Just some thoughts rolling around in the noggin this morning...
I quit 2/16/09...I had a few rough moments, but guys like Skoal Monster, nmc, outernal, and believe it or not Smokeyg saved me from myself a few times (lots of other vets too, but I can't thank everyone everytime I post). I have noticed a disturbing trend recently that I want to warn some newbies about...that trend is the quitter who made HOF and then returned to post a Day 1.
As best as I can remember ALL of them had one thing in common...they made HOF, maybe even hung around 50 some even 100 days after that and then quit coming here. I could be wrong about ALL...but I'm not far off. I will confess as well, that I walked the "high wire" for a while as well. I left for a while at about a year and came back after nmc started PMing all of May 09 to come back and post on one of our anniversary's (I think it was day 500). I was one of the Lucky ones...and yes I use the word lucky here intentionally. I usually refuse to use the word luck in here, but I didn't go back to Day 1 after I left.
Now, I have no business telling anyone how to use this site, but considering the evidence it seems wise to me NOT to allow yourself to drift away whether it's Day 1, 100, 1000 or 10,000. The simple principle works for us all regardless of the day. I promise you today that I will not use nicotine in any form (first thing when I got up this morning I promised myself the same thing...OUT LOUD, YES VERBALLY...WITH WORDS). I then fight through today helping myself, and finding some other quitter to help and invest myself in them as well.
So, here is my simple request and suggestion to help us stop this trend. If you are at the Hall...or beyond...and are starting to get bored with your quit, or complacent...go to the current new quit month find yourself 1,2 or 3 newbies and invest yourself just as hard into their quit as you invested yourself in your quit. Then do it again, and again, and again, and again. If you can't find someone else to get invested in...get invested in my quit. I can always use the help and at the very least it will keep you coming back here everyday.
I'm not going to name any of the people that have caved after the Hall...we've all seen their Day 1, the grief and guilt it caused them (even before people in their quit month took their pound of flesh). Consider this...invest in someone else...help someone else to get from "quitting" to quit. It might save yours as well.
By the way, down 17 pounds!