It started in 1995, the brainchild of Nathan Cobb, a counsellor with a background in software who was working at a smoking cessation clinic. She has now been smoke-free since November. Support groups were places that other people went to. Now I am a true believer that a little help goes a long way,'' she says. But it's real strength is interaction.
Users can post messages about their withdrawal symptoms, complain about a bad day or plead for help.
Which is why people keep returning, sometimes as long as two years after their original quit date. ''For many individuals the cravings and the habitual aspects of quitting don't stop after three months or six months or a year. The social dimension of it has become incredibly important for a lot of folks, too. They want to give back - the community helped them get through this and in many instances it was people who had quit for many months and continued to come back to the site and provide support. You learn from each other.