An Under-Utlized KTC Tool
Hey quitters, I’ve been hanging out in chat the last week or so (I usually patrol in there 8-5 central time) and remembered when I first quit. The chat was the first thing I found. http://chat.killthecan.org/ In there were 3 quitters who easily convinced me that it was time to quit. Yeah, I know I was being a d-bag by going in there with a fatty in. However, I left without one and began the first footsteps of a long journey.
Over the last week or so, I’ve noticed that chat has been very quiet. When I quit a little over 3 yrs ago, the chat room was usually hopping during the day and I loved it. In fact, I needed it. I was so damn foggy and couldn’t concentrate on work. The chatroom gave me a place to vent, clear my head a bit, and allow me to get back to my duties. Sometimes I stayed in there all day, I didn’t care, the chatroom was where I needed to be. My work suffered but I remained vigilant to my quit.
Like most of y’all, I tried quitting a billion times. The isolation of it would finally win. I was a weak mo-fo, always saying I’ll cut back (didn’t happen) or I’ll only buy 2 cans at a time, instead of the log (didn’t matter as sometimes I’d hit the c-store twice a day). You get it, you’ve been there. Noone to hold me accountable, noone to bounce ideas off of, noone to say, holy crap, that guy is feeling the same way I do. I’m not alone in this struggle.
As I proceeded down the quit road a little further, I found that folks pop in that chat room just like I did that sunny day in September. They are quit and hurting, they are looking for something to help them quit. I met a lot of folks in those situations. Some I helped get into the forums. Others did not. Some gave in easily, they were ready. Others took many minutes to days to convince them to flush their stash and start quitting. Some were ornery, not ready and said they’d come back tomorrow. None of them ever did.
While in chat I made a lot of friends, some of whom I’ve met in person. Some great things have happened in chat. Famous folks talking about their quits. Hell, I think I’m the only person in interweb history to be the center of a virtual bukkake. But thats an entirely whole nother story. (If someone has that transcript, please burn it ). I found it to be an excellent channel to converse with fellow quitters, above and beyond the level of the forums. Its live and I could get help, just BS or help someone else in a heartbeat.
What I’m getting at is, the chat room is underutilized. I know folks have their cell numbers of quit buddies and thats very good as well. But I just want to highlight this resource and remind you that if you need help, pop on in. If you’re wanting something fresh to liven up your quit, pop in. Chat with some vets, maybe be that person that convinces someone to dump their stash. Its a great feeling to be that person. You need a breath of fresh air to clear your head from the fog, pop in. I’m usually lurking, but my virtual clothes are cleaned off now 🙂
See ya in there! http://chat.killthecan.org/
tarp