I started smoking way back before most folks gave any thought as to how bad it could end up being. Both of my parents smoked as did just about everyone I came into contact with. I smoked my first cigarette during my 17th year and finally was able to put them down for good during my 63rd year. That was about 45 years of sometimes up to 2 packs a day going up in smoke. I tried several times during the last few of those 45 years to quit. The longest time I was able to stop was 6 months. Other times it would only last a couple of weeks. I finally decided to give the nicotine patch a try. It worked about as well as wearing a band-aid. I found myself both smoking and wearing the patch at the same time. 18 months ago I decided to give this new technology a try and the rest is history. I picked up a simple battery kit at my local smoke shop. I also bought my usual 2 cartons of cigarettes. I never even opened them. I am no longer a smoker. I started out with 24mg nic strength and am now down to 14-16 mg. Over time I will probably lower the strength but it is not a priority at this time. After the first week smoke free I no longer woke up and spent the first hour coughing up yesterdays damage. I can now take a deep breath and feel no pain. I breath better and feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest. Instead of burning tobacco and who really knows for sure what else I now vape wonderful flavors full of variety. Instead of my home smelling like an old wet ashtray it is now filled with light fruit aromas such as pomegranate, grape, black cherry and pears. My husband has cut his cigarette consumption down to an eighth of what it was and both of my sisters are smoke free now thanks to this life saving device. M. Werst