I can't believe I hit my 100th day nicotine free! It was extremely hard, and I could not have done it without the support of my family. That is my direct family I see on a daily basis and my nicotine support group that I talk to here at KTC. During the past few months I have achieved something I thought would never happen. I quit using tobacco. This took years of effort and multiple failures, but in the end I had to admit that I am a nicotine addict. There is nothing I can do about the past, but today is a different story. As I have progressed down the path of being an ex-tobacco user I researched a lot about the affects of tobacco. I have been amazed at how many lives have been destroyed by this drug. I read story after story about disfiguring surgeries or a long drawn out agonizing deaths. Regardless of how you have dodged it so far, it will catch up with you. You canÂ’t out run this one. But you know whatÂ…this was still never enough to get me to quit. What finally got me to quit was the reality that I am a prisoner. Everything I did revolved around making sure I had enough chew for my next fix. I can not tell you how many late night runs I have made to convenience stores. I would stay up late at night to get my last fix of the day. Every day consisted of sleeping, eating, or using tobacco. This nasty substance controlled my life. It caused grief in my marriage, and it got to the point where I did not hide it from my kids any longer. So, on September 20th, 2011 I stopped. I will no longer be a prisoner to this suicidal behavior.
So now I feel sorry for the other prisoners I see out there in the world. I see people standing outside in freezing temperatures to get that fix. I have seen people displaying behavior as I did when desperately needing a fix. The sightings that hurt the most are when I witness kids using. Seeing these acts makes me want to slap some sense into them. Please understand I am not trying to judge any tobacco users. I was like all of you for over 25 years of my life and I have no room to make judgmentsÂ….I just wish there was a way to help free the other slaves out thereÂ…let them experience freedom as I have.
So why am I exposing my feelings out there for all to see on the World Wide Web? I am doing this because I donÂ’t want to hear about one more death or one more jaw being removed.
Right here on this website you can read countless sad stories about the affects of tobacco. One in particular really hit home for me. There is one addict who lost his brother to cancer during my journey. I thought about my family, who all use tobacco. I thought about my co-workers who use tobacco, and I thought about my friends who use tobacco. I wondered how bad it would be if anything would happen to these people who have touched me in my life. For one reason or another, I owe each of them this post. I owe event hose of you I donÂ’t know. I have contributed to enough addicts in my years of usingÂ…You all need to know that the pain of quitting is worth it. The agony of dealing with cravings goes away after a few minutes. You can live your life free from tobacco and be happy. You donÂ’t need it for a stress reliever. Tobacco is not your friend. even though you think it is. It is going to kill you. I am your friend. I want to see you live a long happy life. Take it one day at a time, and make sure someone is holding you accountable. You are not only important to me, but many others in your life. You are a friend, a Grandpa, a brother, a husband, a wifeÂ…no matter your role someone depends on you. Give them (and yourself) the best gift possible. Free yourself from this nicotine prison. Be free my brothers and sisters!
