My name is Sharon and I was a smoker. I started smoking when I was 17, now, at 42, I hate myself for it. I suffer from a disorder called CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). This is tied to my central nervous system and sudden shocks to my system and /or stress can and does cause major pain flares. My pain is rated highest on the McGill pain scale, higher than those with bone cancer. Quitting smoking was something I had tried multiple times over the years. From patches to oral medications, I tried it all and, failed. I had looked in to electronic cigarettes when they first came on the market and found them to be inadequate. They tasted terrible, were of poor quality and, just didn??t perform. I really had no intention of using one ever again but, that changed two weeks ago. I am wheelchair bound and so, when I??m out shopping I am frequently at the mercy of my teenagers. It??s really easy to just wheel mom in the direction you want her to go. One of my kids that is still at home is 18 and she, unfortunately, is a smoker. She convinced me to go in to the new ??smoke shop that is totally cool? in town. I discovered electronic cigarettes all over again. The new technology is amazing. I could get in to the mechanics of it all but suffice it to say, it works. Two weeks ago I had a pack a day habit. Twenty cigarettes a day on a good day. On a bad one, it could double. Smoking calms my nerves. Not just the nicotine but the whole ritual of it. The controlled breathing, the plume of smoke, all of it. Calming my nerves is something that is getting harder and harder to do as my disease progresses. Losing the ability to walk was horrifying. Living in constant pain is beyond mind bending. Smoking was the only thing I had any control over in my life. Two weeks ago I purchased my first electronic cigarette. I say my first because the one I purchase years ago was a toy in comparison. Having the ability to control the level of nicotine, the amount of vapor produced and having an endless array of flavors and strengths to choose from is amazing. I started out with a liquid with a comparable level of nicotine to the cigarettes I was smoking. Honestly, I didn??t think I would give up the real thing as quickly as I did. Two weeks in and I??ve not had a real cigarette. Beyond that, I??m using nicotine twice a day. The equivalent of two cigarettes. Two, after smoking 20+ for more than two decades. I??m also using a far weaker concentration of nicotine. I still get the physical satisfaction of the deep inhale followed by a cloud of ??smoke?. No nasty smell, no ash, no cigarette butt to find a place to dispose of. Simple water vapor has taken it??s place. I use my e-cig quite a bit during the day. A good 95% of the time without nicotine. I??m breathing better. I??m tasting food again. I still get that calming sensation without the nicotine. I was terrified at one point that the drop in the amount of nicotine in my system would trigger an adverse response in my body. That it would put me in to constant pain flares. I live at about a level 7 out of 10 on the pain scale. No, nothing like that has happened. I can still get the satisfaction a cigarette gave me without exposing those around me to nicotine and a laundry list of other carcinogens . Water vapor. Who would have known it could save me? At this point, two weeks in to ??vaping?, I have no intention of giving it up. I do intend to be nicotine free within the next few months. The water vapor that I inhale, that is another story. I don??t have any intention of giving that up. There are very few pleasures in life left for me. This is one that is not hurting those around me and gives me the calming effect that is so vital to my quality of life. My world changed for the better two weeks ago. That hasn??t happened in a long time. I??m getting rid of the poisons I was inhaling without having to give up the ritual I so dearly love. Taking that away from me would be beyond cruel and heartless. Nothing would be served in that but to cause me, and others like me more suffering. I am no longer a smoker. I vape. I will continue to be a vaper and will proudly say, ?? I finally quit smoking? and mean it.