Yes, Tiny, I believe that is what Jaka and I were saying as well. I commend Jaka, in Slovenia, for his wisdom. And you for coming out and just saying it. My attempt at a more subtle approach seemed to inspire an accusation of me supporting big tobacco somehow. Go figure. Next time, I will keep it simple as you did. 

 I do not appreciate your characterization of me.   Your opinion of me is not requested or required.   Please refrain from bullying me in this manner or I shall report you to the modems in this forum.

I think the debate here is going in completely wrong direction. This is not a forum to promote any political views. We are here for different reasons. What Quitalicious did is trolling and indeed hate speech and should be banned. We should also refrain from further discussion. I'm sorry to comment on this post in the first place. 

Anne I don't think there's anything wrong with promoting cold turkey. I did cold turkey as well. The problem is that we are now arguing about something that shouldn't be addressed here.

This is my last reply to this post. Wishing all of you wonderful smoke free day

Hi Anne:

I have to assume you don't have a first-hand understanding of the political tension in the US right now. Clearly, trolling on this forum is not acceptable and the last thing anyone wants to see.  The post was not about smoking vs. non-smoking presidents, which is obvious, if you live here.

I quit cold turkey.  It was painstaking and in retrospect I wondered if it would have been less stressful had I incorporated a NRT.  That said, the end goal is to quit smoking.  People are not as apt to open up about these things if they feel they are being judged for the method they choose.    

Although I believe positive talk is extremely important here, it is also a place for people to vent with the realistic struggles they face.  Responses that claim you'll be over it in three days and it's all just a matter of changing your mind, in a snap, is not the reality for most long-term smokers who quit.  Although it may be well intentioned, it can also be counter-productive.  Newbies may become discouraged if they feel they are not strong enough to quit without a NRT or they've failed if they don't feel better in three days. Maybe there are individuals who get over it in three days.  I assume they have no reason to seek out a support forum, which is why I've never seen anyone sail through the process here.

The majority of your posts are so helpful to newbies.  I'm respectfully asking if you could please be cognizant of how a few of your comments convey.  

Sincerely,  

AnnieXS

Quit May 8, 2015

Thats so rude Anne. Lorie is a wonderful women helping us here. She is a true gem. She never promotes going NRT or cold turkey. Infact, she always respects everyones method of quitting. I have quit cold turkey and its being one month now. I had a lot of hard times within this period(still having)and she never told me to go and take  any NRT.the utimate aim is not to start smoking again, right?

And its so sad that you are deliberately supporting politics here.

I don't appreciate your characterization of me or my posts.  Please refrain from bullying me in this manner.  Thank you 

I don't appreciate your characterization of me or my posts.  Please refrain from bullying me in this manner.  Thank you 

I don't appreciate your characterization of me or my posts.  Please refrain from bullying me in this manner.  Thank you 

Good morning Joel,

That is very sweet and kind of you to say what you did. We are friends and I understand your feeling to defend me. It is ok, though. I also understand Anne feeling defensive of her method, and it is also ok for her to tell me that something I said made her uncomfortable. I much would have preferred a conversation about it rather than a shutdown, but, that’s ok too. You see, the real problem here is what the start of this was, as AnnieXS pointed out. The political charged, outright one side vs the other approach. What makes it worse was the attempt to disguise what was said. We are in a tumultuous time, a very strained time, unlike any that any of us here have experienced. All over the world. When you add the personal struggle on top of smoking cessation, it makes other things even more difficult.
So, the REAL problem here, on this forum, is this kind of polarized comment that can actually stoke the flames of our personal struggles and it is even harder for newer folks when certain thoughts and feelings are provoked in this manner. It is also a big turn off to new folks. We all know the deep value of our friendships we build here. I will be very honest, if I were an October quitter and coming here for the first time, and reading through that thread, I would not have stayed. It would have made me look somewhere else for support for sure to read what he wrote. In hindsight, I could have and should have said something more outright about it to Quitalicious. AnnieXS said it very well when she acknowledged the environment here in the US, and she was absolutely right, to anyone here, we likely saw through what he said immediately. Which brings me to the other saddest part about this. He has about 10 years in! I see the support and encouragement from the old timers here as invaluable, and honestly, it has always inspired and motivated me, and I am so grateful they still come and lend us a hand. Imagine the good that could have been done if the words chosen were of a different heart! This is why I said what I did, that it is important to say things to bring people together. None of us here need or want to read something that seems geared to swaying our mind in a political manner. The US media is full of this one way or the other, attempting to lead people down a path like Lemmings with their own agenda. We all need to and can think for ourselves on those issues. I also pointed out there are others from all over here, like Jaka, and it isn’t just all about the US.
Here, we just need support and friendship. Like all the other old timers give.
I also maybe should not have said what I did about it being bad enough with the cold turkey vs NRT argument. It was not meant as a slight at all, you are right. I’ve been here long enough to see those discussions get a bit heated too, and always someone will step in and stop it, thankfully. I was referencing those little spats in a joking way, trying to make a point is all, that those are bad enough and anything deeper politically was not good for this space. Anne in Canada, if you read this, that is all I meant. Not that cold turkey is a bad thing, but was trying to lighten it up and use an example of how things get when the approach is “one way is better than another” and use that example to show why politics in such charged ways is not helpful. It was just an example of arguments, not a personal reference meant to offend you, but AnnieXS is right, I have also felt at times put down with a couple things you’ve said about using NRT, and I’m hopeful that is not the intention.  Quitalicious, if you read this, I am looking forward to the kind support your experience at 10 years out could bring to all of us newer folks. I’m sure you have a lot to offer! 
To any new folks, please please please don’t give up. If anything, use all of what you have read here as validation that this struggle is real and hard and carries over into all areas of our lives, especially in the beginning. Use it to bring awareness of triggers. Use it to ask yourself about if one method may work better than another. Use it to see how others process. Above all, know that we are all human and learning and growing each day and we all make mistakes. Just like a slip, what is important is what we can learn from it, and not to stay focused on the slip, but to pick ourselves up, dust off, forgive, and carry on. All things in life have their ying yang. We can all do this, and finding a way to do it together will be and is so good. I’ve learned a lot from this thread really. We’ve all learned a lot from these times we are in. 
Thanks again Joel. You are a sweet kind soul. I’m glad we are friends. 

Anne, I certainly did not bully you, but you know that.

AnnieXS

Quit May 8, 2015