I have been a smoker since I was 17 and only successfully had one long period of time that I did not smoke prior to using an e-cig/vapor. The only time I did quit it was not cold turkey and instead by using a round of the newest and greatest thing to hit the pharmacy counters Chantix. I will admit that the very first time I took Chantix it did help me quit but also left me with another habit I will discuss later. However, very foolishly after a very stressful event in my life I took myself down to the local store and bought a lighter and my smoke of choice and it has been a downward battle ever since; well until I found vaping. I did not however just decide one day to start vaping out of the blue. Instead I tried Chantix more than once over the past two years to help me quit and instead of that amazing success I had like the first time from it instead I got the headaches, the nightmares, and every other side effect you can think of along with the hefty bill of spending 200 bucks for every month I decided to keep at it. So not only did I It has been almost coming up on a year since my mother walked into my house and took that first ƒ??puffƒ? off her vape (neither of us tried what is truly an e-cigarette) and I gave her a dirty look because even as a smoker I did not smoke in my own house had I only heard about these new wonder machines if you will. Once she started talking to me about it, the sillier I thought she looked and the more I questioning if she was getting a big high off the nicotine. Now, of course since she was my mother all the information she was passing out was going through one ear and out the other but that encounter would set me on a path to now being a daily vapor if you will. In my crowd of friends as we have gotten older smoking is very taboo and we went from being able to smoke in restaurants, and or even in clubs to all standing outside either sweating to death and or freezing to death depending on the weather while the rest of our friends shook their heads and looking at us with pity. See, most of us started smoking when we were young and still to this day I donƒ??t think I have read much more than the warning label on a pack of cigarettes nor have I ever paid attention to all those TV commercials because by showing someone sick you arenƒ??t really going to do much more than have the smoker change the channel, and or become a closest smoker. Even has an adult smoker I did no research as letƒ??s be honest if you are 18 years old and you want to smoke you can walk into any gas station and you will find someone willing to hand over a pack and lighter for on average 8 bucks and you are on your way. Even when the prices on cigarettes increased it didnƒ??t change much except some of my friends switched to cheaper brands but I still canƒ??t tell you that is a good thing because I donƒ??t know if cheaper makes them worse for you or not, and or the other way around. No, all increasing prices did was reinforce one thing for me and that was if you are an addict you will pay what you have to get your fix. I am pretty sure this is where the government didnƒ??t stop and take a look at all the other drugs that are illegal. You can show an addict of any illegal substance that itƒ??s bad for the, can kill them and with reality TV being a big hit all we have seen in return is that people are going to feed their addiction at any cost. So, how is vaping any different and or why do I see it so differently? The difference in my mind is that I had no real reference to what vaping. My mother didnƒ??t grow up vaping, her mother wasnƒ??t a vapor. To me it was something very new and much in the way I investigate the newest cell phones and or maybe a medication my doctor gives me, it drove me to do my own homework before making a real choice on if vaping was even for me. I took a very heavy handed approach in my research on vaping and not just what the pros and cons meant for my health although those were a priority. I also did my research on what kind of technology was out there, looked into e-liquids or juices and how they were made, and what flavors I might enjoy. I also paid special attention to nicotine levels to try and make sure I was staying the same if not working on my way down. I wanted to make sure that when I finally spent some money on vaping that I set myself up for the best experience possible. Now, there has been some tweaking along the way but I think everyone goes through that much like smokers do. Yet, all in all I have found that it was that research that really made the difference for me and as I get close to almost a year I donƒ??t see anything but my nicotine levels going down. I will say to play devilƒ??s advocate that unlike with smoking since vaping is so new that there should be some pretty easy protocol for shop owners and even those who run websites. Just because I was someone who was driven to research like crazy means that everyone will and I think itƒ??s those people might lend a backlash to vaping. I wish I could say that every person who opens a shop is doing so because they are passionate about vaping but letƒ??s be honest itƒ??s a very profitable business. I wonƒ??t lie when I say that I wouldnƒ??t mind being able to find the backing to open one myself but while money would be nice, my motives are is much more of how great a shop could be and everything I think other shops tend to overlook. I think that regulation is not the devil. I think that if you are serious about being in the vaping business that there should be some kind of glass you must take if you are mixing your own juices instead of just purchasing them from a verified type company. I love the fact that the shop I go to custom blends but I think there should be rules to make sure I am getting the best product every time as well as sanitary laws. (just like they have in tattoo shops across the US) I also think that websites who sale their products online especially the hardware should try to be helpful to a new user and setup a platform that allows someone new to vaping and even e-cigarettes a way to find a great starting place before encouraging them to spend a ton of money on modƒ??s that are only normally used by people who have been vaping for some time and understand the components. Itƒ??s those little tweaks that shop owners and websites alike could even be proactive about now so that before the government steps in everywhere they can show some responsibility to their trade. Again, I am very passionate about vaping and donƒ??t want to see my option taken away from because some people are in the business to line their pockets as fast as possible and then get out quickly. At the start of this essay I told you that I did quit smoking for 7 years and so I am sure you are curious as to what little habit I picked up that could be so horrible than smoking. BLO POP! Yes, I became a 2-4 sucker a day girl depending on where I was and on the weekends it was worse. I will tell you that while my dentist was happy to hear I have given up ƒ??cancer sticksƒ? he was not very happy to hear I was now binging on teeth destroyers and here is really where the difference in vaping really comes in for me. I so enjoy vaping that when I make it down to no nicotine whatsoever I do not plan to stop. With so many flavor options and all the components I miss the most like hand to mouth etc. I know that with vaping I wonƒ??t lose any of it and therefore it will continue to be a great fit for me because it will offer everything my sucker of choice does minus the bubble gum.