Never going back

I smoked for 13 years. A pack a day at minimum, 2 maximum, for 13 years. I ordered an e-cigarette in February 2013. The day it arrived is the last day I’ve ever had a cigarette and I will NEVER go back. Over those 13 years I tried it all; Patches, gum, cold-turkey, Chantix, the list goes on. Nothing worked, it wasn’t simply a need of nicotine, it was the habit as a whole. The going outside for a minute to think, the calming down before during and after a stressful day. The mechanics of it all. But in the end I was doing myself no good. I don’t claim that Electronic Cigarettes are “good” for me. Yes, they still have nicotine in them. But they also have nearly 4000-10000 less carcinogens in them. The liquid is made of substances that are in everyday things we use from grocery store bread, to asthma inhalers, to hospital air ventilation systems. And on the topic of nicotine, I started with “e-juice” that contained 18mg of nicotine per milliliter, known as a standard amount for pack-a-day smokers. This kept me from getting anxious and grumpy, and the after 10 months, I lowered it to 12mg, and just recently I’ve stepped down to 6mg, after only 14 months. Now I vape more for the flavor and relaxation than I do out of pure habit and addiction. I like my fruity flavors, and I’m 33 years old. I like my sweet chocolate hazelnut and vanilla flavors with my morning coffee, and my dessert flavors after dinner. I’m not a child, I’m adult who understand that delicious sweet things are NOT only for kids, and are not designed to attract them to this to hook them forever. Now I loathe walking through a cloud of cigarette smoke, and I completely understand some of the perceptions smokers have of smelling terrible, I never believed it before, but it became apparent within WEEKS of quitting smoking how bad it really smells. I’ve successfully stopped smoking, and I will defend it if I must. Ecigs have saved my life, but I am not alone.