Bear, what a wonderul post! Hopefully some "lurkers" will read this and open the door! For me, a health scare put me on the non smoking path. I was diagnosed with a cyst on my tailbone and a blood clot. The cyst was non-cancerous, but I was given every physical test known to mankind to make sure there were no other cysts/tumors. I was also put on Coumadin (a blood thinner) for the clot. When my oncologist told me that if I didn't quit smoking I would have to be on Coumadin for the rest of my life due to an increased risk of blood clots, I went cold turkey two days later. I knew I had to quit. I knew I couldn't fail. There was no way I was going on Coumadin for the rest of my life as I was only 43yo. What this site did for me was keeping me going when I was struggling, helping me with stressful situations, understanding why becoming a non smoker was important to my health, and most important, it allowed me to share my story with others, as others had shared their story with me. There is alot of pay it forward here. And you know what is the most amazing? People with 2,3,4,5 year or longer quits still stop here on a regular basis. They want to keep this thing going! It worked for them, and they want it to work for others.
My Milage:
My Quit Date: 8/20/2008
Smoke-Free Days: 128
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 5,120
Amount Saved: $1,024.00
Life Gained:
Days: 19 Hrs: 0 Mins: 18 Seconds: 45