Glad to be here

[MN_Engineer]

Was leaving the Tractor Supply this weekend after spending too much $$ when I ran into a terrible sight. An old man was outside smoking. He was on oxygen, the familiar nasal feed tubes there on his face, supplying him with supplemental O2 because the years of smoking had so ravaged his lungs that they were no longer capable of sustaining life at the normal atmospheric levels of ~ 20%. And he was smoking. This is the quintessential man who will quit tomorrow. I was starkly aware that I was 2,630 days clean. I asked him if I could take his picture. He asked me why. I told him honestly that I had quit nicotine with some Friends, my day count, and that I wanted to share his picture with them. He said OK. For those of you who received it - his name is Bill. I don’t think he’ll be around much longer. It is indeed no small thing to be free of nicotine. I am reminded of it frequently though no so starkly as with Bill.

I'm going to a Celebration of Life on June 21st for a guy that was just like Bill.  Actually, he was probably worse off than Bill.  His name was "Kevin" and he was my friend for about the last 45 years.  He chewed, he smoked, and then he developed a drinking problem.  And then the drinking problem spiraled into a drug problem.  His wife divorced him and took their 8 year old son with her when she left.  "Kevin" was mad, but even he knew she did the right thing. 

"Kevin" was walking with a cane before the age of 50.  Soon after he was on Disability and living in a tiny apartment because it was all he could afford.  He was on oxygen before his 55th birthday.  He died one week after his 56th birthday from a massive heart attack.  I tried to help "Kevin" beat his demons for the last twenty years, but he just couldn't do it.  After awhile, he just gave up and accepted his fate. 

'Kevin" lived about two hours away from me and we didn't see each other that often.  But, we used to talk on the phone every so often.  One of the first things he would say to me when we talked on the phone was, "Can you believe we're both still alive?"  Then after a few minutes of talking he would usually go into a coughing fit and I would have to wait for him to catch his breath so we could continue the conversation.  He was my friend and I am going to miss him.  But, he was the poster child of addiction.

Don't be like "Kevin."  Don't miss your son's high school graduation because you're too drunk to drive.  And please don't miss your son's college graduation because you're dead. 

This is a true story.  Only the names have been changed to protect their identity.

You are here by choice.  You are here for a reason.  You didn't just stumble on this site by accident and start reading these pages because you were bored.  Do the right thing.  Make the right choice.  Do it for your family.  Do it for your friends.  But most importantly, do it for yourself.

Sorry to hear about your friend. Stories like this are important to share and prudent reminders of why we are here and how critical it is to battle EDD. Thank you.

[kybo]

Was leaving the Tractor Supply this weekend after spending too much $$ when I ran into a terrible sight. An old man was outside smoking. He was on oxygen, the familiar nasal feed tubes there on his face, supplying him with supplemental O2 because the years of smoking had so ravaged his lungs that they were no longer capable of sustaining life at the normal atmospheric levels of ~ 20%. And he was smoking. This is the quintessential man who will quit tomorrow. I was starkly aware that I was 2,630 days clean. I asked him if I could take his picture. He asked me why. I told him honestly that I had quit nicotine with some Friends, my day count, and that I wanted to share his picture with them. He said OK. For those of you who received it - his name is Bill. I don’t think he’ll be around much longer. It is indeed no small thing to be free of nicotine. I am reminded of it frequently though no so starkly as with Bill.

I'm going to a Celebration of Life on June 21st for a guy that was just like Bill.  Actually, he was probably worse off than Bill.  His name was "Kevin" and he was my friend for about the last 45 years.  He chewed, he smoked, and then he developed a drinking problem.  And then the drinking problem spiraled into a drug problem.  His wife divorced him and took their 8 year old son with her when she left.  "Kevin" was mad, but even he knew she did the right thing. 

"Kevin" was walking with a cane before the age of 50.  Soon after he was on Disability and living in a tiny apartment because it was all he could afford.  He was on oxygen before his 55th birthday.  He died one week after his 56th birthday from a massive heart attack.  I tried to help "Kevin" beat his demons for the last twenty years, but he just couldn't do it.  After awhile, he just gave up and accepted his fate. 

'Kevin" lived about two hours away from me and we didn't see each other that often.  But, we used to talk on the phone every so often.  One of the first things he would say to me when we talked on the phone was, "Can you believe we're both still alive?"  Then after a few minutes of talking he would usually go into a coughing fit and I would have to wait for him to catch his breath so we could continue the conversation.  He was my friend and I am going to miss him.  But, he was the poster child of addiction.

Don't be like "Kevin."  Don't miss your son's high school graduation because you're too drunk to drive.  And please don't miss your son's college graduation because you're dead. 

This is a true story.  Only the names have been changed to protect their identity.

You are here by choice.  You are here for a reason.  You didn't just stumble on this site by accident and start reading these pages because you were bored.  Do the right thing.  Make the right choice.  Do it for your family.  Do it for your friends.  But most importantly, do it for yourself. 

[Athan]

Was leaving the Tractor Supply this weekend after spending too much $$ when I ran into a terrible sight. An old man was outside smoking. He was on oxygen, the familiar nasal feed tubes there on his face, supplying him with supplemental O2 because the years of smoking had so ravaged his lungs that they were no longer capable of sustaining life at the normal atmospheric levels of ~ 20%. And he was smoking. This is the quintessential man who will quit tomorrow. I was starkly aware that I was 2,630 days clean. I asked him if I could take his picture. He asked me why. I told him honestly that I had quit nicotine with some Friends, my day count, and that I wanted to share his picture with them. He said OK. For those of you who received it - his name is Bill. I don’t think he’ll be around much longer. It is indeed no small thing to be free of nicotine. I am reminded of it frequently though no so starkly as with Bill.

[Athan]

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

[Athan]

The Irish Way
As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the backcountry. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.
I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”
Apparently, I’m still lost… It’s a man thing.

[Athan]

Last year I worked:
49 hours for the local government
164 hours for the state government
567 hours for the federal government
.
.
…..and ZERO hours for big tobacco!!!

[AppleJack]

The Plan!

In the beginning was the Plan.

And then came the assumptions.

And the assumptions were without substance.

And darkness was upon the face of the workers

And they spake amongst themselves, saying

"It is a crock of shit and it stinketh".

And the workers went to their supervisors and sayeth

"It is a pile of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the supervisors went to the managers and sayeth unto them

"It is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it."

And the managers went to the planners and sayeth unto them

"It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

And the planners went to the Assistant Directors and sayeth

"It contains that which aids growth and it is very strong."

And the Assistant Directors went to the Deputy Assistant Director and sayeth

"It promoteth growth and it is very powerful."

And the Assistant Deputy Director went to the Director and sayeth unto him

"This powerful new Plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of the department."

And the Director looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became policy

Truth! lol!

[Athan]

The Plan!

In the beginning was the Plan.

And then came the assumptions.

And the assumptions were without substance.

And darkness was upon the face of the workers

And they spake amongst themselves, saying

"It is a crock of shit and it stinketh".

And the workers went to their supervisors and sayeth

"It is a pile of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the supervisors went to the managers and sayeth unto them

"It is a container of excrement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it."

And the managers went to the planners and sayeth unto them

"It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

And the planners went to the Assistant Directors and sayeth

"It contains that which aids growth and it is very strong."

And the Assistant Directors went to the Deputy Assistant Director and sayeth

"It promoteth growth and it is very powerful."

And the Assistant Deputy Director went to the Director and sayeth unto him

"This powerful new Plan will actively promote the growth and efficiency of the department."

And the Director looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became policy

[Keith0617]

Huge congrats @Athan on that 2nd comma. Freaking awesome. Keep doing you brother.

[nick-Otine Free]

Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan

Thanks Keith - it's been quite a ride. Blogging it out here in the intro and interacting with all you fine quitters has been more effective and far more valuable to me than any therapist could ever have been as I've faced the travails of all that encompasses what we call life. It happens. Quitters stay quit. One Day At A Time.

Happy 5 years free @Athan !!

belated 5 years man, miss guys like you on discord your guidance early on really was a staple in my quit.

[ChickDip]

Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan

Thanks Keith - it's been quite a ride. Blogging it out here in the intro and interacting with all you fine quitters has been more effective and far more valuable to me than any therapist could ever have been as I've faced the travails of all that encompasses what we call life. It happens. Quitters stay quit. One Day At A Time.

Happy 5 years free @Athan !!

[Athan]

Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan

Thanks Keith - it's been quite a ride. Blogging it out here in the intro and interacting with all you fine quitters has been more effective and far more valuable to me than any therapist could ever have been as I've faced the travails of all that encompasses what we call life. It happens. Quitters stay quit. One Day At A Time.

[Keith0617]

Congrats on 5 years brother. Keep kicking ass @Athan   

[Athan]

I'm at O'Reillys getting some brake pads when I notice the distinctive anchor tatoo on the old man behind me.
"Were you in the Navy?" I asked him.
He nodded with a smile.
"Me too" I said, "attack submarines" I smiled back at him.
"My father died on one" he told me, Dale Wilkerson, USS Robalo (SS-273) somewhere in the South China Sea in 1944.
He left me speechless and a little misty eyed.
I had rubbed elbows with the progeny of greatness and almost escaped not knowing anything of it.
At the memorial in Charleston, S.C. there's a plaque honoring those on eternal patrol. He's on it.

[Athan]

I've got a pet peeve about Independence Day: I hate seeing it marketed or referred to as 'the fourth of July'. Those that fell at Lexington and Concorde didn't die for cheeseburgers. The fought for independence. History has shown us that freedom, ironically, isn't free. It must be fought for, earned, cultivated, and guarded.
So it is with the quit.
If you are to be free from nicotine addiction, you're going to have to fight for it. It won't be easy. The nic bitch doesn't want to let you go any more than the British empire wanted to release their grip on the colonists.
How about today becomes YOUR Independence Day?
I leave you with a timeless quote from Samuel Adams:
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”