DUSTIN: Did you think I gave in? Its been quite a busy week for me, and apologize for not posting. Tuesday was all right, still dealing with the head game more than anything really. I went to an outside concert that night and did notice it seemed like everyone smoked or vaped. I was content though, and I didn't have any cravings really. Wednesday morning I woke up and found a half of a cigarette (clip) in my Jeep laying in plain site. I had cleaned the Jeep, so i didn't understand where, or how it got there. BUT, before i knew it, the clip was in my pocket and hidden, JUST IN CASE!

The rest of the day was fine, but obviously I told nobody what I had found. It was MY secret! Later that night I went to a Newbsanity Wednesday night workout, showered, ate, and went to bed. Thursday morning I woke up with my normal daily routine. Came to work, and RIGHT when the thought of putting on the patch came to mind, I grabbed that clip, went to a hiding spot at work, and took 3 drags before putting it out. I hid this from everyone for about an hour, until I realized I had to tell on myself in order for this to work. I told everyone I came in contact who knew I quit. I saved the clip for future sake, but hated the taste and haven't touched any since.

Friday is today, and I'm feeling stoked to be where I am right now. The hours go by without cravings, days are adding up since I have been a non-smoker, and routines are changing. Some may think I have to start over since I took a couple drags.....This is my story and I am not a smoker until I cave in to buy a pack of smokes. A couple drags proved to me how much I really don't need it, and how disgusting they now taste. Everyone's story is different, but so far this is what is working for me.

DOUG: Hey Dustin, I have been encouraging people to quit smoking for a long time. Five years ago I read a book called Abundance by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler. You would like Stephen. He's your kind of guy. In this book he tells about his Five Dog Workout where he and five rescue pups run through a canyon - scaling the walls as though they are in a natural half pipe. Exciting stuff. I think I gave away both copies of this book to dog lovers.

Back to my story. In the opening to Abundance, Peter Diamandis talks about a place called Masdar City near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It is the world's first "post-petroleum" community - built with oil money! I was fascinated. I thought to myself, "I would like to see this place." Within a week, I got a call from one of my cable customers asking if I could come to where the Cortland-made tether is and put an end termination on it. They also wanted me to train a bunch of soldiers in the process so that they would not need me the next time. "Where is this tether?" I asked. "It is in Abu Dhabi," came the reply. "I will come on one condition," I said. "You must take me to Masdar City before I come home." So off I went.

I landed in Dubai late one evening. My host drove me to the Mirfa Hotel in the middle of the desert. While there I met Tony, a British expatriate. He was rarely seen without a cigarette. He felt at home, because in the UAE the smokers outnumbered the non-smokers. After our day's work we ventured out behind the hotel where Tony unpacked a stunt kite and flew it out over the Persian Gulf - as he smoked. I shared with him the story of my tonsil cancer and having my lower jaw sawed through. I invited him to take a close look at the scars on my neck. Big Tony looked a bit uneasy. We finished our work. I got to see Masdar City with my host Fahad Al Absi (notice the iPhone in his hand - we were still using Blackberries back then). We parted company. Two years later I got a note from one of the group. It was the guy who made the balloon at the end of the tether. He said that he saw a Facebook post by our friend Big Tony. Tony was celebrating two years smoke-free and he said it was due in no small part to a story told to him by Doug Bentley one evening on the beach in Abu Dhabi. This is day ten. You're on a roll!

Best regards, Doug

Dustin and Doug: Did Dustin Cheat?