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

[alvinosj]

i started smoking when i was 15, and started vaping last year when i was 22.

the main factor for me to quit smoking is because my GF totally dislike analog smell.

 

[integrity36]

40. I started smoking when I was 14 full on. I quit for several long spells through out the years, but each time I found it harder to quit the next time.
the last time I started up again was durring my divorce. After about 2 years of chewing nic gum( couldn't quit that either with numerous tricks and weaning to trident gum) my teeth were starting to deteriorate and break. ACK! I jumped on the ecig the very first time I saw it on the internet and started researching. found this site and ordered the Joy510 starter and never looked back!! Ahhhhh I don't think I ever wanna quit.

 

[Adam the Aussie]

I'm 38, smoked since I was 16. Main reason I started vaping was for health reasons, but saving a few bucks was good too. I'm more than happy with how everything is going, I'm exercising again for the first time since my early 20's, I'm breathing so much easier and I'm saving cash. What's not to like about vaping?

 

[denali_41]

47,,started around 12-13,,hit the pad habit at around 27,,,tried everything to quit the analogs since 25 with no success
started vaping coz i needed something better then the coffin nails
2 years ago got my first e-cig,,tried 2 other brands since then with no luck,,
august i found ecf,,haven't had a analogs since oct27th and have had no real cravings since then either

 

[terrilg70]

I am 41 and have smoked since the age of 18. My mother is also a smoker and has had several strokes and also has COPD. My sister posted something about the blu disposables and I thought that when I was out with my mother I would pick up one to try and see if she would bite on it. Guess what she did and has not had an analog in 2 months. If she could do it do could I. That started my vaping journey.

 

[WebMistress89]

I am 22 and I was about a 7-13 cig a day (pack if i was drinking)
And i quit because I finally realized how crazy it is for anyone to smoke knowing whats in them.

And I got my grampa who is 79 (pad for 60 years about!!!) to start vaping about a week ago. He smoked a bit at first but when his pack ran out he said he wasnt planning on buying another one

I however would not have done it without vaping, as my main habit it holding and smoking the cig, So patches wouldnt have worked.

 

[Semiretired]

Did you get 100 replies? I guess this thread is starting to fizzle. Myself, I am curious for the results if you put something together...

 

[PaulieD]

I'm 56 and smoked for 42 years pad. I have quit using all the methods....longest time was for one year.
It was cold turkey and started running right away. I felt so good...that was 20 years ago.
Most of my attempts met utter failure when something stressful happened in my life and I had a hard time coping with it, so back to the analogs I went.
I do believe with this, even if I get off this too, that when something stressful happens I will have the ability to reach for a vape instead of a gig and that brings me great comfort.

 

[skotsour]

I'll be 40 (?!!) in less than a month, I started vaping two years ago after smoking for 20+ years. I decided to quit after laying in bed and feeling like someone was squeezing my heart...not fun. I was also sick of being a smelly ....... and becoming out of breath after climbing stairs. I'm healthier and in better shape than I have been in years, I'm positive vaping has literally saved my life.

 

[joe2tc]

I'm 26, started smoking at 17, always smoked rollies, about 10 grams a day. It wasn't so bad for a while, then started trying to quit in early 20's and realised I was screwed. Earlier in the 2011 I quit working in a trade, moved cities and went to uni, it's not quite as acceptable to smoke, and all of a sudden none of my friends smoked. I tried over and over to quit, I was having trouble mountain biking, and had always loved spear fishing - but the analogs really messed with it.

I got a really slim pv and couldn't stick it out.

Got a 510-t and haven't had a problem since.

 

[elwcom]

23 in less than a month :-/ started smoking at about 15, quickly got to a pad of marlboro lights.
I've had a funny journey with ecigs, 2009 was my first attempt, and ive been on and off ever since, until a few months back when i switched exclusively to ecigs. Now im happier than ever, and in some way glad it took me soo long to get where i am now. I just got to the point where id light up a smoke and not be enjoying it at all, not getting that buzz anymore and that was it for me. On previous attempts i still had a sigh of relief lighting up! Lol

 

[Lethalp]

My story is a bit different than some of the others. I grew up with my mom smoking, she even smoked while pregnant for me. My mom smoked, my step dad smoked, my grandparents smoked, everyone around me smoked accept my dads side of the family. My grandpa always made me promise when I was lil that I would never start smoking, and I never wanted to. I hated it, smelling like it at school, or when my mom and step dad would smoke in the car with the windows up! Ug!!

I never smoked as a kid or growing up, not at high school parties, or when I worked in a bar. I hated it when I would work a shift in the bar then come home and go to sleep then smell my clothes the next day, I hated how it smelled in my hair!!

When I was 26 I went to visit a friend and we went out and she was smoking these clove cigs, and for some dumb reason I tried one. There was still the feeling of doing something "grown up" like smoking. I felt like I was getting away with something, lil did I know I had just set the worst addiction in my life in motion. I figured when I got back home that no one would carry these clove cigs and that would be the end of it. But I found them at my local smoke shop and started buying them. I smoked them pretty regularly for awhile, then got sick of having to go to a special shop to get them and switched to ultra lights.

Today I am 29, ( well I have celebrated my 29th bday 12 xs) my grandpa died from lung cancer, my step dad died from lung cancer, and I lost my beloved mom to lung cancer in 2007. I miss her so much and I wish more than anything I could have shared vaping with her. After she died I continued to smoke, so so dumb!!! I could not stop even tho I had watched her die!! And I hated myself for it. I couldn't stop for anything or anyone, I had tried everything and given up.

July 2011, I bought 2 packs of cigs, and I stopped and bought a green smoke kit. 2 days later I smoked my last cig, without really trying I said goodbye to my cig addiction once and for all. It still amazes me how easy it was to stop.

Now I am back to hating the smell of smoke, when I smell it on other ppl I have to fight gagging. When my hubby comes home from poker night, he has to strip so I can throw his clothes in the washer.

Sorry I have gone on so long, but it's simply amazing to me how much vaping has changed my life and the way that I think. I know I still have an addiction, but right now I am ok with that

 

[pixilator]

I'm 25, I've been vaping for about 3 months-still new . I smoked a PAD for five years before switching to vape. I was hooked after my first hit off a disposable cig clone model. I quickly did my research and bough a few kits.

To the OP, I know what you mean about people our age being disinterested! I have a few friends who vape, but we were all mainly encouraged by some family issues (cigarette-related cancer). So I think that a person has to want to quit smoking to be able to switch to vaping; just like with switching off of analogues is more a mental switch. I think the PVs just make it easier. I always try to promote vaping whenever I see a smoker express an interest in quitting (I work in a pharmacy, so I hear about it a lot).

 

[dupont]

I'm going to turn 52 next week. I started vaping almost a year ago - a few days after my 51'st birthday. I had been smoking about 1.5 pad since I was 16 or so, and tried to quit several times. I never had an analog after my first vape, and have been vaping 0 nicotine juice for almost 6 months. At this point, if I forget my e-cig when I go out it's not a problem. But I don't plan to quit vaping completely anytime soon.

I quit for health and to save money. Although I haven't kept strict records, I would bet that I was saving some $$'s after the first month or so and have saved a lot since then. And I don't cough any more. I couldn't be happier.

 

[mistinthewoods]

Just turned 54 in december. Quit smoking in February of 2010. Guess it wasn't soon enough though, I had a heart attack in November. You people who are quitting in your 20s are doing a VERY smart thing. Heart attacks kinda suck.

 

[perkines212]

I am 37. Started at age of 15. Last cig was March 3rd, 2011. I stopped because of a goal I had. I wanted to work in a specific area at work and due to the volume of the work load my break periods would be brief and with a no smoking policy on property I knew it would be a big issue if I was still smoking. Now I am richer in health, odor, and pocketbook.

 

[tcolley65]

Great thread! I'm 46 and had my first cigarette at 6 and was "stealing smokes" from dad at 8. I was a PAD user at 16 and during college I smoked 2 PAD of unfiltered lucky strikes. I just started vaping on 28 dec 2011 to quit the smoking habit. As for saving money....I like to think of this as my new hobby

 

[AcePilot]

We need about 5 more!

 

[KeysBum]

I wish I could give Lethalp 10 likes for this post. One just didn't seem to be enough.

My story is a bit different than some of the others. I grew up with my mom smoking, she even smoked while pregnant for me. My mom smoked, my step dad smoked, my grandparents smoked, everyone around me smoked accept my dads side of the family. My grandpa always made me promise when I was lil that I would never start smoking, and I never wanted to. I hated it, smelling like it at school, or when my mom and step dad would smoke in the car with the windows up! Ug!!

I never smoked as a kid or growing up, not at high school parties, or when I worked in a bar. I hated it when I would work a shift in the bar then come home and go to sleep then smell my clothes the next day, I hated how it smelled in my hair!!

When I was 26 I went to visit a friend and we went out and she was smoking these clove cigs, and for some dumb reason I tried one. There was still the feeling of doing something "grown up" like smoking. I felt like I was getting away with something, lil did I know I had just set the worst addiction in my life in motion. I figured when I got back home that no one would carry these clove cigs and that would be the end of it. But I found them at my local smoke shop and started buying them. I smoked them pretty regularly for awhile, then got sick of having to go to a special shop to get them and switched to ultra lights.

Today I am 29, ( well I have celebrated my 29th bday 12 xs) my grandpa died from lung cancer, my step dad died from lung cancer, and I lost my beloved mom to lung cancer in 2007. I miss her so much and I wish more than anything I could have shared vaping with her. After she died I continued to smoke, so so dumb!!! I could not stop even tho I had watched her die!! And I hated myself for it. I couldn't stop for anything or anyone, I had tried everything and given up.

July 2011, I bought 2 packs of cigs, and I stopped and bought a green smoke kit. 2 days later I smoked my last cig, without really trying I said goodbye to my cig addiction once and for all. It still amazes me how easy it was to stop.

Now I am back to hating the smell of smoke, when I smell it on other ppl I have to fight gagging. When my hubby comes home from poker night, he has to strip so I can throw his clothes in the washer.

Sorry I have gone on so long, but it's simply amazing to me how much vaping has changed my life and the way that I think. I know I still have an addiction, but right now I am ok with that

 

[SuperLuckyLady]

61 years old, started at age 18, 1-2-3 packs a day. Started quitting (on and off) about 3 yr ago with patches, started vaping 6 months ago, last analog 4 months ago. Woo hoo! Quit for health reasons - have COPD.