Testimonials
Real People. Real Stories.
The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) is collecting successful vape stories and testimonials from smokers who used smoke-free alternatives to quit or reduce their smoking. The testimonials are posted publicly on our website for everyone to see, and may be sent to lawmakers to fight anti-vaping legislation.
This public collection of successful vape stories is a powerful response to those who want to restrict access to e-cigarettes and other smoke-free products. Our goal is to present a large collection of compelling individual reports that will make it impossible for anyone to claim that substitution of low-risk alternatives (e-cigarettes, snus, and other smoke-free tobacco/nicotine products) is not a proven method for quitting smoking.
You are free to write your own story and include or exclude any details as you like. However, if you would like a few suggestions, below is a list of questions to consider:
- How long did you smoke?
- How long ago did you start using a smoke-free alternative?
- Exactly what type of smoke-free products do you use (please do not include company/brand names), and has this changed over time?
- Do you still smoke, and if so how much have you cut down?
- Did you both smoke and use the smoke-free product for a time before quitting smoking entirely (if so, how long?), or did you switch immediately? Did you stop tobacco/nicotine entirely for a while and then start using a low-risk alternative?
- What methods (NRT, Chantix, counseling, etc.) did you use to try to quit smoking before switching to a smoke-free alternative? How long were you able to go without smoking using these other methods before starting again?
- What changes in the quality of your life (both positive and negative) have you noticed since adopting the smoke-free alternative?
You may prefer to write your story in a word processor and paste it here. You need to enter your entire story at once – you cannot start it and come back. There is no maximum length. Please remember that by submitting this, you are agreeing to have it posted online.
Required
Name | Testimonial | Information | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jay | I have smoked 2 packs a day, sometimes 3 packs a day for most of the last 30 years since I was in high school… been struggling to cut back, my new wife … I have smoked 2 packs a day, sometimes 3 packs a day for most of the last 30 years since I was in high school… been struggling to cut back, my new wife prefers that I vape. I’m 44 but I’m good health, go to the gym etc. So far I found that if I use about 25mg Vape Salts, at around 8oz of vape Juice a day in a 2ML container, I only need about 1200 or so puffs a day – I started 4 weeks ago, sometimes I puff more like 1500 puffs a day, or 2000 on stressful days ? I really like vanilla and cinnamon and other creamy flavors as well as mint! Love menthols too! I’m still smoking maybe half a pack of regular cigarettes a day on weekdays and pack a day on weekends + the 1200-1500 vapes Fwiw my 14 year old daughter vapes , because she lives with her mom who is a heavy smoker and she let her start smoking cigarettes back during Covid lockdown and she got addicted and was smoking a pack a day – no mw she smokes about 600 puffs a day of a 20 ml vape juice that she wanted me to try! No I am not encouraging youth vaping! I’m just saying that since my ex decided to let our teenage daughter vape … and she has full custody… my daughter encouraged me to try it because she saw how bad smoking has been damaging my lungs after 30 years of chain smoking I really want to maybe someday be completely cigarette free! I don’t care how much I have to vape or what stuff I have to vape to get there! But I’m gonna keep trying to smoke fewer cigarettes! Even if I need to vape more!? Any suggestions from other heavy smokers , like 2-3 packs a day on what strength ml or nic salts or how many oz of vape fluid you needed to feel good? Thank you again for helping all of us try to be a little healthier! I’m trying !
| Less than 1 year 09/23/24 | |||
JimmyJawn215 | Today, as a recovering dope user, I am the ‘boots on the ground’ of the absolute mess that politicians have made by waging an unwinnable war on drugs. You know my struggle. Life … Today, as a recovering dope user, I am the ‘boots on the ground’ of the absolute mess that politicians have made by waging an unwinnable war on drugs. You know my struggle. Life without dope is one thing, but nicotine is the single most difficult chemical dependency that Americans have dealt with in the history of people ingesting chemicals for their effects. I was hopeless in my fight with cigarettes. Well guess what? I quit cigarettes July 17th, & transitioned to vaping. In 3 months time, I managed to go from 25mg/ml nicotine e-vape liquid and taper down to 0mg/ml nicotine e-vape liquid. I’ve been smoke & vape free since. There is absolutely nothing this bill helps except big tobacco companies & the pharmaceutical industry in dealing with the dead or dying directly linked to nicotine use and cigarette smoking
| Less than 1 year 09/23/24 | |||
Kory | I was a two pack a day smoker. I first learned about vapes in Phoenix Arizona on a vacation. I will never smoke a combustible cigarette again. | 6-10 years 09/23/24 | |||
Anonymous | Name: Patricia O’Bryan I have smoked cigarettes most of my adult life (now 67 years of age – not a teenager), I have not smoked cigarettes for about 5 years now. My health … Name: Patricia O’Bryan I have smoked cigarettes most of my adult life (now 67 years of age – not a teenager), I have not smoked cigarettes for about 5 years now. My health etc, etc has improved. Vaping has certainly not harmed me, quite the opposite, my all over health has improved greatly. I did this by using vapes as a quitting aid. Other quit smoking methods did not work for me, vaping did work. I also like vaping recreationally as I once smoked recreationally. My preferred flavours are orange/lemon and a coffee, all zero nicotine. The bans will affect me by stopping my supply of flavoured e-liquid, (used to remain smoke-free) excellent hardware (all aspects), and the fact that my Vape shop will have to close while the black market continues. The Black Market where unregulated e-cigarettes (disposables) will still be able to be easily accessed by under 18’s.
| 09/23/24 | |||
Anonymous | I will be 68 soon and have smoked cigs since I was 14. Nothing helped me to quit then I tried vaping. It’s been about 4 years now and I do still have … I will be 68 soon and have smoked cigs since I was 14. Nothing helped me to quit then I tried vaping. It’s been about 4 years now and I do still have a cig on occasion, but I’m not smoking my lungs out anymore and I feel better no more sinus infections no coughing. I hope more people find their way to vaping as I feel it’s way better than the alternative.
| 09/23/24 | |||
Anonymous | First I’m going to let it be known I suffer from scleroderma. I had been smoking 30 plus years, started in my teens and tried to quit but never really could for longer … First I’m going to let it be known I suffer from scleroderma. I had been smoking 30 plus years, started in my teens and tried to quit but never really could for longer than a few months max. So I never thought I would be able to. Lost most my finger tips to poor blood circulation and stated by my doctors that cigarettes were the leading cause of that. My sister got me a disposable about a year and a half ago and I smoked that for a week before I decided to go all in and buy me a pod device. Since I made that decision to start with the pods and dessert flavors. I haven’t looked back and quit cigarettes completely and never want to go back to them again. I’ve noticed a difference since I quit cigarettes. My shortness of breath has disappeared, my throat doesn’t hurt and all around I feel better. Vaping has helped me quit cigarettes and feel a lot better.
| 09/23/24 | |||
sara22au | I began smoking when I was 14, and quit entirely when I was 44. I began vaping in 2010, using the good old 510s with the .2ml atomisers. Nic delivery was poor, and … I began smoking when I was 14, and quit entirely when I was 44. I began vaping in 2010, using the good old 510s with the .2ml atomisers. Nic delivery was poor, and battery life was atrocious! Given I had attempted to quit multiple times before, using hypnosis, NRT ( gym, lozenge and inhaler) without any success, I had quit quitting, and began dual using with the aim of cutting down only. Luckily, vaping products were undergoing rapid development, withing 4 years the different types of vapes, as well as their ability to provide nic grew exponentially. I moved to sub ohm tanks, and then onto mods…I currently use a variety of mods and tanks, as well as rebuildables. I dual used for the first 4 years, but during that time, with the improvement in vape products, as well as cutting down to 3 cigs a day from 2013-2014, I woke up one morning, lit up, took a puff, and put it out….and quit mid pack! There was no stress, no desire to return to smoking, no picking up other habits or lifestyle changes…I just quit. It had taken me that long to get a vape that delivered my NIC, adapted to the different method of delivery, and preferred vaping. I still have that half a pack of ciggies somewhere too! I’m an accidental quitter, a term that only applies to those of us who started vaping with no intention of quitting smoking. And vaping is the ONLY form of NRT replacement that this happens on. Although we know that dual use istill incurs the equivalent damage that just smoking does, it shouldn’t be discouraged, as vaping does require a fair bit of experimentation to find what’s suitable for you. I still vape, and even with these draconian and hypocritical incoming laws in Australia, will continue to do so. I brew my own juice, can build coils ( if I have to, I’d rather just buy them lol), and am on 3% nic. I have no desire to smoke, ever again, nor any desire to be forced into a higher NIC lvl by uninformed government. Its a bit hard for me to be able to isolate positives and negatives, as I was also developing MECFS over the same time, finally diagnosed in 2016. So aside from health, the obvious one is cost. Now on disability pension, and often housebound, ciggies are beyond what I could afford, even if I did want to smoke. As a scientist, both career ( no longer employed due to MECFS)and nature, I have researched vaping since before I started, and there is absolutely nothing in any literature that makes me question my decision. I do weep for my profession though, the amount of dodgy science out there now ( began late 2000s, across multiple fields, and has increased dramatically) has muddied the vaping industry and users to the point of banning a safer option while cigs are still available everywhere. I vape. And will continue to vape.
| 09/23/24 | |||
Ronnie | I stopped smoking after 50 YEARS through vaping. I had tried patches, gums, pills, psychological, and other things. The only thing that worked was vaping. I have now been smoke free for a … I stopped smoking after 50 YEARS through vaping. I had tried patches, gums, pills, psychological, and other things. The only thing that worked was vaping. I have now been smoke free for a little over a year now. Vaping saved my life. If you would like any more information please contact me.
| 2-5 years 09/23/24 | |||
Leatherman | Currently the TV and NEWS are pushing nicotine gum and lozenges as a way to reduce nicotine consumption. Slamming VAPING as bad with no proof. Why are they allowed to put out these … Currently the TV and NEWS are pushing nicotine gum and lozenges as a way to reduce nicotine consumption. Slamming VAPING as bad with no proof. Why are they allowed to put out these erroneous claims. I’ve been Vaping now for over 12 years. I started vaping to quit smoking. I started at 24mg vaping juice and now am down to 3mg vaping liquid. I don’t have cravings like I did when I smoked cigarettes (1-1/2 packs a day) but still like the addiction of nicotine. However I only vape a few times a day instead of constantly like I did when smoking cigarettes. My breathing is better, I’m not as jittery, my clothes, breath and house no longer stink of nicotine and I don’t have to spit out gum or chew candy for a nicotine fix. I don’t have cravings anymore and my health has greatly improved!!
| 11+ years 09/23/24 | |||
Anonymous | Hello, to Whom this May Concern, My name is Tony. 34 year old, Italian/German American. Born in Philadelphia, PA USA. I started vaping 4 years ago. I bought a Juul type device. After … Hello, to Whom this May Concern, My name is Tony. 34 year old, Italian/German American. Born in Philadelphia, PA USA. I started vaping 4 years ago. I bought a Juul type device. After two weeks of using it, I completely stopped smoking cigarettes. I was 30 years old at the time. After a couple months, I noticed my sense of smell improved dramatically! I could breath much deeper. I have not had one cold since. I never cough now. I never have congestion now. Four years have gone by now and I have not been sick, not even once, since I quit smoking. Back when I smoked, I couldn’t go more than a few months without a sore throat or some kind of cold. So after the first couple months of vaping, I bought a small regulated box mod, a Voopoo Drag 2 Mini. It was larger than the Ziip/Juul, it had a screen, and a sub-ohm tank on top. It was $20 and I could do much more with it. The experience was much different and I was even more intrigued by it and wanted to learn more. I started smoking in college. I was approximately 21 or 22 when I started smoking full time, and smoked anywhere from 10-20 cigarettes a day until I was 30. I also committed to opioid recovery at the same time. I have been clean from IV heroin use, and all other illicit substances for the last four year. I quit smoking shortly after I quit doing heroin. In my early 20s, I was in a motorcycle accident. I got hooked on painkiller pills, and my addiction progressed from there. I have been in jails, rehabs, homeless, overdoses.. I was living on the streets of Philadelphia in Kensington, and yet I’m actually a Temple University graduate, with a Bachelor’s degree in cinematography. With opioids, it doesn’t matter what kind of life you’ve lived up until then. Everyone is at risk for the worse once physically addicted. It is an addiction that makes ‘nicotine addiction’ laughable. It’s a walk in the park quitting nicotine compared to an opiate. Eventually, I got off probation, and I moved out of my home state. I have a supportive family. I started working full time again. All these things have helped keep me on the right track to living right again. However, I can’t ignore how much vaping actually played a strong role in my success. Instead of 12 Step Programs like AA and NA, I turned my focus to vaping, as sort of a hobby. I often dive deep into my hobbies. It started with skateboarding, went to music, playing guitar, being in a band, making narrative films, tinkering with old mopeds, interests in cars, sports, art, etc.. So, during COVID, vaping was a great interest to develop upon because it was something you could learn about by yourself within the comfort of your home. Now, I know many people who have taken this route. They are in recovery and sought refuge in vaping as a means to focus their attention into something relatively productive and much less harmful than smoking or using drugs. I learned all about the technology, the various styles, designs, and artist merits behind these products. The flavors were enticing as well. I could then have different flavors designated to different devices and see how they compare. There is so much to learn about. There are so many combinations and options available. It isn’t as simple and boring as just smoking one cigarette brand or another. I learned how to make my own coils, and wicking my own atomizers, which saves me more money and gave me a sense of progress and accomplishment. Now, I have my own Youtube channel about vaping with almost a thousand subscribers. The viewers often comment how much my content has helped them learn, gave them a sense of entertainment, and some have even explained that it’s helping them stay clean, feeling like they are not alone in their similar journey. This give me a nice sense of purpose, that I am doing something constructive, helping people learn more about the products and how they are best used and which companies make the best gear. I feel like my opinions are appreciated and overall, I can’t stress enough how much vaping has helped me in this journey to live a healthy, happy, and meaningful life again without drug use. Please, understand that the American people have the right to this. We have the right to the things that help us better our personal lives, which imposes no harm to anyone else. These products are for adults, the same way cotton candy flavored vodka is.. It is all to be used responsibly and in moderation. Vaping is an industry that promotes a healthy alternative to smoking. It creates jobs. It is an artistic outlet. There are so many positives to it. Please try to see them and understand, prohibition doesn’t work. There must be a way where everyone can find value and provide from this technological innovation. It should be utilized, not nullified. Thank You, Sincerely, – Anthony Sarandrea ( xxxx xxx xxx ) xxx xxx xxxx
| 09/23/24 | |||
Nick | Smoked for 30 plus years. Tried patches etc. Did not work… started vaping flavours… stopped smoking tobacco thanks to vaping… if flavours are eliminated then I will go back to smoking… if that … Smoked for 30 plus years. Tried patches etc. Did not work… started vaping flavours… stopped smoking tobacco thanks to vaping… if flavours are eliminated then I will go back to smoking… if that happens my family will thank you at my funeral.. tobacco kills and vaping saves lives
| 2-5 years 09/23/24 | |||
Anonymous | I had been smoking for over 30 years and 2 packs a day last 10 yrs. At this point I was tired of smoking and tried to quit many many times using any … I had been smoking for over 30 years and 2 packs a day last 10 yrs. At this point I was tired of smoking and tried to quit many many times using any product I could find, including cold turkey, many times with no success. I realized it was hopeless that all the products they had out like the gum and patch strategically had less nicotine than cigarettes and could not satisfy enough and that’s why I kept failing. Until I found vaping and did some research and then purchased some products. Within 2 weeks I never smoked another cigarette, it’s been 6 years now and don’t plan on going back. First thing I noticed was that the nicotine level was equal to a cigarette so it sustained me enough to switch. Then after 2 weeks I noticed my breathing was getting better as well as my coughing and other things that are associated with smoking. There was a little adjustment to the flavor, let’s face it nothing taste like a cigarette but a cigarette but they have liquids out there that come close. I found a flavor that I liked very much and that became my main vape while trying new flavors each month. I use the product the way I smoked basically but I actually think I vape less but I feel better as well because I’m not sucking smoke into my lungs as well as over 6,000 chemicals that cause cancer and a lot of other health problems that vaping doesn’t cause. The big tobacco CO’s couldn’t have that so they made a plan to get rid of vaping or put so many restrictions on vaping until companies had to go out of business OR SELL their companies to big tobacco, which a lot of them did. They focused on teen vaping and made it seem like this was the first time in history that teens were being exploited and if something wasn’t done all teens would be corrupted forever. They forgot about Alcohol, Pills, Marijuana and oh yeah Cigarettes. Since the beginning kids have been experimenting and using anything that comes out for adults only and still do. I have never seen a campaign against any of the above mentioned products except cigarettes and teen smoking campaigns were never at the level of Vaping. Nobody has really informed the public of how beneficial vaping is to this world! The fact that it would abolish smoking altogether. How many lives it would save each year and all the money it would save on medical bills. It definitely saved my life. It’s a shame that this society does not care about human life as much as they care about money. I hope that at least 1 smoker reads this and does a little research and experiment with vaping. There are a lot of different product types and be a little confusing if your new to it but the important thing to know is that it works. Honestly you will still be addicted to the same nicotine that’s in a cigarette but without the 6,000 chemicals that are killing you now. Teens are always looking for new ways to get a buzz or high and never follow the directions and we’re getting sick because they were over dosing, using way too much sometimes puffing on 2 or 3 at a time trying to get high. If it’s used responsibly by adults especially ones wanting to quit smoking your going to get something that works something that’s safe something that’s enjoyable and definitely more healthy compared to smoking results, which is death and that’s been proven. I’d still be smoking now and slowly dying if it wasn’t for vaping.
| 09/23/24 | |||
Milos | I was a smoker from year 14. I found the smell and the act of smoking a cigarette appealing from an early age. It took only few years to feel the consequences as … I was a smoker from year 14. I found the smell and the act of smoking a cigarette appealing from an early age. It took only few years to feel the consequences as I couldn’t run or as much as I used to, even at the age of 17. My mouth were dry, my skin changed and I had periodic random chest pains. I was a light smoker, I rarely smoked more than 7,8 cigarettes a day. And I loved it, until I started feeling the side effects and knowing what would eventually happen to me in the end-I just wasn’t built for smoking that much. In 2012.I bought my first cigalike vape and I thought: Goosh, this is so close. If I just had a stronger device I could kick this! But the stronger device wasn’t available until early 2014. in Serbia, when my mom bought me my first Ego battery kit. I was amazed! I started exploring the gear, bought multiple mods and pods over the years and maybe smoked 2 packs of cigarettes in total over the past 10 years (on occasions when my device is not working and I didn’t have a backup readily available). Those always tasted disgusting and being smoke free for a long time now, I know I’ll never smoke again. I’m currently vaping 4.5 mg of nicotine and planning to go down to 2.25 in next month. Vape on!
| 6-10 years 09/23/24 | |||
Anonymous | I can’t figure out is people want to ban vaping when there has been proof of state legislators and state politicians in my state that have taken money from Big tobacco to push … I can’t figure out is people want to ban vaping when there has been proof of state legislators and state politicians in my state that have taken money from Big tobacco to push the ban. Yet cigarettes are perfectly legal to be sold in stores like they have for the past hundred years, they want to curb youth intake of vaping products so what’s the stop youth from getting cigarettes like they used to? I admit when I was 15 I smoked cigarettes. I quit smoking in 2010 started vaping and vaping ever since had an x-ray for the last five times over a course of 10 years and my lungs are clear I feel better I have no problems. But big tobacco and the government want people smoking cigarettes so that way they get sick and have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on medical fees in this corrupt world we live in.
| 09/23/24 | |||
Christopher Cameron | Started smoking around 15 and I’m now 30 and have been using vapes for about 4 years. Made the switch when I ended up in hospital after smoking caused me to have an … Started smoking around 15 and I’m now 30 and have been using vapes for about 4 years. Made the switch when I ended up in hospital after smoking caused me to have an infection which I had to go under and have surgery as it was quite serious. I’m glad I made the switch because my clothes don’t smell anymore, I feel much better, I don’t have to stand in the cold anymore and I’m generally just feeling good. I’ve used many vapes from disposables, pod systems and replaceable coils. Never going back to smoking. I appreciate vapes so much!
| 2-5 years 09/23/24 |

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