I started smoking when I was about 17, so it was about 45 years with that addiction. Over the last several years I tried quitting numerous times. Cold Turkey was an utter failure. The first day. Many days, as I tried that method many times. I tried the gum, and found myself smoking and chewing at the same time. I went through the entire series of the patch. Twice. I couldn’t sleep with a patch on, my dreams were too disturbing. So I’d get up in the morning, put on a patch, and light up. As I moved to the lower nicotine levels, I smoked more. My kids wanted me to try the drugs, but after reading about the side effects, I figured that at least with cigarettes, my suicidal urges were long term, and not something I was potentially going to act on. I just can’t see the risk of suicide as being any less harmful. Some years back, my state added another $1 tax on cigarettes, so I began rolling my own. Their idea behind the tax was to make people quit. Not this addict! So, no filters, ribbon cut pipe tobacco… yeah, that was an improvement. October of 2011 I decided to try an electronic cigarette. Being blessed with a couple of stores within reasonable driving distance, I went to one of them to find out about this stuff. The staff were really helpful, talking with me about my smoking habits, tastes, and so forth. I left with a starter kit and a bottle of 18 mg juice in a flavor I liked, after tasting several there. The first week was a bit sporadic. I used the e-cig most of the time, but still smoked now and then. I went back and got a bottle of slightly stronger juice, and something magical happened – I had no more desire to light up. Less than a week after that, I got up one morning and realized the chest rattle I’d had for years was gone. It’s been over seven months now, and I have been tobacco free since that first week. I have reduced the nicotine level a bit since then, and plan to reduce it further in the future. At this point, I don’t know if I’ll be eventually stopping nicotine totally, but that doesn’t concern me. I know I’ve reduced the damage cigarettes were doing to me. Of course, at this time, no one can say e-cigs are harmless, they certainly are a lot less harmful than inhaling burned tobacco, paper and chemicals. I was never able to totally stop smoking using any other method. Yes, I’m still hooked on nicotine, but the way e-cigarettes mimic the smoking habit keeps my mind happy, and the nicotine content keeps my body’s responses from dragging me back to cigarettes. And who knows, when I eventually get near 0 mg, I may just stop entirely. But with e-cigs, I’m at least reducing the damage, and don’t have to impose a timeline for quitting.