Hello all, I'm Karen, and live in a little town called Frankston, about 24 miles from Tyler. I have lived many places in Texas, but have settled here in the house I was born and raised in. I am 47 and have smoked for 35 years, since I was 12. Unless you also count when I was a little squirt of 4-5 I use to follow my Daddy around when he worked outside; he'd toss a lit .... on the ground (Kools, uggg) and I'd try to smoke it. I so fondly remember watching him perform the ritual of filling up his Zippo with lighter fluid and flint...The smell of the lighter fluid....I loved my Daddy, and I never saw him without a cigarette in his mouth.
Cigarette vending machines and smoking in grocery stores as well as any other store was still allowed in 1984 in Dallas, I even smoked in the hospital room after the birth of my first daughter that year. And before you ask, yes, I could not even quit during the two pregnancies of my girls, now 20 and 21.
I have tried it all, gum, patches, gum + patches at the same time, accupuncture, hypnosis, Chantix, lozanges, staples in my ears....you name it. Around 5 years ago, I found e-cigs on the internet but at the time they were only available in other countries. 2 months ago I was using Chantix, nicotine patches and gum at the same time if you can believe that. I weaned off the gum and patch and did Chantix for 2 weeks without cheating before it made me violently ill. I was virtually weaned off of the nicotine, but I MISSED the sensation of inhaling and exhaling smoke.
The same day I saw a news article that all of the teenagers in the movie "Twilight" smoked, and that a few were trying to quit by using the e-cig "SmokeStix". I began researching SmokeStix, and after a week buried in the bowels of the internet found this forum.
Husband Jerry and I both got Screwdrivers this week and are just beginning our journey. I haven't smoked one cigarette since I got mine. This is something I can do!!!!
A pleasure meeting all of you and I sure hope that we can have a get together soon!