@redtrain14: well said... "we close doors." I appreciate that comment above all others. I'm not looking to close a door forever, just for the next 24 hours. Once I get into the habit of not dipping (which will happen in about 23 days) I'll be fine. Congratulations on 4 years.
The comment about "taken a break from nicotine" is also very insightful, thanks. But nicotine isn't like alcohol, it isn't nearly as damaging to me. I don't drink now but not because I'm afraid of becoming the person I used to be, I don't drink now because it wouldn't serve any purpose. I think nicotine will be harder to stay off long-term though, because I can do it anywhere and not bother anyone. I'm just going to stay off nicotine because it's not who I want to be anymore.
@wastepanel: "That's not how this place works bud." I'm not your bud, please don't patronize me. You have my permission to not click on this thread anymore, or to post another thread titled "stay away from mmcfreds, he's not one of us."
"...you have a price of flesh to pay." ...also don't be so dramatic.
"Post roll please." No. I haven't dipped since I logged into this site the first time, nor do I intend to.
"Why aren't you proud to put up your number?" Why should I be? You sound like the divemasters who tried to yell at me for not logging my dives. I told them to go screw themselves too, they were neither my boss nor my father. I completed over 300 dives while I was in Hawaii, never logged a single one, and never advanced beyond Rescue Diver. What difference does it make? I guarantee I'm more comfortable in the water than half the divemasters on the planet but if you need a cert-card to tell you I'm a good dive partner than I don't want you in the water with me anyway. If you need a guy that has been quit for years to give sound advice on how to stay that way then I don't want you in my... whatever... anyway. Everyone has something to teach me, including you.
If people don't like what I have to say, if they don't think it's going to help them stay off the dip, then those people shouldn't listen to me. I'm not dispensing advice on how to stay off the dip, nor am I pretending to be wise. But I've only tried to quit once and, thus far, have been successful.
@30yraddict: I came here to poke around a site that appeared to have something I wanted, which was a way to stay off the dip. At first I only found sarcastic, power-tripping jerks that think they have to abuse people to make them acknowledge that there is a problem. I got way too much of that in the Navy (the "mmc" in "mmcfreds) and don't have to tolerate any more of it now that I'm retired. There are bright spots of course but I don't think I'm going to make time in my day to find them or listen to what they have to say. If you want to email me in a month or year to find out if I'm dipping again I won't lie to you, there wouldn't be a purpose in it. I've used
mmcfreds@yahoo.com for about 8 years and don't see any reason to change it.