Smoking-ish

I'm a former smoker.  Throughout college, I smoked off and on.  After college, I began to smoke on a regular basis and quit any number of times over the years but I always went back.  It is safe to say that I was a smoker for at least 15 years, definitely more in terms of years but there were also huge lengths of time during those years that I didn't smoke at all.  On November 15, 2011, I smoked my last cigarette.  I haven't had a puff since and have no desire to do so. 

But I do miss the serene feeling I would get from inhaling, holding and then exhaling.  I've tried any number of ideas to get that feel.  Straws didn't work, a cigarette tube filled with cotton was wrong.  Lollipops couldn't cut it.  Taking a draw from a cigarette calmed me down.  It gave me a focus that wasn't on a building panic attack but was also mindless enough that it was easy and effortless.  I could fixate just enough on the repetitiveness of smoking to sort through some of the cycling thoughts messing with me. 

So, I was thrilled when I discovered that many electronic cigarettes (ecigs) are able to use nicotine-free cartridges or fluid.  You still get to inhale, hold and exhale but without the harmful nicotine, tar and other chemicals associated with regular cigarettes.  When you exhale, you exhale vapor that looks like smoke but doesn't smell. The tip glows when you inhale, just like a regular cigarette.  They are rechargeable and reusable.   And there are tons of yummy flavors. 

As a gift to myself, I used some of the money I got as gifts over the holidays and ordered a starter kit from Blu ecigs.  I did a great deal of research looking at all the different kinds of ecigs, cartridges and fluids.  Some looked very cheap.  Some had to arrive from China and carried a claim of "we usually don't have problems with customs, but...".  There were those with sketchy sounding ingredients and those that didn't have company information readily available.  Blu is a bit more expensive but I feel incredibly confident in their products and their company.  They look very cool and well-made and come in a hard pack that not only acts as a charger, but also protects the ecigs and the cartridges.  Plus, it comparable in size to a typical cigarette pack.

I cannot wait for my kit to arrive (and it should in 5-7 days).  I hope it works for me as I hope it will.  I really would like it to be a non-medical alternative to coping with some of my issues.  I know I will report back with how they do or don't work for me.  And if they don't work, I know some smokers and former smokers that I could gift.