Technically I started smoking when I was 20. Realistically I was addicted to nicotine since I was a baby. Both of my parents were/are smokers. They smoked in the house, the car, at restaurants, pretty much everywhere. I, of course, did not realize I was addicted until much later in life. However, I experienced withdraw symptoms when I first went to college. I had problems with concentrating in class, I went through drastic mood changes and became very easily angered. These symptoms went on for about a year and half, but they didn’t go away, I started smoking. I can now look back and recognize what was going on, but back then I had no clue. Since then my smoking increased until I was an almost 2 pack a day smoker for the last 8-10 years. In 2008 I started to notice I was having issues with stairs and physical activity. Of course at that time it was well known how destructive smoking is to your respiratory system. That year I tried to quit with the patches. I did fine on step one. Step two I noticed I was a little edgy and a bit moody. By step three my wife was close to asking me to smoke so I wouldn’t be so easily angered. Due to normal stress levels heightened by the loss of nicotine I finally broke down and bought a pack. That was the first failed attempt to quit of four over the next 3 years. Nothing helped. Once I got down to the lower nicotine levels I started to get severe withdraw symptoms. On the last try I even doubled the time on step one and two. Same result. On July 29, 2011 I made the switch to an electronic cigarette and have not had a single cigarette since! At first I wasn’t keen to try one due to the cost. The only ones I had seen at that time were the Greensmoke vendors in the mall. That kit ran 200 bucks and each refill pack was 20 bucks. I had no idea that those prices were rip-offs. Then my local convenience store started to carry a brand that was 20 bucks for a starter kit (1 battery, one atomizer and 5 refill cartridges). For 40 bucks I had a complete set. So I tried them out, found out I liked them and had no real issues with them. So I decided to make the switch. At 7:50ish in the morning of July 29th I had the last cigarette in my last pack.