It's time I quit for good... but I need help.

Disclosure:  The product reviewed in this post was sent to me in exchange for my 100% honest review.  I do not receive any compensation for clicks or sales from the links contained in this post.

Hey y'all!

So today I'm taking a break from nail stuff to talk about something that a lot of people are trying to do this time of year - quit smoking.  It's been almost 20 years since I first lit a cigarette, and I never imagined that I would keep doing it this long.  We all know the reasons we should quit, but the pull of the temporary high draws us back time and time again.

Earlier this month, I went to see my doctor and told her I wanted to quit smoking and we discussed a few options.  I told her that a few years ago, my then-roommate, then-boyfriend, and I all managed to stop using varenicline, which is a drug that blocks the nicotine receptors in the brain from absorbing nicotine and the eventual dopamine spike it creates, allowing your dopamine levels to naturally level out over time.  This lets you to quit smoking without the typical "withdrawal" symptoms.  It worked for all of us for a time, in my case two years, but in a period of weakness and stupidity, I fell back into the habit.  My doctor prescribed the medication for me again, so I've started that treatment course and feel confident that this will be the last time I quit.  That knowledge feels good.

My official quit date was Jan 13, but I was highly concerned about breaking my mental triggers (driving, post-meals, etc.), so I felt like I needed an ally in my back pocket.  That's where today's post comes in.

I was selected to receive a review sample of 10 Motives Electronic Cigarettes.

The model I received is the disposable menthol with 40 cigarettes' worth of nicotine, which retails from 10 Motives website  for £5.99, cheaper than a single 20-pack of most cigarettes.

I'll start off by saying this:  No e-cig ever truly tastes or feels like "the real thing".  If you are looking for a stop smoking aid that will be just like smoking, you're probably going to need to revise your thinking.  HOWEVER... I've now had experience with 3 or 4 different kinds of e-cigs, and this one is definitely the closest to tasting like real cigarette smoke that I've ever tried.  The menthol taste on this bad boy is pretty strong, and I get that same smoker's aftertaste that I would get from a real menthol cigarette.  Some might view this as a negative, but I think people who have been smoking for a long time will appreciate that it really does simulate smoking.

The device itself weighs slightly more than other similarly-shaped e-cigs I've held, but not so much as to be disturbing.  Also I like that this model comes with little rubber end-caps for both ends of the device to prevent leakage and protect from damage, as I've only ever seen end-caps for the mouthpiece before now.  I feel like this makes it safer and a bit more sanitary in my purse or my pocket, although the drawback is having to keep up with two extraneous bits of rubber while I'm "smoking".

I now carry this little guy with me in my purse so that whenever I'm driving and the itch strikes me, I can take a couple of puffs and satisfy the itch.  It will also be with me any time I'm in a social setting of smoking, so that I can still retain a feeling of being "part of the group" without actually breaking down and bumming a real cigarette.  I feel like it's my little rescue inhaler for cigarette cessation.  I only need to puff on it a couple of times to feel like I've scratched my itch, which means that the "40 cigarettes" equivalency inside should last me for a good long time.

Whereas I am using a two-pronged approach to quit smoking, I recognize that a lot of my readers may not have the luxury of being able to use both the prescription and the e-cig.  I do think that if I were to need to quit based solely on using this 10 Motives product, I would be successful, though I'm quite sure that I would need more than one of these devices.  Because it really is the closest I've experienced to actually lighting up, I think it's a worthwhile product and I'm really glad that I had an opportunity to review this sample, because the others I've tried just weren't going to cut it for me.

Luckily, 10 Motives also offers rechargeable models in both regular and menthol, as well as the larger e-hookahs in a variety of flavors that contain up to 600 puffs!

So, is this the year you'll finally quit?  If you're thinking about it, I invite you to join me on this journey to being smoke-free in 2014.

Do it because you're tired of having to ask yourself constantly:

• Do I have cigarettes?  
• Do I have enough cigarettes?  
• Can I get to the store if I run out of cigarettes?  
• Do I have money to buy cigarettes if I need them?  
• Do I have a lighter?  
• Do I have a backup lighter?  
• Will there be a place for me to smoke when I get there?  
• Is anyone going to give me grief for stepping outside to smoke?
• Is my spouse going to complain about kissing me, again, because I taste like an ashtray?

Do it to save all that money you're spending on cigarettes (seriously, when was the last time you did the math on how much you spend on cigarettes each month?).

Do it for your family, your friends, the people who care about you.

Do it to avoid needing ugly, painful, sickening medical treatments later in life.

Do it for you.

I hope you'll join me.