Why do you stay on this forum?

[nsd_user663_51617]

Hi all you lovely long term quitter type people! Im a day 8 wonder so miles behind you.

I was wondering, why after a year or more are you guys still posting on this forum?

cheers

[nsd_user663_20558]

Without this place and its support I would never, never have made it.

While it helped me to have the encouragement and fellow feeling of people who were at the same stage as me, I also really relied on the handful of long-term quitters who continued to post. They helped so much to give me hope that it was possible. I wanted to be where they were.

And now I am. What goes around comes around, so I'm trying to give back. Also, from a selfish perspective, it does no harm to remind myself what it took to quit - I don't ever want to slip into complacency.

I have been considering whether I no longer belong on the forum, and I have been taking more of a back seat. But ultimately, I hope I can sometimes help. That's why I'm here.

[nsd_user663_6426]

The cats...oh how I love them :rolleyes:

[nsd_user663_18145]

We have had similar posts like this before and i agree with everything that Helen and Karri say

it takes all sorts to make this forum such a success and keeps alot of people coming back time after time not just for the support and to offer encouragement to others but to catch up or just to have a nose at whats going on and look out for their quit buddies and the friends they have made on here some even because they have lost there quit and need help support and inspiration to get going again

weird i only came across this earlier and seems appropiate to post here

oh and ive included some cat pics

especially for Lisa now she is a reformed cat person

hehe i knew the cat pics would work there magic eventually

:rolleyes:

you can never have enough pics of cats

.

[austinlegro 11 Years Smoke Free]

I was wondering, why after a year or more are you guys still posting on this forum?

Nothing has changed much in the five years since I quit.

If you go to your GP today you will still get the same poor advice as you did back then with a 6% chance of staying quit for 12 months.

Frankly I don't think that's good enough.

New quitters need their education and that duty has to fall to those further along the road than them; whether it's 5 weeks or 5 years is irrelevant.

There are plenty of other forums on the internet which are pretty much impenetrable as they're staffed by either fresh quitters who know nothing or seemingly by employees of 'interested' companies.

Similarly Facebook has the format where each post is at the top of the list so that any nuggets of information are almost instantly lost never to be seen again and the top threads are littered with little of much use.

This forum suffers from something similar; there are few stickies and fabulous posts get lost forever.

Forever unless people like me keep popping in and trawling them up again; that and my love of cat photos; that and the off chance that the lovely Helsbelles might upload more photos... :rolleyes:

[NicFirth 10 Years Smoke Free]

Initially I felt that I had a debt to repay to the forum for the help and support I received here.

These days I feel that I have somewhat lost touch with the everyday angst of the quitting process but I can still pop on from time to time and post something that I feel might help.

I remember feeling inspired by some of the long term quitters when I started and hoper that even the occasional post here and there might do the same for others.

[nsd_user663_51617]

Thanks for all of your replies. really interesting and heart warming that the main reason is to pass on advice voluntarily, I love that.

Like Josivi and netti, i find your posts invaluable and they have been a huge source of inspiration to me. The one thing smokers who want to quit always say is "oh... i cant do that, its impossible" - reading your posts prove otherwise and maybe, just maybe your posts have saved a few people. nice thought eh?

Cheers and here a salute to you 1yr+ legends!

[nsd_user663_24115]

i too could not have done it without this forum. knowing others had quit spurred me on as i hate being left outside. their advice was invaluable. i dont know of any other support out there that comes anywhere near to this forum which is fantastic,warm, funny, genuine, free, unbiased and honest just what u need when doing something as important as quitting smoking. i still come on here to give gentle nudges ,and sometimes not so gentle. if i want to keep it i have to give it away.As Helen said earlier i like to remind myself where iv been and not get complacent . i dont ever want to quit again i dont think i have one in me. im staying with this quit and will visit this forum to ground myself, xcuse the counselling jargon. and cos i miss it when i stay away.

Mx

[Hidden]

I want to be an Old Timer when I grow up.

[nsd_user663_20558]

that and the off chance that the lovely Helsbelles might upload more photos... :rolleyes:

Oh Mr Legro

*bats eyelids*

You charmer!

[nsd_user663_3633]

Me... For a year and a half I came here everyday.. This place made me who I am today. The people in it changed my outlook which changed my life.

Giving a little back is hardly a chore, it's a pleasure to see others treading the same path and give them a nudge if I think my words may help... Although, to be fair, I don't come by very often anymore.

I will be here, next year and probably another 10 years from now. It's important to inspire and pass on the little pearls... It saves lives. If I can help in a small way, I'm delighted to do so.

[lefoy123]

Why do you stay on this forum?

In a nutshell "so that I don't forget my old arse" which translates to remembering what it was like to smoke,the trials and tribulations of quitting and the of course the benefits of quitting.

Michael a.k.a: lefoy123

[nsd_user663_20978]

for me i am so gratefull to all my fellow quitters who quit around the same time as me and also to the long termers who were on here writing posts full of wisdom and experience

you know no matter what post i wrote whether it be a desparate post or a symptoms post someone somewhere on here had felt the same or thought the same thoughts and in my early days that ment the world to me just to know i wasnt the only person in the world feeling how i felt

as time went on and i got stronger i found i could help the new ones because i now i knew exactly how they felt and that in turn gave me more strength

as time went on i felt i owed the forum my time and experiences because i wouldnt be where i am today had i not found this forum

and if i can get just one person to the point i am now with just a few words then of course i will take that time to help

and the penthouse is just the best place i have ever been to

boo

[nsd_user663_4121]

Still here cause I can't seem to get my ass out of that penthouse hot tub

[nsd_user663_3633]

Still here cause I can't seem to get my ass out of that penthouse hot tub

Hmmmm pruney

[austinlegro 11 Years Smoke Free]

The thing I find hardest about having a forum long service award is having to repeatedly write the same stuff every few months.

It's one thing having a big forum debate about a particular subject but it's difficult to engage the enthusiasm to keep on doing it!

More links, less typing!

[nsd_user663_26699]

I stick around because I think it's important to help others free themselves from smoking, considering a) the amount of damage it does to everyone's health, and b) the fact that so many people are desperate to quit.

However, I agree with Austin inasmuch as this forum suffers from a lack of easily retrieveable valuable information (in the form of stickies or other kinds of lookup), and therefore people keep having to write the same core messages over and over again. Sadly, it becomes tedious after the nth time, and therefore makes me somewhat lose the energy to keep trying.

I also agree with Nic, inasmuch as the longer it has been since I quit, the more I forget about how it was to smoke, and how it was to quit. That makes it somewhat more difficult to relate to.

But, I still try to help out here and there.

Alex.