Why We Stay Quit

Recalling my quit, aimed towards newer quitters.

100 days have come and gone, but the journey is just beginning. I remember the day I joined this community, reading other quitter’s introductions thinking skeptically about the KTC method and how i don’t fit in or relate to anyone. Man I was wrong! I wish i could thank all the people who have helped me along the way but there are just so many of them it would take weeks to list them all. But that is okay, we are a brotherhood, we take care of our own and we make sure a quit comes before a bad decision (because if you were dumb enough to tell a goon you’re thinking about caving your phone would explode when 50 other goons magically got your number).

If i could go back to and talk to my self 100 days ago I’d tell myself to relax and take this seriously. I have made a reputation for myself in June 2015 that I am not particularly proud of but because of it I learned to figure out my own issues, address them, and learn from them. Early on in my quit i asked several questions of my quit brothers that i still swear got ignored because i have only gotten 1 answer. But I want to answer them for myself now so that others can read them and also ask themselves how they’d answer them.

1) Will you ever not be an addict?

This is something i have struggled with since day 1. Forever is a long time. I want to say that after maybe 2 or 3 years the cravings go away, you never think about it again, and your teeth magically look shiney and new… the reality is the damage as already been done to your mind, your body, your teeth, everything. Nicotine is a evil thing and after doing some research on the chemical reactions nicotine has in your body i am convinced you’ll never be cured. It is like an oil spill off the coast of some poor beach. The oil washes ashore, sinks in below the sand, the surface may get cleaned up eventually by some volunteers in hazmat suits… but you’ll never be able to clean it up. 1,000 years into the future traces of the oil will still be found in the ground deep down below layers of sand and dust and fossilized goop. Just like the oil the cravings will always be there sinking into your blood, calling your name, reminding you of the “good times” you had before the nightmare is over.

2) Can you quit and stay quit on your own?

I’m not going to say you can’t, but your chances are greatly reduced. KTC can supply you with quit-ology and facts and figures about the average person’s symptoms and all sorts of stuff like that. But what KTC gives you that quit coaches, family members, and friends won’t give you is accountability. A) We’re not a bunch of professional motivational speakers reading a laminated card and phrasing methodology while we collect a pay check on your misery. Let’s face it they want you to quit and be healthy but if everyone was cured they wouldn’t make money. B) Your wife, mother, sister, brother, dad may have good intentions and say they will whip you in to shape but when they see you in a bad way they typically cave before you, they want to be nice and not hurt your feelings, but that isn’t accountability. C) If friends are your line of support why not make friends who are battling it out with you, who know what you are going through, and understand your pain. If youre going to rely on friends rely on your quit brothers.

The other questions i asked myself back then kind of got wrapped up into those 2 answers so we’ll leave it here.

I learned that you can’t love everyone you quit with. You will bust heads with people (JKEdwards), you’ll have disagreements (Gargoose), you’ll make mistakes (Messed up Lumberjack Tim’s roll as a laugh), you’ll say the wrong thing to someone who is overly sensitive (to many to list), or you will look weak in the eyes of someone who is too strong, or too thick headed for their own good (BigKahuna). The main thing everyone needs to learn early on is that no one’s quit is more important than the next, and the brotherhood is what we make of it.

I decided I am going to stay here as long as I can and continue to post roll, i will try my best to be more active in the introduction threads, chat, etc so i can help share my experience to the new pre-hall of famers and i promise promise promise to stay quit with all of you today!

Love my quit brothers and sisters!

Even you BigKahuna <3

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