I started smoking at a very young age. When I was 12 I would steal my parents smokes and stealthily smoke them in my treehouse. That was my first smoking experience. Fast forward 6 years later and I’ve kicked the habit with the help of the United States Army. They do not let you smoke in training. Once out of training though I went right back to smoking. At 25 I decided enough was enough, and tried nicotene gum. After about 3 months of hating the taste of the gum I went back to smoking again. I decided some time later that I would try to quit again. This time I used the nicotene patch. Low and behold it worked! I went without cravings for 2 weeks! The reason it was such a short time is because not only did it curb my cravings but it also gave me such horrible nightmares that I developed insomnia. Once again I resorted, reluctantly, to cigarettes. Lastly I tried a doctor recommended stop smoking aid. The nicotene inhaler did nothing except destroy my throat so badly that I used it twice before giving up. I am now 31 years old and smoke free. How you may ask? A friend of mine at work introduced me to e-cigarettes. I purchased my own before my 31st birthday as a get healthy birthday gift to myself. When I received it in the mail I gave away my last pack of cigs and have not looked back. These devices are miracle workers. I no longer have to taste ash, smell like smoke, wake up coughing, or get winded as easily. My sense of smell and taste have come back with a vengeance, and it doesn’t hurt to inhale deeply anymore. As time goes on I have been lowering my nicotene level and eventually I will wean myself off of these as well. I am an educated individual and do not so things rashly. I researched e-cigs prior to purchasing one. While I realize there are chemicals in them (propylene glycol, vegatable glycerin, nicotene, and food grade flavoring) it does not have the plethora of other cancer causing substances nor the other poisons that cigarettes have in them. (Acetone, arsenic, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and cyanide just to name a few). While I will not argue that ecigs are completely safe, they have to be safer than a burning stick of tobacco wrapped in firesafe paper. With each draw on my ecig I save myself from ~4000 other chemicals. These have made giving up cigarettes, something I thought impossible, a reality for me.