My name is Bill.
I started smoking when I was about 10 and became a regular smoker at the age of 12. Both parents were smokers so it was natural, i guess, to start myself. I came out of the closet (so to speak) at the tender age of 14. I'm now 58. My math tells me that i've been a committed smoker for 48 years, less the 3 year span when i quit (for the first time). That was back when i was in my earliy 20s.
I've tried every smoking cessation product available, with little to no success. Nothing seems to satisfy my need other than holding that cancer stick in my hand, putting it to my mouth, drawing in that precious nicotine laced smoke (along with about 3000 other deadly chemicals) holding, holding, holding and then blowing it back out. For me there is something about that process that cannot be satisfied by chewing gum, slapping on a patch, popping pills (antidepressants i believe) such as Zyban (twice) and Champax (three times). Even the nicorette puffer didn't help.
I had, at the age of 56, all but given up any hope of ever kicking the sticks.
The Miracle (for me)
Last month my wife (who, as a health professional, has all but given up on me quitting as well) and I were down visiting friends in Phoenix. My friend introduced me to the e-cigarette she was using. I should mention that she has been trying to kick the stick for the last 5 years. She was down to about 2 sticks a day but couldn't completely kick it, until she discovered the e-cig.
My last day in Phoenix I ran out of my Canadian smokes so I decided I'd give it one more try for the Gipper.
I purchased a kit at a shop along with some e-liduid flavours (with nicotine) and some additional convenience accessories. The total purchase was about $150.00 (or about a months supply of sticks for me). My plan was to use this thing instead of sticks, for as long as I could. We were about an 45 mins travel time back to my friends place. I already had planned to stop at a 7-11 when we got back to pick up a couple of packs of sticks. I didn't.
Tomorrow was fly home day. I don't know if you fly or if it has the same effect on you as it does me, but when I fly, I spend much time preparing myself for the time without my sticks. I start fretting about it a day or 2 before I fly. I was already well into fret mode. Probably couldn't have picked a worse time to kick the stick. Total travel time (without stick) for this trip will be 14 hrs (killer). Needless to say i'm gonna be in full blown panic mode upon arrival at final destination. Not this time. I was able to vap in the airports, which meant that when I arrived I wasn't in panic but rather calm.
I haven't had a smoke for 4 and 1/2 weeks and no cravings for them!
I can't remember the last time I felt as good as I do. My lungs have cleared, i'm not coughing constantly, my sinuses have cleared, I'm not stuffed up. Food tastes better and so on.
Since i've been home I've introduced it to my brother and his wife, he's managed to go smokeless for 2 weeks and she for 1 week (she was sceptical to say the least). My sister and her husband have been off smokes for almost a week. I'm trying to get my mom (who's 85 and has been a smoker for almost 70 years) to try it. She's very reluctant to trying because she likes her stick. What she doesn't get, yet, is she's no different than me! We're going to buy her one for mothers day!
This product works!! It gives me everything I need from a cigarette and nothing else! They are safe relative to cigarettes, hell even relative to allot of products we consume on a daily basis and give little to no thought about how safe they actually are.
Now for my Rant
In canada our gov has taken a stand on the use of this product, specifically the nicotine liquids. Health Canada has a ban on them. In addition they circulate misleading or inaccurate information. It's almost like the rhetoric they spew about quitting is not what they really want us to do. How can they turn their collect backs on a product that my guess is has had significantly greater success than the so called smoking cessation programs they've approved.
Here's why!
4 million smokers in canada, average smoker will smoke 365 packages of cigarettes a year (or a pack a day). There is about $8.00 in taxes per package.
So let me see:
4,000,000 x 350 x 8 =1,120,000,000 or about 11 billion (give er take a couple hundred million) in tax dollars. No wonder they don't want us to quit. Where would they make up that kind of tax revenue?
I think the feds are very aware of the financial risks of promoting this as an alternative to smoking cigarettes or being used as a smoking cessation product. Even if they choose to tax it to make up the short fall, they would be on a very slippery slope. They can "justify" the taxes on cigarettes because of the health risks involved. So if you choose to smoke then you are paying for the medical treatments that may/will be required. Of course that is a pile of hooey, as the taxes collected far exceed the costs to the health system but thats a debate for another day.
How do they justify a comparable tax on a product that vastly reduces the risks of the diseases related to smoking. If they were to try they are going to look like a bunch of hypocrites (which i might add they already are).
In addition more people would live longer and that means more expense.
I don't trust the government to look after my well being. There's simply to much money at stake.
As result they have done what all big businesses attempt do when there threatened by a product that could mean financial ruin, they make it go away!
Just my two cents for what it's worth.
Bill
I started smoking when I was about 10 and became a regular smoker at the age of 12. Both parents were smokers so it was natural, i guess, to start myself. I came out of the closet (so to speak) at the tender age of 14. I'm now 58. My math tells me that i've been a committed smoker for 48 years, less the 3 year span when i quit (for the first time). That was back when i was in my earliy 20s.
I've tried every smoking cessation product available, with little to no success. Nothing seems to satisfy my need other than holding that cancer stick in my hand, putting it to my mouth, drawing in that precious nicotine laced smoke (along with about 3000 other deadly chemicals) holding, holding, holding and then blowing it back out. For me there is something about that process that cannot be satisfied by chewing gum, slapping on a patch, popping pills (antidepressants i believe) such as Zyban (twice) and Champax (three times). Even the nicorette puffer didn't help.
I had, at the age of 56, all but given up any hope of ever kicking the sticks.
The Miracle (for me)
Last month my wife (who, as a health professional, has all but given up on me quitting as well) and I were down visiting friends in Phoenix. My friend introduced me to the e-cigarette she was using. I should mention that she has been trying to kick the stick for the last 5 years. She was down to about 2 sticks a day but couldn't completely kick it, until she discovered the e-cig.
My last day in Phoenix I ran out of my Canadian smokes so I decided I'd give it one more try for the Gipper.
I purchased a kit at a shop along with some e-liduid flavours (with nicotine) and some additional convenience accessories. The total purchase was about $150.00 (or about a months supply of sticks for me). My plan was to use this thing instead of sticks, for as long as I could. We were about an 45 mins travel time back to my friends place. I already had planned to stop at a 7-11 when we got back to pick up a couple of packs of sticks. I didn't.
Tomorrow was fly home day. I don't know if you fly or if it has the same effect on you as it does me, but when I fly, I spend much time preparing myself for the time without my sticks. I start fretting about it a day or 2 before I fly. I was already well into fret mode. Probably couldn't have picked a worse time to kick the stick. Total travel time (without stick) for this trip will be 14 hrs (killer). Needless to say i'm gonna be in full blown panic mode upon arrival at final destination. Not this time. I was able to vap in the airports, which meant that when I arrived I wasn't in panic but rather calm.
I haven't had a smoke for 4 and 1/2 weeks and no cravings for them!
I can't remember the last time I felt as good as I do. My lungs have cleared, i'm not coughing constantly, my sinuses have cleared, I'm not stuffed up. Food tastes better and so on.
Since i've been home I've introduced it to my brother and his wife, he's managed to go smokeless for 2 weeks and she for 1 week (she was sceptical to say the least). My sister and her husband have been off smokes for almost a week. I'm trying to get my mom (who's 85 and has been a smoker for almost 70 years) to try it. She's very reluctant to trying because she likes her stick. What she doesn't get, yet, is she's no different than me! We're going to buy her one for mothers day!
This product works!! It gives me everything I need from a cigarette and nothing else! They are safe relative to cigarettes, hell even relative to allot of products we consume on a daily basis and give little to no thought about how safe they actually are.
Now for my Rant
In canada our gov has taken a stand on the use of this product, specifically the nicotine liquids. Health Canada has a ban on them. In addition they circulate misleading or inaccurate information. It's almost like the rhetoric they spew about quitting is not what they really want us to do. How can they turn their collect backs on a product that my guess is has had significantly greater success than the so called smoking cessation programs they've approved.
Here's why!
4 million smokers in canada, average smoker will smoke 365 packages of cigarettes a year (or a pack a day). There is about $8.00 in taxes per package.
So let me see:
4,000,000 x 350 x 8 =1,120,000,000 or about 11 billion (give er take a couple hundred million) in tax dollars. No wonder they don't want us to quit. Where would they make up that kind of tax revenue?
I think the feds are very aware of the financial risks of promoting this as an alternative to smoking cigarettes or being used as a smoking cessation product. Even if they choose to tax it to make up the short fall, they would be on a very slippery slope. They can "justify" the taxes on cigarettes because of the health risks involved. So if you choose to smoke then you are paying for the medical treatments that may/will be required. Of course that is a pile of hooey, as the taxes collected far exceed the costs to the health system but thats a debate for another day.
How do they justify a comparable tax on a product that vastly reduces the risks of the diseases related to smoking. If they were to try they are going to look like a bunch of hypocrites (which i might add they already are).
In addition more people would live longer and that means more expense.
I don't trust the government to look after my well being. There's simply to much money at stake.
As result they have done what all big businesses attempt do when there threatened by a product that could mean financial ruin, they make it go away!
Just my two cents for what it's worth.
Bill
