I had smoked one and a half packs a day for 37 years, I’d tried several times to stop. I had four children all raised around second hand smoke, very sad. As I got older my lungs gave me more and more trouble, I got sick with bronchitis and pneumonia two to four times a year and had to go to the hospital. I have been told by several doctors that I have COPD. Each time I’d get sick I’d think about quitting smoking, but I just couldn’t seem to go more then a few hours. I did make it 2 weeks, a couple of times, once using the patch but the cravings were so bad I finally just gave up. and the gum simply wasn’t an option for me. I have now been smoke free for over two months and doing very very well. My husband recommended that I try an E-cig and bought me a nice kit to try. He is a 2 pack a day smoker, even now. I hope one day soon I’ll convince him to go e-cig. But even with him smoking so close to me, I have my e-cig and I’m not even tempted by his smoking. My e-cig taste so much better then his real cig! Comparing the two, e-cigs have a pleasant relaxing aroma (which is a great stress reliever, one of the main reasons smoker say they smoke.. stress) and many wonderful taste, from cig tasting to sweet blueberries, passion fruits, etc. What worked for me was this, I told myself no more real cigs, that if I decided to cheat that I could only cheat with my e-cig. (that’s how smokers always start back, thinking they can cheat just once and it will be fine. Well it won’t be fine, its a mind trick and will cause a smoker to start smoking again, more times then not.) I also realize I’m not and never will be a non-smoker, I’m an ex-smoker just like an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, that one drink or in my case that one cig and you open the flood gates. I will always remember this, so when that urge hits me I remind myself that I’m an ex-smoker and can only be trusted with an e-cig. I started my e-cig with .24mg or nicotine, I’m now down to .06mg soon I’ll move to .0mg, I’m ready 🙂 By the way, I can breath again and the coughing and gagging has stopped completely. I use to cough so hard I would lose my breath for a few seconds, there were times I coughed so hard I would get dizzy and almost pass out. That’s gone! Thank God for the e-cig, it gave me back my life after all these years. I pray it stays around forever to help others like me. Carol Thompson Cincinnati, Ohio