How old are you, and why did you start vaping?

[Spartan8029]

I'm 234 and I started smoking when I was 114. I used to be a wizard and would smoke from my wooden pipe but the tobacco that was around then was not very good. I tried to quit but the stress caused from battling dark wizards was just to much so it never happened. After I finished my studies with Nicolas Flammel, I figured it was time for a career change and decided to become a cowboy.

Well you can imagine how that went in regards to smoking, everywhere I looked, all the cowboys were doing it. I smoked heavily while fighting the Indians, but between showdowns at dusk and robbing trains, quitting never crossed my mind. Soon enough though lots of my cowboy friends started dying and people starting calling cigarettes, cowboy killers, a name we used to reserve for the local saloon's secret whiskey mix. There was this kid named Billy who I knew that died and after that I couldn't deal with living that life style. I decided to move to a safer place and switch jobs once again.

I moved to Florida at the young age of 209 and became an astronaut, something I had been dying to do for a long time. Well on our first mission to Mars, the crew caught me lighting up and left me stranded there to teach me a lesson. That lesson was to never call a martian a putz. He pulled out his disintegrator and blasted me on the spot. Luckily enough I reincarnated and was born in the last place I had been on Earth.

When I was 14 years old in my new life I started smoking at school, more so to fit in than anything and also because of the light-headed feeling I got. Well that feeling was short lived and before I knew it, I was smoking about a half pack a day of newports because I was addicted. I am 25 now(234 counting my past life) and before I recently quit I had moved from a pack a day to a pack of Black and Milds(5 cigars) The reason I started smoking blacks was because I was lying to myself and thought smoking 2 of those was better for me than a pack of cigarettes. I then progressively moved up to 5 a day, which turned out to be much worse than when I tried quitting the first time.

Less than a year ago I tried out an e cig at the mall and I liked the experience of the device, the price not so much. I waved off the technology and said screw it, smoking is cheaper and forgot all about the whole e cig thing. I recently moved to Kansas and when I started going to the smoke shop around here I saw a starter kit and prefilled carts for sale. I inquired into them and the guy at the counter shared all the knowledge he had with me. Even though he didn't know much, I owe him a lot because he was the one who got me interested again. I used my black belt in google fu and found ECF, bought an Ego starter kit and the rest was history. I quit smoking on the spot, the first day I started using my pv.

Sorry for the long winded back story but I thought it was neccesary to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, happy vaping everyone!

 

[MegaBee]

hi,great thread OP I am 41 and I started smoking at 16, quit for 2 pregnancies and promptly had them back in my hand even while breast feeding I cringe now when I think about it.. Thankfully both of my children dont smoke (if they even tried they never told me about it) They were constantly on my back about smoking and where embarrassed about me being a smoker... They are so proud of me My son is 21 in May and my Daughter turned 18 last August. I decided (no real health symptoms luckily) that I wanted to make sure I was here for the grandchildren and I didnt want them embarrassed of their Nanna when they finally came lol. So Im hoping I have saved myself a few years and I life to a decent age and I get hit by a bus with clean undies on when I die beats dying drowing in my own mucous.... Smoking is EVIL!

 

[six]

I'm old enough to know my dreams of becoming a professional boxer have been dashed by the grey hair in my beard and the pains I feel just getting up out of bed in the morning.

As to why. Well, sometime this spring will make it two years vaping and not even a single drag off an analog since my first vape. I tried everything to quit smoking. In fact, I was off cigarettes for a whole year one time... but a celebratory cigar after a significant event was enough to make me go buy 5 cigars - then 10 - then pretty soon a carton of my old brand of cigarettes. - The cigarettes weren't effecting my health all that much yet (other than the occasional coughing spasm in the morning), but I knew it was just a matter of time before they killed me or made me sick enough to no longer be able to enjoy the same quality of life I'm accustomed to. -- Friends my age were losing their parents to tobacco related illnesses and cancers. People just a half-generation older than me were fighting cancer. I was going to funeral after funeral after funeral.

I decided that if I die young, it will be something cooler than cancer that gets me. Mauled by a grizzly, crushed in an avalanche, trampled in a stampede, - anything like that is preferable to wasting away losing my body to the disease and my mind to the meds. I decided I'm not dying from something tobacco related.

 

[NICnurse]

I am 34, started smoking when I was 17. 1 to 1.5 ppd smoker. I liked smoking from the first time I ever took a puff. I decided back in 2010 that I wanted to quit. I loved smoking but hated the feeling of being banished to the great outdoors for my habit. I went on vacation with 3 nonsmokers and it really sucked to try to smoke. I decided to try a typical 808 starter kit and never smoked another stinkie after the kit arrived. 17 months later and lots of $$ spent I am so happy I made the switch to vaping. I have saved some $$....but prolly not much! I love buying new gadgets.

 

[Shizzle]

i'm 47, started smoking a PAD at age 17, "quit" once for four years and once for six years, went back to smoking each time during stressful life events. started vaping due to cigarettes being so expensive, and because i'd really like to be around for my future grandchildren.

 

[dandelionwings]

i'm 42, started smoking at 11. my stepsister had me smoke so that i wouldn't tell on her and well, there ya go. since 13 i smoked anywhere from 1 1/2-3 PAD depending on where i was living and what was going on at the time. i quit analogs twice...once for a year and gained a million pounds so i opened another pack and started dropping the weight.about 3 years ago, the smoking cessation nurse at work put me on [2] first step patches, so 42mg nic patches while i was cutting down to under a pack a day---just to make it through a stressful work day without going crazy. my job situation was extremely stressful and that helped a lot to keep me down to approx 1/2-1 PAD for over a year. then i quit, for a month, with chantix. yeah....let's say we are all fortunate that i put down the bottle and picked up a pack, instead. early july, i stopped to get gas at a truck stop driving home from indiana. said wtf not--nothing else has worked, picked up a mystic kit and have had a helluva time with one cartridge after another---but managed to stay analog free since july 11th strictly because i do not want to go through trying to quit again...in december, met an ecf member---now i'm loving that there is a whole world of options out there and not turning back

 

[KeysBum]

54....Started vaping and quit analogs 9 mos. ago at 53. Why? I want to see 55

 

[Stormiefury]

I'm 35 years old. Ugh saying that outloud makes me gag. lol I started smoking when I was 12 years old because my friends talked me into trying it. Now I can't walk up the steps to my class without getting out of breath or do any heavy lifting. I just started feeling weaker and weaker and I didn't like it. Also I seriously hated cigs, I never was the type of person who liked the taste or the smell. I had to have the window more than half way down in the car even when it was raining to smoke, but still I smoked because I felt it relieved my stress. I tried everything to quit. And everytime I failed I cried. Then I met a woman who was using the BLU disposable. I bought one and from there it started my journey and now I haven't had a cig and don't want one EVER. So I guess you could say I quit for all of the above on reasons.

Stormie

 

[XMit]

35, started experimenting with smoking at 15. Turned full blown smoker at17 when I got out of boot camp. In yesterdays Army, the smokers got more breaks from work, so it was a big motivator to smoke. Next thing you know I'm up to a pack a day by the age of 18. Got worse from there, then better. Last October I decided to quit using other things and by November decided to put down the cigs.

I never wanted to quit smoking becuase I liked it. I like smoking cigs, cigars, pipes, rolling my own, leaf tobacco, plug, snuff, nasal snuff, I liked it all. I especially loved good tobacco mixed with good beer. My wife hated the smell and my daughter needs a father that lives long enough to see her get married. So, both the smoking and beer became less important to me.

Started with a 510 kit with atty and carts. That sucked so I started dripping, that was messy and inconvenient. Got the bug to build my own stuff, ordered some Ce2's and now am on Boge LR's and my homebrew juice.

 

[Beans]

OP, I'm so happy you quit when you did you will have a wonderful long life ahead of you.

I started smoking when I was 12, and it turned into a PPD by the time I was 14. December 2010 with health going down hill and heart issues poping up I ordered my first kit. Im going to be 40 in march and feel better than I have in 20 years.

 

[Poppie]

I'm new to vaping and to the forum. I am going to be 40 years old in a couple of weeks, and I started vaping for several reasons.
I have been out of work for a year, and even though my hubby doesn't smoke (or vape) he was buying me a pack of smokes a day. He's such a nice guy...he never nags me about quitting but I know that he really wants me to. I'm also sick of having sinus issues because of the smoking and I don't like the fact that they put crazy addictive chemicals in the cigs.

My father had purchased an Njoy Npro for me a year ago and I never really used it. I ended up throwing it in a drawer and forgetting about it. Once I decided that I want to quit cigs for good I dug it out and started using it on a regular basis.
I'm really glad that I had it handy, and that I didn't pay for it myself. LOL I was able to find out if vaping was going to work as a smoking alternative for me without spending a bunch of cash.

Now I know that I like (LOVE) to vape, and I was able to take the time and get some advice from the fine people here at ECF about what kind of setup to get. I'll be ordering the kit that I really want tomorrow...and I can't wait to get it!!

So far I have been successful. I never crave a conventional cig and I seem to vape a lot less than I was smoking. I think that I will actually quit this time!! YAY!

I'm also looking forward to the possibility of losing some weight by using nicotine-free, yummy flavors of E juice to satisfy my sweet tooth with no calories! LOL I don't know if that will work, but I'm going to try!

 

[jamentertainment]

32m pad of marlboro menthols for 15 years...didnt wanna die of cancer, taste better, see my kids get married, oral fetish...I mean i vape allot more than i used to smoke, so i must like it more !!!...stick to what works..

 

[Running Wolf]

I'm also looking forward to the possibility of losing some weight by using nicotine-free, yummy flavors of E juice to satisfy my sweet tooth with no calories! LOL I don't know if that will work, but I'm going to try!

Just a short OT reply.... nicotine is a stimulant so it will help you loose/maintain weight better than a no nic juice.

 

[Poppie]

Just a short OT reply.... nicotine is a stimulant so it will help you loose/maintain weight better than a no nic juice.

Actually, I do know that and I will still be using nicotine juices, but I was worried that if I was vaping purely for the flavor of it to appease my sweet tooth that I may take in too much nic. But maybe not. I'll have to wait until I get all of my supplies and then see how often and how much I'm vaping and then determine the amount of nic I want to use.

Thanks for the comment though, you are right and I will keep that in consideration.

 

[ZenSilk]

22, got into tobacco at 17 (the hookah) and never got into cigarettes. I am more interested in clouds of smoke/vapor and flavor for whatever reason... Also love an intense nicotine headrush every now and again.

 

[crazydogjack]

I'm 46 and I've been vaping for a year. I started smoking when I was 14, quit several times once for almost 2 years and would always end up hooked again. I cannot stand smelling like a cigarette and was terrified of dying from it. I hate cigarettes now. Vaping is the only way to go for me. . I love all the different flavors and if I choose not to tell anyone I vape it's my own little secret. I no longer have to go outside and smoke in frigid weather which is a plus since I live in PA.

 

[mahv]

I am 45. Started with occasional cigs at age 17 to be "cool and mature" Many years 2+pads per day. My grandparents were smokers, my parents also were and my husband still is. I never ever tried to quit before discovering ecigs. Just did not see the point because I have not met one person with good results with all these nic substitutes like stickers or something else stupid from pharmacy. But I quess, that this everyday mantra from cig pads like "you'll get cancer" or "you'll become impotent" (LOL-I am a women) finally started to affekt my mind and I thought that I still would like to see what next 45 years will bring...

 

[Dieseler]

Ley just say im older and retired and after smoking nearly 40 years i got into vaping .
Dont know what i was thinking all those years.

 

[bobthesalesclerk]

I am 25 and started smoking when I was 10. I got into vaping after stumbling across something e cig related online. Bought a crappy overpriced starter kit at first but it did the trick. Bought an ego a week later and quit for a year. Started smoking again and got back into vaping about a month ago.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[mr_sneed]

Just turned 40 last year. I was a PAD for 23 years and had a few e-cigs laying around. I used them sporatically just to try it. About 2 months ago I gave up the analogs all-together and couldn't be happier! The first month was expensive getting all the gear, but now I just buy juice and an atomizer for maintenance and cut down on the spending.