I’m new to using a e-cigarette/vaporizer but it has been the unquestionably the single best choice I’ve made to free myself from traditional cigarettes. I’m 43 and smoked since I was 20. Most of that time I was a pack-a-day Marlboro smoker. Over the years I’ve tried pretty much every method to quit or cut back on my habit including patches, gum, anti-smoking prescription medication, hypnosis, cold-turkey, cigarette rationing, and cigarette brand changes. In that time, the longest I can honestly say I’ve gone without touching a cigarette has been 5 days. At some point I aways gave into the frustrating need to have one or at least have a friend share a few puffs of one with me so as not to feel too guilty. Stress has usually been a significant factor in my return to smoking, either from external issues like school, work, family or social interactions. By accident, I came across the website of a vape store while i was out-of-town and looking for a tobacco shop nearby. No advertising was involved, it just happened to be listed in the search results and not realizing what it was it clicked on its link. After seeing that e-cigarettes were much more than the questionable looking items found in gas stations, I became curious and began searching the Internet for more information. What I found was both enlightening and intriguing enough to motivate me to visit a local vape store when I returned home. I found the staff there to be well-informed and encouraging. They all understood the chains that bind someone who smokes and helped explain how vaping could be a better alternative for me than traditional cigarettes, particularly if quitting was not desired or approved methods had failed but I still wanted to escape many of the negative effects of smoking. I can say with absolute truthfulness that my happy accident and visit there was a life-changing event. Once I started, I had two drags on a morning cigarette the next day and immediately put it out. Compared to using a vaporizer, the cigarette totally lost its appeal and I was disgusted by the taste. That was over a week ago and I can’t conceive of ever smoking again. I feel more free than I have for most of my adult life! I can now hug my son or be around others without the stench of stale cigarette smoke embarrassing me. I feel better than I can really remember. My breathing and smoker’s cough has improved. I’m more accomplished in my daily life since I no longer have to stop to go out for a smoke. I’m already saving money. And even the minor negative effect of the vapor giving me a cotton-mouth feeling has prompted me to reduce carbonated soda in favor of flavored or just plain cold water. Most of all, everything I’ve listed is happening without the stress that always accompanied other ways to manage or quit smoking. I don’t feel like lost in the desperate struggle to resist a cigarette. Just the opposite, I loathe the idea of having one and once again being a slave to cigarettes. You can never understand how much it means to me to be able to not only say that but to feel and truly believe it! William C Talbert III