The Power of Giving Your Word

How good is your word?

One of the fundamental activities on this site is the daily posting of roll. This is you giving your word, for just this one day, that you will not use nicotine. It is a promise, a handshake among gentlemen, with no fingers crossed behind your back.

How good is your word?

Let’s say you’re buying a house, and you have to now sign the mortgage contract. When you sign it, are you good for it? Do you go in with the intentions of meeting the requirements of that contract, no matter how hard they are? You could lose your job, you could get horribly sick, you could get a divorce, you could have a sick child or spouse…any number of things happen. Are you willing to push through those challenges each day and do what you can?

How good is your word?

When you promised your spouse during your marriage vows (for those who are married), did you think of all the circumstances where that promise would be challenged, and how hard it might be on some days to make that promise work? You made that promise on Day 1 of your marriage. Your promise here is no different.

How good is your word?

When you come here to post your word, it is a solemn reminder of the success you’ve had since you joined, and a daily promise that you will not use. We come here in the morning to post roll because it is the best way we can be assured that we will be quit for the day. If your word is no good, you will fail. But, if you listen to that voice in your head that tells you, “You made a promise to not use today”, well, then today is easy.

We all know that the early phase of quitting is The Suck. We tell you never to forget it so you will never think you can have just one without having another, and another. We all know we go through The Fog, and various rough patches. In the end, however, it all comes down to whether you are a man or woman of your word, whether you will live up to your promise.

How good is your word?

The power in this daily promise is that once given, the day can and will get easier for you. Your promise takes the sting out of any craving you may have, no matter how intense. And as your quit grows, it becomes habit, just like the addiction you are curing each morning you are quit.

You can say, “I’m done with dipping for today, because I already gave my word. If today gets hard, I can go back to those same people I gave my word to for help”. I’ve seen this work with dip, alcohol, soda…you name it, we’ve got a place for you to post your daily promise, to make your day that much easier, and to make you that much stronger. You’ve all seen this as you approach or have passed 100 days.

My word is good, for today. And that’s good enough for me.

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan.org forum member Frazzled