My story is rather unusual, but I feel it is important to share it. I began smoking cigarettes during a very stressful time in my life. I was 23 or so and, up until that point, I had never used any tobacco products, nor had any desire to. But when difficult and stressful things occur, as they inevitably tend to do, we may do things we aren’t otherwise wont to do in order to cope. I smoked cigarettes for a few months before deciding it was time for me to stop. I had never intended to become a regular smoker anyway, with it being such an expensive and unhealthy habit, not to mention the humongous stigma attached to being a smoker in this country. Of very important note in my story is the fact that several years prior, I had developed a rare autoimmune illness that causes terrible, painful ulcers in my mouth. These ulcers are rather large, developing on my tongue, inside of lips/cheeks, gums, and in my throat, and tend to occur in clusters, with several forming at the same time. They are so bad that I would be unable to talk, eat, or even drink when I had them, and they take at least 7 days before they begin to heal. My life had become a never ending cycle of ulcers, with only a handful of ulcer-free days between cycles. As with most autoimmune illnesses, there are no cures for this syndrome, and very little that can be done about the symptoms. Nothing worked to stem the tide of painful mouth sores I suffered from, and I tried just about everything there was to try. All I could do was use prescription topical numbing medications to take the edge off, and make it possible for me to take a few sips of water and a try to eat small amount of a very soft food or nutrition drink. I was little surprised when, after a few months of smoking cigarettes, I realized I had only had one cycle of ulcers. At the time, I didn’t think the two things where related. I mean, how could they be? I couldn’t imagine that a habit as nasty as smoking tobacco could have a positive effect on my body. But, I began to wonder when, as soon as I quit smoking, the ulcers returned with a vengeance. After a couple months, I couldn’t take it anymore and started smoking again. Again, the ulcers pretty much stopped, with only an occasional mild one that healed quicker than usual. Over the next couple of years, I attempted to quit smoking a few more times, with the same result each time. Smoking reduced the amount of ulcers I had by about 80-85%, which is pretty amazing really. So it seemed I had stumbled upon an effective remedy to something that had been plaguing me for years. However, I knew that while smoking tobacco might be helping me in one way, it had the potential to cause me other serious health problems. So I tried out other alternatives, such as nicotine replacement gum/patches. None of them were as effective, were usually too expensive for continued use, and came with their own set of problems that eliminated them as good solutions to my problem. So I continued to smoke cigarettes, at an average of a little less than a pack a day. A few years ago, I began hearing about electronic cigarettes. I was curious about them, but assumed they would be more expensive than regular cigarettes and was a bit skeptical about how close they could be to the real thing. Eventually, I decided I should give an electronic cigarette a try. I had seen a kiosk in a local mall that sold e-cigs, so I went and bought a starter kit. My first impression was that they were nice, but there seemed to be something missing. There were some things I didn’t like about them, but they were refreshing, especially when compared to regular cigarettes, and they were almost as effective at preventing my mouth ulcers. After a little while, I found myself enjoying the electronic cigarettes more, and regular cigarettes less. I became determined to switch from regular to electronic cigarettes completely, and decided the current pack of regular cigarettes I currently had would be my last. Once I made up my mind, quitting tobacco cigarettes was easy, and I had nothing in the way of withdrawal. Over the next 10 months or so, I stuck to the electronic cigarettes, and only ended up smoking a regular cigarette a couple of times when I had run out of cartridges for the E-cig and the kiosk was closed. The couple of times this happened, I found it pretty difficult to smoke regular cigarettes, finding them really distasteful and smelly, and would rush to go buy E-cig cartridges first thing the next morning. I also noticed the positive things that people report when quitting smoking, such as a return of the senses of smell and taste, clearer lungs, a return to normal clear breathing, and the disappearance of excessive phlegm and smoker’s cough. A little less than 1 year after I began smoking electronic cigarettes, I found a store in town dedicated to vaping, and decided to go have a look. I’m so glad I did, as they helped me find the perfect electronic cigarette equipment for me, and they make all of their E-juices in-house, having an incredibly large selection of flavors and strengths to choose from. I find vaping at a lower nicotine dosage continually keeps a steady level of it in my system, and gives me better results. Best of all, their prices are great, which I appreciate being on a very tight budget. I now spend half of what I did on regular cigarettes. I have been happily vaping ever since, and have zero desire to ever go back to using tobacco products. The last time I tried to smoke a cigarette, about a year ago now, I couldn’t even finish it. I couldn’t handle the taste or smell, and it made me feel sick. Best of all, the amount of mouth ulcers I have has been dramatically reduced. I now only get them from trauma/irritation, such as a slight bump, scratch, or pressure inside my mouth. Since I’ve become, by habit, very careful about avoiding anything that might cause an ulcer in my mouth, I don’t get them often. When I do get an ulcer, they heal quicker, only taking about 4-5 days now. I only wish I had tried e-cigarettes earlier. I can now have all the relief from my symptoms, and none of the negatives. I happily spread the word about electronic cigarettes to anybody who smokes or uses other tobacco products. Not only is vaping cheaper than tobacco products, but it’s far healthier and cleaner, not to mention more enjoyable to both the vaper, and those around them. I can ƒ??vapeƒ? my electronic cigarettes anywhere without having to worry about smelling up the area and bothering those around me. I would venture to say the electronic cigarette is one of the best inventions in decades, and has the potential to benefit countless people. I no longer smell like an ashtray, I can take deep breaths without my chest rattling, and I no longer find myself out of breath at the slightest physical activity. At the age of 33, I am now healthier, smoke free, and very nearly mouth ulcer free, something I owe to electronic cigarettes.