I have smoked cigarettes for 39 years and am now 57 years old. Throughout this period I have tried to quit smoking many times. I could never go cold turkey more than a day and by using Nicorette gum had quit various times for about 6 months each time. I also tried Natural alternative gums and vitamin type cessation products which did not work for me either. Invariably the pull of smoking cigarettes was stronger and I would smoke butts I found in ashtrays to ease the pangs and then end up buying a pack of cigarettes and try to regulate the quantity I smoked which did not last very long and I would ease back in to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. During this time of smoking I have tried smoking cessation classes twice and hypnotism once, both of which did not work. The best option for the past 15 years was to use tar reducing filters and to not smoke at work or when I was in public. At home I would not smoke indoors. These past 2 years I would chew small pieces of Nicorette gum (I would cut the piece into quarters and chew 1 full piece by days end) during the day and smoke 6 to 10 cigarettes (with the tar reducing filters) at night which seemed to be the best I could regulate myself. 2 weeks ago I met a woman who worked at a local gas station who was using an e-cigarette. We talked about this and our habits. I began to research e-cigarettes on-line and purchased a FIN starter kit at Wal-Mart. I have always liked the smoking action of the pulling the smoke into the mouth and throat. It has always felt very soothing. Immediately I could see that the e-cigarette fulfilled this smoking action. I have not smoked a real cigarette now for two weeks nor have I felt the need to chew any Nicorette gum. I started by using the bolder or more percentage nicotine e-cigs and have now settled on a milder nicotine percentage. When I used to want a real cigarette to puff it was hard not to smoke the whole cigarette even if I did not want to. Now with the e-cig I can take a puff now and then and go about my business. I think that the action of smoking has been the strongest of the habit and the e-cig greatly fulfills this. I love that I no longer carry the smell that comes from smoking cigarettes. Now when I pass a person smoking real cigarettes the smell is repugnant. Before when I used to try to quit I’d try to be next to smokers to get some second hand smoke. I can see that I could work toward vaporizing with the no nicotine offerings in the future. At this early point though I am not going to worry about this. I am just thrilled that I have not smoked a cigarette in two weeks. Even though I never had a cough from smoking my lungs would feel oppressed. Now my lungs feel lighter, my breath seems sweeter, my body sweat seems lighter and even my facial skins seems to have more color. At this time I feel that if I was with out an e-cigarette I still would not want to smoke a real cigarette. Prior when ever I tried to quit I would obsess about smoking a cigarette and with using the e-cigarette I sense a greater possibility to work towards being nicotine free in the future. The facts seem to support that using an e-cigarette is healthier than smoking real cigarettes and I feel that to be true as I feel better physically and mentally than whenever I tried to quit smoking cigarettes before. Before I tried e-cigarettes I thought they were a gimmick and now I think they are a blessing.