After 36 years smoking I finally quit! As of today it’s been 1 year 5 months and 6 days since I smoked. At a pack and a half a day that’s 15,702 cigarettes and about $3,150. I am proud of this accomplishment! I started smoking when I was 12 stealing cigarettes from my dad. By the time I was 16 I was smoking almost 1 pack a day. I first attempted to quit when I was 24. I was smoke free and used nicotine gum for 3 months then I began having just one and soon I was back to smoking, but now I was using 1 and 1/2 packs a day. Over the following years I tried to quit many times only lasting a month or two before smoking again. I tried cold turkey, gum, patches, and lozenges. Each time I quit I would gain weight and when I started again my cigarette use increased. For Christmas 2011 my brothers bought me an e-cig starter set from China. It came with 2 little rechargeable batteries and extra prefilled cartridges. I began using it immediately, but I was still getting really strong cravings for cigarettes so I also smoked. The little e-cig just wasn’t powerful enough. I began looking online and reading e-cigarette forums to see what was working for other people. By the end of that first week I had purchased a JoyeTech eGo 650 mAh kit with 2 batteries and supplies. It arrived in 3 days and I have not smoked again. Over the last year I have upgraded my batteries and cartridges. I now use 1000 mAh batteries. I have 2 JoyeTech pass-thru style and a JoyeTech Twist (variable Voltage). I also use Vision V3 Clearomizers. When I started vaping I was using 24mg nicotine juice cartridges. Within 3 months I was down to 12mg nicotine juice, by month 6 I was using 9mg, and by month 9 I was down to 6mg juice. I now am mixing my own 3mg juice and plan to be using 0mg in the next few months. One of my favorite things about no longer smoking is my breath and clothes don’t stink anymore. I breath better and have more energy. I can climb stairs without getting out of breath. I have fewer headaches and my allergies are not as severe. I haven’t accidentally burnt a hole in my clothing since January 14, 2011. I also have more money since I was spending about $200 per month on cigarettes versus an average of $25 per month on e-cig supplies. On the negatives of e-cigs – I don’t feel like there are many. The juice can spill and make a little mess. I have gotten headaches and heart palpitations, both I think were caused by excessive vaping and went away when I reduced the frequency of hits I was taking. Once I lowered the mg’s of nicotine in my juices I quit having headaches and heart palpitations. E-cigs have been an effective harm reduction/smoking cessation method for me because they closely mimic smoking behavior, and nicotine delivery is also through inhalation. I am definitely a supporter of electric cigarettes. I’ll even volunteer to be an e-cig poster child.