I am a professional musician. I smoked heavily for over 30 years, heedlessly at first and then with growing concern about it as respiratory and other harms began to manifest themselves. I tried to quit many times, both cold turkey and by using patches, gums, lozenges and the prescription drug Bupropion, all without success despite tremendous effort and struggle with the miserable side effects of smoking cessation. Electronic cigarettes (vaping) helped me achieve what no other strategy could. Because vaping provides an analog for the entire spectrum of smoking behaviors and sensory effects, the transition away from cigarettes was finally achievable for me. It was possible to immediately go from heavy smoking to only a few cigarettes a day without difficulty or stress. The health benefits — increased lung capacity and function and more energy among them — were apparent within 24 hours and have only increased with time. The exploration of the different designs of e-cigarette products and the wide-open field of flavorings, while time consuming and somewhat costly, provided a critical function for any quitter of cigarettes: an engaging *distraction* from the compulsive behaviors associated with smoking. The same can be said for the social connectedness, communication and support of the wonderful vaping community, something making great use of, and ideally suited to, the Internet and social media. The ultimate result, for me and millions of others, has been freedom from the terrible fate of becoming aging and deteriorating cigarette smokers. I stand by vaping as a most positive force for public health and wellness. It is a life changer.