Hi, my name is Danielle and I had my first cigarette when I was 13yrs old. The people I was always around smoked, so to me it seemed like something people did to relax and socialize. I actually used to buy candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars all the time, I would also take coffee straws and pretend they were cigarettes, cutting off a small piece at the end as if I was ashing, lol. My dad would even say to me You’re going to be a smoker, aren’t you? Sure enough, I had a friend who was younger than me and her mom would let her smoke so all I had to do was stay the night over there and I could get all the cigarettes I wanted. After that it was more of a social thing, you know. Rebelling, hanging out with all the other smokers who eventually got pregnant or dropped out of school. Me and my friends would always go to the park and bum cigarettes off our friends who were of age, or steal from parents who smoked. So, I smoked all of my high school career, then I joined the military. Of course everyone in the military smokes so its not like I was an outcast for doing it. Eventually it got to the point where I was smoking a pack a day. My motivation for quitting was a combination of things. My own health, not to mention my boyfriend and family always commenting on my smoking. Sure, it got annoying, but the biggest annoyance was always waking up in the morning and hacking my lungs up, spitting out black lung cookies, not being able to breathe through my nose, oh and lets not forget about the expense, about $500 a month, the smell in my clothes and hair. I would get angry at work if it was hectic, and not being able to sneak out for a cigarette was actually starting to put my job in jeopardy. The list goes on. All these variables just started piling up in my mind, but I was deadlocked on smoking. Like an unbreakable spell that’s always in your subconscious from the time you wake up until you sleep again. When I tried to quit, I would find excuses to smoke, or procrastinate my quit date, as most often do. Then I discovered the E-Cig. Holy madness, I fell in love!!! No carcinogens, no stink! WAY Cheaper! No teeth yellowing! No going outside in the blistering cold only to give myself a migraine! I have been FREE’ED! Looking back now I don’t even know why I smoke at all, and every time I see a smoker, I chuckle under my breath and think What a SUCKER! Literally! My goal in life now is to convert as many people as I can to the E-Cig. Its a start to a healthier tomorrow! I Love my E-Cig!