In December, I quit smoking and switched to an electronic cigarette. I am 53, and have been smoking since age 15. In spite of many attempts over the years to quit, I remained hopelessly chained to that old ball, and thought I would never be able to. I have tried gum, patches, cold-turkey, and managed to put myself through agony and misery for several months, before finally breaking down and starting back. I smoked "Red 100s" ...didn't really matter what brand, although my choice was usually Pall Mall, because they were a little cheaper.
Naturally, I was a little skeptical about the E-cig. I figured, okay... another gimmick that probably won't work, but hey... it's worth a shot. I followed the advice of people online, and purchased my starter kit from a reputable company online. (Safe Cig) There are literally hundreds of brands of E-cig out there now, and most of the ones you buy in the bubble pack at the convenience store, are cheaply-made Chinese crap, that simply doesn't work well, and you never know what you are putting in your lungs. There have been cases where the cheap knock-off exploded when used, etc. So, purchasing a reputable brand is very crucial.
Initial cost for set-up was about $150. I could have gone cheaper, but I went ahead and got all the adapters and spare batteries, the 'deluxe' kit. As well as a couple of packs of cartridges, to see what the various flavors tasted like. I have to say, the E-cig is not exactly like smoking a real cigarette, no surprise there, but it does make a nice substitute. You get your nicotine fix, and I find, just having the E-cig in my hand, is often good enough for me, it's that whole 'having something to do with your hands' thing. I can sit around in a room full of friends, holding the E-cig, and I'm okay... if I get to wanting a smoke, I can take a few puffs, but it's amazing how much I just need that 'security blanket' of having it in my hand.
It's nice to be able to smoke anywhere now, although some establishments are still a little testy about it, regardless of the fact it isn't smoke. I have been asked to put it away in restaurants, because they didn't want other patrons seeing me, and mistakenly thinking the place allowed smoking. That was no biggie for me, as I never smoked inside anyway, a habit I developed long ago. It's funny how, now with the E-cig, I can smoke inside, but I will often go out on the porch, because that was my routine, and anything else felt strange.
I'm coming up on 6-months, smoke free! This is the longest I have ever gone without starting back, and I honestly don't miss it a bit now. The first month or so, it was hard to adjust, I would buy a pack of smokes and 'cheat' now an then, when I got to really wanting a cigarette. Then one day, I had stepped outside and lit a regular cig... took a drag or two, and it just didn't taste right, it wasn't what I wanted. My mind had been transitioned to the E-cig, it was really odd to me. Since then, I haven't bought another pack, and I don't think I ever will. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to kick the habit.
