What is an iCIG you ask? Well, it is the best thing since ice cream! This is not a "Quit Smoking Program" per se, although many who have switched have ended up becoming free from the addiction altogether. This is simply a GREENER and MORE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE. You can use this thing anytime and anywhere without breaking any laws.

Ok, I have been a smoker for over 20 years, and a heavy one at that! Due to health problems, I have tried various ways to quit throughout the years and have met with nothing but failure and frustration. Then one day, a friend told me about this device she came across at a fair... the iCIG, or electronic cigarette.

It's a really neat device actually. Did I "quit"? Some will say yes, others will say no. I still get the nicotine, but without the carcinogens from burning tobacco leaves or paper or glue or other junk used in making the cigarette. There's no smoke, it's cheaper, and I have been on it since 2:30pm November 12, 2008 with no issues. There's a battery, a vaporizer, and a cartridge. Very simple.

Rather than try to muddle through mechanics of how it works, let me first tell you what it has done for me (mechanics and other details can be found at www.theicig.net): Having been smoking for over 20 years, I was faced with a lot of problems. I have had severe asthma-related issues to the point I was getting severe (and worsening) bronchitis every year. I had trouble sleeping at night because I was choking and wheezing. Going to the doctor for regular tests to watch for developing emphysema (not to mention the ENDLESS lectures on the hazards of smoking from EVERYBODY). I was always late because I had to have a cigarette before I went somewhere. I missed out on a lot because I had to step outside for a smoke - and when I couldn't step out, I missed a lot because I was so stressed about trying to figure out when I could step away for a smoke! People wouldn't let me hold the baby because I just put out a cigarette and still stank. Strangers would glare at me if I lit-up anywhere within 50 feet of them. My teeth were turning brown again within 2 hours of brushing them. It took me 4 times as long to complete a task because I had to go have a smoke to think. I couldn't go up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I was miserable, yet didn't realize it because I was so dependent on cigarettes.

Having switched to the electronic cigarette (as I'm writing this, it has been 2 weeks), I had no idea just how miserable I was. After 2 weeks, I have gotten better rest at night. Well, my husband says that saying "better rest" indicates I was getting rest in the first place, and according to him I wasn't getting rest whereas now I am getting rest. I feel like my sleep is more productive, and I haven't woken up in the middle of the night choking and wheezing. I haven't needed to use my breathing medication in 2 weeks. My doctor says my breathing sounds better. Instead of lectures, I am getting praise and encouragement for my switch. I also did some math... at just over a pack a day I was spending 3 1/2 hours a day just puffing on a cigarette! That didn't include hang time before or after, that's just puffing alone! I have that time back now. I have more energy and a bounce in my step again. I'm not late anymore, and we all can smell the shampoo in my hair at the end of the day. My complexion is clearer and more glowing, and even though the scale still says "One at a time please" every time I step on it, people have been asking me if I have been losing weight. Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you I was a complete surrealistic nightmare without my cigarettes. Now, I remain tolerable and my "nic fits" are non-existent for the most part. I can taste my food again, and I can smell again too. I now know what I smelled like during and after a smoking session, and all I can say is "I'm so sorry to all I have tortured".

A part of me feels as if I quit because I feel phenominally healthier. A part of me feels as if I didn't quit because I still go through the action of "smoking" (minus the gross parts). I have this device that looks like a pen (nice and discreet) that I hold onto or have on my pocket (like a security blanket). Being ADHD, sometimes I just fiddle with it in my hand, and sometimes I just chew on the end of it. When I need a cigarette, I just take 2 or 3 puffs (instead of choking through 10) and I am good to go. The hand-to-mouth issue is resolved so I'm not feeding my face (hence the possible weight loss). I can have my "smoke" in the car on long drives or at the table right after dinner, because it's not smoke at all.... it's water vapor! My "smoking" sessions are a lot shorter, therefore less nicotine intake, and consequently substantially less costly! Talk about having your cake and eating it too!

Update:

It has been 2 years, and I'm still free of traditional cigarettes. I still use my iCIG, but I can be around other smokers with no problems. I didn't "quit"... I just "switched".

Website is at www.theicig.net

Social page and blogs are at www.icigonline.net

Myspace page is at www.myspace.com/theicig

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