During my one serious quit before, I spent a lot of time on a forum where almost all we talked about was how miserable we were. It was positive in that we supported each other, but negative in that we were a group of people in misery trying to prop each other up. I'd see people who'd quit for a year suddenly having a crisis and it made me wonder whether or not it would ever get any better. (And then there was one forum that was so anti-nicotine that admitting you took a quick puff a friend's cig was instant expulsion.)
I think I know exactly which forums you are talking about there...I was so surprised with the one that wouldn't let me "in the group" because I was in a huge real life crisis and had smoked some butts out of my mom's ash tray.
how do people turn away other people in obvious crisis? I never could understand that. I always knew support was going to be a big factor in a successful quit for me and neither of those places gave me anything but a bitter heart. yes a pity party is nice sometimes, heck I've already had a few here. But OMG everyone trying to make it seem like they were Soooo happy they had quit and yet getting online and repeating over and over how bad they wanted a cig, how the urge never went away, how hard the fight was every minute of every day, even years later. It just made really being able to quit unbelievable to me. I don't have the time, energy or desire to fight every minute of my day not to light up...for me at least it was just easier to light up than fight.
My husband calls me the internet queen! I keep telling him it's HRH Amy
But it's very true that I have been an internet and forum junkie since the very beginning...it wasn't Al Gore but I, Amy the Addicted Nurse that invented the internet
I have memberships all over the place in just about any subject you can imagine (hey I've been doing a 3rd shift gig for 7 years and I do pretty much nothing but surf the web for 8 or more hours a night...makes it easy to get around.) But while I might be HRH of the internet, I also have the title of HRH of thread killers. At some of the darkest hours of my life I've reached out on forums only to see my thread sit there with little to no reply's and the few I did get were either unhelpful or obviously responded to because they felt like they just HAD to...you can tell when someones just pacifying you, ya know?! A little over a month after finding ECF, I am still in complete awe!! It happened with my very first post...as I watched it go 2...3...4 pages FULL of help, advice, support and even gifts from people who had no clue who or what I was. Everyday I tell someone, even if it's just my 7 year old son that there really are great and supportive people out there...and ECF has cornered the market! The people I've met here are the kindest and most helpful people ever!!! I give almost full credit of my successful quit of analogs to those people that responded to my first post and everyone else who have made posts I can read for even more help and support.
My brother originally turned me on to PV's but it was ECF that made it all happen! When I'm able I fully plan on becoming a supporting member...it's the least I can do for a place full of people who really cared and wanted to help me quit smoking without having to fight it all the time! And it hasn't been a fight AT ALL! For me it was an immediate change, I've not once craved an analog...now I just crave my next new flavor
Quite honestly I do not think you will find a more helpful forum on the internet for damn near anything! Thanks everyone.
And yes sir I have the best guardian angels ever 
you, dear sir being one of them
....and I couldn't be more grateful! 
