I’m 64 years old. I started smoking when I was 14. I did try going cold turkey a couple times when I was in my 40s, and was able to manage non-smoking for over a year each time, but eventually ended up returning to smoking. The desire for nicotine never left me, and it was a constant One day at a time struggle for me. I did manage to go a period of 9 days once when I had a severe flu complicated by bronchitis/pneumonia and was pretty much unconscious most of that time. I tried the pre-filled style of e-cigarettes once a few years ago, and because the nicotine level was so low I would end up smoking a couple cigarettes after a half hour of puffing away on the e-cig. That didn’t last very long! The company I worked for banned smoking inside back in ’94, so by the time the state-wide ban took effect (’06?) I was quite used to going outside to smoke – even standing in the rain to do it! Naturally I got a lot of ribbing, especially from non-smokers who claimed they needed to start smoking so they could take breaks. (These were generally people who were a lot less productive!) I was always happy to remind them that I was wasting less time taking my infrequent smoke breaks than if I took my proscribed lunch break, which I didn’t take. Over the years my breathing would become more difficult at times, and I was developing a very nasty cough with increasing vehemence and frequency. I would always blame a virus infection for the cough, but deep down I knew that it was really caused by smoking. Also I was unable to walk for very long distances, and sometimes I would have to stop for a breath halfway between my car and work. In mid-March of this year I was informed that my job would be eliminated in May, and so I immediately started stocking up on cigarettes. However I realized that I would no longer be able to afford smoking cigarettes, and started looking seriously into e-cigarettes. I was fortunate in that I have a friend who had transitioned from cigarettes to e-cigarettes a couple years before, and he was able to give me good advice. He also gave me an inexpensive starter kit and some e-juice to help me get started. This was in mid-April. I started vaping part-time while still smoking cigarettes, and this lasted until the latter part of June when I ran out of cigarettes. And by that time I was to the point where I didn’t even like the taste of a cigarette. In only two months of being cigarette free I have noticed my breathing getting easier with basically no more wheezing effect. My lung capacity seems to have improved in that I can take deeper breaths and hold them longer than only a couple months ago. The incessant and violent coughing has almost completely gone. My senses of taste and smell have improved. My clothes no longer smell like smoke. My apartment no longer smells of smoke and ashtrays. I am very pleased with the beneficial effects of transitioning to e-cigarettes. My biggest concern is going back to cigarettes. I know from previous attempts to stop smoking that the desire never leaves. I’m hoping that with e-cigs I do not have to worry about that. The technology is improving and has improved so much that I feel I should be able to make it and stay cigarette-free.