Hello my GP Family! Today is my three year vaping anniversary. Much love, and many thanks, to Perseas and my GP Family for making this possible. You helped me find my vaping 'happy place'. I will be forever grateful!
Below, is what I posted on my FB page tonight. I want to share it with my GP Family as well.
Today, is my vaping anniversary. Three years. Who would have thunk? I post this with the hope, a smoker may benefit from my story...
I was a four pack a day, forty-two year, Marlboro Red smoker. As a smoking alternative, I have been vaping. I started with a 36mg nicotine e-liquid, and am now vaping a 6mg nicotine e-liquid. In a perfect world, I would have just quit. But, that did not happen in 42 years! I tried all of the available smoking cessation products on the market. None of them worked for me. I did not quit, when I was diagnosed with COPD and emphysema. I did not quit, when they identified and continued to monitor more nodules in my lungs than I can count. I did not quit, when I was no longer able to sleep laying down. I did not quit, when I was told I would to be on oxygen within a year. I did not quit, when I witnessed many family members and friends, die from lung cancer and other smoking related diseases. I quit, when I found vaping. The difference in my lungs is incredible! I can sleep laying down. I no longer have to avoid laughter. The improvement in my quality of life is huge. My lung improvements, were proven by my 2015 lung CT scans. I have been getting annual lung CT scans for many years. Each year, the news was always bad. Considerable additional damage. When I moved here, for some reason, they only transferred my CT reports from 2007 forward. My 2015 scans were compared to the reports for each year they had available for review. My lungs healed so much, my 2015 scans were better than my 2007 scans. That was over eight years of improvement! Believe me, that is huge!
Do I think this industry needs some guidelines, and regulations? Yes. But, it needs to be done intelligently! Keep the politics, and 'big money' out of the decision making process. Do I want children to vape? No. However, we all know, there are 'those kids' who will smoke. That is just a fact. Vaping is, no doubt, a healthier alternative. Am I saying, vaping is totally safe? I am not. However, I am certain, it is safer than cigarettes.
I was able to quit smoking, because of the variety of vaping products available on the market. Vaping, like most things in life, is a journey. You try the many options available, until you find your 'happy place'. I have found my 'happy place'. If I had not had these many options (mods, atomizers, battery sizes, wicking materials, e-liquids), there is no doubt, I would have again failed in my quest to quit smoking. And, no doubt, if they take away my 'happy place', I will return to smoking. We can't allow them to do that to me, and the many others who have found this incredible smoking alternative. Our lives, and our quality of life, depend on it.
BTW: An e-cigarette/mod, is a device with a battery. An e-liquid, creates a vapor you inhale into your lungs. Be a smart consumer! Educate yourself, regarding the safety and limitations of your devices. Educate yourself, regarding the contents of your e-liquid, and the environment in which it is made. Be smart.. Be safe.
My current vaping statistics:
Smober Date: 10/2/2012
Today: 10/2/2015
Smober Time: 3 Years
Cigarettes Not Smoked: 87,600
Money Not Spent On Cigarettes: $25,097.40