I started smoking tobacco cigarettes when I was 14 because I wanted to be a part of the ‘cool’ crowd at school. Back then you could buy a pack of cigarettes from the vending machines at the gas stations for 35 cents. At first it was just a few cigarettes per week. By the time I was 24 I was up to 2 packs per day. At 28 I was diagnosed as having high cholesterol. At the time I don’t think many realized that tobacco use could cause high cholesterol but now I know better. I decided to try and quit smoking. Nicotine gum was pretty popular back then and so I tried that. It did not take long, a couple of days, to realize that the ‘gum’ was not going to work for me. I continued to smoke. I decided to try and cut down to 1 cigarette an hour. If I could achieve that I thought I might be able to cut down even more. All I could think of for that entire hour was when I would be able to have my next cigarette. I knew this method was not going to work either, so after a couple of days of that I just gave up on the notion of quiting. At 38 I wanted to quit again. I had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and a high heart rate at that time along with the high cholesterol. So I spoke to my Doctor about the ‘patch’. She suggested that I did not try it because her brother had died of a heart attack while on the ‘patch’. He had smoked while using it. That scared me half to death. By the time I decided to try and quit again I was 50 years old. My chest felt heavy, it was hard to breath, I huffed and puffed trying to go up and down the stairs. I was told by my new Doctor that I was at high risk for a heart attack. She prescribed Chantix. I was on Chantix for about 5 months. Of course I cut down on the smoking because the medication made me nauseous each time I took my twice daily dose. I could not take feeling of being sick every day so I quit using the medication. I began smoking again immediately. By this time I was desperate. I was afraid I was going to die young and I did’nt know what to do anymore. My son mentioned trying electronic cigarettes. So I set out looking for a disposable to try. It actually worked so I decided to purchase a kit. It included 2 rechargeable battery mods, a charger and a tank that you fill with e-juice. I chose the 18mg strength. This was 6 months ago, Nov. 2012, and I have’nt had a tobacco cigarette since and do not plan to ever again. I had been a heavy smoker for 38 of my 52 years of life! This is the only method that has worked for me, and to me, is a true miracle. My entire family thinks it’s a miracle. Positive changes in my quality of life since quitting tobacco: I can actaully breath better. I no longer huff and puff going up and down the stairs. I can smell and taste again. We have saved around $408.00 per month on tobacco cigarettes and we were able to use that money on payments for a new 2013 car. (Hubby quit smoking when I did.) We each spent an average of $204.00 per month on cigarettes. My home, car, hair and clothes no longer smell like smoke. I am no longer a hazard to my Grandchildren’s health from breathing second hand smoke. There are no longer stained walls, ceilings, blinds, curtains and lampshades from tar. There’s no danger of my house burning down. No ashes, no cigarette butts, no ashtrays smelling up my house. We are no longer inhailing over 10,000+ chemicals into our lungs. The negative: The weight gain. Just about everyone that quits smoking gains weight. After 38 years of constantly puffing on a cigarette it seems I need something in my mouth to replace the cigarettes. I’ll have to work on this with sugar free candy and gum and healthier snacks. At least I know what to do about this and am headed in the right direction. Thanks for allowing me to tell my story.