Let's be honest here! Please!!

[pir8fan]

In the early days of our quits we come here and pour our hearts out to strangers! We talk about our struggles! We openly admit the troubles we are encountering on our path to Freedom! Soon these strangers become our friends! All of a sudden thing are different! How many of you have said or thought " I don't want to burden my friends with my problems."?

I just put on a fresh pot of coffee, and I would like to invite everyone to wake up and have a sniff! Look around at the people who have been here from the first day of this site! Look at those of us that have been here for a couple of years! Look at the people who work so hard to put  the Freedom Train on the tracks everyday! Do you really think we are here to make friends and socialize? Friends are a "Collateral Benefit" of being here! They are not the purpose! The reason we are here is because we genuinely care about helping you quit, and stay quit!

When you internalize the issues you are facing, you are not giving us the chance to help you! When you wait until you have smoked to reach out, you are not giving us a chance to help save your quit! Knowing that we have helped someone, or saved someones quit, is the reward that we get for our efforts here! Please do not deny us a chance to do what we live here for! Most of all, and more importantly, do not deny yourself a chance to succeed! You deserve a Smoke Free Life! You can have one! Please, give us the chance to help!

Tommy

This message has been brought to you without commercial interuption by The Freedom Train!!

"IF YOU ARE NOT RIDING WITH US, YOU ARE MISSING THE TRAIN!!"

[owlfeather]

Amen and Amen.... 

[Yaya2.6.10]

Great blog!  I would add that I am here to pay it forward, but also to cement my own Quit.  Often a blog will resonate either with what I grappled with earlier or am still not at peace with.  By articulating a response, I help myself too.

[cyn9]

I am here hoping I can help one person to save their life, in gratitude for all that have and are helping to save mine.

I wish I could be here more, to reach out more, but when it starts to take 2-3 min. to load a page, I have to stop and come back later. Sorry.

[BobbyMaynard]

In agreement with all of the above.

[IrishRose]

I had to take off from work today and tomorrow, because I have been waking up for the past three days crying uncontrollably.  Go figure.  Funny thing, I don't even care to have a cigarette.  I come here, because I feel if I can make just one person feel good enough about themselves to protect their quit, I did something worthwhile.  I feel I owe this community big time for helping me through the tough times when I was always thinking about smoking after I quit.  I love you guys!!! 

[steph1811]

Tommy you and a few other key people on this site were the ROCK of my quit! I did indeed come here, in my worst moments of quitting, and always found complete acceptance, guidance, motivation and positivity. You guys keep newbies like the one I once was.

And I am so proud to say ONCE WAS!!! Becuase I might not be a seasoned vet, but I definatly feel like I graduated - and I owe a lot to the leadership and support I found here.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

But if you are to embarrased to post after you've slipped, don't be afraid to contact one of us privately. It happened yesterday. we will support you not judge you.

[Giulia]

Lovely and true - everything.

[TheNewMe_Jo]

I agree 🙂

When I first came here, I felt out of place.. its hard to open up and speak among strangers about our addiction.

But being here helped me quit and stay quit

sooooo here I am to help someone else 🙂

Its a beautiful day in NC soo

I took the day off !!

[janie21]

So true... Thanks

[Alice23]

Thanks Tommy!  That 's the thing - we are all here because we share a common thread - addiction to nicotine.  We can relate more to each other sometimes than we can with someone ( no matter how close we are) who doesn't understand what this addiction is!

I know that I could not have come 225 days without the support of all of you here!

God bless you and your dedication to this site.

I hope in some small way I can motivate another to join in the freedom!

*hugs*

Alice

[Strudel]

Well said Tommy!

[sspahn49]

You are so right, I celebrate 8 months today because of you and others on this site. I am ashamed to say I have not been here as much as I should to help other but will be eternally gratefull for all the help and support I received when I needed it. I have backed away because I felt myself getting short with the excuses, the failures and the complaining over what I perceived to be trival. The logisics of this site are really not all that important to me, especially not enough to make me smoke. So until I could offer "Colleteral Kindness" I have backed away. I also have had a lot of personal health issues, have lost a few friends and have struggled myself with it all. So, thanks to you for all you do and have done, you are a gem!!!

[mary-lou]

that's why I am here to stay quit and it has helped me so much love this site

[suzieq2]

When I first came to this site, I didn't really believe that a website and talking to a computer would help me quit smoking.  I had smoked for all of my adult life and had tried to quit so many other times, how was this going to work?  Then I read and read and researched what I read and decided maybe this would work... and it did!  Imagine that!    So I come back here as often as I can to repay some of the kindness that was extended to me & to hopefully help someone if i can.  I'm not here as much anymore but i do check in and read the blogs and respond as often as possible. Thats why i'm here...

N.O.P.E.

Happily smoke free!

[TL_3]

Thanks Tommy.   Wisdom Grows....   so thank you for helping fertilize the soil here.    Anyway, there are several of you that have been my help... ..  It did not matter to me how long a person had quit....the fact that they were here, doing what they could to help me.... that was and still is the prize.   As a person who does not make it back as much as I would like, this is a constant place.  Always a support group here or a person you know that can say that one thing to make you feel better.   God Bless You All !!!!!