FOR POSTERITY - HERE'S WHAT I SAID TO MY 2010 COCKS AND WHAT I SAID IN MY NEW MAY 2013 GROUP:
To the COCKS:
I think we all know that the explanations all sound like or come in the form of excuses. I won't make any. I thought I had it under control - that leads to moving away from the site. That means not making your promise every day, but still staying away from nicotine. That leads to an over-inflated sense of self-confidence and hubris. That leads to "I'm going to the lake with the guys for the weekend, I can have a dip on Saturday night and quit on Monday," which leads to "I'm under a lot of stress right now, so I can dip while I'm going through this particular issue (for me it was job change and home sale and purchase and renovation) and I will quit when this is over. Which leads to full blown sucking from the bitches breast. Which leads me back here, where I never thought I'd be again. Asking for help and forgiveness.
SPACE: "What are you going to do differently to ensure that it doesn't happen again?"
The main thing that I have to do is not let my head tell me I'm bigger than this addiction, or that I'm ever over it - I of course read the hundreds of posts about how guys cave years into their quit, and I was able to convince myself "not me".
One thing that caused me to back away from the site (and I may have told somebody this in a private message at one point) was that I felt like it was constantly making me think about dipping (after day 250 or so, it was the thought that I had succeeded in quitting) and I thought at the time was that that was going to keep dipping in the forefront of my mind and make me dip again. That is not the case. What this site does is keep you active in your quit. There is a big distinction there, I think.
I didn't do a lot of outside-the-site reaching out, and maybe that will be more helpful, but I think the biggest things that I've learned are that 1) I will always be addicted to dipping; 2) It IS me; I am that guy - that thought won't be in my head on day 250; and 3) I must be actively quitting, or every day I will be passively moving back to dipping.
In full disclosure, this is not a recent cave. I've been too much of a pussy to crawl back (I don't think proud is the right word) - though I have been telling myself since I started back that I'm fully capable of quitting on my own. I've been trying for 6 months and have been incapable of doing it. Complacency is the killer.
The guilt is amazing. The disappointment is difficult to take - I could be in the 900s. The guilt and abuse is necessary. I tried to help most people, I tried not to get involved in the snippy dip-rage fueled feuds, I reached out, I was a strong quitter, and I failed. I failed you guys who stuck it out in October, I failed the people I tried to help, and I am truly sorry.
To the Maysters of the Universe:
Hey folks -
I was originally a HOF of the October 2010 class. I quit dipping for a long time. I started again.
My 100 days was October 26, 2010
The last roll call I can find was March 28, 2011. Here's my lesson. You have to be actively involved in your quit, or you will passively resort back to the addict you are.
I made a conscious decision to stop posting. I felt like all I did all day was talk about dipping (or not dipping, I should say), and hang out with other people online who were affiliated with each other because they had a single common thread - dipping. I felt like this, after around 250 days or so, was something that was keeping dipping in the forefront of my mind. At the time, I thought that this was going to lead me back to dipping. I was completely fucking wrong. You're not thinking about dipping while you're on here. You're actively thinking about not dipping. When you are being active, every day, making a promise, and struggling to keep that promise, you are ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN YOUR QUIT. When you aren't, you are closer to thinking about dipping again. When you think that you have it, you don't. When you just want to put it out of your mind, you'll forget why you're quitting. You'll forget how fucking hard it was. You'll forget how much you were screwing up so you can dip. And you will start again. Because you are an addict.
This I think, is probably particularly true for new quitters. 10 years from now, or 15 years from now (when you have the expected cancer rates of a normal person again), it may be easier to let it slip from your mind. But you have to be ever vigilant.
I never thought I'd be the guy. But I am. I've apologized to my October 2010 brothers, and I hope this new class will accept me. Hopefully, my failure can lead to somebody else's success.
Some of this is cut and pasted from what i posted in Oct 2010 due to iphone typing.
I thought I had it under control - that leads to moving away from the site. That means not making your promise every day, but I stayed away from nicotine for a long time after that. That leads to an over-inflated sense of self-confidence and hubris. That leads to "I'm going to the lake with the guys for the weekend, I can have a dip on Saturday night and quit on Monday," which leads to "I'm under a lot of stress right now, so I can dip while I'm going through this particular issue (for me it was job change and home sale and purchase and renovation) and I will quit when this is over. Which leads to full blown sucking from the bitches breast.
The main thing that I have to do is not let my head tell me I'm bigger than this addiction, or that I'm ever over it - I of course read the hundreds of posts about how guys cave years into their quit, and I was able to convince myself "not me".
I didn't do a lot of outside-the-site reaching out, and maybe that will be more helpful, but I think the biggest things that I've learned are that 1) I will always be addicted to dipping; 2) It IS me; I am that guy - that thought won't be in my head on day 250; and 3) I must be actively quitting.
I had many guys on my phone to reach out to. I involved myself in multiple groups on the site a posted a lot. I responded to requests for help, went in the chat rooms, made friends, played fantasy football with a bunch of quitters. And then I got too big for my britches. And then, when I got in trouble, I didn't have the balls to come back. Till now.
I can't pinpoint an exact moment. Our group was dwindling after the HOF, it started to feel like it wasn't as important. It seems like day 250 is about the time I decided I could do it on my own. And that's what it was. I thought I could do it on my own. Once I made that decision, it became easier not to post roll on weekends or when it was inconvenient. I decided it didn't matter I think might be a better way to put it.
The reason why you can trust me is that that single decision - that i could do it on my own, is why I faded and why I failed. I needed this and didn't realize that it wasn't just a stepping stone. For me, it's dedication to posting and promising and staying active that is going to keep me on the straight and narrow. Also, I'm using my original name. I want these guys to learn, as i learned from others caves. I want this part of the process, because it is important.