Quitting smoking is a terrible experience, especially for those who are "serious" smokers. I was a pack-a-day smoker (semi-serious), and I enjoyed the experience. The burn, the oral fixation, the social factor, the pleasant head buzz--basically the overall calming effect it had on me after a hard day's work. And when I wasn't at work, I smoked while watching TV, reading, browsing the Internet, etc. Smoking added more pleasure to the activities I already enjoyed. But I knew smoking was killing me. Over a period of six years, I attempted to quit dozens of times: patches, pills, gum, and the cold turkey method (the worst of all). None of these methods worked for me, and the sense of failure was discouraging. But I wasn't the only one who was frustrated. My girlfriend of three years hated my addiction (let's not sugar coat it by calling it a bad habit), and I couldn't blame her. She hated the smell of it, whereas I had become indifferent to the lingering, pungent odor. Plus, I always had to carry extra gum or breath mints, or in other words, spend even more money on my already expensive addiction. On Valentine's Day of 2011, my girlfriend bought me a gift--more for herself than for me (her words). When I tore open the gift, I had to read the box to figure out what the heck she had bought for me. It was electronic cigarette kit. Thankful as I was, I was a bit annoyed at her for not accepting me for who I was--a nicotine-addicted individual who wanted to quit, but had failed too many times. Sure, I enjoyed smoking, but I knew the long-term effects were lethal. That being said, I continued to smoke. Naturally, my girlfriend pestered me about when I was going to try the electronic cigarette, and I kept telling her that I wasn't ready to quit--I was afraid of failing again, because I didn't want to disappoint her or myself. It was about two months after my girlfriend bought me the electronic cigarette that I tried it for the first time--mind you, I had to brush off Read More Read Less