I was the type of smoker that was always trying to quit. I tried numerous times over the years but nothing ever stuck. If I hadn't found my PV I imagine that I would still be in that cycle.
My main reasons for quitting were:
1) Health - I started waking up gasping for air but even before that I was trying to quit because I knew that it was a very unhealthy habit.
2) Cost - It coincided with the downturn of the economy which effected us greatly as well as the increase in taxes making the cost of my habit unjustifiable.
3) Smell - I hated the way the smoke clung to my hair, body, clothes, etc. So perhaps a bit of shame was there too but even if smoking was still widely accepted I would still hate the smell.
I wish I could remember where I first heard of ecigs. I think it might have been a banner ad but I'm not really sure. I googled ecigs and landed here. I'm so thankful that this forum was here.
To be honest, I wish I never got on that merry go round. Big
tobacco marketed to me when I was a teenager. If you are around my age or older, I'm sure you are familiar with Joe Camel and all of the insta gifts you got when you bought a pack of smokes. I was 15 and my room was full of cool lighters, coasters, playing cards, etc. with a picture of Joe Camel and a cig in his mouth. Then it was on to Marlboro's and saving my miles for even cooler gifts. Sad.
ETA: I hate Big
tobacco. I accept full responsibility for my choice in smoking but I hate that they marketed to me when I was young and impressionable. As I grew older and realized the full implications of smoking it was totally on me to quit or continue to smoke. I think that Big Tobacco started adding ingredients to cigs since I first started smoking to make it harder for a smoker to just put them down. I can't prove it and I might be completely wrong, but it just felt so much harder to go without a cigarette than when I was younger. I am very biased and not a Phillip Morris fan even though I was willingly a slave.