I am 39 years old and I was a smoker for 25 years. I first started smoking when I was 8 years old but didn’t smoke daily until I was 12. I always wanted to quit, but was never quite able to get past that one month point. I tried the gum, lozenges, patches, inhalers, chantix, and even those ridiculous straws that are supposed to help the cravings. No matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t get past that one month mark. I first saw electronic cigarettes at the Ham and Yam festival in Smithfield NC in March of 2011. My mother and I were walking along when she noticed a booth selling electronic cigarettes. I had seen them in stores several times but had never tried it, so I was intrigued. My mother, having been trying to get me to quit smoking for years, was very excited that I showed any interest in electronic cigarettes and offered to buy them for me. I figured I would use them when I wanted a cigarette but couldn’t smoke where I was or it was inconvenient to step outside for a cigarette. I had absolutely NO intentions of quitting smoking as I had tried so many methods that failed I was convinced nothing was going to work and I was going to DIE a smoker. I had bought a carton of regular cigarettes that morning and had smoked about half a pack by that time. 2 weeks later, my wife started mentioning how the house smelled better and it occurred to me I hadn’t smoked a cigarette in about a week! I still had 9 packs of cigarettes from that carton I had bought that morning and I even had a couple of cigarettes left in the pack I had opened that morning! It suddenly dawned on me……I quit smoking BY ACCIDENT!!! This started in me a drive to learn as much as I could about this new way of smoking so I went online and found the online community of vapers who are helping other vapers learn through their own experiences. This community has become such a valuable asset as a support group for anyone who wants to try Vaping as a smoking cessation method. I’ve now been 2 1/2 years vaping. Although I am working with less and less nicotine, I have no intention of quitting vaping. I am convinced it has prolonged my life, it has certainly made my family happier, and it has made me happier as I can now walk upstairs without losing breath and I no longer smell like an ashtray. I save money every single day I don’t smoke and I am part of a wonderful community which has accepted me wholeheartedly. I have not seen a single negative aspect of vaping, besides the occasional desire to buy more vaping gear because it’s cool. It’s saving lives…..that alone should be enough