HoF Speech - Rough Draft
The first 100 days - What I wish I knew when I started
I have now been posting at KTC for 100 days, and I wanted to take this opportunity to look back at my first 100 days and share my experiences with fledgling quitters, still looking to find their way.
First - Post roll first thing in the morning, every damn day. This is not negotiable, find your group and post roll. This is your promise to yourself and to this community that you will not use Nicotine in any form today. We take posting roll very seriously because it is the foundation of a strong quit. You can stay quit without posting roll, but if you post roll, you know that you will stay quit that day. At first, posting roll can seem intimating, but it's not hard. Yes, you will screw it up. Yes, you will eventually figure it out. Yes, it can be done from your phone. Here is a LINK (http://blog.killthecan.org/2015/03/how-to-post-roll-at-killthecan-org-video/) to an excellent post that walks you through the process of posting roll.
Second - You can outlast your cravings. If you are early in your quit, you are not a happy camper right about now. The first week or so is called "the Suck" for a reason, because it sucks. You will get through it, we have all been where you are right now and I promise that the pain you are feeling is not unique. Embrace how bad you feel and use it. It will get better and once it does, you then get to choose to never go through that again. Keep the Nicotine out of your body and you'll never have to go through withdrawals ever again. Both of these links are full of quitting tips that many have found helpful. Tips on Quitting (http://whyquit.com/pr/100305.html) More Tips on Quitting (http://forum.killthecan.org/single/?p=9740273&t=11568995.) Most important, avoid Alcohol for at least the first month. Eventually, you will be able to drink and not cave, but that time is not during your first month. I've seen more caves and the resulting Day 1 posts from drinking than for any other reason.
Next - Get to know the people in your group. The names above and below you on roll call are your fellow soldiers in this fight we all wage against Nicotine. Exchange phone numbers with these people, chatter back and forth in your group, invest in these people. There will come a day when your quit is threatened, and the support of your fellow quitters is the only thing that keeps you quit. Your quit group is your quit family. Like any other family, you don't get to choose who they are. Some of them you will hit it off with immediately, others will annoy you, but all of them will support you. Your group is yours to run the way your group wants to run it. Don't let outsiders define you, and don't make outsides police your group. When someone goes missing, your group should track them down. When someone in your group caves, your group should force them to answer the 3 questions. When someone decides that they are a special butterfly and the rules don't apply to them, it's up to your group to call them out and help them get their head back in the business of serious quitting.
Finally - Everything gets better. You are starting down a road that leads to something wonderful, your freedom. It's not an easy road to travel, but you are now among many fellow travelers, all of whom are willing to support you. Your Body and your Mind both need to heal. Put in the work now, let the healing begin and before too long you'll begin to glimpse what your life can be like without Nicotine. Don't give in, don't give up, you are literally in a fight for your life, and I know that you can do it.