I smoked for more than 45 years. At maximum I was smoking four packs per day of unfiltered Pall Malls. By the time I was 50 I began trying to quit. I tried will power at first, and rarely quit for more than a few hours or a few days. I used Skoal (US style snuff or chewing tobacco) when I was in locations where I could not smoke. I woke during the night every few hours for a smoke. I set several mattresses and pillows on fire by smoking in bed. I tried quitting using the patch; I tried using the patch plus Welbutrin; I tried aversion therapy (snapping a powerful rubber band against my wrist whenever I had the urge to smoke); I tried multiple patches. None of them worked. As soon as the system was over, I was back to smoking within a day. I did quit smoking for two years by using Skoal exclusively, swallowing the juice for extra nicotine. When I ran out of Skoal, I would borrow a cigarette from somebody and eat the tobacco. Somewhere in there I switched to Swedish snus (tobacco in tiny packets, said to reduce the risk of mouth and throat cancer). Then I required surgery and had to quit using snus in preparation for anesthesia (snus has a small amount of sugar which keeps stomach acids active ƒ?? a no-no before anesthesia). I was given low dosage patches while I was in recovery, but as soon as I was released I went back to smoking ƒ?? not just snus, but smoking. Within a week I was back to two packs a day (plus snus). The summer after my surgery, a friend who had been using PVs (Personal Vaporizers or eCigs) for several years recommended them to me one more time, and I decided to try them. I ordered a set online and once I had them charged up and put together I started using them. I may have smoked one or two more cigarettes while getting used to my PVs but within a day I was using the PVs exclusively. It has been over two years now since I have felt any need for a cigarette. (I still have two packs sitting in a drawer of my tool chest; I’ve never even been tempted by them. They’re probably pretty stale by now.) I do not intend to give up nicotine. I realize that there are some negative side effects like interfering with the High/Low Density Lipoprotein balance, but that is easily tested for and controlled by diet and exercise. The positive effects are numerous. There are reasons why people actually like to smoke other than the addiction. I can concentrate better; it has a calming effect; it feels good.