I smoked from the age of 15 until the age of 43. I had tried to quit a few times, particularly in more recent years (as I began to truly appreciate mortality), to no lasting success. I had tried Welbutrin and gum, with zero success, and (very) mild & fleeting success with the ??cold turkey? method, which is really overstated, as I only ??quit? for six days with that method. I did not like the gum at all, the flavor was horrible to me, as was the temporary nicotine rush. I was not interested in trying the patch, as it didn’t provide any psychological component to me (no chewing or hand-to-mouth action, etc.). The Welbutrin made me very hazy, and I had to stop that quickly. During the time I had attempted to quit cold turkey, I was definitely irritated, even after the three days they say it takes to get over the nicotine withdrawal. I struggled very hard, and could not focus, and could only think about how much I missed smoking, and having something to do with my hands. So I gave up, and decided that I would just always be a smoker and probably die a horrible death (which was not comforting, but getting my cigarettes back helped me get re-focused and relaxed, nonetheless). Then during June of 2011, I was attending a high school reunion, and stepped outside for a smoke. There, I noticed the spouse of a former schoolmate using an electronic cigarette. I had heard of these somewhere, but never paid serious attention to it (seemed like a gimmick and/or a fad). I was curious watching him though, so I struck up a conversation and learned all about it. He advised me to check out the ECF forum (www.e-cigarette-forum.com) if I had any interest after that night. I didn’t think about that moment any more until early August (2011), and for some reason, the concept popped into my mind again. I decided to find that website, which I did, and learn more about it. After much reading, I decided to forego the ??looks like a cigarette? style, and opted for the GoGo (a 1300mAh battery, cylindrical, and slightly larger than an average cigar), as it had great battery life reported. I had no intentions of quitting smoking though because of my historical failures at trying, I just thought it might be fun to try and maybe use off and on. My intention was to try it and see what happens with no self-pressure to quit or change current habits. I received my kit at my office when I returned from lunch about 1:30pm on August 10, 2011. That was the last time I smoked a cigarette. Upon trying the kit, which came pre-charged, with pre-loaded e-liquid cartomizers, I was amazed and impressed. Not quite the burned leaf flavor of cigarettes, but close enough, and completely covered the hand-to-mouth and nicotine components that I loved from smoking! I sincerely believe, that for me, the lack of pressure and expectations on myself to quit with this device helped with the success in switching completely, along with the amazing performance of the kit I initially purchased. I have since graduated to some other devices, and using refillable cartomizers and bottles of liquid, and still loving this delivery method for nicotine (although I still have some of my original units in rotation). I started out at 24mg/ml of nicotine, and now use 10-12mg/ml of nicotine. I love all of the flavors, as I also try to avoid sugar, and the flavors also help with sweets cravings! I have one tobacco flavor I use on occasion, and the rest are desserts and sweets or savory food-related flavors. To be honest, I truly feel that the multitude of flavor variations helped to capture my interest away from smoking and 100 percent to vaping. I do not currently have any plans to quit using an electronic cigarette ?? I enjoy it too much right now, and know in my heart that I’ve gotten rid of the most dangerous aspect of the habit ?? the burning tobacco. I have learned from many studies that the tobacco-specific nitrosamines are on a level equal to or lower than the approved NRT therapy aids (patch, gum, etc.), so I know that this option is orders of magnitude less harm than smoking tobacco. I know it’s better because I breathe better, I can taste and smell normally again, I feel better, I have more energy and my car, house, and clothes no longer smell like an ashtray! Plus with several studies now showing there is nothing in the second-hand vapor that in any amount that is detrimental to others, I no longer feel guilty about vaping anywhere that it’s allowed. Today, I am part of the world’s largest online community of vapers, and the progress and improvements in e-cigarette design and e-liquid consistency and flavor choice I see is amazing, and is what keeps me away from combustible cigarettes, and is growing exponentially. Getting support from so many vapers online who feel similarly about the choices and flavors (most my age or older) really helps to reinforce my belief in this amazing concept. My health is better, and my wallet is better due to electronic cigarettes and being able to give up those nasty cigarettes. I am proud to be a vaper, and my non-smoking, anti-smoking parents are proud of me as well.