I have been on the site for over one year now and I have found that people do care. I have received several messages of support from moderators as well as the other users of the site.
As for all of the possible downside effects of quitting one thing that I have discovered is that we all have differing symptoms. You will note that those using the chemical support products tend to do it a bit harder than those who go cold turkey - the one thing we all seem to suffer from though is increased appetite, so we all put on a few Kgs - still better than emphysema, lung cancer and gangrene from circulatory problems - weight gain can be minimised by eating lots of fresh fruit. Hang in there Guys - if I can come out the other side after over 50 years of smoking so can you. Personally I think it is great that there aren't a swag of professionals on the site monitoring and only preaching their beliefs not their experiences.