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.
Submit Your Testimonial
Latest Testimonials
# | Name | Testimonial | Experience | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
13529 | Gordon |
Vaping and flavors helped me quit smoking I breathe better my blood pressure is better I feel better vaping helped save my life
|
2-5 years |
09/03/2023 |
13528 | Allison |
I started smoking cigarettes when I was 13. I smoked menthol cigarettes of pretty much any brand most of the time that I smoked. Later in my smoking career I moved to Cheyenne Wild Cherry and Al Capone cigarillos. God got on to me about smoking, and I knew I had to quit. Vaping was available, and I tried it. Vaping and smoking are a bit different as far as the inhale, which took some getting used to, but I liked that I could gradually decrease my nicotine amount. I also liked the flavors. While I was trying to quit I would literally go down the road with the vape in my right hand and the cigarette in my left hand near the cracked window of my car. I am happy to say that within 6 months I was fully free of cigarettes. I have now been cigarette free for about 12 to 13 years. I don't get three to four sinus infections a year, I can actually jog a mile or more once I work up to it, and I feel better overall. I recently went to a country where I let my vape run out of charge, and I had to smoke cigarettes for a couple hours. I hated it. But smokers understand how the habit is. I was very happy to get back to my hotel room and my other vape waiting for me. Outlawing vape is the worst idea ever. I am grateful to have been able to quit. My house doesn't stink, my clothes don't stink, my hair doesn't stink, and my bank balance is higher. I spend less on vape juice and replacement coils then my husband does on his Marlboros. My dad says cigs taste different now than they did when he was young. They put more garbage in the tobacco. I imagine the cig industry would have fewer defectors if tobacco still had the same pure, rich strength it used to according to my father. Smokers would still be demonized, but big tobacco and big pharma would both be happy. I'm happy to have quit.
|
6-10 years |
07/10/2023 |
13527 | DB Miller |
I smoked 2 packs a day for over 30 years. I had resigned myself to never be able to quit and was just waiting for the inevitable health issues. Then I got married late in life and started a family. At 44 I had a baby on the way and I realized that I wanted to see him grow up and that meant getting my health under control and that meant quitting the cigs. I tried the gum and patches but that just helped with the nicotine it didn't help with everything else related to smoking. The physical sensation the little breaks you get when you do smoke. So those didn't help even a little. I decided to try vape. I found a rig and some smoke flavored juice and it felt ok, once I got used to it, and tasted ok but I still liked my smokes. But then I found that you could get flavors of juices. I found Deep Fried Cake Pop flavored E Juice. I loved it so much that after a month I just didn't want to smoke a traditional cigarette. I quit the 2 packs a day and it wasn't the huge dramatic problem I had envisioned. Since I switched to vape my lungs have done a 180. Physically I'm 100% better and no longer worried about all the issues associated with smoking. I've become a huge advocate because of what vaping did for me. I plan to watch my son graduate in 20 years and I'm now confident that I will be there for it.
|
2-5 years |
07/06/2023 |
13526 | Grizzly618 |
I started smoking B&M Cigars when I was around 15 years old, when I was around 16 Vaping Products became the norm, and after a friend of mine recommended I switch for the sake of my life, I did, I used Vaporizers for many years and have never had any ill effects that could be proven to have stemmed from my very heavy Vape usage. It is a harsh reality that we must accept, we should all be open to accepting the fact that teens are likely going to use some form of E-Cigarette or Tobacco Product at some point in their teenage years, and it is simply unavoidable regardless of how far we raise the age to purchase these products.
The goal of Harm Reduction is a just one, and should be accepted globally, as I'd of much rather I started out with an E-Cigarette than ever touching Cigarettes in my lifetime. Fast forwarding to now, I will keep my exact age undisclosed but I am in my 20's, I am now a dual user of Smokeless Tobacco, and E-Cigarettes, my preference for smokeless Tobacco stems from the taste and the effects of it being highly pleasurable to me as well as the fact that since Vaping in virtually any public place is Outlawed, I use smokeless Tobacco in order to satisfy my cravings when I am at work or any other Public location such as Bars or Restaurants.
I have seen no ill effect from Smokeless Tobacco, in fact, smokeless Tobacco feels better than Vaping for me! usually if I vape all day, I tend to get a winded quicker and feel a bit lethargic, but if I use Smokeless Tobacco more than I vape during the day I do not suffer any of the same effects, and I can confidently say the same about Tobacco Free Nicotine Pouches, which I have used in the past, but due to their low potency and higher cost, I no longer use alongside my E-Cigarette.
In terms of changes in the Qaulity of life, the effects are numerous, but the most important ones are clear, I spend LESS money than your average pack a day smoker does in a week or month, by far, since I have cut down on my Vaping drastically and primarily use Smokeless Tobacco, I only need to buy Vapor products once every other week and smokeless tobacco about once a week, the Smokeless Tobacco products are exponentially cheaper and higher quality than most Cigarette brands you can find in my area, with most Can of Dip costing $5-$8 while cigarettes will normally cost about $8-$12
Second and most importantly, the Physical changes have been extreme as well, while Vaping is far better than Cigarettes, I can wholeheartedly say that cutting back or outright quitting is a great option too, and if that isn't an option, look into Smokeless Alternatives, there are many completely Tobacco Free Dipping Products out there that are very cheap and can get the job done for most people, ever since I cut back exponentially, my energy levels have increased, cravings have decreased, and Physical Conditioning has become far better in the long run.
In terms of negative effects, it has been difficult to put down either for me, I actually went about 1 month without Vaping, I was completely smoke free, I was using Smokeless Tobacco, however, it is very hard to use Smokeless Tobacco in the Industry I work in because you cannot use it where you cannot spit and because Spitting is a bit tasteless to do at your place of work in my opinion, I felt I had no other choice but to pick up a Vape again in order to have some sort of Nicotine delivery system while I was on break at Work.
All in all, the bottom line is this, I was one of the Kids that they were talking about whenever the "underage epidemic" thing hit, and while what they were saying was relatively true in terms of how many Teens were vaping, the truth is, at least it's not cigarettes!
|
6-10 years |
06/24/2023 |
13525 | Ben G |
I started smoking when I was around 13. (I'm now 59). At first it was just one a day, but quickly escalated to a 1/2 pack a day. I quit many times but it never stuck. I always knew that cigarettes would eventually kill me but that didn't matter (since we can't think/act in the long-term). Around 2015 I discovered vaping and that changed everything. I started off with tobacco flavor bit still smoked cigarettes since the taste of the vape was so objectionable. Then I found flavors and that changed everything. I was finally able to give up cigarettes since I now preferred vaping. The think I like best about vaping is there's not disgusting smell that lasts for over an hour. Cigarettes are DISGUSTING!! But if vaping (or flavored vaping) was banned I'd probably go back to smoking cigarettes. So please - do whatever you can to keep kids from starting, but don't ban something that's improved my life and millions of other adults all around the world!
|
6-10 years |
06/22/2023 |
13524 | Karen Musial |
I started vaping 7 months after I watched my PaPa die from smoking. He wanted to live and grasped at each slow breath. It was heartbreaking. I thought of my kids and went to my niece's store and a week later I stopped smoking, drinking and everything else that was bad for me. That was in Aug. 18, 2013. The ban has nothing to do with vaping, it is all political with the tobacco companies, always was. Yet the legalize weed, that people actually get high with and can drive around high. Scary to me. Keep on Vaping!
|
11+ years |
06/22/2023 |
13523 | Beatrice |
Used to be a 2+ pack/day smoker. Over 10 years now 'tobacco free'. First month I began to smell and taste food --- 2nd month morning cough began to subside. Better lungs/breathing now than 20 years ago. Cigarettes stink now!!! The smell and irritation to my eyes, nose and throat is offensive to me. Never, ever thought I'd become "one of those" ex-smokers, but it IS an awful habit! Vaping saved me from so many bad consequences of cigarette smoking. It has greatly improved my life and probably the longevity as well.
|
11+ years |
06/22/2023 |
13522 | Orygundragon |
I started smoking cigarettes at 14. That began a habit of a pack of menthol cigarettes a day for 50 years! During that time I tried to quit. Cold turkey, gum, lozenges, etc. And failed. In July 2021, a friend suggested I try a flavored vape pen and gave me a disposable one to try. Over the next couple of days I used it while finishing off the last 2 packs of cigarettes in my carton. I'm thrilled to say that in July 2023 it will be 2 years since I smoked a cigarette. Ive had no desire to have one. I feel better, my house, clothes, and car smell better. I'm spending less than half what I spent on cigarettes. All my vital signs and lab work from yearly doctors visits have improved. It took 50 years for me to find something that could help me stop smoking cigarettes. My only fear now is the attempts to ban flavored vapes. I can't risk resorting to smoking cigarettes again at my age. I've written my state representative and I'm following closely the current legislation.
|
1-2 years |
05/25/2023 |
13521 | Dee Dee |
I began smoking at the very tender age of 12. I buckled under peer pressure and wanted to be “cool” like my older aunt. I wasn’t a regular smoker until the age of 16. I was never a heavy smoker…10 cigarettes a day at my heaviest. And I hated everything about it…the taste, the smell…you’d think it’d be easy for someone like that to just quit. Here’s the thing…when I wanted a cigarette, I really wanted a cigarette! Addiction, dependency, whatever you want to call it, when your body is demanding something, one usually gives in to it.
As with most smokers, I had tried several times throughout the years to quit. Patches irritated my skin. Lozenges and gum made me queasy. And forget cold turkey! I was actually successful with Chantix, even with the crazy dreams! But I was tobacco free for 1 ½ years with the help of Blu e-cigs. Zero nic, vanilla flavored cartridges to be exact! But I live in a very small, very rural town and zero nic carts were only available via mail order. No problem…until I needed them and didn’t have them! Several years ago my house was destroyed by a hurricane. The stress levels caused my cravings to explode. Unfortunately, I was out of carts. So what did I do? I got a pack of cigarettes. Completely negated the last 1 ½ years of being smoke free! And yes, I was again immediately hooked. I smoked for a couple of years and decided to give vaping a try. Several of my friends had quit using the vape method so I thought why not give it a shot. I dual used for about 2 ½ - 3 years. Never got into the hobbyist side of it but I did begin to accumulate various pod mods, AIOs, and sub-ohm devices. Tried an unknown amount of flavors, mostly zero nic with the occasional 2mg or 3mg nicotine. My cigarette usage was down to about 5 cigs a day. And while I enjoyed immensely the many different grape, watermelon, cookie, cotton candy, donut, sweet lemon, apple fritter, banana cream, and various other sweet flavored e-liquids, I just could not find the ONE. That one special flavor that really did it for me. Until about 6 months ago that is. I finally found the flavor that has kept me off the stinkies for good!
Notice a theme here? Flavors! It was the vanilla flavor that helped me stay off cigarettes...until I couldn’t get them and went back to smoking. And it was flavors that kept my smoking down and finally a certain flavor that has helped me to be combustible free for over 6 months! I hope my testimonial will help the powers that be to see that if not for vaping and flavors, I’m pretty sure that I’d still be smoking. I seriously believe I couldn’t have done it without them.
Did I mention that I developed eosinophilic asthma in my early 30’s? Yes…I smoked while being an asthmatic. Stupid in its grandest form, I know! Years of smoking and the steroid use to control the effects. I cringe at the thought of how strong of a hold cigarettes had on me. But now, thanks to vaping and flavors, I can take a deep, clean, breath of relief at the thought of being free of those chains! I know it’s only been 6 months but I feel sooo much better! No wheezing, coughing, and breathlessness. I’m much more physically active. I feel so much better all around…physically, mentally, emotionally. Now, at the age of 60, I am looking forward to a much healthier future!
And if all of this wasn’t enough…my success has encouraged two elderly, lifelong smokers to give vaping a try. One has quit smoking and is now vaping and the other is dual using. I will forever fight the good fight where vaping is concerned. I know without a doubt it saved my life.
|
2-5 years |
05/05/2023 |
13520 | Ron Jablonski |
Hello everyone, Ron here. This is my first testimonial, but it is an important one.
I used to be a smoker, which led me to snuff trying to stop smoking and ended up doing both. The smoking was causing my chest to start hurting and do I even need to talk about how disgusting a snuff habit is? My smoking habit caused me to be less active because it affects your lungs in a very bad way. Well one day I got a disposable vape pen and figured I would give it a try, after about a week I noticed running and doing more active workouts was easier, my chest stopped hurting and food even tasted better. I was able to stop smoking and using snuff all together. I never really cared for the taste of tobacco in any form, and really enjoy the candy and dessert flavors that are available in vape liquids. It is upsetting to me when they try to pass laws that ban these flavors, saying that they created them to hook kids. I am an adult and I love these flavors, pluse it helps me stay away from real candy as I have diabetes, LOL so I can still have the sweet taste of my favorite candy, without raising my glucose level. I really can't say enough good things about vaping. I am proud to say I have gotten 4 of my friends to stop smoking cigarettes and start vaping. I have a personal feeling that the people responsible for all the anti-vaping ads and falsehoods are the tobacco companies because they are losing business to people putting down the cigarettes/snuff and picking up a vape product. Oh and when you vape rather than smoke you, your car, your house and clothes do smell like a used cigarette butt. I hope this testimonial helped, and help someone decide to try it before they judge. You will feel all around better, smell better and it really is better for your health.
One more thing, since I have been vaping my blood pressure is back to normal and my doctor has taken me off of the BP meds I was on.
|
6-10 years |
04/29/2023 |

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