There have been many success stories out there on how smokers were able to quit cigarettes. As of the last few years, a new alternative to smoking has come into play. This new alternative is vaping. And it works! There is no need to take my word for it, since vapers are very happy sharing their stories. One such outlet for them to do so is from the YouTube channel Vapers Helping Smokers to Quit, a project run by Dr. Christopher Russell at the Centre for Substance Use Research in the UK.
Neil Robinson, age 44, from North Lincolnshire, England is one of these success stories and he shares how he was able to quit smoking for good.
He was a smoker for 26 years. He started at the early age of 15 years old. He went through various different brands of cigarettes, but his favorite was Marlboro Reds. As time went on he realized the financial burden purchasing cigarettes had on him; so he started to roll his own cigarettes from a large bag of straight tobacco. That went on for several years. It was not until he was shopping one day when he came across a cig-a-like device on the shelves. His wife was with him at the time and pleaded with him to give it a shot. He did not. But as he puts it, “The seed was planted.” He had never heard of e-cigarettes before until he actually came across them on his own.
It was not long after that he did some research. He went to Google, did a search and learned more about e-cigarettes on his own. He joined some chat groups and spoke with many people who use them. He was so surprised on the positive feedback he received from these people, that he made his first online purchase of a starter-kit. The rest is history. The pen-style device that he purchased worked for him. He was content with the nicotine intake and the vapor production that mimicked that of traditional cigarette.
The most amazing part of the story in my opinion is that, he says, from the moment he filled the tank with e-juice and took his first draw, he NEVER went back to cigarettes. He knew from that moment he found something that was going to end his desire and craving for smokes.
Since his initial purchase of the starter-kit, he has moved on to “bigger and better” things. He delved deeper into the vape world and found that there were an array of other types of vape devices. From a pen-style starter kit, he moved on to a box mod. Box mods are a little bit more of an advanced device compared to a typical beginner device. He found a device that was more suitable for him as he gained more experience vaping.
He recommends going to your local vape shop for advice. They won’t steer you wrong, as long as it’s a reputable place. There, they can help find a device, tank and e-juice that fits your experience level. This is exactly what he and countless other people do when they are transitioning from smoking to vaping. In fact, that is what I did when I first started vaping. It is the best first step in learning about vaping from experienced vapers themselves.
It has now been three years smoke-free for Neil! It was vaping that ultimately was the driving force to kick the smoke sticks.
Neil explains his story in the video below.
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