I had smoked for 20+ years and had been trying to quite for at least 18 of those years. In the past, I have tried gum, patches, chantix, wellbutrin, acupuncture, even self-help tapes. (Notice I said tapes, I have been trying to quite that long. None of these worked! About 4 years ago, I was smoking a little over a pack and a half of cigarettes a day. I was 39, my energy was low, my blood pressure was high. I wasn’t feeling well at all. One day I was going up a few flights of stairs with my kids and I had to stop and take a break because I was really winded. I suddenly realized that I am killing myself and I would like to see my kids grow up. It was at that moment that I decided there has to be a better way. I jumped on the internet and to my surprise, there was an alternative out there. Electronic Cigarettes. In those early days, electronic cigarettes were in their infancy. But they still gave me the sensation of smoking and after a month I was able to wean myself off of real cigarettes by substituting with electronic cigarettes. 4 years later and I can’t tell you what a difference it has made in my life. I no longer get winded walking up flights of stairs. I honestly feel I would have had a heart attack if I hadn’t done something about it. While I used my electronic cigarettes other smokers saw them and started asking questions. And I would give them a website to buy their own. I still get thank you emails from friends and family that have made the switch to electronic cigarettes. I still will have a real cigarette from time to time. Just to check and see if I am missing anything. But I always find that they no longer hold interest for me. I would rather have my electronic cigarette.