I am 29 years old. I started smoking when I was 16 years old. I attended public school, and I was as aware as anyone can be of this risks of smoking cigarettes. I knew, but could not understand the dangers of addiction. I knew the risk of lung cancer. By 18, I was smoking one pack per day. When I was 20 years old, I began a relationship with a woman who swore to herself that she would never date a smoker. She knew I smoked, and she tolerated me anyway. Without the kind of pressure that just makes smokers angry, and therefore makes them smoke more, my girlfriend attempted for the last 9 years to get me to quite smoking. I tried to quit for her. I used nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges. I tried to get prescription stop-smoking aides, but without health insurance, the cost was prohibitive. On June 14th, 2013, my now fiance asked me to try electronic cigarettes. Without my knowledge, she had been researching e-cigarettes in a small way. She found that the known health risks were much lower, and that most importantly to her, there was no odor left behind. The following day, June 15th, 2013, we went to a local tobacco store and purchased an eGo battery and tank with a tobacco flavored liquid. I didn’t love it. But despite my skepticism, I took my vaporizer with me for the day and left my cigarettes at home. At the end of the day, I lit a cigarette, smoked half of it, and put it out declaring this is disgusting. It is now August 1st, 2013. I have had a pack of cigarettes sitting in my office for over a month. I FEEL better. I can now run more than 15 feet without getting winded. But more importantly, my fiance, who has never smoked a cigarette in her life, feels better. I never smoked in the house or in the car, but with my personal vaporizer, I DO vape in the house and in the car, and my athsmatic fiance has had to use her rescue inhaler less than HALF as much as when I was smoking. I am still a nicotine addict. But as soon as I started vaping instead of smoking, I started doing research. I have been reading everything I can find about what I’m putting into my lungs, and what effect its having on me. I understand that the medical community is far from agreed on the benefits of vaping as opposed to smoking. But, unlike smoking, I can identify all the chemicals I’m consuming. And knowing what it is, and what cigarettes are, I cannot believe that this can be anywhere near as bad for me as cigarettes are. For me, it is harm reduction. It is not a nicotine cessation aide. I understand that nicotine carries its own risks, such as heart disease. But I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about the loved ones around me. Switching to vaping has had a positive health effect on the person I love the most, and that is a greater gift than I could have ever asked for.