I began smoking occasionally and socially when I was 17, back in 2006. By the time I turned 18 the following year, I found myself to be a smoker. I smoked at least half a pack each day. Each year I would make an attempt to quit. (I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions: my quit attempts never started in January.) I tried quitting cold turkey. I used patches which made me feel sick. I tried nicotine gum. I did tons of research. My most successful attempt to quit lasted a good four months before I gave in completely. My success was based upon will power and drive, along with educational tips, lots of advice and tons of support from those around me. I used nicotine gum for a few weeks, chewed or sucked on cinnamon sticks (cinnamon is known to help curb nicotine cravings), cinnamon gum, candy, and lots of juice. (I had read an unpopular study that showed nicotine used can spike your blood sugar levels, similarly to the way drinking real fruit juice does. This was found unimportant and irrelevant to a lot of people, but made a huge difference to me.) But I eventually fell back into the temptation and the cravings for a smoke. I continued to smoke my half a pack a day until October, 2014, when I was introduced to Vaping. It was shown to me in a new light. Different from a cigalike that you can buy at the gas station, and not something pushed by Big Tobacco. I was interested. I tried it. Someone gave me an inexpensive battery, and two disposable tanks. I acquired some E-Juice from a small, local vape shop. I really liked it. I could hardly believe that friends who were non-smokers were not only vaping (zero nicotine juice), but also excited to show me. I started to research. What’s in this juice? What kind of studies have been done, and from what perspective? How do I choose an appropriate amount of nicotine in my juice? What is VG/PG and how do I choose what to try for me? What type of vaporizer is right for me? So I read. I found Mt. Baker Vapor, they allowed me to customize my juice and flavors, and they provided valuable information about the questions I had. I began e-baying tanks, batteries, coils, ordering juice and experimenting with what I thought I might like. After some trial and error, I found what works for me. Flavors that I enjoy. A delivery system that could work consistently and fairly easy for use. I found myself reading other people’s stories. I learned more about how other people made the switch. I read that it would be wise to vape immediately after a cigarette to help associate the two. That made it easy to see which tasted better! I read that it takes longer to attain the nicotine that you crave when you vape than it does to smoke a cigarette, so I decided I would start with just a little bit more nicotine in my juice than I originally had tried. Then the time had come to make a switch. I began vaping just before the time a normal craving to smoke would start and continue to vape for a few more minutes than a smoke would have taken. I reduced the number of cigarettes I smoked each day by vaping instead. Then I found myself smoking one cigarette a day, and vaping instead. I told myself, Well, when my tiny pocket lighter dies, I’ll quit smoking. It happened. I couldn’t light my cigarette. My lighter had died. I still had more than a half pack of smokes. I picked up my vaporizer and vaped away like mad. I handed my dead lighter and cigarettes over to a friend, and finally shared the plan I had made. It was November, and Thanksgiving was approaching fast. The next day, I rolled over and began to vape before I got out of bed. I had awful separation anxiety. I looked longingly at the corner store when driving past, and told myself it would pass. The next day I found myself free of the anxiety that not having any cigarettes had caused. I was also meeting my nicotine cravings with my vape set up. I felt relieved! The rest of that week felt great! The next week I found myself choking when I passed by another person who was smoking. It made me sick. I became overly sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke for about two months, which eventually waned. And while I still don’t like it, I can vape around friends while they smoke, as long as I’m not downwind. I started by vaping 18mg Nicotine E-Juice with a tank delivery system. I have reduced my nicotine intake to 6mg of Nicotine per milliliter of juice. I feel better! I don’t cough and hack up nasty stuff anymore. I don’t stink like burnt tobacco. My clothes are cleaner. My teeth are whiter. My nails and hair are healthier than they were before. I have been so excited by my own success that I have helped get friends and family started on Vaping! While my best friend wasn’t really ready to quit and gave up on vaping too soon, my Sister was ready and has been tobacco free since Christmas! Give vaping a try! If you want to quit smoking, you have the drive to quit, get the tools and knowledge that you need together! I combined the things that were helpful to me in the past during failed quit attempts, with use of a vaporizer to still get my nicotine. I love it! -Elisabeth S.