I started smoking at 14. I wanted to be one of the cool kids at the back of the bus (you could smoke upstairs on double deck buses back then). Well, actually, it wasn’t so much about being cool as it was about being seen as a wimp. I really wanted to be included. From about the age of 20 I started to think about quitting cigarettes, but never had any success going cold turkey. The longest I managed to stay off them was a few weeks. In my early 30’s I managed to quit for 6 months but started to smoke the odd one every now and then until I found myself back on 20 a day. I tried again and again, but never seriously, but it was always on my mind. When I was smoking I constantly thought about quitting. Whenever I was off them, all I could think about was smoking again. At 35 I asked my doctor for help. He prescribed nicotine patches. I’d never tried any nicotine replacement therapy at all up to that point, despite the fact that my wife held a management position in the Irish office the world’s largest manufacturer of NRT products. They didn’t work. I felt sick. The pharmacist told me I’d get used to it after a day or two. After I week I threw them out, and bought a pack of smokes. Several pathetic attempts later (a couple of days at a time), I heard about electronic cigarettes. My first thought was that they’d be regulated off the face of the earth. I felt that there were too many vested interests that would be affected by their sale. I didn’t try them. There was no point. They’d be gone in a few months and I’d be back on cigarettes. Well 4 years later I finally did try an ecig. My motivation was primarily financial. I smoked a cheaper brand of cigarette and was spending almost ƒ?ª60 a week, and at the time I had no job. I bought a cigarette like one at a kiosk in a shopping centre. I’d already done some research and actively looked for one of these kiosks to try it out. It was good enough. After I’d finished my last 3 cigarettes, I started to use it. For a couple of days it was fine. I wasn’t getting cravings, and wasn’t stressed oult like I usually was when I stopped smoking. The only thing was the flavour. I was of the opinion that if these things were going to help me give up smoking cigarettes, it seemed a bit silly to keep sucking on a tobacco flavour. So within a week of buying my first ecig, I bought another starter pack at the only retail location I could find that sold both equipment and liquids, so that I could find a flavour I liked. That was 9 months ago, and I haven’t smoked a cigarette since. There’s no more smokey smell from my clothes or in my car. I don’t have to go outside into the cold and rain anymore. I don’t frequent smoking areas in pubs or restaurants. I’ve never been asked by anyone not to use my ecig. Nobody seems to notice, or care. For me the health benefits aren’t so noticeable. I didn’t suffer any ill health, except for the clearing of the windpipes each morning. That’s gone. There’s no more gunk on my chest. So I have to assume that my lungs are clearing up as well. I’m not any fitter, but then you need to do something to get fit. Maybe I’ll take up jogging. At least now it might be worthwhile. And now, instead of spending ƒ?ª60 a week on cigarettes, using an ecig costs me about ƒ?ª50 a month. All round, using an ecig has been a huge improvement in my life.