I smoked for about 15 years off and on. Started using a personal vaporizer in Sept. 2013. I skipped the cig-a-likes (cheap disposables that look like a cigarette) because they look cheap, ridiculous, and didn’t appear to function very well. They produce little vapor, which looks unsatisfying, make an annoying whistling sound, and also struck me as wasteful and not so environmentally friendly – worse than cigarettes, as far as what gets thrown out. The majority of them also seem to be produced by large established tobacco companies which is a big turn off. I prefer products from smaller scale companies that demonstrate a drive to provide a healthier choice and quality product and are more locally integrated with a community over a large faceless international corporation. So my choices are for personal preference over quality, but also moral and economic. This is one aspect of vaping that isn’t often discussed but is relevant to me. So I started on the lower end of vaporizers – an ego styled battery with clearomizer. This was an impulse buy out of curiosity, as my knowledge of vaporizers and the range of options was minimal. The device and juice that I bought with it had a mild cessation effect. I found myself smoking less over 2 weeks of use but had no desire to quit smoking cigarettes at the time. I went from smoking about a pack a day to about 1 pack every 3 days. After 2 weeks I upgraded to a larger more rugged device that used replaceable batteries, and had power level controls, along with better, larger atomizers and higher quality juice. My vaping experience improved drastically and I immediately felt no compulsion to smoke a cigarette. I literally traded my smoking experince up for a better experience in vaping. With the higher power device I managed to start lowering my nicotine levels as well. I went down from 18 mg to 12 after that first 2 weeks. 2 weeks later I lowered it again to 6mg and have stayed there since. At this time, 4 months in I feel much better overall, and have not had a single cigarette, even when freely offered by other smokers or under extreme stress. I now vape with a more advanced vaporizer and atomizers and build my own coil and wick setups to match my exact needs. I no longer have to buy disposable atomizers, so my environmental footprint is reduced further, and my costs as well. The only waste I generate is a tiny piece of organic cotton which is used as a wick in the atomizer that gets changed out every day or so. Excluding the one time hardware costs up front for these rebuildable pieces, my vaping costs are reduced to pennies a day. I’ve even learned to make my own juice, as I’ve discovered that it is easier and cheaper to experiment with my own USP grade, FDA approved ingredients than to buy new juices blindly only to not enjoy them. I still buy vendor juices though as I have a few favorites, and spend about $50 per month on those, vs $160 that I was spending on cigarettes. For $160 dollars I could buy enough ingredients to make my own juice for 6 – 8 months. I think the key to quitting smoking for me was in trading one vice for a better one. A good quality hardware delivery system with good quality juice made all the difference. For this reason I don’t think pharmaceutical solutions are adequate. There is no enjoyment from using them and they burden the user with the feeling that they are sick and now dependent on an unattractive, unsatisfying nicotine delivery system. Vaping is still an addiction for me, not to mention a nice hobby. I’m still using nicotine, but in a much more enjoyable way, and by all indications so far, a healthier way. I feel much better about that, phisically and emotionally.