I’m 64 years old (soon to be 65) and I remember the first cigarette I lit up at the age of 13. At first I would smoke one or two cigarettes a day, but soon it became half a pack and by the time I had turned 15 I was smoking a full pack of cigarettes a day. I did this for 50 years (I would smoke more if I was consuming alcohol, though). In September 2011, we received a letter from my wife’s (also an ex-smoker of 25+ years) employee benefit department indicating that we both had to commit to be tobacco free by the fall of 2012 if we wanted to keep our health insurance deductible at $500.00 for the family. If we decided not to commit, then our deductible would be increased to $2,500. This was a strong motivation to try to quit. I had tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking tobacco products in the past, so I was about to redo my budget to include a $2,500 out-of-pocket expense increase. However, my wife was not about to part with that sum so easily. She started researching ways to kick the habit that did not include gum, patches or prescription drugs. She said our best bet to be tobacco free in one year would be to switch to electronic cigarettes. We purchased two sets of Joy Ego’s from a local store and stated with 28 mg of nicotine. Within the next 6 months we lowered the nicotine content to 0 mg and have been happily vaping our favorite flavored juice since. Being that we are no longer addicted to tobacco, our health has improved a great deal. We decided to kick it up a notch and now only consume plant-based food (no meats, seafood, dairy, eggs or added oils). This has translated into my wife’s clogged arteries clearing up dramatically (after having a heart attack in April 2012) and not having to take any medications, and in my case reversing Type II diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and tryglicerides. I no longer have to take any medication. Remember, smoking cigarettes involves a hand to mouth habit that is the hardest to overcome. An electronic cigarette provides a substitute for that and at the same time gives you the pleasure of blowing smoke and sometimes a nice throat hit.