I started smoking around 14. At first it was just bumming off a few cigarettes every once in a while, but I started buying my own packs when I was 15 and built it up to a 30-a-day (pack and a half daily) habit. I tried quitting on numerous occasions, with the patch twice, gum once, and even tried cold turkey. None of them worked – my longest streak being a mere 2 weeks. By the time I was 26, I had all but given up on quitting. In truth, I always enjoyed smoking – I was just a little worried about the health impact of my habit. I discovered e-cigarettes after 16 years of smoking at least 30 cigarettes a day. I have to admit, I was skeptical, but if I could enjoy the habit, the psychological aspect, and not feel like I was being neutered by not having a cigarette, I decided to give them a try. I never really wanted to quit, mind you, but after a few weeks it occurred to me that I hadn’t bought a pack of cigarettes in over two weeks. Two weeks became two months. Two months became two years. To this date, I still haven’t purchased a pack of cigarettes. I completely switched without even making an effort; without the wild mood swings that come from withdrawal from all the other chemicals in cigarettes; without feeling that something so ingrained in my personality, my mannerisms, and, for lack of a better word, my ego was being forcefully taken away – without feeling that a part of me, what was, for all intents and purposes, a part of me, was being amputated against my will.