I rewrote and expanded "my vaping story" and submitted it to the CASAA as a "testimonial". I spent several hours putting it together and editing it, so I don't even feel bad if you feel obligated to read the whole thing. Dang, it's long! Here it is:
I'm 64 and have been retired for 4 years, since my 60th birthday in 2011. I smoked 50 to 60 cigarettes per day for 44 years. I had accepted that smoking was going to kill me. I've been diagnosed with COPD since 2005.
I tried vaping for the first time in early February 2013 after my little brother mentioned it to me and inspired me to check into it. Prior to that I knew absolutely nothing about vaping; I had never even seen an e-cigarette.
My first vaping gear was a pair of fixed voltage 650 mah Ego batteries, 1.2 ml disposable 2.4 ohm clearos and store-bought 24 mg/ml nicotine e-liquid. I ordered everything online from a single source after learning as much as I could about vaping by searching the Internet intensely for a day or two.
My initial vaping effort was short-lived and I went back to smoking in less than 24 hours. For the next two weeks, I contemplated the differences between smoking and vaping as I continued to smoke. I realized that there were things I could do to improve my vaping experience; things such as drawing more slowly, pressing the fire button a moment before I started drawing, releasing the power button before I'd completed my draw, and exhaling through my nose.
I tried vaping again on Feb 16 2013, and I have not smoked even one cigarette since then. I did not put a lot of pressure on myself to switch entirely to vaping. No one is more surprised than me that I have never had another cigarette. After about a month of vaping, I wasn't positive that I had kicked the habit but I was pretty sure.
My health, especially my lung function, has improved dramatically. My doctor is thrilled that I quit smoking.
For 5 weeks in 1988 I had stopped smoking using Nicorette nicotine gum. I was broody, moody and pretty agitated during that time and it was therefore quite a mental relief to resume smoking. Other than that, the only times since 1969 that I did not smoke were during two three-day hospital stays. One of those was for a smoking-related spontaneous right lung collapse in 2011. I resumed smoking as soon as I was discharged.
I've had the same primary care doctor for 27 years. He had become accustomed to me saying "when I'm dead" when he would ask "when are you going to quit smoking?"
Although COPD is a forever diagnosis, I no longer use Symbicort (or any other medication) for it, and it is SO much easier to breathe. My energy level has improved quite a bit too.
Within a few weeks I discovered the e-cigarette forum. I bought a couple of variable voltage Spinners and starting mixing my own e-liquid.
I continued at 22 to 24 mg/ml nicotine level for a year and half. Within 6 months of starting I was using larger capacity bottom coil clearos and variable voltage mods that used 18650 batteries.
Currently I use a variety of mods and the largest Aspire Nautilus and Kanger Subtank clearos. I build my own coils and use a variety of variable power box mods. I've been experimenting with various temperature control mods and temperature control coil wires but still (at the moment) tend to prefer a 0.3 to 1.0 ohm single Kanthal wire coil in the RBA head of my Kanger Subtank Plus. I use a CoilMaster to make 3.0 mm diameter coils and I use KGD or Muji cotton wicks. I had given up on coil building until I got the CoilMaster, at which point coil building became easy.
Even at low ohms, I am happy using just 10 to 14 watts of power except with temperature control mods and coils, with which I use 25 to 60 watts.
The idea of temperature control really appeals to me. I think it's the future of vaping, but I haven't yet found the right setup to make it as good a vape as I get with variable wattage and Kanthal coils.
I now mix my juice at 18 mg/ml nicotine level and feel no urgency whatsoever to reduce my nicotine level. Neither my doctor nor me feels that nicotine is in any way harmful to me. In my opinion, the fact that I started with 24 mg and now use 18 mg reflects greater vapor production from more sophisticated gear rather than an actual reduction in my nicotine intake. I average 5.0 ml per day of e-liquid consumption.
Four months ago my 50 year old next door neighbor quit his one pack per day smoking habit with gear that I gave to him eight months ago. Now, he neither smokes nor vapes. He feels like he has a new lease on life and he's excited about putting in new carpets and drapes now that he lives in a smoke-free house. The increase in his stamina and energy is obvious both to him and to everyone who knows him.
A geographically distant 55 year old friend in search of vaping knowledge contacted me through Facebook about 2 years ago. She has now been smoke free for over a year and a half, giving up a 35 year 2 pack per day habit thanks to vaping.
Through online groups, primarily the "e-cigarette forum", I've run into thousands of people who were able to successfully quit smoking by vaping. I sacrificed nothing when I replaced smoking with vaping. Rather, I found something better than smoking.
I had a miserable time quitting smoking also and dual used for many months. I'm in the camp with those that had to bump to 24mg to finally put them down. That only lasted about a month before I had to drop down. 
@ Kenna for biting them.
