I will be 46 in November, and I began sneaking smokes at the age of 9. Both parents were heavy smokers and never noticed the pack I had taken out of each of their cartons each week. At 9, I smoked around 2 packs a week, building up to about 5 packs a week at age 13, then to almost a carton a week at 16. My cigarette use ebbed & flowed from that amount to, at times, almost 2 packs a day, but normally a 1 1/2 packs per day until 2010. I had stopped smoking a few times during, though never for more than 3 months, always cold turkey, though I carried straws to chew on and lots of carrots to satisfy the hand to mouth motion… as soon as the next big stresser hit I’d pick them back up again. I never tried any quit aids because I have such a chemical sensitivity and reactions to medications I didn’t ever want to try them. I ordered my first electronic cigarette in 2006. It was completely ineffective. I am not sure if it was the technology wasn’t quite there yet, or what, but the attempt wasn’t successful. The battery life was too short, the cartridges weren’t satisfying, and at the time, it cost way more than I was spending on cigarettes when I was buying them by the carton, and extremely more than when I was rolling (injecting loose tobacco into filtered tubes) my own. Aware and conscious of concerns of second hand smoke I rarely smoked around non-smokers. In 2010 I began to read about what was called third hand smoke. At the time I was often tending to infant nephew and worried about what, if any, effects it would have on him. I was torn, I’ve had a neurological problem since 1999 and my first neurologist suggested I not quit smoking. (Yes an actual doctor said that) He would never suggest someone with a neurological problem to start smoking, but often told them to not quit. He said there were some neurological conditions that benefited from nicotine. In 2006 I got my diagnosis of Parkinson’s, in further research I found that nicotine was showing in some test to slow the progression. I was scared not to quit, but at the same time I was even more scared to actually quit. It was difficult to weigh out, quitting cigarettes would possibly lengthen my life, but at the same time I stood the risk of my health degrading faster from Parkinson’s. Despite my failed attempt with e-cigs in 2006, I decided to try again. I researched them in inside and out. Around the end of November 2010 I took the money I was given for my birthday and bought a 510 mega kit. It arrived December 2. I made myself use it for at least every other cigarette craving. The hardest part was the mental block. My mind kept telling me I must be missing out on something that only an actual cigarette could give. It took about 2 weeks, telling myself nothing was missing, to think of all the money I will be saving, and not to forget the time I’d save from having to roll my own each night (about 1 1/2 hour). I bought an ego type kit, and before the end of the year I was completely rid of the strong craving for an actual cigarette. I had less than 10 after the first 2 weeks, and each time both the smell and taste nauseated me. I introduced my 65 y/o mom to them at Christmas that year. It took her a little over a year to completely convert over, but she finally did (well after moving in with me in my smoke free house). She has many health concerns, including morbid obesity and diabetes. My sister and I had talked before about her health, my sister felt it was more important she quit smoking, I feared if she did she would gain even more weight. Well, since finally converting and me taking over her cooking to change her dietary habits, she has both quit cigarettes and lost over 40 pounds in the past 2 years. Her doctors have bragged on her for the weight loss and her swapping e-cigarettes over the regular kind. I now use a variable volt personal vaporizer with a battery that lasts all day, and love my own DIY e-liquid. I no longer reek of the stench of cigarettes. I breathe better, have fewer bouts with head & chest colds, and my sinuses are better too. Even my cardiologist, who still wishes I’d cut out the nicotine, but understands why I refuse, encourages my use of an e-cigarette over regular cigarettes. I look at personal vaporizers as my saving grace to possibly longer life, and a life where I feel like I’m still able to do a little bit of living.