I was a smoker since age 13, typically a pack a day, sometimes 2 packs per day on the weekends. Years passed and I began to feel the effects; shortness of breath, no energy, constant coughing, etc. I tried desperately to quit with no luck. I tried nicotine patches and lozenges with no success and also tried Zyban with moderate success. I was able to quit for a grueling 6 months. My wife and children hated me as I was irritable all the time. Going out to bars became torture because I always wanted to have a smoke. Then one day, I attended a friend’s wedding and I was offered a cigar, which I accepted. Within a month, I was back to cigarettes. The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back came with the introduction of fire safe cigarettes. My coughing increased 5-fold and the shortness of breath was worse than ever. I simply HAD to do something as I was miserable, unhealthy and very unhappy. I had heard of e-cigarettes online but hadn’t tried one. I visited a kiosk at a local mall and purchased a starter kit. It was garbage but it gave me hope!! I continued researching online and found a variety of e-cigarettes that were much improved from the mall junk I had purchased. I took the plunge and bought a Joye Ego starter kit. It took me a full month to switch over, I used the e-cig to replace cigarettes that weren’t as important to me, i.e. first of the day or after a meal. By the last week of that month, I was down to 1 cigarette per day. That was 3 years and 3 months ago. I am very happy and proud to state that I have not put my lips on a single cigarette since that day. I no longer cough. I am no longer short of breath. I have been singing again, something I hadn’t done in years. I’m riding my bicycle for 10-12 miles at a time without feeling like I’m dying. I’ve become a NEW PERSON thanks to the e-cigarette. More importantly, I have NO desire whatsoever to smoke a cigarette ever again, in fact I now find the odor repulsive! Yes I am still addicted to nicotine as are so many other people. However I firmly believe it was the smoke itself, not the nicotine, that was the cause of my ills. All said ills have vanished, I feel younger and healthier than I have in years. I will continue to recommend e-cigarettes to every smoker I know. I sincerely hope that governments and anti-smoking agencies will see the benefits of e-cigarette as harm reduction instead of their totalitarisn no nicotine stance. It could save countless lives and improve the quality of many others. I was appalled at the FDA’s report on e-cigarettes and the incredible number of mistruths and double standards. As an example, they noted the presence of ethylene glycol in trace quantities in some of the nicotine liquids they tested. While ethylene glycol is a harmful chemical, it is a natural byproduct of tobacco processing. What the FDA glaringly failed to note was that this chemical is also found in the nicotine patch, the lozenges, and the inhaler. Shameful double standard courtesy of Big Pharma’s deep pockets.