I have been a member for 8 days now. I feel a bit like a lurker having not introduced myself. I am QUIT and intend to stay thus for today. I will re-up my promise daily to my fellow December quitters on roll call. I am amazed by the support from the members of the site. I have read and read and continue to read more. Its a hard journey made much easier by those who have gone before.
I "quit" last year for 40 days - I just gave it up for Lent. I thought, wow that was easy but on the 41st day - went right back to it. It was an empty, hollow quit. Not so this time.
I dipped for over 12 years. I saw a friend of mine, who I admired; who I thought had it all together, take a dip. I thought I would give it a try. The NicBitch had her claws in me and refused to let go. 12 years later, my wife, my kids (3 boys - 10, 7 and 5) mean more to me than the NicBitch. I watched my mother die of breast cancer from a life time of smoking and thought I was heading down the same path. The cancer spread to her brain, ears, throat. It was the most horrifing thing I have ever seen. I took her to chemo treatments, sat with her at night, stroked her hair to comfort her, was at her bed side when she passed. I recall taking a dip in the car leaving hospice after she passed. Could I have been more stupid??
I work from my home office for the past 4 years which makes it far too easy to dip - not that I cared that much when I worked in an office setting. Countless times, I would spit in a covered Starbucks coffee cup making it look like I was drinking coffee - or so I thought I was fooling people. I was really only fooling myself.
I had been searching for information on the Internets over the past week or so on how to quit. Before I found KTC, one site suggested writing down your triggers when and where you would take a dip. I came up with at least 20 different triggers. Triggers dont go away but I found that when I wrote them down and was aware of these, thes crave from the trigger was less impactful.
I now live in the fear of thinking that I started my QUIT too late. It only take on tiny little cell to mutate and spread like wild fire. I could be the one in hospice. I live with the guilt of how stupid and selfish I have been. I pray that its not too late for me.
I appreciate the support offered on the site, and am happy to help any others in need.
Whip