I started smoking regularly in the summer of 1998, just before entering high school. I lived in a time and area in which youth smoking was readily accepted as a rite of passage. It was just the thing to do when you’re fourteen years old. I am now twenty nine years old. For fifteen years, I have been a smoker, averaging a pack every two days (give or take depending on stress level). I have attempted to quit numerous times before, using many different methods. Gum, patches, low-nicotine cigarettes, and lozenges all. Some methods worked better than others, but none of them worked completely. The reason why none of them worked completely is down to the fact that I liked smoking; The time-filling activity, the flavor, the warmth, the triggered memories. Not-smoking would never, and could never, be as satisfying as smoking. A few years ago, I’d say about 2010 or so, I started hearing about electronic cigarettes. The idea seemed interesting, but ultimately silly to me. I shook my head, and kept on smoking. In 2013, I gave in and purchased my first e-cigarette kit. Since purchasing that kit, my smoking habits have changed drastically. I have went from a pack every two days, to a pack every twenty days. That is to say, I only smoke one conventional cigarette every morning with coffee. For the rest of the day, I use my electronic cigarette. Once I purchase a better electronic system, I plan to cut conventional cigarettes out completely. Not only have I made changes, but I’ve made other smokers in my life see that there are options. My mother, who is an extremely heavy smoker, has tried numerous methods of quitting. After buying her a disposable e-cigarette, she is interested in switching to a rechargable personal vaporizer unit. My boyfriend, who has been smoking for at least twenty years, is also interested in vaping. These are people that I want to have in my life for as long as possible, but if they continue using conventional cigarettes, my time with them will be shortened dramatically. If electronic options help them as they have helped me, aren’t they worth supporting? Isn’t their health worth supporting?