and I felt like crap. My joints ached, my jaw felt tight, and I was afraid to leave the room. I didn't eat much and when I did eat I felt sick. And the whole time I was thinking about tobacco. It was the most difficult and bizarre three days I have ever experienced.

I was also very mean to people. I remember having to drive somewhere to run an errand. I was in light traffic for about 10 minutes. I had zero patience for other drivers, I was irate. I almost ran another car off the road. Looking back, I realize now that I should not have driven. My mind was that incapacitated.

When you're in this part of withdrawal, this is when you start to realize just how powerful the addiction is. When your using regularly, you don't experience this. It's quite eye-opening and terrifying to realize just how screwed up your entire mind is and how much control you have lost when the nicotine is gone.

This is a key point: the only reason I got through day 2 was because I felt the physical and emotional investment from day 1 had been so great. You have to keep reminding yourself just how much hell you've been through with each day that ticks by. This is very important because a year from now when you're no longer physically addicted to nicotine, someone is going to offer you a cigarette. You're going to need massive internal emotional ammunition to turn it down. When someone offers you tobacco you have to be able to say in your mind, "Are you f***ing crazy?!? I spent the most miserable weeks of entire life, went to the depths of hell and crossed the borders of insanity AND came back to get nicotine out of my life! What kind of sick, pathetic, piece of worm-ridden filth are you to think I would ever venture back into that traumatic territory again?!?". Then say with your mouth and a smile, "No thanks. I kicked it years ago, don't want it, don't need it."

After week 1, which was the hardest I found myself in week 2. Week 2 has it's own set of problems. It is dangerous because of the nicotine demons. You might leave the room, or call someone, or do something you used to do, like maybe, watch a movie. That's when the nicotine demons come out and sit on your shoulder and talk to you.

For example, you go out and smell cigarette smoke coming from somewhere and the demon says "Wow! That sure smells good doesn't it?" Or friend calls and says, "We're having a get-together at a John's house tonight, wanna join us?", then the demon says "Yeah, go dude, you know John will be there on outside smoking, you can just talk to him, you don't have to smoke, you kicked it last week dude, come on, let's go" Or you go see a movie like "Die Hard" and the main character, trying to be all Hollywood-macho lights up while gunning down some guy with a fake Russian accent. Then the demon says "See, Bruce Willis smokes and he's rich and cool and on the big screen...must not be that bad."

The key point here is: week 2 feels easier, but your mind will start playing little tricks on you. You'll be surprised just how convincing your little demons can be.

This trend continues for several weeks: the physical discomfort begins to wane but the mental "demons" continue: the emotional self-talk, the temptation, the rationalization, the memories, the association of environment and nicotine. These all go through your mind, usually at random. Any one them can serve as a trigger for a relapse. So you have to be prepared to cope with this. You cut through it. You succeed. You start to be surprised at your ability to cope and you start finding it gets easier.

The difficulty in avoiding nicotine is inversely proportional to the how long it's been since you've had any. The longer you go, the easier it gets. Before you know it, six weeks will have passed. You've probably gained some weight because you weren't as hungry when you were in constant fight-or-flight mode. But you'll soon start exercising and eating right. Just give yourself body the time it needs to heal from all the carcinogens you've been dumping into it all these years.

If you can make it to the 6 week mark, you owe yourself a pat on the back. You've done something most would find impossible. You're not physically addicted to nicotine. You still have all the nicotine memories, the occasional temptation, and the demon here or there. But you've been through so much hell that you dare not fall back into the pit. After this mark is when you can begin to take a step back and look at what's going on in your brain: You are starting to become normal again. Your brain is beginning to re-balance its neurotransmitter levels. You're not out of the woods yet, but you're at a place to contemplate some things:

So, what do you think of the real you? The YOU you used to be before you became an addict? Because this is who YOU are now! Welcome back!

Do you find yourself now angry at tobacco companies?
Do you find that you now cannot tolerate being around smokers?
Do you think cigarette smoking smells good or is sexy?
Do you feel sorry for nicotine addicts?
What do you find yourself telling people about quitting nicotine?
Do you try to get friends who are addicted to consider quitting?
Do you think smoking should be legal in public places?
Do you think tobacco products should be available in convenience stores?
Do you think it's odd that heroine, cocaine, and marijuana are illegal, but tobacco is not?
What you will find is that your answers and feelings about these questions will be markedly different depending on whether or not you are addicted, and how long you've been on or off nicotine.
Tobacco companies know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, how addictive nicotine is to humans. Nicotine is as addictive (if not more so) than drugs like heroine and cocaine. They know very well the process of chemical addiction, they have known for years, and they take advantage of that process to put money in their pockets at the expense of unsuspecting people all over the world who are gladly killing themselves. Why aren't we mad about this? Why do we grow tobacco? Why does our government subsidize tobacco growers? It's insanity!

Why on earth do we allow smoking restaurants and other public places, especially the southern United States. Our laws make it is perfectly legal to light up a cigarette in many public places (a restaurant, a pub, a bowling alley, a school), in front of minor children, and smoke up the air that others in that place have to breathe. Why do we tolerate this? Why do we ignore the health consequences of second-hand smoke? It's insanity!

It's hard to imagine while your addicted, but when you are not a smoker, your sense of smell returns and you really begin to realize just how bad it smells in a smoker's car, a smoker's house, or even just being 'near' a smoker. It's hideous and they don't realize it. Furthermore, an ex-smoker, someone who's fought through the addiction, sees people who smoke as unattractive and sometimes just plain weak-minded.

People who have kicked the addiction will often feel sorry for addicts, often trying to help (in vain usually) the addict let go of nicotine.

People who have kicked the addiction begin to notice just how 'available' nicotine is in our society. It's everywhere: grocery stores, vending machines in restaurants and hotels, wholesale warehouses, gas-stations, and specialty stores. Our world is full of tobacco. After you kick the addiction, you'll see just how bizarre this is. Why do we have a highly addictive substance so readily accessible from anywhere in our society? Do you think it's really about freedom? If so, then why aren't we free to have heroine, cocaine, and marijuana? It makes no sense. It's insane.

If you're addicted you probably think everything I've said up until this point is ludicrous or impossible. That's the addiction talking. It's not impossible because I've done it. You can too. It's not magic. It's just you deciding to take control of your own mind and body. So when you reach this six-week point I'd like for you to return and re-read all of this. Once you've reached a year or more without nicotine in your life come back and read this again. Once you've reached 3 years read it one more time. Once you've reached 10 years read it one more time. Note how your feelings on the subject change over time.

It's really all about understanding how your brain is working, how you got yourself into this hole in the first place, and how that you can indeed get out of this hole. And once you're out, you'll wonder why you were a slave so long.

If you slip and fall back into the hole don't make excuses and rationalize away what's going on. Analyze it, think about it. Figure why your strategy didn't work and pick yourself up by your bootstraps and try again.

It's not easy. Even years after you've quit, the little demons may visit you occasionally. But you will learn to recognize the thoughts and eliminate them with logic. You will be in control. You will succeed.

The sense of freedom you will feel, the better health you will enjoy, the knowledge that you can and do own your mind and your body and you do indeed control them, are all worth fighting for. Wrest control of your life back away from this simple drug which consumes so much of your time, your energy, your health, your life.

When you succeed, you will share you story, you will tell a friend, you will spread the word. Because you're an intelligent, rational, human being, and you know you never needed to be an addict. You know it in your mind, you know it in your heart: you know you're not an addict. You will want to help others out of the trap that you got out of years ago.

Title: Freedom or the Tyranny of Good Intentions?
Post by: Athan on November 03, 2020, 04:56:05 PM
The entire nation awaits with baited breath....is it to be freedom or the tyranny of good intentions?
Time will tell. Gonna be a long night.
Either way, I'm free. Tomorrow, come what may, I'm a free man. Free from nicotine. Free from Alcohol. Free from their burdens on my wallet, my family, my spirit, my life.
Today, I made a promise and in doing so, cast a vote for the man I want to be.
That adds a whole lotta peace to my plate.
Hope you vote the same way too!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on November 10, 2020, 01:20:25 PM
Just got back from the dentist. It stuck me as I was leaving that I went without apprehension, not one little bit.  That, in and of itself is a huge victory. How many cross the threshold here with a dread fear of seeing the dentist? Most are dissuaded not by an unpleasant process, but by the fear of unpleasant news. Such is the life of the addict; many things are avoided for fear of the truth. Lying to oneself daily about the addiction for instance. The thing is, the lying is part of the sickness of addiction. The damage to character is not isolated to lying about substance abuse but carries over into other aspects of ones life - like seeing the dentist. So, I acknowledge my victory today, not just of seeing the dentist but of healing my character as well. I hope this gives hope to the addict on the fence, considering the quit, and the visit to the dentist.
Title: Priceless
Post by: Athan on December 04, 2020, 03:19:22 PM
C350 thermostat - $163.70
Antifreeze & gasket sealant - $26.74
Torx socket set - $36.02
Doing the job sans nicotine - even when I got down to that last bolt and dropped it tink, tink, tink, under the engine and on top of the pan...
PRICELESS
Title: Grounding
Post by: Athan on January 04, 2021, 03:52:46 AM
From @Sajax (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=10756)
I want to share with you a tool that has helped me tremendously in life, here too...

When you feel like this. This up and down anger. This anxiety and confusion. Do the following:

1) Name 5 things you can see in the room. Like out loud. Look around, "clock, shoes, rug, wallpaper, door, tv"

2) Name 4 things you can touch, "chair, shirt, face, desk, water bottle"

3) Name 3 things you can hear, "tv, washer, the incessant buzzing of fluorescent lights"

4) Name 2 things you can smell, "upper lip, couch farts"

5) Name 1 thing you can taste, "last night's tacos"


This five step thing is called grounding. Use it to fight off craves as well as to put down the urge to run off and be a jerk. Now, before the BADASS-BALL-CODDLER-BRIGADETM tells me not to waste time on you, I'm not. I'm wasting this time on April as a whole in hopes it helps someone.

Anyone who has spent 10 minutes interacting with me understands I can go off the handle a little. These tools work, give them a shot.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on January 04, 2021, 09:16:49 AM
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) on hitting the 11th floor. Thanks for all you do.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: 69franx on January 04, 2021, 09:39:48 AM
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) on hitting the 11th floor. Thanks for all you do.
Congrats sir, keep making a difference every day
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: EXBEARHAG on January 04, 2021, 08:51:08 PM
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) on hitting the 11th floor. Thanks for all you do.
Congrats sir, keep making a difference every day
Congrats brother Athan.  PTBQWYT and every day my friend
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: CTF on January 05, 2021, 01:05:13 AM
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) on hitting the 11th floor. Thanks for all you do.
Congrats sir, keep making a difference every day
Congrats brother Athan.  PTBQWYT and every day my friend

Congrats Athan. 1100 days is such a wonderful accomplishment. Bravo!
Title: HARD
Post by: Athan on January 07, 2021, 09:59:55 AM
From a friend this morning:

Marriage is hard
     Divorce is hard
          Choose your hard

Obesity is hard
     Being fit is hard
          Choose your hard

Being in debt is hard
     Being financially disciplined is hard
          Choose your hard

Communication is hard
     Not communicating is hard
          Choose your hard

Life will never be easy, it will always be hard,
    But we can choose our hard
          Choose wisely

I would add: addiction is hard. Quitting is hard.  Choose your hard.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Skolvikings on January 14, 2021, 03:50:09 PM
Quad Aces Eve Brother @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on January 15, 2021, 07:59:15 AM
Quad Aces Eve Brother @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Aw shucks @Skolvikings (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=70) man you beat me to it! ELEVENTY ELEVEN is way too cool. Definitely a winning hand in poker and right on up there with triple nickels and three of a kind niners! Stay tuned for more quitters hitting this important milestone!!
Title: Frampton
Post by: Athan on January 22, 2021, 08:09:12 AM
Recorded darn near 50 years ago. I'm pretty sure folks will still be jamming to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Yq5m9eLIQ) long after Katy Perry and the teeny bopper genre is dead and gone. Still puts me in a good place every time I hear it.
Title: Re: Frampton
Post by: JeffH4257 on January 22, 2021, 08:12:45 AM
Recorded darn near 50 years ago. I'm pretty sure folks will still be jamming to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Yq5m9eLIQ) long after Katy Perry and the teeny bopper genre is dead and gone. Still puts me in a good place every time I hear it.

Brings back a lot of good memories!  Thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on January 23, 2021, 10:36:26 AM
Just finished breaking bread with GS9502. It is the coolest thing in the world to turn the pixels into people. Always a pleasure to see the eyes and the smile of someone you've only exchanged  texts with. If you haven't done so, you're cheating yourself and short changing your quit.
Title: Samrs on the dentist visit
Post by: Athan on January 25, 2021, 06:56:33 PM
Well, here it is. Monday morning. Could life get any lousier than a Monday morning?

How about a Monday morning dentist appointment?

Hands up. How many of you guys get a cold sweat when you think about going to the dentist? "What will they find? What will they tell me?"

So you "quit" the night before. That'll fool 'em, sure! Extra flossing, extra brushing. Minty fresh. They might tell you your gums are receding, but that just happens, right? Besides, they've been talking about stuff like gum grafts for years, but nothing's ever come of it, so...

So maybe you wake up and gut it out. You go and white-knuckle your way through it. And as soon as your cleaning is done, you're out to your car and ripping open that can to throw one in.

Or maybe you cancel. Not that I've done that more than two or three times in a row. You really don't need your teeth cleaned that often, anyways. That's what I told myself, at least. It's just a scam, that's how they make their money. You can go every couple of years, really. If I ignore it hard enough, it's not there, right?

Fucking addicts, amirite?

I haven't had to do that mental dance for four years, now, and it feels WONDERFUL.

I just go to the dentist.

I tell my hygienist - Marge, a really great lady - I tell Marge my day count when I get into the room.

She checks me out and I know that I'm taking care of myself. Not like that idiot Addict Sam who used to go years without a checkup, let alone a cleaning.

If there's something wrong, we fix it. There was a point a couple of years ago where the doc noticed something wonky. Ended up avoiding a double root canal.

Yeah, THAT would have been fun.

You all are 20-50 days into your quit now, I think. Your mouth feels weird. I know - mine did, too. You're thinking "Crap, I quit, now I have mouth cancer?"

You don't. You know who can tell you? You know who can put your mind at ease?

Your dentist :)

Marge says hello, BTW. Time for me to get that cleaning.

You should think about getting it done, too. Trust me - you'll feel better for it.
Title: nick-Otine Free lays it out
Post by: Athan on February 18, 2021, 04:18:39 PM
I think sometimes it's easy for the veteran in me to lose sight of how intense the grind of the first couple weeks can be. Kind of a privilege to jump into a new group and walk with 'em and relive some of that - lest we lose perspective.
Here's some great advice from @nick-Otine Free (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=19005) re: attacking the suck...

1: Decide- Decide that the pain and struggle of quitting is enough, and through that struggle you get the greatest gift of all. A nicotine Free life.

2: Plan- Plan what you are going to do on your hard days. Those days where the itch is so strong and your mind is telling you that the quit is just not worth it. A plan for when your crave is more important than your reason. A plan for days or weekends when your standing on the edge and thinking you have it thinking your addiction is cured. Lucky There is a Forum of dick heads some where to help with this plan maybe someone can point you in the right direction.

3: Begin- Begin each and every day WUPPing, begin by taking such a hard addiction off the table for the day. Starting is pretty simple, getting on roll is pretty simple. Begin trusting others that are holding a shield next to you fighting the same fight. Begin believing that you can be Nicotine free for life. And as you begin each day the same way , they same thought process, the same wave length you will be taking another step toward your own freedom.
Title: A crappy experience
Post by: Athan on March 13, 2021, 11:53:52 AM
I’m on the road early this morning, two cups of coffee and out the door. In a rush so I didn’t take the time to wait on the morning package.  But it arrived just the same. Only I’m on the highway when it starts rap tap tapping on my back door. I spy a shopping center and exit the highway and dash on in to make a deposit. What is it with the toilet paper dispensers being under the monkey bars and 2” off the floor? Is that supposed to make it easier for the dude that’s already in the wheelchair? Whatever. I lean forward to grab some of the recycled newspaper third world product when that technological marvel of auto flush kicks in, bathing me in my own effluvia. It wouldn’t have been so bad if there was enough complementary sandpaper to finish the job, but as luck would have it, there wasn’t. I adapt and overcome only I’m now down to one sock. I make my way over to the wash station and it’s one of these infrared soap water dispenser things only not nearly as sensitive as the auto flush feature. This is compounded by the fact that there’s only 4” clearance (same guys who mounted the toilet paper dispenser?) between the intermittent water emission and the bottom of the community basin. Not an ideal situation but hey, at least I’m wearing a paper surgical mask, right?
I’ve lost all interest in the box of munchkins I’ve got  waiting in the car. I’m not even remotely interested in anything finger lickin good. Which is odd because if I was still chewing I’d have popped a lipper without a second thought just like a plumber eating a sandwich. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on March 28, 2021, 01:33:21 PM
Hey 'JUST ONE"
You can KISS MY ASS!
 'arse'
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: 69franx on March 28, 2021, 11:15:44 PM
Hey 'JUST ONE"
You can KISS MY ASS!
 'arse'
Hell yeah!!!
Title: chris2alaska nails it
Post by: Athan on March 31, 2021, 04:23:14 PM
A sure to be timeless quote from @chris2alaska (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=130):

“Addiction: Giving up everything for one thing.

Recovery: Giving up one thing for everything.”

Title: She's learning to drive
Post by: Athan on April 06, 2021, 02:11:38 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
Title: Re: She's learning to drive
Post by: AppleJack on April 06, 2021, 02:18:45 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
My daughter is a brilliant kid.
Killed it in high school.
Killing it her first year in college.

She suuuuuucks as a driver for ALL the reasons you gave and then... some specific to her.

<dad shakes head and buckles up>
Title: Re: She's learning to drive
Post by: 69franx on April 06, 2021, 04:09:04 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
My daughter is a brilliant kid.
Killed it in high school.
Killing it her first year in college.

She suuuuuucks as a driver for ALL the reasons you gave and then... some specific to her.

<dad shakes head and buckles up>
The biggest issue with our 17 year old who has had a license for 8 months is the unbelievable amount and level of attitude. She generally drives too fast, distracted, with the radio too loud. But what the hell do I know, I've only been driving for 36 years. Things are probably different now, right? Luckily she has a nearly straight shot to school with only a couple turns and 10 miles on one road and a 5 minute drive to work. Good luck @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Title: Re: She's learning to drive
Post by: Keith0617 on April 06, 2021, 04:18:15 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
My daughter is a brilliant kid.
Killed it in high school.
Killing it her first year in college.

She suuuuuucks as a driver for ALL the reasons you gave and then... some specific to her.

<dad shakes head and buckles up>
The biggest issue with our 17 year old who has had a license for 8 months is the unbelievable amount and level of attitude. She generally drives too fast, distracted, with the radio too loud. But what the hell do I know, I've only been driving for 36 years. Things are probably different now, right? Luckily she has a nearly straight shot to school with only a couple turns and 10 miles on one road and a 5 minute drive to work. Good luck @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Hold your breath for a year or so. Rest easy, it does get better.
Title: Re: She's learning to drive
Post by: AppleJack on April 06, 2021, 04:24:02 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
My daughter is a brilliant kid.
Killed it in high school.
Killing it her first year in college.

She suuuuuucks as a driver for ALL the reasons you gave and then... some specific to her.

<dad shakes head and buckles up>
The biggest issue with our 17 year old who has had a license for 8 months is the unbelievable amount and level of attitude. She generally drives too fast, distracted, with the radio too loud. But what the hell do I know, I've only been driving for 36 years. Things are probably different now, right? Luckily she has a nearly straight shot to school with only a couple turns and 10 miles on one road and a 5 minute drive to work. Good luck @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Hold your breath for a year or so. Rest easy, it does get better.
Omg.

The “know it all”  >:(
Title: Re: She's learning to drive
Post by: Athan on April 06, 2021, 06:23:34 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
My daughter is a brilliant kid.
Killed it in high school.
Killing it her first year in college.

She suuuuuucks as a driver for ALL the reasons you gave and then... some specific to her.

<dad shakes head and buckles up>
The biggest issue with our 17 year old who has had a license for 8 months is the unbelievable amount and level of attitude. She generally drives too fast, distracted, with the radio too loud. But what the hell do I know, I've only been driving for 36 years. Things are probably different now, right? Luckily she has a nearly straight shot to school with only a couple turns and 10 miles on one road and a 5 minute drive to work. Good luck @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Hold your breath for a year or so. Rest easy, it does get better.
Omg.

The “know it all”  >:(
Right now, she's still very afraid - there's hope!
Title: Re: She's learning to drive
Post by: 69franx on April 06, 2021, 08:39:50 PM
My baby turned 16 recently so I bought her a car. Now we’re learning how to drive. The first two (her sisters) were easy. Seemed like a non-issue really; like they were born behind the wheel. Not so for the baby. It started when I told her to get in it and drive up to the house to pick me up. I watched as the car backed down the driveway into the rose bushes. She came in a few minutes later and said the car won’t go forward, it’s stuck in reverse. Well, it turns out that if you don’t start the vehicle the engine isn’t very responsive. And who knew there was so much muscle coordination executing a left turn? And when you get right down to it, driving lanes really should be wider shouldn’t they? I mean, what would be wrong with eight feet of margin on each side of the vehicle? And do they really have to plant mailboxes that close to the road? Right now I’m wondering if Uber has an annual membership. It’s not that big a deal to not get a driver license right? I mean, there’s folks what live in the big city and use mass transit their whole lives. The real deal was when the idiot on the highway in front of us came to a complete stop and decided to make a right turn. Guess they never heard of turn signals or a shoulder? She did very well. Missed ‘em by inches. "Just One" came knocking hard. Thundering really. Like my heart beat. Had I not posted a promise earlier today, I would have directed her to the nearest C-store after that one. If any excuse will do - having your life flash before your eyes is a winner. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
My daughter is a brilliant kid.
Killed it in high school.
Killing it her first year in college.

She suuuuuucks as a driver for ALL the reasons you gave and then... some specific to her.

<dad shakes head and buckles up>
The biggest issue with our 17 year old who has had a license for 8 months is the unbelievable amount and level of attitude. She generally drives too fast, distracted, with the radio too loud. But what the hell do I know, I've only been driving for 36 years. Things are probably different now, right? Luckily she has a nearly straight shot to school with only a couple turns and 10 miles on one road and a 5 minute drive to work. Good luck @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Hold your breath for a year or so. Rest easy, it does get better.
Omg.

The “know it all”  >:(
Right now, she's still very afraid - there's hope!
Afraid is good, it should keep her cautious
Title: Jury Duty
Post by: Athan on April 26, 2021, 09:02:00 AM
Jury duty. As I sit here waiting for the proceedings to begin, I’m starkly aware that I’m not gutting it behind my mask wondering when we get a break so I can replace my wad. That’s exactly what I’d be doing if I hadn’t said ENOUGH! 1,212 days ago. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
Title: Re: Jury Duty
Post by: Athan on April 26, 2021, 10:25:38 AM
Jury duty. As I sit here waiting for the proceedings to begin, I’m starkly aware that I’m not gutting it behind my mask wondering when we get a break so I can replace my wad. That’s exactly what I’d be doing if I hadn’t said ENOUGH! 1,212 days ago. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
I won! They picked me! I’ve been awarded six months Grand Jury Duty!
Title: Re: Jury Duty
Post by: Keith0617 on April 26, 2021, 11:40:57 AM
Jury duty. As I sit here waiting for the proceedings to begin, I’m starkly aware that I’m not gutting it behind my mask wondering when we get a break so I can replace my wad. That’s exactly what I’d be doing if I hadn’t said ENOUGH! 1,212 days ago. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
I won! They picked me! I’ve been awarded six months Grand Jury Duty!
double congrats!!
Title: Re: Jury Duty
Post by: 69franx on April 26, 2021, 02:39:13 PM
Jury duty. As I sit here waiting for the proceedings to begin, I’m starkly aware that I’m not gutting it behind my mask wondering when we get a break so I can replace my wad. That’s exactly what I’d be doing if I hadn’t said ENOUGH! 1,212 days ago. Not now, not today, not for any reason.
I won! They picked me! I’ve been awarded six months Grand Jury Duty!
double congrats!!
Think I got a notice recently, it's lost in the pile of paperwork on my desk. Hope I wasn't supposed to be there this week
Title: 1234
Post by: Athan on May 18, 2021, 03:50:32 AM
1234 I'm going to quit some more. Last time in this sequence was 1,111 days ago.
Milestone. And that's how we do it. Life even. You set a goal, you strive for it, you reach it. Success is built on little victories.
Important to have goals. Without them, we're idle, directionless, like logs floating down a river. Like addicts mindlessly packing lipper after lipper.

I won't hit the numerically superior quit sequence again for another 11,111 days.
Then again, I only quit one day at a time.
Title: HS graduation
Post by: Athan on May 22, 2021, 09:08:43 AM
High school graduation today (my daughter not me).
Outdoor on the football field in the heat instead of inside in the auditorium in the AC on account of the 'rona.
I had a lipper in for my HS graduation. I won't for hers.
I'll have bottle with me but it won't be a spitter, it'll be full of ice water.
Ain't nothing in the world like freedom.
Title: Re: She's always right
Post by: Athan on July 16, 2021, 06:12:08 AM
Experienced an incongruity of thought with the Mrs. while shopping. Decided to walk home lest I utter something worthy of sleeping on the couch for a week. Not a long trek as the crow flies as it’s through the woods and avoiding the roundabout path of the highway. A light drizzly rain adds to the poor choice yet serves only to augment my stubborn bent. I was a few miles into it when I encounter the railroad tracks. I’d forgotten I’d have to traverse the railroad tracks. The embankment is steep on either side stretching for miles north and south, I’m headed east. I attack it at an angle but to no avail. I soon find myself slipping head long down the incline and picking up speed. At the last moment I decide to jump, opting to land vertical instead of headfirst into the gravel and ties. I felt it immediately – the ruptured tendon in the right foot. You know that moment when you realize that the course that you’ve set upon has become untenable? I had one of those. I’m still a few miles from home and no longer ambulatory. The rain is picking up. I consider my options. Traversing up the opposite side and then miles through the forest is looking less and less likely as my foot begins to swell and throb. I decide to follow the railroad tracks into town where they cross the highway. I’m going to have to swallow my intractable pride; I’m going to have to call her, apologize for my intransigence and ask for help. Damn it all. I make my way painfully along, hobbling from tie to tie, a cacophony of frogs and crows mocking me as I slink along.

Fast forward 4 hours. I’m now home on the couch having been released from the ER and sitting with my foot elevated per doctors orders when my phone rings. It’s my daughter. All college students are required to be tested for CoVid prior to attending fall classes. She’s positive (no symptoms whatsoever). We are all now quarantined for two weeks.

If there were ever a ‘just one’ moment this is it, the quitionary says look right here when you look it up. There’s just no end to them. This wouldn’t have been a just one event; it would have been a balls out chew like there’s no tomorrow honey go by me a sleeve. So that’s why I posted my promise yesterday and why I’m posting it today and why I’ll post it tomorrow. Because ‘just one’ is out there, with my name on it, waiting for me.

that pop I heard and felt was the peroneus longus and brevis tendons. Having surgery in an hour or so. Instead of sneaking a last lipper before they put me under I'm just wishing for a cup of coffee to deliver the morning package. I'm not planning ahead with stashing a can in the car to try and pack one in while loopy. Not using this as an excuse to have just one. Instead, I'm posting roll and blogging out yet another victory over the weed and US tobacco.  hooah.
Title: Re: She's always right
Post by: stillbrewing on July 16, 2021, 07:51:19 AM
Experienced an incongruity of thought with the Mrs. while shopping. Decided to walk home lest I utter something worthy of sleeping on the couch for a week. Not a long trek as the crow flies as it’s through the woods and avoiding the roundabout path of the highway. A light drizzly rain adds to the poor choice yet serves only to augment my stubborn bent. I was a few miles into it when I encounter the railroad tracks. I’d forgotten I’d have to traverse the railroad tracks. The embankment is steep on either side stretching for miles north and south, I’m headed east. I attack it at an angle but to no avail. I soon find myself slipping head long down the incline and picking up speed. At the last moment I decide to jump, opting to land vertical instead of headfirst into the gravel and ties. I felt it immediately – the ruptured tendon in the right foot. You know that moment when you realize that the course that you’ve set upon has become untenable? I had one of those. I’m still a few miles from home and no longer ambulatory. The rain is picking up. I consider my options. Traversing up the opposite side and then miles through the forest is looking less and less likely as my foot begins to swell and throb. I decide to follow the railroad tracks into town where they cross the highway. I’m going to have to swallow my intractable pride; I’m going to have to call her, apologize for my intransigence and ask for help. Damn it all. I make my way painfully along, hobbling from tie to tie, a cacophony of frogs and crows mocking me as I slink along.

Fast forward 4 hours. I’m now home on the couch having been released from the ER and sitting with my foot elevated per doctors orders when my phone rings. It’s my daughter. All college students are required to be tested for CoVid prior to attending fall classes. She’s positive (no symptoms whatsoever). We are all now quarantined for two weeks.

If there were ever a ‘just one’ moment this is it, the quitionary says look right here when you look it up. There’s just no end to them. This wouldn’t have been a just one event; it would have been a balls out chew like there’s no tomorrow honey go by me a sleeve. So that’s why I posted my promise yesterday and why I’m posting it today and why I’ll post it tomorrow. Because ‘just one’ is out there, with my name on it, waiting for me.

that pop I heard and felt was the peroneus longus and brevis tendons. Having surgery in an hour or so. Instead of sneaking a last lipper before they put me under I'm just wishing for a cup of coffee to deliver the morning package. I'm not planning ahead with stashing a can in the car to try and pack one in while loopy. Not using this as an excuse to have just one. Instead, I'm posting roll and blogging out yet another victory over the weed and US tobacco.  hooah.
I pray everything goes well. 
I'm always available for a call if that demon starts screaming too loud.
Title: Re: She's always right
Post by: Keith0617 on July 16, 2021, 08:32:20 AM
Experienced an incongruity of thought with the Mrs. while shopping. Decided to walk home lest I utter something worthy of sleeping on the couch for a week. Not a long trek as the crow flies as it’s through the woods and avoiding the roundabout path of the highway. A light drizzly rain adds to the poor choice yet serves only to augment my stubborn bent. I was a few miles into it when I encounter the railroad tracks. I’d forgotten I’d have to traverse the railroad tracks. The embankment is steep on either side stretching for miles north and south, I’m headed east. I attack it at an angle but to no avail. I soon find myself slipping head long down the incline and picking up speed. At the last moment I decide to jump, opting to land vertical instead of headfirst into the gravel and ties. I felt it immediately – the ruptured tendon in the right foot. You know that moment when you realize that the course that you’ve set upon has become untenable? I had one of those. I’m still a few miles from home and no longer ambulatory. The rain is picking up. I consider my options. Traversing up the opposite side and then miles through the forest is looking less and less likely as my foot begins to swell and throb. I decide to follow the railroad tracks into town where they cross the highway. I’m going to have to swallow my intractable pride; I’m going to have to call her, apologize for my intransigence and ask for help. Damn it all. I make my way painfully along, hobbling from tie to tie, a cacophony of frogs and crows mocking me as I slink along.

Fast forward 4 hours. I’m now home on the couch having been released from the ER and sitting with my foot elevated per doctors orders when my phone rings. It’s my daughter. All college students are required to be tested for CoVid prior to attending fall classes. She’s positive (no symptoms whatsoever). We are all now quarantined for two weeks.

If there were ever a ‘just one’ moment this is it, the quitionary says look right here when you look it up. There’s just no end to them. This wouldn’t have been a just one event; it would have been a balls out chew like there’s no tomorrow honey go by me a sleeve. So that’s why I posted my promise yesterday and why I’m posting it today and why I’ll post it tomorrow. Because ‘just one’ is out there, with my name on it, waiting for me.

that pop I heard and felt was the peroneus longus and brevis tendons. Having surgery in an hour or so. Instead of sneaking a last lipper before they put me under I'm just wishing for a cup of coffee to deliver the morning package. I'm not planning ahead with stashing a can in the car to try and pack one in while loopy. Not using this as an excuse to have just one. Instead, I'm posting roll and blogging out yet another victory over the weed and US tobacco.  hooah.
I pray everything goes well. 
I'm always available for a call if that demon starts screaming too loud.
Best of luck. Heal quickly.
Title: Musings on 1300
Post by: Athan on July 23, 2021, 10:43:21 AM
One thousand three hundred days. Not a major milestone but still another 100 days. All in the last week - saw a brother leave to site. Had another reappear after a long hiatus to admit lying on roll. Still others returning to post a day 1. I'm routinely amazed at the power of the addiction. How so few actually break free from it and stay that way. As for my brother in April '18 who called it quits, this season of his life coming to a close - I get it, I really do. There's times where I do resent rolling in all the groups that I do, the time invested and spent. I do have stretches where I think after today this is it - just rolling in the home room from now on. Then I'm visited by reality. The reality that posting in another group or a simple message or word of encouragement to or from another quitter is what makes it all have value, how it all contributes to the context within which we all succeed. That and I'm continually reminded of the "just one" moments that are out there with my name on them. As I sit at home recuperating from surgery (thanks for the books @S412 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=152) !) I've had my share of them. They will always be there - there's no end to them. They don't claw at me incessantly as they did for the first hundred days or so but they're there nonetheless, patiently waiting. They always will be. That's why I'm still posting. Every day. In more than just my home room. If you're a new guy, contemplating the decision to join the ranks of the free - DO IT. Wade into it. Go all in. Roll with a few groups and spread the love.
While slavery has many forms, many guises, there's simply no substitute for freedom.
Title: Re: Musings on 1300
Post by: bubblehed668 on July 24, 2021, 11:59:24 AM
One thousand three hundred days. Not a major milestone but still another 100 days. All in the last week - saw a brother leave to site. Had another reappear after a long hiatus to admit lying on roll. Still others returning to post a day 1. I'm routinely amazed at the power of the addiction. How so few actually break free from it and stay that way. As for my brother in April '18 who called it quits, this season of his life coming to a close - I get it, I really do. There's times where I do resent rolling in all the groups that I do, the time invested and spent. I do have stretches where I think after today this is it - just rolling in the home room from now on. Then I'm visited by reality. The reality that posting in another group or a simple message or word of encouragement to or from another quitter is what makes it all have value, how it all contributes to the context within which we all succeed. That and I'm continually reminded of the "just one" moments that are out there with my name on them. As I sit at home recuperating from surgery (thanks for the books @S412 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=152) !) I've had my share of them. They will always be there - there's no end to them. They don't claw at me incessantly as they did for the first hundred days or so but they're there nonetheless, patiently waiting. They always will be. That's why I'm still posting. Every day. In more than just my home room. If you're a new guy, contemplating the decision to join the ranks of the free - DO IT. Wade into it. Go all in. Roll with a few groups and spread the love.
While slavery has many forms, many guises, there's simply no substitute for freedom.

@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) congrats on your 13th HOF
Title: Re: Musings on 1300
Post by: Keith0617 on July 25, 2021, 08:39:13 AM
One thousand three hundred days. Not a major milestone but still another 100 days. All in the last week - saw a brother leave to site. Had another reappear after a long hiatus to admit lying on roll. Still others returning to post a day 1. I'm routinely amazed at the power of the addiction. How so few actually break free from it and stay that way. As for my brother in April '18 who called it quits, this season of his life coming to a close - I get it, I really do. There's times where I do resent rolling in all the groups that I do, the time invested and spent. I do have stretches where I think after today this is it - just rolling in the home room from now on. Then I'm visited by reality. The reality that posting in another group or a simple message or word of encouragement to or from another quitter is what makes it all have value, how it all contributes to the context within which we all succeed. That and I'm continually reminded of the "just one" moments that are out there with my name on them. As I sit at home recuperating from surgery (thanks for the books @S412 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=152) !) I've had my share of them. They will always be there - there's no end to them. They don't claw at me incessantly as they did for the first hundred days or so but they're there nonetheless, patiently waiting. They always will be. That's why I'm still posting. Every day. In more than just my home room. If you're a new guy, contemplating the decision to join the ranks of the free - DO IT. Wade into it. Go all in. Roll with a few groups and spread the love.
While slavery has many forms, many guises, there's simply no substitute for freedom.

@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) congrats on your 13th HOF
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)  You keep doing you and let those days add up. Proud to quit with you today.
Title: Re: Musings on 1300
Post by: Athan on July 25, 2021, 08:46:08 AM
One thousand three hundred days. Not a major milestone but still another 100 days. All in the last week - saw a brother leave to site. Had another reappear after a long hiatus to admit lying on roll. Still others returning to post a day 1. I'm routinely amazed at the power of the addiction. How so few actually break free from it and stay that way. As for my brother in April '18 who called it quits, this season of his life coming to a close - I get it, I really do. There's times where I do resent rolling in all the groups that I do, the time invested and spent. I do have stretches where I think after today this is it - just rolling in the home room from now on. Then I'm visited by reality. The reality that posting in another group or a simple message or word of encouragement to or from another quitter is what makes it all have value, how it all contributes to the context within which we all succeed. That and I'm continually reminded of the "just one" moments that are out there with my name on them. As I sit at home recuperating from surgery (thanks for the books @S412 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=152) !) I've had my share of them. They will always be there - there's no end to them. They don't claw at me incessantly as they did for the first hundred days or so but they're there nonetheless, patiently waiting. They always will be. That's why I'm still posting. Every day. In more than just my home room. If you're a new guy, contemplating the decision to join the ranks of the free - DO IT. Wade into it. Go all in. Roll with a few groups and spread the love.
While slavery has many forms, many guises, there's simply no substitute for freedom.

@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) congrats on your 13th HOF
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)  You keep doing you and let those days add up. Proud to quit with you today.
Thanks man, will do! Every time I've tried to do someone else it hasn't worked out too well ;D
Title: Re: Musings on 1300
Post by: FLLipOut on July 25, 2021, 10:31:30 AM
One thousand three hundred days. Not a major milestone but still another 100 days. All in the last week - saw a brother leave to site. Had another reappear after a long hiatus to admit lying on roll. Still others returning to post a day 1. I'm routinely amazed at the power of the addiction. How so few actually break free from it and stay that way. As for my brother in April '18 who called it quits, this season of his life coming to a close - I get it, I really do. There's times where I do resent rolling in all the groups that I do, the time invested and spent. I do have stretches where I think after today this is it - just rolling in the home room from now on. Then I'm visited by reality. The reality that posting in another group or a simple message or word of encouragement to or from another quitter is what makes it all have value, how it all contributes to the context within which we all succeed. That and I'm continually reminded of the "just one" moments that are out there with my name on them. As I sit at home recuperating from surgery (thanks for the books @S412 (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=152) !) I've had my share of them. They will always be there - there's no end to them. They don't claw at me incessantly as they did for the first hundred days or so but they're there nonetheless, patiently waiting. They always will be. That's why I'm still posting. Every day. In more than just my home room. If you're a new guy, contemplating the decision to join the ranks of the free - DO IT. Wade into it. Go all in. Roll with a few groups and spread the love.
While slavery has many forms, many guises, there's simply no substitute for freedom.

@Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) congrats on your 13th HOF
Congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)  You keep doing you and let those days add up. Proud to quit with you today.
Thanks man, will do! Every time I've tried to do someone else it hasn't worked out too well ;D
Congrats on the level up, Athan!  This post resonated with me this morning, thanks.  Proud to quit with you each and every day.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on August 09, 2021, 03:27:46 PM
Reverent canine excrement Batman! When did a pair of windshield wipers get to the seventy dollar range!!! Darn good thing I quit chewin or I wouldn’t have been able to afford em without financing. Extra darn good thing they’re not addictive too. On a positive note, I’m not bitching about it with a lip full a cat turd
Title: Just do it
Post by: Athan on August 16, 2021, 09:11:24 AM
Alexander Graham Bell said it succinctly, “the only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.” Procrastination is the thief of time. Once you determine God’s direction for you, move toward it without wavering.
You’re already in bondage, what’ve you got to lose?
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on August 26, 2021, 07:13:34 AM
From @cdforecheck (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=3267) in his intro (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?topic=12857.msg569153#msg569153). Some other good gems in there.

I was bored so I did a little tinkering and found some interesting stuff.

According to recent studies, nicotine users who have stopped ingesting nicotine have a success rate of 23% for one year of abstinence and 14% for two years; these are the numbers for those using a support system. Alone, the success rate is dramatically lower, around 14% make it one year and 9% make it two years. Both studies, one by the Tobacco Health Related Disease Institute and the other through NIH notice little change in success rate following two years and both studies included only smokers and both stated that smokeless tobacco appears more difficult to quit long term. No other drug shows relapse rates this high, heroin comes the closest.

Who in the world would bet on any of us? A less than 1 in 4 chance to make one year and less than 1 in 10 to make it two alone?

How many people visited here one day, signed up, and have never been heard from again? About 85%, by using the member list have posted 0 to less than 100 times, excluding those joining before 100 days have passed.

We are the 15%ers. We will make it. A life without nicotine is possible, we found a support and hopefully we are using it. We are the ones that made it past the 30 day mark when most relapses occur. We have determined to change our lives. We are the ones not afraid to admit that we are weak and canÂ’t do it alone. We are stronger together because we understand how hard it is to fight this. We know ways to distract ourselves and have the vehicle to do it here, from chat to wildcard to posting. We are more powerful against nicotine than anyone of us ever were by ourselves. We are committed to benefiting ourselves and our families and helping perfect strangers to do the same. We hold ourselves accountable to multiple networks of support. We make life changes to avoid the triggers. We will do this, we will succeed, and our lives will be much better for it. We are the 15%ers. We are FREE.
Title: Just one...
Post by: Athan on September 14, 2021, 04:09:08 PM
Quote
#1.  Between the pressures of life and everything in between, I picked up that dip and thought I could just have one.  I was dead wrong.

From a dude returning after a 5 year hiatus. This is why I'm still here. I've had too many 'just one' thoughts even posting every day. If I pick up and 'move on' I'll be packing it in with in two months time. Guaranteed. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason.
There are too many to thank - but to all of you, those who came before me, those quitting with me, and those who quit after me - Thank-you for providing me a context within which to maintain my freedom.
Title: Re: Just one...
Post by: stillbrewing on September 14, 2021, 07:17:00 PM
Quote
#1.  Between the pressures of life and everything in between, I picked up that dip and thought I could just have one.  I was dead wrong.

From a dude returning after a 5 year hiatus. This is why I'm still here. I've had too many 'just one' thoughts even posting every day. If I pick up and 'move on' I'll be packing it in with in two months time. Guaranteed. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason.
There are too many to thank - but to all of you, those who came before me, those quitting with me, and those who quit after me - Thank-you for providing me a context within which to maintain my freedom.
I just got a QUIT stiffy...Thank you my friend!
Title: Re: Just one...
Post by: Skolvikings on September 15, 2021, 12:48:08 AM
Quote
#1.  Between the pressures of life and everything in between, I picked up that dip and thought I could just have one.  I was dead wrong.

From a dude returning after a 5 year hiatus. This is why I'm still here. I've had too many 'just one' thoughts even posting every day. If I pick up and 'move on' I'll be packing it in with in two months time. Guaranteed. Not now. Not today. Not for any reason.
There are too many to thank - but to all of you, those who came before me, those quitting with me, and those who quit after me - Thank-you for providing me a context within which to maintain my freedom.
I just got a QUIT stiffy...Thank you my friend!


:wood             :wood             :wood            :wood            :wood            :wood
Title: Pfizer recall on Chantix
Post by: Athan on September 18, 2021, 06:13:51 PM
Pfizer issues recall (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-nitrosamine-varenicline-chantix) of certain Chantix doses due to cancer risk. I've never heard of a recall of atomic fireballs or gum or cinnamon stix or fake chew. If you're on the ropes with anxiety during withdrawal, talk to your health care provider about your options.
You could always call or text a brother in quit and talk through it. It's free, it's effective, and it has worked every time I ever did it.
Title: Re: Pfizer recall on Chantix
Post by: Thefranks5 on September 18, 2021, 08:06:43 PM
Pfizer issues recall (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-nitrosamine-varenicline-chantix) of certain Chantix doses due to cancer risk. I've never heard of a recall of atomic fireballs or gum or cinnamon stix or fake chew. If you're on the ropes with anxiety during withdrawal, talk to your health care provider about your options.
You could always call or text a brother in quit and talk through it. It's free, it's effective, and it has worked every time I ever did it.
Having a great quit brother saved my sorry butt twice. I am not one to gloat but I have two other guys that I can say they called on me to help when they hit rock bottom. They are still quit also. Having a crew that you can text daily sets you up for SUCCESS not FAILURE!!! Wish more would do that very thing Athan. Thanks for being a huge part of many peoples quit.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on October 09, 2021, 12:56:51 PM
Just replaced the wax ring on the downstairs commode. Sans nicotine of course. I figure I saved myself $75 for the plumber and $5 for the can of worm dirt for a grand total of $80. The way things are going lately I figure I'm gonna need to save every penny.

On a sad note, a co-worker is back smoking again. He was clean 6 months. Just reiterated to me that anyone can stop for a while. It's staying clean for the long haul that counts. Still here. Still clean. Still free. One Day At A Time.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on October 09, 2021, 06:57:02 PM
Just replaced the wax ring on the downstairs commode. Sans nicotine of course. I figure I saved myself $75 for the plumber and $5 for the can of worm dirt for a grand total of $80. The way things are going lately I figure I'm gonna need to save every penny.

On a sad note, a co-worker is back smoking again. He was clean 6 months. Just reiterated to me that anyone can stop for a while. It's staying clean for the long haul that counts. Still here. Still clean. Still free. One Day At A Time.
I’ll be right here with you brother.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on October 23, 2021, 04:40:21 PM
Younger brother just had ALL of his teeth removed. FU big tobacco.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on October 23, 2021, 09:27:20 PM
Younger brother just had ALL of his teeth removed. FU big tobacco.
Sorry to hear brother. Keeping him in my thoughts and prayers.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on October 31, 2021, 10:34:45 AM
How is the view brother? Congrats on hitting the 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on October 31, 2021, 03:36:16 PM
How is the view brother? Congrats on hitting the 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
By golly - the view is spectacular! 18 guests on the fence pondering, wondering, waiting. The ONLY difference between you and me is that I made the decision. You can too. Put that can down and reclaim your life. Going through withdrawals is a drag but not as big a drag as having all of your teeth pulled or esophageal cancer. The thing is, you only gotta go through the suck once. Then freedom is just lying in wait on the other side. We here, waiting to give you support along the way. You've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Like big Chris says, "addiction is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything".
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: ChickDip on October 31, 2021, 03:53:53 PM
How is the view brother? Congrats on hitting the 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
By golly - the view is spectacular! 18 guests on the fence pondering, wondering, waiting. The ONLY difference between you and me is that I made the decision. You can too. Put that can down and reclaim your life. Going through withdrawals is a drag but not as big a drag as having all of your teeth pulled or esophageal cancer. The thing is, you only gotta go through the suck once. Then freedom is just lying in wait on the other side. We here, waiting to give you support along the way. You've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Like big Chris says, "addiction is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything".
Congratulations on the big 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) . Well done brother!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: FLLipOut on November 01, 2021, 09:00:17 AM
How is the view brother? Congrats on hitting the 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
By golly - the view is spectacular! 18 guests on the fence pondering, wondering, waiting. The ONLY difference between you and me is that I made the decision. You can too. Put that can down and reclaim your life. Going through withdrawals is a drag but not as big a drag as having all of your teeth pulled or esophageal cancer. The thing is, you only gotta go through the suck once. Then freedom is just lying in wait on the other side. We here, waiting to give you support along the way. You've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Like big Chris says, "addiction is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything".
Congratulations on the big 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) . Well done brother!
You ROCKKKKKkkk!!!!! 'lift'
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on November 01, 2021, 06:13:35 PM
How is the view brother? Congrats on hitting the 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
By golly - the view is spectacular! 18 guests on the fence pondering, wondering, waiting. The ONLY difference between you and me is that I made the decision. You can too. Put that can down and reclaim your life. Going through withdrawals is a drag but not as big a drag as having all of your teeth pulled or esophageal cancer. The thing is, you only gotta go through the suck once. Then freedom is just lying in wait on the other side. We here, waiting to give you support along the way. You've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Like big Chris says, "addiction is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything".
Congratulations on the big 14th @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) . Well done brother!
You ROCKKKKKkkk!!!!! 'lift'
Aw shucks FLLip, the only reason I made it this far is because vets like you and Chick paved the way, stuck around, and provided a context of quit. Hat's off to ya both!!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Aquaman43 on November 03, 2021, 08:43:07 AM
Belated congrats sir. I've looked for you on the Discord server, hope to see you there soon.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: kybo on November 04, 2021, 08:17:25 AM
Congrats, buddy!  I am so happy for you. 

It feels so good to know that after 1400 days quit we now have reduced our stroke risk to that of a non-tobacco user.  And let's not forget that after that first year of quit we had already reduced our risk of coronary heart disease by half and our risk of heart attack had already dropped dramatically. It won't be too much longer and our risk of mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder cancer will also be reduced by half (if it isn't already).  How about how good your mouth, teeth and gums feel today? 

Damn!  This whole quitting thing might have been the smartest thing we ever did! 
Title: On Christian Masculinity
Post by: Athan on December 15, 2021, 04:36:37 PM
"...In short, the essence of masculine behavior is self-control. If you do not have the ability to say “no” – whether to others who offer you something you shouldn’t take, or even more importantly, to yourself – then you must get to work developing this ability immediately..."

From the essay On Christian Masculinity (https://news.gab.com/2021/12/06/on-christian-masculinity/) by Michael Witcoff. One of the best on the subject that I've read thus far.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on December 18, 2021, 11:25:25 AM
Glad you are back home and typing away on the forum. Look forward to reading your next post brother. Rest up.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: oldschool on February 08, 2022, 07:01:25 AM
Congratulations on 1.5 comma @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) !!
Title: Independence Day
Post by: Athan on July 04, 2022, 07:38:21 AM
I've got a pet peeve about Independence Day: I hate seeing it marketed or referred to as 'the fourth of July'. Those that fell at Lexington and Concorde didn't die for cheeseburgers. The fought for independence. History has shown us that freedom, ironically, isn't free. It must be fought for, earned, cultivated, and guarded.
So it is with the quit.
If you are to be free from nicotine addiction, you're going to have to fight for it. It won't be easy. The nic bitch doesn't want to let you go any more than the British empire wanted to release their grip on the colonists.
How about today becomes YOUR Independence Day?
I leave you with a timeless quote from Samuel Adams:
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
Title: USS Robalo (SS-273)
Post by: Athan on August 27, 2022, 01:16:55 PM
I'm at O'Reillys getting some brake pads when I notice the distinctive anchor tatoo on the old man behind me.
"Were you in the Navy?" I asked him.
He nodded with a smile.
"Me too" I said, "attack submarines" I smiled back at him.
"My father died on one" he told me, Dale Wilkerson (http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/wilkerson-d-f.htm), USS Robalo (SS-273) (http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-robalo-273.htm) somewhere in the South China Sea in 1944.
He left me speechless and a little misty eyed.
I had rubbed elbows with the progeny of greatness and almost escaped not knowing anything of it.
At the memorial in Charleston, S.C. there's a plaque honoring those on eternal patrol. He's on it.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on January 01, 2023, 02:44:12 PM
Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)   
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on January 02, 2023, 07:10:22 AM
Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Thanks Keith - it's been quite a ride. Blogging it out here in the intro and interacting with all you fine quitters has been more effective and far more valuable to me than any therapist could ever have been as I've faced the travails of all that encompasses what we call life. It happens. Quitters stay quit. One Day At A Time.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: ChickDip on January 02, 2023, 10:37:33 AM
Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Thanks Keith - it's been quite a ride. Blogging it out here in the intro and interacting with all you fine quitters has been more effective and far more valuable to me than any therapist could ever have been as I've faced the travails of all that encompasses what we call life. It happens. Quitters stay quit. One Day At A Time.
Happy 5 years free @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) !!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: nick-Otine Free on February 03, 2023, 09:45:00 AM
Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258)
Thanks Keith - it's been quite a ride. Blogging it out here in the intro and interacting with all you fine quitters has been more effective and far more valuable to me than any therapist could ever have been as I've faced the travails of all that encompasses what we call life. It happens. Quitters stay quit. One Day At A Time.
Happy 5 years free @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) !!
belated 5 years man, miss guys like you on discord your guidance early on really was a staple in my quit.
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Keith0617 on June 23, 2023, 07:53:15 AM
Huge congrats @Athan (https://ktcforum.org/index.php?action=profile;u=258) on that 2nd comma. Freaking awesome. Keep doing you brother.
Title: The Plan
Post by: Athan on November 08, 2023, 10:29:46 AM
The Plan!

In the beginning was the Plan.

And then came the assumptions.

And the assumptions were without substance.

And darkness was upon the face of the workers

And they spake amongst themselves, saying

"It is a crock of shit and it stinketh".

And the workers went to their supervisors and sayeth

"It is a pile of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the supervisors went to the managers and sayeth unto them

"It is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it."

And the managers went to the planners and sayeth unto them

"It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

And the planners went to the Assistant Directors and sayeth

"It contains that which aids growth and it is very strong."

And the Assistant Directors went to the Deputy Assistant Director and sayeth

"It promoteth growth and it is very powerful."

And the Assistant Deputy Director went to the Director and sayeth unto him

"This powerful new Plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of the department."

And the Director looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became policy
Title: Re: The Plan
Post by: AppleJack on November 08, 2023, 10:39:54 AM
The Plan!

In the beginning was the Plan.

And then came the assumptions.

And the assumptions were without substance.

And darkness was upon the face of the workers

And they spake amongst themselves, saying

"It is a crock of shit and it stinketh".

And the workers went to their supervisors and sayeth

"It is a pile of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the supervisors went to the managers and sayeth unto them

"It is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it."

And the managers went to the planners and sayeth unto them

"It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

And the planners went to the Assistant Directors and sayeth

"It contains that which aids growth and it is very strong."

And the Assistant Directors went to the Deputy Assistant Director and sayeth

"It promoteth growth and it is very powerful."

And the Assistant Deputy Director went to the Director and sayeth unto him

"This powerful new Plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of the department."

And the Director looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became policy
Truth! lol!
Title: Re: Glad to be here
Post by: Athan on February 06, 2024, 09:38:35 AM
Last year I worked:
49 hours for the local government
164 hours for the state government
567 hours for the federal government
.
.
…..and ZERO hours for big tobacco!!!