A candid look back

[pir8fan]

Some of you remember me! Some of you don’t! I used to live here! At midnight tonight I will celebrate 14 years of FREEDOM! On the eighth day of my quit I found this site! I joined because I figured it was a bunch of liberals that wanted to tell me how to live my life! And I was ready for a fight!

Off and on during the next 40 days I looked for a fight! Could not find one! Just a lot of mostly down to earth people who tried to help me stay quit! Some of those same people are still here today! Many are gone! Dale I see you here! Sheri I see you too! Sootie who I call Aunt Lucy after my favorite Aunt who was a no non-sense good common sense person! Sootie and I will be polar opposites for ever! But we became best friends!! Giulia always the truth! No sugar coating! RickM a steady constant force! Mike@tlanta. More than I can name! So many are not here anymore! Many gave all they had to give. And moved on! A lot left with the major change and when Mark became the Admin! I eventually left because of that! I do not always do well with change! Of course we all know how that worked for the dinosaurs!

At any rate I want to look back for a minute at how things used to be! Back in the day we had our own pages! There were message boards there! If one of us discovered someone struggling we would tell others and we would all go to that persons board to encourage and help them! It worked most times! And there was never a time when there was no one there to help! Dale caught the late night one from California! It was very personal and life long friends were formed! We used to have bonfires where each person virtually contributed the number of cigarettes they had not smoked since their quit! Bonfires were for the weekend and at least once we exceeded Two Million unsmoked nasties! We used to have a Freedom Train that was a daily blog celebrating people’s milestones! Many boarded the train! We posted pictures of food and links to music and honored people’s success! The motto of the train was “ If you are not riding with us, you are missing the Train!” We made a lot of lifelong friends! For 7 consecutive years we had a get together for those who could and would come! The first one was in Las Vegas! It was described as the place “Where Avitars Came To Life”! The people we only knew online became real! It was weekend of laughter and tears and memories that will last forever!

I look back to all of this because I want to say “Thank You” to this site and all the people that made it great! Dr Amanda Graham! You are an Awesome person! 
There is no way I can list all the people who contributed to my quit. But you know who you are! And for better or worse I am still alive 14 years later because of you! So a big THANK YOU to all of you!

I have not been a part of what makes this place work for a while, but people like Marylin and Youngatheart continue to share the message and the support that saves lives and makes life better! Giant Kodos to all who continue to do Gods work here! 
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

LIVE FREE!! SMOKE FREE!!
LOVE TO SO MANY OF YOU!!

Just Me, Tommy

[SimplySheri]

Beautifully said, Tommy!!  Of course congratulations on 14 smoke free years, but even more I would like to say congratulations on helping so many people keep their quits!  The Freedom Train was inspirational and a national treasure 😊.  The friendships, the support you offered, the encouragement you gave mean so much to all of us!  I don't see Thomas anymore but he was amazing!  @Giulia was the very first person to ever talk to me on ex.  I would have left without her.  Sootie seemed like a sister.  BeeJay kept me laughing and is still such a dear, dear friend.  It's fun looking back and I will always miss the message boards.  Kathy, I remember the picture of your dogs.  It would take days to list all those people who mean so much to me but I can say you're at the top of the list, Tommy!  I'm forever grateful.  Congratulations, dear Tommy, on the quit you never thought you would have.  Much love!!

Sheri

[Giulia]

Ditto what Sheri said.  Can't top the above two posts.  I miss what was.  'Cause it was quite special.  But I suppose it's special now too.  Friendships formed, quits fought for and solidified.  At least I hope that's the case.  If I may add a few memories of those no longer participating, I would mention Missy, who made us beautiful spoons and did portraits of us and our pets and sent them to us out of love.   It's hard for me to make a list of all those who have touched my quit life - Donna,  Shawn, Crazymama, DJ, our caravan master, Greg, HWD, Brenda, Cheryl, Dawn, Kathy, Daniela, Sassy, Nanawendy, Jim Taddeo,  Joanne Iulicci - had a lung transplant - talk about courage how to spread the message of quitting and she still is!  I've been on this site since it's inception in 2008 - so I've got quite a lenghty list of magnificent people who learned how and spread the knowledge through the sharing of their journeys and their "how to's."

Although I quit two years before I joined this site, I'm eternally grateful for the comaraderie, the angst, the wisdom, the drama (what's a quit without drama!)  the joy of the successes and the sorrow at the failures.  I never stop learning about this "quitting thing."  And being here has strengthened my resolve and added to my successful quit years.  Tommy, your train was something special.  And I miss that too.  And especially your daily presence here.  Such a positive mindset!  Such a "you can DO IT!" attitude.  But Marilyn is still here daily and Dale and Mikecity and Youngatheart and Indingrl and Maki and Barb and and others who continue to spread the wisdom, support and knowledge so very necessary during this journey.  And I too must give acknowledgement and credit for this site to Dr. Graham.  Who has a heart and cares so very much about EX.   

Anyway - I wish everyone a stick-to-it quit, and a year where there is more hope and happiness than despair, dissolution and disasters!  Chin up - smoke free!

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Love you brother!

Happy New Year!

[AnnetteMM]

I quit six years ago and found this site shortly afterward. I remember you! 

[Sootie]

@pir8fan 

A VERY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU MY DEAR FRIEND!!!

As Tommy mentioned above.......I AM one of the "liberals" he came to fight with.......but we became the absolute best of friends and remain that way to this day. 

I too miss "the way things were" on this site......but, you know, I miss the way things were in a lot of things and I just have to adjust. The world has once more moved around the sun and in that time and the trips before it...many things changed.

One of the things that does not change are the friendships you will make on this site and the support you will continue to receive from them if you just open yourself up to the experience. 

This is a place to reach out for help but also give help and to just be here for people as they undertake one of the biggest adventures of their lives......freedom from addiction.

CONGRATULATIONS to my dear friend Tommy on 14 years of freedom. Because of you, I do not look back on my quit as a horrible experience but rather as a wonderful journey where I met so many special people along the way......and you are surely one of them.

GOOD to see you on here........cheers to you and your quit which helped so many.