I had been smoking cigarettes and cigars for around 3 years before ever trying an e-cigarette. The first year was mostly just casual smoking, maybe about a pack a week. The 2nd and 3rd year were between 5-15 cigarettes a day, every day. I smoked habitually- on the way to work, on first break, 2-3 cigarettes at lunchtime, on a second break, on the way home from work, and a few at home in the evening. I had tried on a few occasions to quit, often reminding myself how bad it was for my health or how expensive and repulsive of a habit smoking is. I was never successful in quitting smoking for more than a day, as being certain places, performing certain activities, or being around other people who smoke often led me to light up a cigarette. I was introduced to e-cigarettes by a smoker of 20+ years who had completely converted. My first puff of an e-cigarette gave me more thoughts of an enjoyable activity than an alternative to cigarettes. I received my first e-cigarette (a mod, coupled with a variable voltage back-up battery, a few clearomizer tanks, and some sweet/dessert flavors) on August 16th, 2012. I opened the box and began using it immediately. Toward the end of the night, about 5 hours later, I realized that i hadn’t even had the urge to smoke since i started using the e-cigarette- i had skipped about 4 cigarettes already. This made me curious whether it was really satisfying me or just distracting me from tobacco cigarettes by giving me something to puff on- so i went ahead and lit up a conventional cigarette. My first thought was one of disgust- the inhalation experience was significantly less enjoyable than my new e-cigarette- dry, rough, and disgusting as opposed to the smooth, wet, tasty vaping experience of the e-cigarette. So i put the cigarette down after a few puffs, and went back to vaping. Over the course of the next few weeks, i began to receive compliments on how good the vapor from my e-cigarette smelled, and how i no longer smelled like smoke. I noticed how much better my car interior started to smell- it smelled as clean as when it was freshly detailed for weeks, rather than starting to smell like smoke after a day or two (i often smoked 5-10 cigarettes a day in the car alone, but always with the window open). I began to seriously enjoy the satisfaction of being able to take a puff whenever i wanted, as opposed to the dilemma of just wanting a few puffs (for example, right before walking into a restaurant or movie) causing me (and anyone else i was with) to have to wait outside for me to finish an entire conventional cigarette. Every now and then, especially at parties, i would have an urge to smoke a regular cigarette. I would usually give in, more out of curiosity than an irresistible urge. I had only been able to finish a cigarette for the first day or two after starting e-cigs, after that i couldn’t manage more than a few puffs before putting the cigarette down out of disgust. By about 4 months after i started vaping, i felt free. I no longer felt any sort of tether or attachment to nicotine and the practice of vaping, and would sometimes go a day without touching it at all simply because i could. I didn’t feel any urge to pick up a cigarette, nor did i feel the need to use my e-cigarette habitually. I could’ve quit vaping right then and there. I still could. But i don’t. At that point, i began to research- finding better flavors, better performing devices, cooler looking e-cigarette accessories, and i discovered a whole new world- a new hobby. I’ve converted some friends who previously smoked as much as a pack or more per day over to e-cigarettes, and all the while just been sitting back and enjoying various flavors myself. Still to this day it is one of my favorite hobbies- we’re told to appreciate the little things in life, and as far as little things go, there’s not much that measures up to puffing on a mod and tasting your favorite candy, dessert, drink, or something of the sort. I’ve lowered my nicotine levels significantly (from about 18mg/mL at the beginning to 0-6mg/mL now) and enjoy using my e-cigarettes as well as conversing with other vapers about their favorite flavors, devices, etc. As i type this i’m vaping on my favorite black licorice flavor. And loving every bit of it. When people hear that i quit cigarettes thanks to e-cigarettes, they often congratulate me, but my response is always the same- I quit smoking 8 months ago. Since then, it’s been a hobby- cigarettes now just feel like a distant part of my past. And i’m grateful that I’ve had my eyes opened to a whole new world, a hobby i’ve found more enjoyable and rewarding than any other- vaping.