I have been a heavy smoker since high school, starting about 20 years ago now. I continued for at least 10 years with no intentions of quitting, but then of course wisdom began to prevail on me that this was a major detriment to my health, and so I began the vicious cycle of guilt, addiction, and back and forth stopping and starting smoking. This went on for another 10 years or so, and there were some successes, but none longer than a few months. The classic triggers for me were always socializing, drinking alcohol, stress, etc. I could go for a while without a cigarette, but eventually would recant and start smoking full time again. At about the beginning of 2013, my girlfriend began encouraging me to try e-cigarettes. I was initially resistant, as it didn’t really occur to me as an improvement over actual tobacco. She purchased for me a rechargeable and refillable e-cigarette kit and eventually cornered me into trying it. Since then, I have not smoked a single cigarette – about 6 months, and by far the longest period I have gone without tobacco in 20 years. I find the e-cig to be a very practical nicotine substitute, and the improvement to my health has been radical. My major positive experience has caused me to become very interested and concerned about the future of e-cigarettes, as I believe it would be a great tragedy to over-regulate or ban these products. As with many things, I can recognize that individual results may vary, however I am happy to testify that e-cigarettes have been a fantastic means for me to stop smoking for good. I strongly believe in and recommend these types of product to anyone wishing to stop smoking tobacco.