Zep:

Thank you for bringing this site to our attention. This post serves as a great reminder. To people in the early days of withdrawal, as bad as you may feel, your suffering is temporary. The people who lost their lives after long battles with smoking induced diseases suffered so much more than you are even at withdrawals worst. And as can be seen from the words of family and friends, these people are suffering too long after the original victims are gone.

To longer-term quitters it serves as a great reminder to the importance of what quitting was then and is still today. It was a struggle for very existence.

Linda, your addition too of people you witness every day serves as a testament to the importance of everybody's work here. Those here to first support their own quit and those who volunteer so much of their time helping others.

Never think for a second that this was poorly spent time on either front. People here to quit are fighting for their lives and all who are here to help others are supplying a life saving support system. Some people coming to us may have no other resources who have such insight, encouragement or devotion to help them.

Zep and Joanne, thank you for making Freedom possible for everybody here. I also want to take a second here to thank all the other staff who have been giving so much of their time helping all our newcomers. Some of you I know are way beyond the point that you need to be here as long as you are for your own benefit, you are here to help others and that is great to see. We have a good group of people here and I am honored to be part of it.

Joel