I started smoking cigarettes when I was about 13 years old, just like most of my peers in the late 70’s. By the time I was in high school, I was smoking about pack a day and was pretty much hooked, even though most of my friends at that time were non-smokers. For me, the cool aspect of smoking faded fast, but it seemed to help with my attention problems (A.D.D.) and allowed me to concentrate, focus, and generally cope, so I continued with the habit. Over the ~33 year period that I smoked, I had been able to quit (pause, actually) for months or even years at a time, but I always ended up coming back to smoking. In June of 2007, my mother was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer, and she passed away in Hospice care on December 1st of that same year. One might think that this would be a wakeup call to quit, but for me, it was not. My final attempt to quit using the method I preferred (cold turkey) lasted all of about 3 days, and then I finally resigned myself to quit quitting. I was a smoker; a social outcast who cared little about what I was doing to my health, and I was at peace with that. Or so I thought… If early February of 2012, I received a phone call from my brother (also a smoker) who happened upon an electronic cigarette store in his area. He purchased a starter kit and immediately saw the potential in this new technology, so he called me and sold me on the idea. I purchased the same kit that my brother was using (from the same vendor), and a new chapter in my life began. Right from the start, I enjoyed using the electronic cigarette kit that I had purchased, but I still was not convinced that I would be able to quit traditional cigarettes completely. Over the course of about 10 days, I quickly reduced my cigarette consumption of a pack a day and replaced them with the electronic cigarette until I no longer had the desire to light up and burn tobacco. I am what you might call an accidental quitter of combustible tobacco products, and I’m certain that I can abstain from traditional cigarettes as long as electronic cigarettes are available and affordable. Along with the kit, which was a 901-T (stick battery, cigarette look alike), I purchased 4 different flavors of nicotine liquid to try, all at 18mg strength (1.8% nicotine by volume). I found that I didn’t like the tobacco flavored liquids, and instead preferred the desert, coffee, and fruit flavors. I have no doubt that the flavors I preferred helped me disassociate nicotine use with smoking traditional cigarettes, and the break in that association was key to successfully quitting smoking for me. Since my introduction to e-cigarettes using the kit, I have since moved on to eGo Twist setups and advanced personal vaporizers (mods), with various liquid delivery methods. Each step in the evolution into the world of vaping has improved the experience and reinforced my ability to stay away from combustible tobacco products. In fact, there were a couple of times when I was out with friends at a bar and I tried real smoking again, but each time I found it rather disgusting (for lack of a better word). After one or two drags off of a traditional cigarette, my chest feels tight, my throat is irritated, and it’s easy to realize that smoking is no longer a pleasurable experience at all. After 15+ months of vaping and not smoking, I’ve seen substantial improvements in my overall health, senses, and energy levels. I can now climb several flights of stairs without being at all out of breath, my sense of taste and smell have returned, and I sleep better at night, waking up more refreshed each morning. And, unlike my previous attempts to quit cold turkey, I have not gained any additional weight. I used to be resigned to bad health and dying of cancer early before my time, but I am now much more hopeful and I am taking steps to further improve quality of my life in multiple areas. In summary: I had no intention of quitting smoking, but I did it anyway; my A.D.D. symptoms are controlled by continued use of nicotine in a much safer delivery method; my overall health has improved substantially; and I am no longer apathetic about my personal health and quality of life. I feel that I have been given a second chance to live a long and productive life, and for that I am truly grateful. My only hope is that electronic cigarettes and other methods of THR (tobacco harm reduction) continues to be available and affordable so that others can benefit from them as I have.