So I've been thinking....the entire premise of this site is to get folks to quit (whether that's dip, chew, smokes, whatever).... So what do we do to try and reinforce the quit among nascent "almost quitters". There are a goodly number of folks who come here, post an intro, maybe even a roll post, and then vanish. I remember what it was like before me finding this place; with no accountability, no one holding your feet to the fire, no promise made, it was easy to collapse after some half-hearted attempt at quitting. That ended the day I posted my day one... This place absolutely works for those who work the system and have a shred of integrity.
But back to the premise....and what do we do with the "almost quitters"? I think, without us turning into some internet stalker, that we should make an honest effort to reach out to them with an email (most quitters' profiles have a link to email them through the KTC system). I propose that committed quitters flood the inboxes of those who are nearly there, but not quite, with an email something along the lines of the following:
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(Insert name of prospective quitter here),
I see you posted an (intro, day one, etc....), but have noticed your absence since then. When you finally make your mind up to be quit (and what I wouldn't have given XX years ago to be quit at 21!!!), pull yourself up by the short-hairs, put on your big-boy britches, and come on back to KTC. I know this place works, because it worked for me, a nearly FOUR DECADE abuser of Copenhagen (insert your own period of active stupidity here). I also know that those craves come on like a SOB and are absolutely brutal the first few days/week or so. But I also know that even though it may feel like it at the time, nicotine withdrawal has never actually killed anyone (at least I can't find any evidence of it on the internet, and I have searched MANY hours to find some shred of evidence).
You see, during those XXXXX years you have been ingesting enough poison (nicotine) to kill a lab rat on a daily basis, your brain built up a serious network of dopamine receptors to take all that in. When you begin a quit, all a sudden you're no longer feeding those receptors. Think of them as crazed little beasty-bastards jumping up and down inside your brain housing group as they are slowly dying of starvation. They will do ANYTHING to get you to give them their 'fix'. That's what nicotine withdrawal is like (or at least it was for me). But they will eventually die off. Trust me.
If you have truly decided you're DONE, come on back, find the (Month) '17 HOF (hall of Fame) group, and post up your day's quit. I'll support you (along with many others on this site). I am not a psychologist, and have no clue why promising a bunch of strangers (at least initially they are strangers) on an internet forum that you won't use nicotine today works, but it does (assuming you're a man of integrity and you keep your promises). On the site, we do this daily, then keep that promise for 24 hours. Rinse. Repeat. We also trade phone numbers and build a web of accountability so that if you forget or need someone to talk you off the ledge, you have support. If you want to talk about it before you commit, my phone number's 123-456-7890.
I hope you don't find this email too strong. I promise I'm not an internet stalker. I live a good ways from (state), so you won't have to worry about me showing up unannounced!! If you want to quit, you can quit. KTC can help. I know, because today is three years I haven't had any nicotine, and it is wonderful. I only wish I had done it when I was your age. Ok....ball is now firmly in your court. If I don't hear back from you, I will only assume you have decided you don't really want to quit, and will leave you alone.
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Maybe there's a way to even automate this where active quitters can type in their name and hit "send" and the system will generate and email the "almost quitter"? Open to your thoughts and suggestions on this proposal.
