Younger Members -- 18 - 54

[ChaosTheory]

I thought the older people thread was pretty awesome and really interesting to read. Being 28, I didn't want to post there out of a sign of respect but I did enjoy reading through a lot of the posts. I started smokin' when I was about 14 on and off, then when I started drinkin' developed a two-three pack a day habit. rolled my own cigarettes when I was travelling. Got it down to around a pack day for the past 6 years.

Becoming a cyclist, it started gettin' very difficult to keep up. I got a trek 2.1 that I destroyed my credit card on a few years ago and I wanted to be able to actually enjoy cycling without struggling to breathe. My girlfriend would wake me up in the middle of the night and tell me that I was weezing and not breathing for gaping periods of time. Finally weirded me out enough so I decided to quit this new years. In three weeks time I have coughed up copious amounts of tar.. it's all gone now.. and so is my weezing. I still fear I may of did some permanent damage but I keep a close eye on it. I'm totally thankful I switched to ecigs before it got too bad.

I basically want to extend my gratitude that I get to be a part of a younger generation that has this option. My great uncle who died of lung complications didn't get that opportunity, which sucks. Glad folks from the older generations are taking heed to this amazing, revolutionary invention.

If you're young and you smoke, I would give it some serious thought to quit smoking by switching to vaping... I know this is anecdotal, but it has done wonders for me in a very short amount of time. Kick it before it's too late, let the cilia in your lungs grow back and start recovering. To this date there is nothing more effective than ecigs, plus I think it's pretty cool.

cheers,

 

[Dougiestyle]

Nice post, ChaosTheory. Although, young is a relative term (I'm 38), I like the idea of this thread.

I began vaping in Feb 2011. I started because I was starting to acknowledge the physical effects of over 25 years of smoking. I began roughly around 13 to be cool.
In August of 2010 I met the love of my life. I began staying over at her house occaisionally. On certain nights in January I would forego putting clothes on, walking downstairs and outside for a smoke. After only 2 weeks of this I started to notice the stench of tar and cigarette smoke outside her bedroom in the upstairs hall. I was embarrassed.
About that time, I had asked her to inquire of her 2 boys who still lived at home if they had any questions or concerns about my overnight visits and how they felt about it. I was the first real boyfriend she had in over 7 years after the passing of her late husband (God rest his soul). The only complaint at that time was when the youngest son said, "I don't like it that he smokes inside sometimes." -That sealed my decision. My embarrassment and the knowledge of someone else's discomfort.
I had sampled an e-cig at the vendor at the mall, but knew they couldn't be as grand as his description. I did my homework via Google, whiach brought me here. I was familiar with the site layout from another forum I frquent that is served by Vbulletin, so I searched and lurked for a week before joining. I made my first purchase and eagerly awaited my first PV.
The eGo-type PV got here and I was sold. It took me about 2 weeks to taper off analogs. I was down to 2-5/day by the end of the 1st week vaping.
I must say I always tried to be a respectful, considerate smoker, but never realized until recently that no matter how hard I tried, I was a smelly ....! Jeez I can smell a smoker from 20 feet, now haha! My health has improved. I can fully breathe. Love life is top notch with better stamina and I don't have to put on clothes, go downstairs and outside anymore!
I am grateful for all the support and knowledge here, at ECF. I will continue to do all I can to help others and inform the general public about our little niche.

Happy vaping!

 

[Della Cirque]

I think the older people thread is great too, and also have not commented there out of respect. At 39 I don't feel so young anymore, but I do feel younger than I did 6 months ago, when walking to the mailbox had me wheezing.
Started smoking at 16. Almost immediately was a PAD smoker. Tried to quit every year since I was 25 or so. Patches, gum, cold turkey....nothing worked. I remember digging through my trashcans to find a smokable ...., then running to the closest store for just one more pack, over & over.
2010 I became very ill and after numerous spinal taps and finally brain surgery I am on the mend. However, I still have to have back surgery in September. My surgeon told me to quit smoking before the brain surgery and I didn't. He has since told me that the first surgery was a cake walk compared to what he has to do to my spine. I knew I wanted to quit, especially after knowing it will help me heal. I googled e cig and started vaping with a Blu, then found ECF and moved on to bigger and better toys. I can thankfully say that I have been cigarette free for 5 months now and can not even imagine putting a stinky cigarette in my mouth again. YUCK! Can't find words to say how grateful I am for the folks on ECF.(...and Rob, maker of my REOs for making vaping hassle free.)

 

[TheSneakerHoarder]

29 here. Started smoking when I was12. Told myself at 21 I would quit by age 30. Just had an urge to try vaping last month and now I beat my deadline by a year.

Vaping is just so tasty.

 

[Sundrinkr]

I love vaping and I'm just fittin' in here at 53 lol. Pretty soon I'll have to go to the old folks room. I started smoking at 12 (actually had my first cigarette at age 7) and continued to smoke until this past August. Ah, gotta love being Kool - NOT! American cigs were tearing me up and I was close to being classified with emphysema. I say american cigs because I smoked mexican cigs for awhile as a youth. Opened one up when I was coming back to the states only to find pieces of plastic, wood chips, and who knows what in it. I'll never know what that did to my lungs. I love vaping. Started with an apollo, and then also moved to bigger and different stuff. I still like that little apollo though and use it sometimes with their 0 nic cartomizers. I've just really started getting in to diy and am adding some of my less liked juices with other flavors to use them up. And yeah, I agree with Dougiestyle about how bad smokers smell. I am truly embarrassed that family members and others would have to hug me with that stink all over me. Oh, did I mention I love vaping?

Hey Dougie -- have you always lived in K-town?

 

[Baldr]

I fit in with the young group? OMG! Apparently vaping has turned me into a youngster!

 

[510_virgin]

Turned 40 in Sept. Damn that reads worst than it sounds!

I started smoking at 11-12, who the hell knows why but everyone was doing it, from my parents to my friends. Made a half ... attempt to quit when my daughter was born 11 years ago, mainly for other people. I actually went 10 months smoke free in 2009 using Hypno-Therapy...ended up on all types of anxiety drugs and anti-depressants just to get through the day. Ended up at the ECF looking up alternatives to smoking and bought a Joye 510...wow...what a fricken hassle that thing was. That just led back to smoking again.

About 2 weeks ago I come back to the ECF and am totally amazed to see how far the gear has come in the last 2 years.

I bought the Provari with the Mom & Pop Mini-Sub tank and I have to say....i never imagined it could be this easy.



Well, it's been one whole day. Feeling great. Tomorrow is another day.


Good Luck Everyone!

 

[deluxe]

I LOVE this thread! LOL I'm 52 and I'm a "younger person" woo hooooo!
Tobacco free for 3 months and loving it - after way too many years of smoking and living with all the gross and sometimes scary by-products of it... my hair smells good, I never cough, I just feel good

 

[Cheechako]

At the big 50 and have been smoking for 30+ years, same as most of you, went nuts trying to quit. Hypno-therapy, gum, patches and cold turkey.
None of them worked, weak I guess! Tried vaping and what a change! It's only been about 2 weeks, but I don't miss the analogs.
My wife quit cold turkey a few years ago, I feel sorry for her having to put up with the stink all this time, God bless her.
Lungs feel better and smokers stink from a mile away

 

[Bawn]

27 here quit analogs 3 months ago and never looked back. started when i was 15

 

[bobthesalesclerk]

25 here

I started smoking when i was 10 and was a PAD once i hit 11. I love vaping. I tried to quit so many times but it was difficult. Almost all of my friends smoke.

I...like the OP..am an avid cyclist and since i started vaping again i am no longer fighting for breath as i race through the city.

sent from my Ice Cream Sandwiched Gtablet

 

[Sundrinkr]

At the big 50 and have been smoking for 30+ years, same as most of you, went nuts trying to quit. Hypno-therapy, gum, patches and cold turkey.
None of them worked, weak I guess! Tried vaping and what a change! It's only been about 2 weeks, but I don't miss the analogs.
My wife quit cold turkey a few years ago, I feel sorry for her having to put up with the stink all this time, God bless her.
Lungs feel better and smokers stink from a mile away

NOT weak. The other products just didn't work for you. Just like they didn't work for the rest of us! Kudos!

 

[AshleyNonSmokie]

I'm 32 and started smoking when I was 15. I was a pad smoker for 17 years. I struggled to quit cold turkey while I was pregnant with my two sons who are now 13 and 10. I had tried patches, lozenges, chantix, and cold turkey to quit. Nothing worked for more than a few weeks, and I was miserable the entire time. I went though the same stinky cig .... search as another poster in this thread when trying to go cold turkey. I would be so embarrassed and disappointed in myself when I would break down and drive my sorry self to the store anyways. Many times I would feel like a total loser when someone would tell me how so and so was so awesome for quitting cold turkey. I just could not do it.

I have been vaping exclusively for 1 month and 20 days or so. My husband and I got our first 808 kit right after Thanksgiving day 2011. I am so thankful to our friend who suggested that we try it since he had been so successful getting of the stinkes with his PV. Since joining ECF I have learned so much and have upgraded my kit to a SE Riva 750mah, found some awesome vendors and saved a bunch of money! I love all of the 510 threaded options and believe that the fiddle and hobby factor has helped me to keep away from the cigs

I love it!!! This is a nice thread. I love hearing other vaper background stories!

 

[Semiretired]

I thought the older people thread

What do you mean - "Older People"??? LOL

 

[washvap]

I'm 31 and started smoking at the age of 10. Decided to quit before anything serious happened. Glad that I did.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

38 here, love that I'm getting to interact with people of all ages in the vaping community. Most of the people I've worked on converting (family and friends) are older than I am, and I've been discussing their smoking habits in effort to come up with the best custom e-juices for them (specific tobacco flavor requirements). I've learned more about tobacco products then I ever knew when I used them.

Smoked clove cigarettes exclusively for 15 years... sometimes I wasn't a heavy smoker, but I was a daily smoker and tried to kid myself that I only did it occasionally.

 

[AzIrish]

Good thread I have enjoyed the other post. I'm 37 and stared smoking at 16 when I bought my first motorcycle. I was a bad ... and had to smoke. I have been cigaret free for 98 days now. I quit the day I got my first egon kit.

Sent from my MOTWX435KT using Tapatalk

 

[TomCatt]

Hey everyone!

In a couple of months I'll be 47. I didn't start smoking until I was 21. I was dating my first wife-to-be and she was a smoker. My whole family were smokers when I was growing up and I had no desire to smoke (tried it a few times). But I told my girlfriend that either she had to quit or I was going to start. Needless to say she didn't and I did. Yeah, I know, I showed her, huh?

I didn't even consider quitting until maybe 5 years ago. Tried the patches - just made me hyper and nauseous, tried the gum - no help at all, Zyban - nada, one of those group hypnosis sessions - zip. Last quit attempt was cold turkey. After two days of that the 2nd wife said to either start smoking again or leave ; I figured I'd start smoking again.

At the beginning of last year I noticed the 21st Century Smoking kits at the store where I bought our cigs. Thought hey check that out! Bought a kit and a carton. Over the following three or four weeks I cut down from a pack and a half a day to 5 cigs a day. Couldn't get rid of those though. I found ECF and ordered a 510 kit and some juices. Still smoked some cigs for a week or so. Then just decided to take the plunge. I had a bit of trouble the second day without cigs; but since then, no problems at all. The wife is still smoking, although she has tried the 510 a couple of times over the past year. Before finding ecigs, if I went more than 2 or 3 hours without a smoke, I'd be climbing the walls.




Sent from my iPod touch using Tapa-tapa-tapa-tapatalk

 

[CayCay]

I'm 30 years old and I smoked my first cig at 15. I eventually smoked a pack of marlboro lights a day with an occasional red or menthol for a change. So a pack a day (or more for those wilder nights) for 15 years.

I started vaping in Oct. of 2011 when my dad started fighting cancer (he won). He quit cold turkey and I didn't want to smell like an ashtray around him.

 

[iKN0WaGH0ST]

Hmm, I guess I'm the youngest one [so far]. 21 here, started when I was 16. So 1 PAD smoker for 5 years. Tried to quit 3 times before using gum and patches, but I never could get past the psychological addiction, so here I am. Over a month smoke free, 2 weeks into the insanity program, and in the best shape of my life.