I was a very heavy smoker, often waiting until after work to start and smoking up to a pack before bed. I realized this had to end but thoroughly enjoyed the act of smoking and found I needed a bit of nicotine to deal with stress. While I tried e cigarettes when they were still fairly new, I found that they were not ultimately successful. I was becoming used to smoking all day and older ecigs were simply not enough to totally replace cigarettes. I basically gave up on them. After about another year, I had begun to notice more ill effects from smoking regular cigarettes (coughing fits, shortness of breath, etc). I realized I simply had to stop but had failed multiple times before so I decided to give ecigs another shot, this time using them to reduce rather than totally quit. After some experimentation with various favors, strengths, and devices, I finally found myself using an ecig more than normal cigarettes. While it has been a struggle, I have found that the ecig I am using has allowed me to slowly but clearly reduce my actual cigarette intake. I almost quit using them at first, realizing they were not a miracle quitting device but a way to substitute something similar enough to regular smoking. The experience is pleasurable and is close enough to an actual cigarette and as a result I have begun to see myself actually, finally, quitting regular cigarettes almost entirely. While I have discovered that ecigs are perhaps not the easy quit they are sometimes seen to be, they have offered me a safer alternative to actual cigarettes that has unquestionably begun to change my habits and improve my overall quality of life.