I vape, but that is not how I started. I was a pack-a-day smoker for over 16 years. Starting smoking was the most idiotic thing I could have ever done, but 17 year-old me didn't see it that way. Over those 16 years, I attempted to quit smoking a number of times using any and all method available to me. Gum? Yes. Lozenges? Yes. Cold turkey? A ton of times. Hypnotism? Sadly, yes. Chantix? Yes, and it worked very well for the 3 months you are told to take it. Nothing stuck for longer than 4 months. The last time I attempted to quit smoking, I decided I try an e-cig. The first one I got was some cheapo disposable one I bought at a gas station. That was horrible and didn't work at all. Then I attempted again and actually went to a vape store to get a decent rechargeable starter pack. That is what finally got me away from cigarettes. That purchase was in March, 2014. I have not touched a cigarette since and have no intention of ever touching one again. I no longer use a starter pack e-cig, but I now have my own rebuildable atomizer that I build my own coils out of materials I know come from reputable sources. I make my own juice that I know uses only ingredients that are USP approved (I don't care about the FDA bureaucracy). I have reduced my nicotine intake by 66% from when I started vaping and I'm still reducing it closer and closer to 0, though not as rapidly as I reduced it in the beginning. Do I think that vaping is healthy? Hell no. Introducing anything other than air into your lungs isn't a smart idea, but I do know from personal experience that it is better than smoking cigarettes. I no longer wake up in the morning and have to cough up half a lung to be able to breathe. I no longer get "mysterious" upper respiratory issues every few months. My clothes no longer smell like an ashtray, and I can actually taste food again. Vaping has worked for me, but not for everybody. I don't suggest anybody should start vaping or smoking just because they think it is cool or because everybody else is doing it, just stay away from nicotine altogether.