The Goal Here Is To Go Cold Turkey

You never know when you’re going to run across a spark of brilliance. This comes from Samrs (April 17) responding to a question from big tom (April 22).

The goal here is to go cold turkey. Make your promise, then keep your promise.

One of the unique aspects of KTC is that we’ve all been there. We’re all addicts. We know the lies that we tell our friends & loved ones. We know the lies that we tell ourselves.

Don’t think about “What happens if I slip up?” I know that voice. That sounds a lot like addict Sam, looking for an excuse or for a way out. “It’s OK if I have just one, right?”

No. No, it isn’t. We know that from thousands of years of combined quitting experience here. We know how we spin it, rationalize it, think, “OK, I’ll quit tomorrow” for the thousandth time.

We’ve learned that we need to root out the addict thinking that leads to failure, and instead start planning for success. How will you stay quit? Will you change your habits to avoid that c-store you always got a can from? Will you ask your wife to fill up the car for a few weeks so you don’t have to deal with that temptation? Will you dive in here, post roll every damn day, build relationships, establish lifelines, and then do whatever it is that you need to to keep that promise because you are stronger than a dead plant in a can?

That is the attitude that will see you succeed.

I know you can do it. I was a 30+ year addict when I quit. I had tried to quit hundreds of times before. Hell, the day before I came to KTC, I was thinking, “I need to quit. This is my last can. No, no, I mean it. Really this time…”

If I can do it – you can, too. Toss the can and make your promise. Believe me – as hard as it may seem at first, it is absolutely, completely, 100% worth it to no longer be a slave to nicotine.

NOTE: This piece written by KillTheCan community member Samrs