What was your crooked path to the "E" life?

Linden;3204351 said:

Well I'm on page 2 and this thread is growing so fast and I have so much to say that I might as well just start my own story.
I started smoking at the age of 13, stealing butts from my mom's ashtray. I'm now 35. Throughout my smoking 'career' (because I really did make a job of hiding it) I became a master of deception. To the extent that I was married 2 years before my husband found out (and we had been together 8 years total at that point). Yeah, thats me...sad. Cigarettes have been such a focus of self-loathing in my life but at the same time my very best friend. I have tried everything to quit but was not even able to do so through 3 pregnancies. Thankfully my children are very healthy, and thankfully I still am also. Granted, I was never a heavy smoker. How could I be, hiding it to the extent I did? The past 10 years I have increased to a consistant 1/2 PPD.
In 2007 my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Thankfully it is slow-growing and she is still with us but in much pain. Even this did not cause me to quit. (Add in MORE self-loathing here, I was carrying briefcases full of it at this point).
About a year ago I heard radio ads about e-cigs and was intrigued/hopeful/skeptical. I went home and googled it. At that time, the Janty stick was popping up all over my google so i went to check it out. I could not figure out what I needed, and their kits were out of stock. Being a mother of 3 I don't have hours to sit at the computer and research. I then heard about the FDA confiscating shipments and figured that was the cause of the 'out of stock' problem. I was very disappointed but figured that I would let the matter drop until I had time to find out more.
A little over 2 months ago a friend told me that he and his wife were quitting using e-cigs. I immediately perked up and yelled "Where did you get them!?". He directed me to V4L. No lie, within 5 minutes of him telling me, I had placed an order. I wasn't really expecting to quit analogs entirely on these, but I really wanted to see what they were all about.
When my order arrived i had about 3/4 of a pack of cigs left. Not knowing better i had ordered 4 mg. I figured out quickly what my mistake was and made another order for 18 and 24mg. I finished my pack of cigarettes over the next FIVE DAYS and by the end of that pack they tasted like dirt. I haven't picked up another one since.
2 months smoke free...losing weight and exercising (back in size 6!)...cut back on my evening 'sip of vodka'. I am making MAJOR changes in my health so that I can be around for my children and they never have to see their mom suffer like I did.
Oh, and the self loathing? Its been replaced with HOPE!
I owe V4L and the entire PV industry a huge debt.
Forward MARCH!

Click to expand...