One Year Ago Today

I was a dipper. I was worried I would die of cancer. My Blood pressure was through the roof and my gums were killing me. The looks I got from my wife, my kids and strangers made me feel like a second class citizen. I had a stinky spitter in my car, on my desk and next to my chair in the family room. I had a can in my car and a can in my pocket; I have the circle wear mark to prove it. One Year Ago Today, I was sick and tired of being controlled by a product in a can that was costing me five bucks a day that most likely would kill me, one way or another.

That was One Year Ago Today. As I sit here now on day 364 days quit, I look back to who I was, what I was and I am sad, I am happy. I am sad to think what a waste of 15 years were and what my priorities were. I am happy because tomorrow I will have been nicotine free for one year! Yes One Year!

One year is a damn nice start, just 14 more to go to make up for the time I spent wasting my life on a can of shit. I know I am not healed. I know I can not have just one. I know I owe my quit to this site and the great people that give their time here daily and those who just pass through. I know I am quit for today and the odds look damn fine for being quit tomorrow as well.

Tomorrow; I rarely look at tomorrow in respect to my quit, but today I feel confident about tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be quit, I will be quit for one full year and you newbie’s may be asking how we make it a year; we do it like you, one day at a time. Sure, in the beginning it’s hard as hell but it does get better.

1 Year Recap:

Day 1 – 4 Pure hell on earth – but not as bad as I feared
Day 5 – 13 Days each got better and feeling ok, just a bit of fog
Day 14 See Day 1- 4.
Day 15 The best day so far in my quit to that point
Day 16 – 29 Cruise control quitting
Day 30 QUIT
Day 31 – 69 Found that helping others helped me. “Pass it Forward”
Day 70 – 78 The Funk, just bored with quitting
Day 79 – 99 Fast track to the Hall of Fame and feeling good, still having some craves
Day 100 No way to describe your HOF day. Happy, proud and worth the effort
Day 100 – 199 Flew buy and enjoyed being a “vet”
Day 200 Hit the 2nd floor and feeling great
Day 220 Welded the door closed – No more craves at all.
Day 300 Hit the 3rd floor – So cool
Day 365 Only tomorrow will tell – One day at a time

One thing I can tell you is the only wear mark on my jeans pocket is from Orbit gum.

Yes you can quit, you Can Beat This Addiction. Yes it is damn hard work for a while and there is a new trap or trick around every corner for a while but it can be done, just look around this place. You will find that the car will start without a dip in, the lawn mower will still cut the grass, the deer will still love you and the fish will jump into your boat. 97% of the people in North America do all these things their whole life without even thinking about a dip and so will you soon to. Are you ready? Are you really ready to save your life, for you? I dare you to sit here like me 364 days from today and tell us what your first year without dip was like. Can you do it? Will you do it?

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