I joined a live quit smoking (nicotine) group about a month or month and a half ago. I've been aware of the group for years but have tended to avoid it because it switched its emphasis from quitting smoking to quitting nicotine a while back. I had my last cigarette last year before midnight  April 30th and, therefore, to me my anniversary--the one I celebrate--is May 1st. So I'm excited and telling everyone that I will have a year Saturday. I told the people in my group that tonight also. However, my group celebrates birthdays from when you last had nicotine. I used nicotine replacement therapy for 6 weeks. So reactions to my anniversary were subdued tonight. I went on to tell them that was the reason why I did not join the group in the first place, that I felt I had to be free of nicotine or else the group was going to either ignore or denigrate my efforts. Further, I told them that although nicotine does keep people addicted, it isn't the chemical that kills and when one stops smoking they have stopped the danger to themselves and to others, regardless of whether or not they are using NRT. Now NRT has to be given up eventually because of its addictive effects. Those effects may drive one to smoke again. I also know that not all people actually can go cold turkey for medical reasons and that nicotine does, indeed, also have some positive affects. The negatives, however, do outweigh the positives. Although there is to be no crosstalk in the meeting, the secretary got pissed. When he got a chance to talk, he talked about how NRT was just trading one addiction for another. That's why that particular program voted to celebrate from when the person last used nicotine. I've been around a while, I know that the change came about because the emphasis on smoking left out chewers, pipe smokers, etc. It isn't that I think the program has it all wrong. I showed up, right? It's that I think it should let us decide our own birthdays. Maybe it seems like some people work harder for their quits than others, and it's unfair, but this is not a competition. The truth of the matter is this: Everyone has to go cold turkey at some point. You have to give up the NRT. I have to admit that I believe those who don't have made no really serious commitment to quitting and will probably start back soon. But in the meantime, the air sure is fresher.

My Mileage:

My Quit Date: 5/1/2009
Smoke-Free Days: 363
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 10,164
Amount Saved: $4,319.70
Life Gained:
Days: 40 Hrs: 21 Mins: 50 Seconds: 24