I started smoking when I was very young, 14 years old. I grew up in a very small town, 20 minutes from an Indian reservation. I could buy a carton of cigarettes for 20 dollars and be set for two weeks to a month. I smoked very seldom when I was young, but my addiction grew worse as I grew up.

I quit just before I turned 20, my uncle had bought me my first vape, and the rest is history. I've fallen off the wagon once or twice, as anyone else will, and I still might have one when I've had a few drinks. But 99.9 percent of the time, I am cigarette free.

It's 2016 now, I'm committing to never having another cigarette again. I haven't felt better in years. I can breathe deeply, I don't wake up with coughing fits, and I don't smell (maybe like fruit or something but not smoke). And I owe all that to electronic cigarettes.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Electronic Cigarettes, (aka E-cigs, or Vapes). You've probably seen articles or news stories on these new-fangled devices that people are using to quit smoking cigarettes. These stories/articles tend to lean one of two ways, praising the devices, or claiming they will be the death of us all.

What is an electronic cigarette? In its simplest form, it is a device, powered by a removable, or internal battery. That device is attached to an atomizer, which holds three things, a coil, wicking material, and e-juice. You active the device (often called a mod), and it puts power through to the atomizer, which heats the coil and turns the juice into a vapor.

So what's the deal with these things? If you've ever known someone who smoked cigarettes at one point or another, you might have an idea of just how hard it is to kick that habit. Cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals and additives, many of which (not just nicotine) contribute to one's cigarette addiction. There are hundreds of smoking cessation tools available to the public, patches, gums, even hypnotherapy. But electronic cigarettes have seen the highest success rate of any smoking cessation method. They allow a person to get the nicotine their body desires, in a way that feels familiar and allows them to lower than nicotine dosage over time.

I'm sure you've heard that the juice for e-cigs contains a variety of things, ranging from anti-freeze to formaldehyde. But in general, most any e-juice you will see contains four chemicals only. Propylene Glycol, Vegetable Glycerin, Nicotine, and Natural/Artificial flavorings. Propylene Glycol is used as a base for a variety of things, flavor syrups for coffee, liquid sweeteners, nasal sprays, and the flavorings that are used in e-juice. Vegetable glycerin is used in a lot of food products due to its sweet taste. The only questionable chemical in e-juice is Diacetyl, which is used in some flavorings to provide a creamy or buttery flavor. Most juice companies are aware of this and steer clear of flavorings containing Diacetyl. I've provided an excellent video on this topic.

Onto nicotine, so here's the deal with this stuff. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. People often think nicotine is the deadliest substance ever created, and that it sucks you in, it rots your lungs out and it tears families apart. Here's the real deal. Nicotine is addictive, however, it isn't the most deadly part of the cigarette. Nicotine is a stimulant, it has very similar effects to caffeine actually, it's just not great for the heart.

This is a wonderful and ever-expanding industry that it working to, essentially, save lives. Due to it's overwhelming success, however, Big-Tobacco, and the federal government are both starting to realize that they're losing money (cigarette sales, tobacco taxes), and want to begin regulating. Vapers support regulation, to an extent. We are for protecting children from this stuff, making sure that juices are created in a sanitary environment, making sure that devices are safe. We are not in favor of the government's ideas for taxing juices (55 cents per milliliter?), or stopping innovation in vapor products.

They are trying to kill a billion dollar industry because they are losing money that was once gained from the deaths of millions. There are plenty of organizations fighting to stop these regulations. If you want to help out, join the communities.

If you are interested in using e-cigs to quit smoking, there are hundreds of resources online to look into for help.

And here are some other YouTubers that review e-cigs, provide information and are just knowledgeable about E-Cigs.