Hi Carolyn,
Your brief post has DANGER written all over it. As I read, "if they admit it", I'm getting that you think there's a whole lot of choice about whether to admit a relapse or not. My perception is that you may believe that it would be possible for a member to maybe have a cigarette, simply not admit it, and then go on posting as if nothing had ever happened.
Truth time. If one didn't have a full understanding and acceptance of the nature of nicotine addiction, I could see how they might think this would be so. Freedom doesn't have spy cameras in the homes of its members, or informants skulking in alleyways. How would Freedom know?
The answer is irrelevant. The truth is that nicotine is FAR less forgiving than Freedom's managers. A puff, and it's over (one puff files, the). The quit is gone. For some, it's slower than for others (the lucky one's get hooked!), but for something like 97%, (John, I couldn't find the exact number, and I know you have it somewhere), one puff leads directly to a return to smoking at former levels of consumption or higher.
So, Freedom's policy is irrelevant. Ask yourself.... why would somebody who had returned to smoking - taking on the health risks, the financial costs, and the damage to their self-esteem - spend their time hovering over their keyboard chatting away to a bunch of people who had found freedom from that addiction. The relapsed member is separated from the group by far more than simple posting priveledges. The relapsed member is in a different place entirely. They're a smoker; Freedom's membership is not. They're influenced at regular intervals throughout every day by the relentless cycle of withdrawal - fix - withdrawal - fix - withdrawal - fix.... Freedom's membership is not. The relapsed member is a recommitted slave to a deadly drug. Freedom's members are not. What smoker, in their right mind, would hang around a serious group of ex-smokers, chatting away about how great it is not to smoke, or offering advice to those that don't smoke?
The policy is pretty simple. Actively-using nicotine addicts are absolutely the worst people from whom an ex-smoker can seek support. Hence, we don't have actively-using nicotine addicts on the board. Yes, it's possible for an actively-using nicotine addict to lie and defy the rule, but I can't imagine the actively-using nicotine addict who would.
Stick to your commitment to remain nicotine-free... the commitment that brought you here in the first place, and for which you put yourself through the difficulties of withdrawal..... and you'll never be faced with watching your membership in the community of freed nicotine addicts (whether Freedom members, or not), slip away with each ensuing puff, each ensuing pack, each ensuing year....
imageBob (18 months as a FREE addict)