I assumed when I gave up smoking that people would in general be pleased. I thought anyone who liked me a lot (my parents) would be relieved, for health reasons, and anyone who liked me but wished I would stop blowing smoke all over their nice clean homes (nearly everybody else) would be much more pleased to see me.

I predicted a certain amount of hostility from committed smokers, for obvious reasons. What I never expected in a million years was to become a social pariah like never before. Because that's what we vapers are. Slightly worse than smokers.

It's mainly an etiquette issue. We had just got used to the new rules surrounding smoking: roughly summarised, most people expect you to take your smoking outside, to avoid the children getting ideas, and the laundry in the airing cupboard acquiring the scent of Golden Virginia. But vapers don't go outside to smoke. We don't feel the need to go outside because we are not actually smoking, we are exhaling water vapour with traces of nicotine, which most people agree is 99 per cent safer than cigarette smoke.

Also, frankly, we are in the process of conquering a deadly habit, so we feel that we should be indulged at all times. If vaping required also wearing a headpiece with a claxon that goes off every half hour, then so be it. We are Giving Up Smoking. Besides, anyone who knows anything about smoking should know that you will get a lot more out of an ex-smoker if you let them drag on an e-cigarette for all its worth.