Guess I'll chime in on this. I'm sure that the ecigs aren't as bad as the real thing; but I keep seeing articles about the ecigs being dangerous also. I haven't taken the time to read these articles. I'm sure some of you have and can explain to all of us what is supposed to be bad about the ecigs. My daughter and son-in-law both tried the ecigs a while back, but didn't stay on them. They both smoke heavily. My daughter was a nurse before becoming disabled. She decided that the ecigs they were using weren't as 'healthful' as she had first thought. Although a lot of the bad things in cigs are not in the ecigs, nicotine could be added to what was inhaled. Anything that reduces the amount of bad things that we put into our bodies is good. But, it seems that quitting is better. I thought the ecigs were to be used as a 'crutch' while quitting; not just another addiction.
I smoked for 40 years. I quit 'cold turkey' on September 29, 2000. (Didn't realize until several years later, but that would have been my dad's 100th birthday if he had lived that long.) I was 58 when I quit. I had been having several acute bronchitis attacks a year and had to do something. I've often wondered if I had not had the bronchitis attacks, would I have quit? Hopefully I would have.
I was fine for several years after quitting. About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with COPD. As time has passed, it has worsened. I have been on Advair for about 3 years now, plus an inhaler, and some medications through a nebulizer. About one and a half years ago, an oxygen concentrator was placed in my bedroom and is used almost nightly. If I get 'winded' during the day, I use it for a few minutes to help get my breathing back under control. I carry an oxygen bottle in the car with me in case I need it. Until a few weeks ago, I could go walking for a mile or so (slowly) without much problems. Now I have to use the oxygen bottle if I'm out walking for exercise. Just going to the store doesn't bother me too much; but if I get in a hurry or try to carry several packages I get 'winded'.
My advice: Quit! Sooner the better. It's such a 'slippery slope'. I thought I was getting away with 40 years of smoking for the first few years after I quit. Ha Ha, no such luck. You may be (hopefully) luckier than I. One of my wife's uncles quit when he was 58 also. He ran marathons for years afterwards. He's now either 78 or 79 and still gets out and mows some of his disabled friends' lawns and jogs several times a week! Who knows how it will affect you. My wife's gramps had gallbladder surgery when he was 86. He smoked and drank Southern Comfort. The smoking and drinking finally killed him when was 92!