A lot has happened since the last post.
I caved within a week. Impulse buy at a gas station. I told my December group about it, and they did not pull any punches in letting me know what a colossal mistake I had made. The responses really got in my head. At first, it made me want to hide under a rock, and so I did. Stupidly, I went back to my old friend the can.
Over the next couple of weeks, I thought about it constantly. I hadn't felt that bad in a long time. Guilt, shame, regret, fear... Life sucked. I knew if I came back to KTC I would have to be 100% committed and learn from my mistake. Meanwhile I was getting the HOF speech emails - daily reminders of what it takes to be successful. Did I have that fire?
Finally it was time to face the music. I posted roll in the Feb group. I answered the three questions, both there and in December. Plus a couple bonus questions. I'll add my answers to this thread as reminders to myself and anyone reading.
The most important question, of course, is "What will you do differently this time?" As of Day 8, I've made a point to be in contact with as many people as I can. Texts, PM's, forum chats, whatever. Welcoming new quitters, thanking vets for support, and posting a daily thought about why life is better TODAY without nicotine. Reaching out and getting connected makes all the difference.
I'm going to start using this intro thread as a bit of a journal too. It will be nice to look back and see how far I've come when it's time to write my HOF speech!