Day 300
The power of this site is held in its brotherhood. Like many fraternal organizations before it, the KTC has secrets that are revealed only with understanding. The words that once were empty to us (and still empty to others) now have meaning. They have memories.
When we first quit, we take because we need it. We devour the information contained on the site. This site becomes our first and our last line of defense. We are fed these words, and at first with unbelieving eyes, complete our days. As we get further into our quits, our blind faith becomes a stark reality. We know that this process works.
When we are vets, we spread this reality to the wide eyed and scared freshly quit. We want them to see, but we can't make them. They will have to see it for themselves. We build quitters up with our experiences, and help them through theirs. We see the wide eyed and scared quitters become more confident in their quits, and we are filled with pride.
This pride swells when I see those I helped help others. I see that they "get it" and share the same hatred as I do for the nicotine whore. I know that even though I have not specifically reached out to a quitter, somebody I have worked with has. I have thousands of texts to quitters in my 300 days here, and I know that indirectly, I am responsible for hundreds more.
I could have sat back, posted roll, and walked away everyday for the last 300. But I wouldn't have good friends like Eaf, Moe, CNC, Luby, and the other Basterds from my group. Losing brothers wouldn't effect me. I wouldn't have reached out or spent the time with some great badass groups that followed me. I wouldn't be part of the brotherhood. I would not have given it my all. I would not have protected my quit.
I'd like to thank every vet, mod, and admin on this site. When I came here 300 days ago, you beat me to a pulp. I was pathetic. I needed it. I thought I knew about quitting, and I was wrong. I didn't think you knew anything about long term quitting. I figured out later there was no long term quitting. There's only today. Keep posting. I don't want to catch up to you.